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"Not the odds, but the stakes." 

Those are the six words that make up a mantra New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen has evangelized across the news industry over the last several months. With less than a year until the 2024 elections, Rosen has been imploring newsrooms to organize their campaign coverage around the enormous stakes of the presidential contest — not the horse race.

"The stakes, of course, mean the stakes for American democracy," Rosen told me by phone Tuesday. "The stakes are what might happen as a result of the election." 

It is not uncommon for critics of the news media to skewer political coverage for focusing too much on who is up and who is down, instead of placing an emphasis on policy and the effect a victor might have on the world. Such criticism is even more pronounced and pointed during the heat of a contested election cycle.

But, heading into 2024, the state of affairs is far more dire than usual. After all, these are not normal times. With an insurrection-inciting, twice-impeached, and four-time indicted candidate on the ballot, democracy is very much on the line. As Rosen told me, "There is an urgency to it now." Homing in on what the U.S. could look like during — and after — a second Donald Trump presidency is crucial, especially as the Republican frontrunner echoes the language of authoritarian leaders to reveal his plans for a second term.

Needless to say, sounding the alarm on Trump's disturbing conduct is more difficult than engaging in horse race coverage. Focusing on the polls can help news organizations dodge thorny issues, such as Trump's use of vile rhetoric. That allows them, perhaps, to avoid the perception among some in the public that they're unfairly biased.

"And [horse race coverage] is an easy way to make a complicated subject come alive for audiences," Rosen added. "It creates excitement of a kind. Suspense. These things make it a formidable adversary."

That's not to say all coverage of polling and political strategy is misguided, Rosen stressed. Simply, it should not be the primary focus for news organizations, given what is on the line come next November.

"I don't mean to say that news of the horse race is some sort of sin or poison that has dot be driven from the news," Rosen told me. "Rather, that the horse race should not be the model for how you design your coverage. It should not be the organizing principle of your campaign coverage."

There are some signs that news organizations are following such a blueprint as they cover the 2024 race, with major outlets starting to report on Trump's alarming plans, should he be re-elected. The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press have all published detailed stories in recent weeks on his twisted fantasies. On cable news, CNN and MSNBC have run segments on the topic as well. 

"We are getting more and more stakes journalism from our national media," Rosen said. "And that's an encouraging sign. And I think it is absolutely essential to keep going."

———  BELOW THE FOLD  ———

NPR's Harrowing Report: "There are days when you head out to report a story, and you think you know where it's going. And then it spins in an entirely different direction." That's the lede on an NPR story that ended with the subject of one of the outlet's stories being inexplicably detained by Israeli authorities in front of the journalists. The story — by Mary Louise Kelly, Erika Ryan, and Kat Lonsdorf — started with the journalists visiting a farmer in the West Bank who has been unable to visit his grove of olive trees since the 10/7 terror attack due to precautions implemented by the Israeli military. The NPR journalists said that for the story they accompanied the farmer to a nearby hill where they could get a "glimpse" of the farm.

The team, donning "PRESS" flak jackets, heard a "buzzing sound" on their walk. "When we look up, we spot a drone hovering about 60 feet above us," the team wrote. "A camera flashes green and red – it's clear someone's watching." The journalists said that soon after armed Israeli forces arrived on the scene and detained the farmer while ordering them to leave the area. "We say we don't want to leave without him. ... The soldiers refuse, and a gun is raised. It points straight at us – and we begin to back away," the reporters wrote. The journalists obeyed before frantically getting in touch with Israeli government and military contacts to determine where the farmer had been taken. Ultimately, the farmer was released several hours later. "He tells us that after he was led away, blindfolded and handcuffed, he was driven to a military office in a nearby settlement where he was mocked and questioned for hours." Read the full story here.

Business Insider Is Back: What is old is new again. Business Insider said Tuesday that it had made the decision to revert back to its previous name, with Editor-In-Chief Nicholas Carlson acknowledging in a note that the "Insider" name never really took hold among the public. But, of far greater significance, the outlet said that co-founder and longtime boss Henry Blodget would exit his role as chief executive, ending an era at the business-focused digital outlet. Blodget will be succeeded by Barbara Peng, who has been president of BI since 2021. CNN's Jordan Valinsky has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: The moves come as owner Axel Springer oversees changes to the structures of its U.S.-based news outlets. POLITICO, another Axel Springer publication, has made a number of organizational and leadership shakeups over the past year. 

First in Reliable | The Tucker and Trump Talks: Phone calls between Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson increased in frequency after Russia invaded Ukraine, the extremist right-wing media personality told Jon Karl for his new book, "Tired of Winning," which is out Tuesday. Karl said he had heard the two had started talking more regularly, with a source telling him that Trump started calling Carlson "because he was increasingly lonely." Karl phoned up Carlson, who confirmed the two had started speaking more frequently in February 2022. Carlson told Karl that Trump is "more radical" on Ukraine than he admits in public: "The real reason he calls me is because he knows that I’m sympathetic to his basic program," Carlson told Karl. "I hate the war in Ukraine more than anything, and I think it’s f**king insane. And he’s like the only person who agrees with me on that." 

Artificial Contents Ahead: YouTube on Tuesday announced a set of new rules governing A.I.-based content on the platform. The most notable: Creators will be required to disclose when they've used the technology to make realistic looking videos. "This is especially important in cases where the content discusses sensitive topics, such as elections, ongoing conflicts and public health crises, or public officials," YouTube said in a blog post announcing the new rules. "Creators who consistently choose not to disclose this information may be subject to content removal, suspension from the YouTube Partner Program, or other penalties." CNN's Clare Duffy has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: "There are also some areas where a label alone may not be enough to mitigate the risk of harm, and some synthetic media, regardless of whether it’s labeled, will be removed from our platform if it violates our Community Guidelines," YouTube added. "For example, a synthetically created video that shows realistic violence may still be removed if its goal is to shock or disgust viewers." 

Netflix's Sports Swing: Netflix on Tuesday officially made its first foray into live sports, airing the Netflix Cup for subscribers in the evening. It was a relatively low-stakes entry into sports (which Netflix executives have continued to deny is an arena they want to fully enter), but an entry nevertheless. The event featured several PGA Tour players competing against each other. When I tuned in, the event seemed to be running smoothly. Front Office Sports' David Rumsey has more here. 

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email. You can follow us on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.