Oliver Darcy hereat 10:47pm ET on Wednesday, March 23. Here's the latest on Reuters, BuzzFeed News, Fox, Meta, "Wheel of Fortune," Spotify, "Real Housewives," and more... Two very different wars |
On Wednesday night, Anderson Cooper opened his 8pm show informing his audience about the latest developments on Russia's war against Ukraine. He told viewers about NYT's report that the US is making contingency plans in case Russia uses nuclear weapons or launches a chemical attack. He noted that President Biden has arrived in Brussels for an emergency NATO meeting. And he covered how the US is now officially accusing Russia of war crimes. Meanwhile, on Fox, Tucker Carlson opened his show condemning Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for a Tuesday moment in which she declined to offer a definition of "woman" during her Supreme Court hearings. As Cooper showed horrifying drone footage of the widespread devastation in Mariupol, Carlson showed his audience a sex-ed type graphic of the female reproductive system. The split-screen moment was yet another stark contrast between the two networks. But, perhaps more importantly, it was illustrative of how out-of-touch and small the culture war nonsense is amid a backdrop of actual, serious global problems. Writing for The Atlantic, Stanford Internet Observatory research manager Renée DiResta pointed out that the Ukraine crisis "briefly put America's culture war in perspective." She couldn't be more right. DiResta noted that when Russia's invasion of Ukraine began one month ago, data showed that the hyper-partisan rage content that normally dominates social media was drowned out by actual news updates. "Those first few days after Russia's invasion revealed something important about the United States: Much of what looks like unbridgeable polarization online may be the product of boredom, distraction, and jadedness; when something real happens, people pay attention to that instead," DiResta wrote. Four weeks after the war commenced, there are signs that fatigue is setting in. TV news ratings, for instance, have started to fall back to reality after ballooning early on. And perhaps another sign is the return of culture idiocy that is once again saturating channels like Fox and social media feeds. "Still, the early days of the Russian invasion showed that everyday users have choices. The American culture-war influencers didn't disappear; users just didn't pay as much attention to them," DiResta wrote in her piece. "It shouldn't take a shooting war to pull our eyeballs away from the culture war. The normal state of online discourse shouldn't be an information war of all against all. The brief moment when Americans focused on more important things didn't last, but it did show that we have some agency here." |
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-- "While what's happening in Ukraine continues to be bleak, it's imperative that news organizations keep making it the dominant story," Tom Jones writes, "even though audiences likely check out from time to time because the narrative and images are just so depressing..." (Poynter) -- Sheera Frenkel and Stuart Thompson write about how some voices in US right-wing media "have echoed the Kremlin's misleading claims about the war and vice versa, giving each other's assertions a sheen of credibility..." (NYT) -- "Russia's prince of propaganda spins Putin's Ukraine war:" Markus Ziener profiles TV host and Kremlin insider Dmitry Kiselyov... (LAT) -- "Reuters will remove all the content of the Russian state news agency TASS from its business-to-business service Reuters Connect," Camille Gijs reports, noting the move comes after "multiple Reuters journalists raised alarms over the company's partnership with the Russian state-controlled media organization..." (Politico) -- New from the NYT's visual investigations team: "Dozens of battlefield radio transmissions between Russian forces" during an invasion of Makariv "reveal an army struggling with logistical problems and communication failures..." (NYT) -- In a speech posted on social media late Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in English and called for "worldwide demonstrations in support of Ukraine starting Thursday," the one-month mark of the war... (CNN) -- The latest update from Big Tech: "Google will not help websites, apps and YouTube channels sell ads alongside content that it deems exploits, dismisses or condones the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict," Paresh Dave reports... (Reuters) |
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One month of war An Phung writes: "Wednesday was the one-month mark since Russia's invasion of Ukraine started and major news orgs used the milepost to offer readers perspective on where the war currently stands. Here is a roundup of some of the coverage..." >> "Russia's war in Ukraine is approaching the one-month mark, and its troops' advancement on some key cities ... appears to have slowed," CNN's Angela Dewan writes. She shares five things that could happen next…
>> Another one from CNN: "Nearly a month after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has perceptibly shifted its messaging. The Russian military's advances have been stymied, the Ukrainians say, forcing a shift in Russian tactics," Nathan Hodge writes…
>> "[W]ith Wednesday marking four full weeks of fighting, Russia is bogged down in a grinding military campaign, with untold numbers of dead, no immediate end in sight, and its economy crippled by Western sanctions," the Associated Press' Nebi Qena and Cara Anna report…
>> The AP also rounded up some of its most compelling photos from one month of reporting...
>> "In the month since Russia attacked, brave journalists like [Mstyslav] Chernov and [Evgeniy] Maloletka, serving both Ukrainian and international outlets, have kept the world apprised of the horrors of the war, a commitment to documentation for which several colleagues have already lost their lives," CJR's Jon Allsop writes...
>> The BBC's Sara Rainsford had this to say after spending a month in Ukraine: "I'm writing this in a city where there is no shelling. No Russian missiles slam into homes and there's no air raid siren with a wail that churns your stomach and saps your energy. I wish Ukrainians could say the same. After a month reporting from their country, I have just left a nation under brutal attack and I have no idea when it will end…" >> NYT photojournalist Lynsey Addario talks about how she had "narrowly escaped death" in Ukraine while photographing the aftermath of the attack that killed a family…
>> NYT also published this visual-heavy interactive that shows the devastation to civilian life in Ukraine: "This devastation, identified and cataloged by The New York Times, included at least 23 hospitals and other health-care infrastructure, 330 schools, 27 cultural buildings, 98 commercial buildings, including at least 11 related to food or agriculture, and 900 houses and apartment buildings…" |
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Russian journalist killed in Ukraine Uliana Pavlova and Brian Stelter write: "Russian journalist Oksana Baulina is the fifth journalist to be killed while covering the war in Ukraine this month. Baulina, on assignment for the independent news site The Insider, was killed in a shelling incident in Kyiv, the outlet said in a statement on Wednesday. Two people accompanying her were also wounded and hospitalized. Read on..." >> Baulina was previously a producer for the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which speaks volumes about her bravery... >> Christo Grozev, an investigative reporter at Bellingcat, called her "an amazingly brave Russian journalist" who was "killed by her own country's army... She was killed while reporting on the damage caused by the shelling," Grozev added on Twitter... |
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-- Many top US anchors are in Europe ahead of President Biden's meeting with NATO leaders. CNN's Wolf Blitzer and NBC's Lester Holt anchored from EU HQ in Brussels on Wednesday night. ABC's David Muir anchored from the Ukraine-Poland border... -- Madeleine Albright died Wednesday. Stephen Collinson notes that her death comes "just as the murderous historic forces that she had spent her career trying to quell are raging in Europe again, unleashed by a nemesis, Vladimir Putin, who she had consistently warned was a grave threat to peace..." (CNN) -- Peter Baker on the expertise that's being lost: "Three secretaries of state, all giants in their own ways, taken from us in the last 13 months -- Shultz, Powell and Albright..." (Twitter) -- The Supreme Court is declining requests for comment from reporters asking about updates on Justice Clarence Thomas' health. Thomas "missed a third day of oral arguments on Wednesday after being hospitalized six days ago..." (CNN)
--This would be a much bigger story if not for the raging war: The Biden admin warned Wednesday that "second Covid-19 vaccine booster shots – or a new type of vaccine, if needed – will not be free and readily available to the general public, if and when they are authorized, without additional funding from Congress..." (CNN) -- NOLA.com's lead headline right now: "150 homes significantly damaged, 1 killed, but Arabi residents vow to endure after tornado..." (NOLA) |
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The Sweet 16 gets underway... Alex Jones is supposed to appear for a deposition in the Sandy Hook trial. But he was also supposed to appear Wednesday and failed to show up... "Halo" premieres on Paramount+... Scroll down for Brian Lowry's review... "Atlanta" returns to FX after a nearly four-year hiatus... |
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BuzzFeed responds to BuzzFeed News Union The BuzzFeed News Union made noise on Wednesday when it put out a statement warning management that it isn't "allowed to" gut the newsroom without reaching a deal with the union. A BuzzFeed spox, however, told me Wednesday night that the company had always said it planned to talk first. "We made it clear from the start that buyouts would be negotiated with the union and that we wanted to move quickly so that people could make decisions about their lives as soon as possible," a rep said. We'll see where this goes from here... |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE |
-- "The rise and (maybe) fall of BuzzFeed News — and larger dreams for digital journalism," writes Jeremy Barr... (WaPo) -- One of Mediaite's top headlines right now: "Joe Biden Just Fired Dr. Oz – Yes, Really." This is a reference to the WH ousting Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition since they are federal candidates for office... (CNN) -- Brian Steinberg reports on how Fox has unveiled to advertisers "a proprietary technology it calls Atlas" that will help companies "match commercials with specific types of digital programming..." (Variety) -- Speaking of such lifestyle content: Fox Nation is adding some members of the "Duck Dynasty" clan to its roster... (Deadline) -- Bill Barr holds steady at #1 on this week's NYT nonfiction best seller list. Marie Yovanovitch debuts at #3 with her book "Lessons from the Edge." And the 2015 book "The Gates of History: a History of Ukraine," by Serhii Plokhy, makes the list for the first time, owing to a sudden surge of interest in the country... (NYT) |
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Politico names its next executive editor Dafna Linzer is joining Politico as the outlet's next executive editor. Editor-in-Chief Matt Kaminski described the hiring of Linzer, who was most recently at NBC News as managing editor of politics, in an internal memo as "one of the critical steps we are taking this spring to position Politico for a great new era." Linzer replaces Carrie Budoff Brown who decamped for NBC News last year. Puck's Dylan Byers, who broke the news of Linzer's hiring, reported that Politico also spoke to Philip Rucker, Steve Ginsberg, and Ben Smith about the position. More from Byers here... |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR |
-- Testing the limits of remote work? "As more companies begin their return to the office, Facebook parent Meta is becoming more remote than ever before..." (WSJ) -- Former BuzzFeed CTO Mark Wilkie is joining Ben and Justin Smith's Semafor as head of engineering... (Protocol) -- Matt Brown is leaving USA Today for WaPo where he'll join the paper's new democracy team... (WaPo) -- Davey Alba is headed from NYT to Bloomberg... (Talking Biz News) -- Alex Butcher-Nesbitt has joined NBC News PR and will work on promoting the "Meet the Press" brand... |
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Amazon reveals its Thursday announcers Frank Pallotta writes: "Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will be the play-by-play announcers for Amazon Prime Video's exclusive coverage of 'Thursday Night Football' starting next season, kicking off with a September 15 telecast. Landing Michaels, one of the most iconic announcers in sports history, is a big get for Amazon. Michaels will be leaving his post at 'Sunday Night Football' to take on the new role. In February Michaels called his 11th Super Bowl, the most for any TV commentator. Here's my full story..." |
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Crooked Media partners with SiriusXM Crooked Media and SiriusXM have struck a multi-year, multi-platform deal, the companies announced Wednesday. The deal will give Sirius "exclusive global ad sales rights to Crooked Media's extensive lineup of podcasts starting in May," Sirius said. Sirius said that Crooked will, as a result of the deal, expand its podcast offerings. Variety's Todd Spangler has more here... |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE |
-- Spotify users will (finally) be able to subscribe to the service via the Google Play store. Todd Spangler reports that the two have struck a multi-year deal... (Variety)
-- Former WarnerMedia exec Iris Knobloch has been chosen as the first female president of the Cannes Film Festival, Elsa Keslassy reports... (Variety)
-- MGM's Amazon era is beginning "with big, unanswered questions," Alex Weprin reports... (THR) -- $1.6 billion a year? That's how much one firm thinks Netflix could add to its bottom line by charging users for password sharing, Todd Spangler reports... (Variety) |
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YouTube offers free TV shows (with ads) "YouTube is the latest company to offer free TV shows with ads," The Verge's Jay Peters reported Wednesday. "The video giant says you'll now be able to stream nearly 4,000 episodes of TV for free, as long as you're also willing to watch ads during the show." As Peters notes, "With the new free TV shows, YouTube is taking on a number of major competitors..." |
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"Wheel of Fortune" gets a new EP after Mike Richards' exit When Mike Richards exited "Jeopardy!," he also left his post from "Wheel of Fortune," where he too served as executive producer. Now, "Wheel" has "found its new boss," as Deadline's Peter White put it. Bellamie Blackstone will be the new exec producer of the show. Additionally, White reported that "longtime supervising producer Steve Schwartz has been promoted to co-exec producer..." |
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Oscars ads still in demand Brian Lowry writes: "Despite the ratings drop ABC has sold out ad time in the Oscar telecast, Variety's Brian Steinberg reported Wednesday, commanding between $1.7 million and $2.2 million per 30-second spot, reflecting the value of live events that avoid some traditional ad-skipping. As Indiewire's Tony Maglio put it, 'The Academy Awards may have it bad, but the overarching collapse of linear TV ratings are worse. In that context, the little gold men still gleam.' In a sign of the times, the roster of sponsors looking to associate themselves with the Oscars includes streaming services, among them the soon-to-launch CNN+..." |
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-- "Vanessa Hudgens and Terrence J and fashion designer Brandon Maxwell will host 'The Oscars Red Carpet Show,'" Tyler Coates writes... (THR) -- Speaking of awards shows: "Fox's coverage of the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards bounced back from 2021, marking the latest awards show to see some recovery in ratings," Alexandra El Rosario reports... (Deadline) -- Harry Styles says his third solo album, "Harry's House," will come out May 20... (CNN) -- "Pachinko," coming Friday to Apple TV+, has an almost-unheard-of 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes right now... (Rotten Tomatoes) |
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"Halo" goes from video game to series Brian Lowry writes: "This is not the first video game to become a movie or TV show, and it certainly won't be the last. But 'Halo' faces a formidable challenge crafting a Paramount+ show around the contours of the game, one that it seeks to master largely by slapping together pieces of established properties – a little 'RoboCop' here, a bit of 'Starship Troopers' there, and a whole lot of 'The Mandalorian.' That's not necessarily all bad, and the series generally looks splashy... but nor does it feel special or distinctive." Read on... |
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FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN |
-- Bravo is rebooting the "Real Housewives of New York City" with a new cast, Kate Aurthur reports... (Variety)
-- Tony Goldwyn is "the latest actor to join the star-packed cast of Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer,'" Aaron Couch reports... (THR) -- "Stranger Things 4" will lean "much harder" into "horror movie territory," co-creator Ross Duffer tells Zack Sharf... (Variety) -- "There is a major casting change on CBS' untitled Mother & Son Legal Drama Pilot," per Nellie Andreeva. "Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden is in negotiations to play the female lead opposite Skylar Astin. She will replace fellow Oscar winner Geena Davis, who was originally cast in the pilot but is no longer part of the project..." (Deadline) |
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SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST... Dog of the day Reader Don Wilner emails: "I have to show off my little guy Sparky. He's a Bichon cross, 15 in June. Very high maintenance. He'll bark me awake in the middle of the night if he wants to go outside. He is the best!" |
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