🎁 Good morning! This is our final daily digest of 2024. We'll be recharging over the holidays and returning to your inbox on January 2. Thank you so much for reading and replying. |
The list of layoffs is long. News fatigue is strong. And the media got stuff wrong.
I can't keep rhyming words (whew) but I can keep listing reasons why journalists feel deflated at the end of this year. Disinformation is rampant. Trust in the media is at a record low. And readers are turning to social media influencers who aren't verifying information before sharing it.
But there is good news about the news. That's what this end-of-the-year edition is about. "There's a ton of energy around building nonprofit local news organizations. That train is accelerating," former L.A. Times editor Kevin Merida said, calling it "one of the most promising developments in journalism."
"We're seeing a new generation of nonprofit news organizations redefine how we sustain and deliver high-quality journalism in very different communities, ranging from VTDigger in Vermont to El Paso Matters in Texas," Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project, told me. "In many cases, such as Mississippi Today, nonprofits now have the largest newsrooms in their markets."
"Just in the last couple of months, we're seeing local philanthropies and prominent journalists team up in dramatic fashion," she said, "including a $15 million initiative underway in Los Angeles, and a project of similar scale in Tulsa."
The American Journalism Project supports 50 nonprofits in 36 states. "Last year, our portfolio recorded 58% median revenue growth," Berman said, "which means that these nonprofits are on a path to being financially sustainable while producing outstanding journalism."
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Analog brands are learning digital tricks |
I'm specifically thinking of the radio stations in North Carolina that banded together in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Staffers worked 24/7 to keep radio transmitters on the air despite all the damage and they streamed the live coverage to anyone who was able to listen online (via Starlink for example). A group of iHeartRadio stations later estimated that the collective broadcasts "reunited more than 270 individuals separated from their loved ones."
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Courts are protecting free press |
Donald Trump's legal campaign against the media gained lots of attention this week, but it's also worth recognizing how the courts can and do uphold free press rights.
In Oklahoma, right-wing leaders of the state's department of education tried to ice out Nexstar's KFOR, one of the state's leading TV stations. Journalists were "refused access" to public board meetings and excluded from press conferences.
So the station filed suit, alleging First Amendment violations, and earlier this month a federal court issued a permanent injunction that ensures KFOR equal access. The department of education is literally mandated to let KFOR into events and include the station on all press lists, etcetera. The Institute for Free Speech called it a "major victory for press freedom." Sometimes the system works – and sends a message to others who might try the same tactics.
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Big outlets are breaking big stories |
In many ways, 2024 was the year of the podcaster and the influencer. Those (mostly) individual brands are powerful and persuasive. But when I look back at the biggest media stories of the year, and where the scoops originated, I see big institutions like The New York Times as well as startup news outlets that are committed to equally rigorous journalism.
Whether it was the Biden-Trump debate produced by CNN; the NYT's revelations about Rupert Murdoch's real-life succession battle; or the Washington Post's rigorous reporting about the tumult within its own shop, big outlets produced the raw material that everyone else was talking about.
> >As Axios put it this morning, Elon Musk's catchphrase – "you are the media now" – captures the difference "between media (what people consume) and reporting (a set of standards for pursuing fact-based information)."
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Enduring despite the turmoil |
Despite everything – all the business turmoil, the corporate chaos, the constant specter of layoffs, the threats from politicians, all the gripes and grievances – journalists just keep showing up and doing the work. Sometimes, when they run out of old-fashioned road, they launch Substacks and podcasts to tell stories in new ways. They shake off the social media trolls, serve up scoops, and ultimately perform a public good.
Media reporters like yours truly tend to write about other stuff – controversies and screwups and comings and goings – but it's the daily endeavor that matters most. Making calls, pitching segments, researching cases, checking facts, writing banners, deciding to write (or not write) a story. Doing the work. Maybe even making a difference in someone's life every once in a while. That's good news!
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Looking beyond newsrooms to the wider media world, we live in a wildly more diverse and accessible entertainment landscape than, say, ten or twenty years ago. Think about it: The main problem is that there's too much to watch.
"The media business continues to showcase resilience and evolution," Digital Content Next CEO Jason Kint said. His trade group's latest subscription tracking report shows that "over 96% of U.S. households now subscribe to an average of seven media services, underscoring the growing consumer appetite for high-quality content."
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'Network TV is officially back' |
"After a decade of stories about the Death of Linear TV, 2024 has seen a boomlet in scripted hits at the networks," which is "welcome news for broadcast staffers, or at least those still employed following years of seemingly endless layoffs," Vulture's Joe Adalian wrote earlier this week. He cites "Matlock" on CBS, "High Potential" on ABC, and "Happy's Place" on NBC, among other shows. He says, "the fact that audiences are responding to traditional weekly television shows" suggests "that viewers still want this kind of television..."
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'Streaming success runs through theaters' |
This year has cemented a new conventional wisdom in Hollywood: that "streaming success runs through theaters," as the NYT's Nicole Sperling put it this week. Execs have concluded that "the key to making a movie a streaming success and attracting new subscribers is to first release it in theaters," because "all the things that make theatrical movies successful — expansive marketing and public relations campaigns, and valuable word of mouth — continue to help movies perform once they land in the home." More...
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A list of excellent lists! |
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About Neil Cavuto's exit... |
Neil Cavuto has one heck of a story to tell. He was there at the beginning of Fox News – one of the most important media launches of our lifetime. Back then he was the norm on Fox, but he turned into an anomaly, an old-school business anchor who felt it was his role to separate fact from fiction, no matter who complained. Cavuto became a Trump target. And his emphasis on what was true – versus what the MAGA base wanted to be true – cost him viewers. So it was barely a surprise when he signed off on Thursday afternoon. Trump celebrated...
>> After Mediaite's Colby Hall broke the news of Cavuto's departure, Fox folks showered him with praise on social media – and Fox super-fans predictably responded with all their pent-up criticism of him...
>> Cavuto said "I'm not leaving journalism, I'm just leaving here," signaling he has a next act in mind. Hadas Gold and I have more here...
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>> Netflix has secured the rights to stream the women's World Cup for 2027 and 2031 in the US as the streamer wades deeper into sports. (AP)
>> Dan Abrams says he is exiting his nightly NewsNation show early next year, citing his many (many!) other media and business commitments. When I used to appear as a guest with Abrams, I marveled at how he juggled it all... (Mediaite)
>> The Ankler is welcoming Alison Brower as its executive editor... (TBN)
>> The Washington Post has named Karen Pensiero as its new standards editor... (WaPo)
>> Speaking of the Post, Kara Swisher says she's looking to buy the troubled paper from Jeff Bezos, if only he'll sell it... (Axios)
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>> "How much abuse can a local newspaper reporter take?" This is a must-read Erik Wemple piece about Republican attacks against the press in Lancaster, PA, with an urgent conclusion: "Toss out the noble but outdated industry wisdom that it's best to avoid jawing with the haters because the work speaks for itself." Wemple says "the people who need to hear the pushback aren't reading the work that speaks for itself," so journalists have to "confront the media bashers wherever they practice their profession." (Post)
>> Spyware is spreading, "and it's cheaper than ever," so Joel Simon has some crucial advice for how to fight it. (CJR)
>> Why did Patrick Soon-Shiong court Scott Jennings for his new Editorial Board initiative? Natalie Korach explains. (Vanity Fair)
>> "News delayed:" Bob Sillick writes about how U.S. Postal Service policies "are testing small publishers' resilience." (E&P)
>> Jessica Testa landed the first interview with Kylie Kelce since "Not Gonna Lie" (briefly?) unseated Joe Rogan as the country's top podcast... (NYT)
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Liam Reilly writes: Reporters Without Borders is calling on Apple to remove a feature from Apple Intelligence after it falsely summarized a BBC report about Luigi Mangione in a push notification sent to users last week. "A.I.s are probability machines, and facts can't be decided by a roll of the dice," Vincent Berthier said in a statement.
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster has complained about the issue to Apple: "It is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name," and "that includes notifications." Apple did not respond to a request for comment. More here...
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>> Google released its own "reasoning" AI model that is "trained to use thoughts to strengthen its reasoning." (TechCrunch)
>> "Instagram is planning to introduce a generative AI editing feature next year that will allow users to 'change nearly any aspect of your videos,'" Jess Weatherbed reports. (The Verge)
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>> Here's "how 2024 changed journalism," by Eduardo Suárez, Marina Adami, Matthew Leake, and Gretel Kahn of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. (Reuters Institute)
>> Sam Bradley says "2024 was the year Reddit made a play for social media’s organic sports crown." (Digiday)
>> "Hollywood's DEI programs have begun to D-I-E," leading Joy Press to ask, "how hard did the industry really try?” (Vanity Fair)
>> Popeye and Tintin, both of whom made their first appearances in 1929, "are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the U.S. on Jan. 1," Andrew Dalton writes. (AP)
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>> "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is set to outpace Disney's "Mufasa" at the box office, tracking toward a $74-86 million domestic opening, Shawn Robbins reports. (BOT)
>> What a week for "Bluey!" First the feature film announcement, now this: Bluey is coming to the Disney theme parks and Disney Cruise Line... (THR)
>> Prime Video launched MrBeast's "Beast Games" yesterday. The show "already faced controversy," and "its new giveaway partner may bring more," James Pollard writes... (AP)
>> Who you gonna call? Sony Animation and Netflix are teaming up on a "Ghostbusters" animated film, Justin Kroll reports. (Deadline)
>> "Global box office revenues are expected to rebound to $33 billion in 2025, marking an 8% increase from 2024’s estimated $30.5 billion take," Naman Ramachandran reports. (Variety)
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This newsletter was produced with Liam Reilly and edited by Jon Passantino. Please email us your feedback and tips here. Barring any huge breaking news, we'll be off for the rest of the year, and back in your inbox on January 2. |
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