TGIF! Thank you for all the feedback this week as we relaunch Reliable Sources in beta mode. This is a surprisingly busy Friday morning, so here's the latest on Newsmax, ABC News, Laura Loomer, Warner Bros. Discovery, and many more: |
|
|
More than a week after the Justice Department unsealed its bombshell indictment, revealing that Russian state media actors allegedly orchestrated an influence operation involving some of the biggest right-wing social media stars, the personalities are keeping quiet about the scandal.
A key question: What happened to the millions of dollars that were paid to Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and other high-profile right-wing personalities who became unwitting mouthpieces of Russian propaganda?
While the media personalities weren't charged in the indictment and aren't obligated to forfeit the money, whether they should, ethically speaking, is another question altogether. Jon Passantino and Sean Lyngaas have more on it here.
|
|
|
Apple's new iPhones go on sale... A weekend full of Emmys parties begin in Hollywood... Kamala Harris holds campaign events in PA... Donald Trump holds a rally in Las Vegas... |
|
|
Murdoch battle will remain secret |
Hadas Gold writes: "A Nevada judge has ruled that billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his family can hold a secret court battle over the future of his vast media empire behind closed doors. The judge rejected a petition by a coalition of media organizations, including CNN, The New York Times, NPR, the Washington Post, Reuters and ABC, to unseal the case and allow access." More here.
>> Preston Padden, who worked closely with Rupert to build Fox Broadcasting in the 1990s, told me, "It is beyond ironic that the Murdochs, who print the dirty laundry of every other family in the world on the front pages of their tabloids, are blocking the media from gaining access to the Murdoch Family Trust Court proceeding that will impact the public by determining the control of the WSJ, Fox News, etc."
>> Other Murdoch watchers are buzzing about Thursday's WSJ story about the "family rift." The story contained sensitive financial details that are only known to a small number of people, begging the question, who leaked to Rupert and Lachlan's paper?
|
|
|
Marshall Cohen writes: Smartmatic's defamation case against Newsmax will proceed to trial later this month, a judge ruled Thursday, dealing a blow to the right-wing network and setting the stage for the 2020 election to be relitigated during the final stretch of the 2024 race. The trial is now scheduled to begin September 30. Let's see if Smartmatic and Newsmax settle out of court before then. Cohen has more on the decision here.
>> Notable: In a partial victory for Newsmax, Judge Eric Davis (who also oversaw Dominion v. Fox) kept alive one of the network's key defenses: that it was neutrally reporting on Trump’s election claims but was not endorsing them. Details here.
|
|
|
Questions about Laura Loomer |
I just wrapped up a live shot on "CNN News Central" about Laura Loomer, the far-right activist. It's telling that she describes herself as an investigative journalist, seeking the credibility that title confers. In reality, she is a social media bombthrower, seeking attention through outrageous stunts and offensive posts. She has a long history of racist and Islamophobic rhetoric. Now that she is traveling with Trump, and potentially giving him campaign advice, she is rightly coming under national news media scrutiny. The big question: Will she continue to travel with Trump and/or become a part of his campaign in some official capacity?
|
|
|
I asked CNN's Donie O'Sullivan to preview the next installment of his "MisinfoNation" series, which is premiering this Sunday at 8pm ET on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper." Here's what he told me:
"We started shooting these in January to dive deeper into the darker corners of the internet – the undercurrents that can sometimes shape the political mainstream. But, as we suspected, many of the 'fringe' characters we featured in the episodes, like Laura Loomer and Benny Johnson, are now center stage in the election. This weekend we are looking at the 'lost left' – the so-called Bernie Bros. who moved to the far-right. We are focusing on a specific subset of disillusioned young American men who spend many of their waking hours playing video games while watching partisan political streamers. These men are being radicalized in plain view – they're embracing antisemitic, racist, and homophobic memes, and devouring pro-Putin propaganda."
|
|
|
Trump/Vance's podcast tour 👂 |
Trump keeps seeking out podcasts for friendly interviews. And his running mate JD Vance has been on the podcast circuit for years. But are the appearances hurting more than helping? I explored that question on another pod, Vanity Fair's Inside the Hive. (While back at CNN, I'm still hosting this weekly VF show through the end of the year.)
Long-form podcast chats "lure people into this much more kind of confessional, chatty mode," The Atlantic's Helen Lewis told me. The conversations can be quite revealing, but can also backfire on the guests. (Several of Vance's old podcasts have come back to haunt him in recent weeks.) Hear more from Lewis and Bloomberg's all-star reporter covering all things audio, Ashley Carman, here.
|
|
|
Trump says there will be no more debates. Harris says there should be. Harris spokesman Brian Fallon told Playbook this morning that "we do not consider this to be the last word from him." He added: "He is just working through his feelings after losing very badly Tuesday night."
>> Last night Abby Phillip showed a supercut comparing Trump's debate answers in 2016 and 2024. "There was a weird clarity in 2016 that was completely absent this week," she said. Mediaite highlights the supercut here.
>> Sad but true: "As campaigns increasingly communicate via meme, cat videos are outranking reality," the NYT's Charles Homans writes.
|
Reviewing the ABC referees |
Did ABC News moderate Tuesday's debate objectively? A debate about that is still raging. Margaret Sullivan, writing for The Guardian, says it was "a better-than-usual night for the truth" because David Muir and Linsey Davis repeatedly but politely fact-checked some of Trump's lies, and many other media critics agree. But there are also some strong arguments against ABC's approach – and not just from bad-faith actors. "In sports, the best referees go unnoticed," Mediaite's Colby Hall writes. But ABC's moderators garnered tons of attention due to the fact-checks. Hall argues that "due to how ABC moderated Tuesday night's affair," June moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash's "standing across the partisan spectrum is now higher."
>> Trump, meanwhile, continued to bash ABC on Thursday. He said of Muir, "I always liked him [but] I'm not going to watch him anymore." Then Trump went in for the kill as only Trump can: "And his hair's not as good as it used to be, you know."
>> I'll be curious to see Muir's "World News Tonight" ratings in the weeks to come. Now that he's a Trump target, will there be any viewership impact?
|
News outlets see debate spike |
Tuesday's debate has lifted all boats, so to speak, attracting big audiences to news sites, TV networks and political talk shows. At The Washington Post, Wednesday was the outlet's highest-reach day of the year, staffers were told, as post-debate coverage drew millions of readers. Another example: Slate had its best day of the year Wednesday in terms of page views. In the entertainment realm, Jon Stewart's post-debate "Daily Show" was the late-night show's highest rating telecast in seven years.
|
|
|
Zaslav expects big Max gains |
Speaking at Goldman Sachs' investor conference on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav said the media giant, CNN's parent, anticipates growing its Max subscriber base by more than six million during the third quarter, a number he partially attributes to the company's budding Disney bundle and new international subscribers.
Zaslav's comments came hours after WBD inked an early renewal deal with Charter that will make Max's ad-supported tier available to Spectrum TV Select packages at no extra cost to the consumer. Shares of WBD closed up more than 10% on Thursday while Charter closed up 3.5%. Both companies are still down double-digits year to date.
>> Liam Reilly notes: Zaslav did not provide any concrete NBA updates, limiting himself to a brief aside in which he said he hopes WBD is able to keep the basketball league for another 11 years. Also absent was any mention of Venu Sports, frozen in place due to Fubo's lawsuit, and slated to go to trial in October 2025.
|
|
|
>> The Baltimore Sun's new owner David Smith is under newfound scrutiny in the wake of reporter Madeleine O'Neill's firing. The Sun's guild says she was ousted for speaking up "behalf of workplace and journalistic standards." (Baltimore Brew)
>> In a newly revealed letter, the White House News Photographers Association called out the Harris campaign for an "unprecedented reduction in access" to still photographers. (Axios)
>> Australia is considering making misinformation a finable offense, warning social media companies they could owe up to 5% of their global revenues if they allow false information to spread across their platforms. (Semafor)
>> Alex Weprin explains how CBS plans to boost "60 Minutes" through a combination of extended broadcast time and digital spin-offs. (THR)
|
|
|
>> A new AP-NORC/USAFacts survey finds that a majority of Americans don't trust A.I.-backed chatbots to provide them with accurate responses to election-related queries. (AP)
>> Meta's Facebook and Instagram say they will hide "A.I. Info" labels in menus, making it more difficult for users to identify A.I.-edited photos. (The Verge)
>> Meta, TikTok, and Snap are all pledging to participate in Thrive, a new program that aims to address suicide and self-harm content. (TechCrunch)
>> Casey Newton's recap of Mark Zuckerberg's candid appearance before 6,000 fans of the "Acquired" podcast: "Meta's CEO says he’s done apologizing. Should we worry?" (Platformer)
>> Oliver Darcy's newest scoop: Vox Media's Code Conference "will not take place this year." If Code comes back, it "could be scaled back and/or have a different feel." (Status)
|
|
|
They have got news for you! |
CNN evidently picked the perfect week to launch "Have I Got News For You," an American version of a long-running British comedy news quiz show. Not only will the participants get to dissect the debate, they'll assuredly have lots of fun with Trump's pet-eating claims. "I just want to know about the dogs," the show's host Roy Wood Jr. says.
CNN's Saturday replay of "Real Time with Bill Maher" has rated well, so CNN is slotting "Have I Got News For You" right afterward, at 9pm ET. Each week Wood will be joined by two team captains, Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, and two guests. "It's a news recap joke pseudo competition show," Black told me when he dropped by Hudson Yards on Thursday. He rightly observed that there are "no shortage of ridiculous absurd stories in the news, including the entire presidential campaign," and he said he thinks the show's hopefully witty observations will "reflect back what a lot of the audience is thinking."
|
|
|
>> A peek at the future of Hollywood dealmaking: Ken Basin writes about "a path back to sanity in TV deals." (Puck)
>> "Nutcrackers," the opening night comedy at the Toronto International Film Festival, is being acquired by Hulu in an "eight-figure deal." (TheWrap)
>> Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie à Deux," opening October 4, is eyeing a $70-million box office opening despite middling Rotten Tomatoes reviews following its Venice Film Festival world premiere. (Deadline)
>> Claire Atkinson says Netflix is playing a "dangerous game" as it "blurs ads, shopping and content." (The Ankler)
>> Michael B. Jordan will direct and star in a third cinematic adaptation of "The Thomas Crown Affair" for Amazon MGM Studios. (THR)
>> Paramount+ and Showtime are sharing a first look teaser at "Dexter" prequel "Original Sin," set to premiere on December 13. (YouTube)
|
|
|
|
® © 2024 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.
1050 Techwood Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
