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Thursday, March 30, 2023

We have another edition brimming with media news. A Wall Street Journal reporter has been jailed in Russia, ABC News boss Kim Godwin has executed a C-suite massacre, news orgs say they won't pay for Twitter checkmarks, fired Fox News producer Abby Grossberg tells all, Gwyneth Paltrow prevails in court, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Murdoch's MAGA Machine

CNN Photo Illustration/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

"Donald Trump Is Indicted in New York."

That was the short but powerful headline on The New York Times' scoop Thursday afternoon that surprised the former president, sent newsrooms into a flurry, and set into motion a historic and uncharted course for the country.

The unprecedented news sent convulsions through the media landscape, with outlets like CNN quickly shifting into breaking news mode and devoting hours of programming to wall-to-wall coverage on the major development.

But on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, which had given the former president the cold shoulder since the January 6 attack, the network quickly pivoted into a stance reminiscent of years past: defending Trump at any cost and portraying the legal system as a deep-state, corrupt force in American society.

"Third world tactics."

"Police state."

"Political persecution and election interference."

That's just a tiny taste of some of the extreme rhetoric that aired Thursday night on Fox News, where Murdoch's stable of right-wing hosts and commentators painted an ugly portrait of America, one in which supposedly George Soros-controlled prosecutors target conservatives in an unjust manner for the sole purpose of destroying opponents of the Democratic Party.

It came despite the relationship between Murdoch and Trump being on the rocks as of late.

Trump bashed Murdoch earlier this month as a "MAGA Hating Globalist RINO" and accused him of "aiding & abetting the DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA." And, recently revealed messages Murdoch sent in the aftermath of the 2020 election showed that the right-wing media mogul believed that Trump was a danger to the country.

And yet, Murdoch allowed the incendiary pro-Trump rhetoric to grip his network on Thursday night.

Watching Fox News felt like being taken back in time to another era. It was evocative of the days in which hosts like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson assailed Robert Mueller's Russia probe and the impeachment trials.

If there was any doubt that Fox News might not offer a full-throated defense of Trump today, given the disgraced Republican's shaky relationship with Murdoch, that has been erased.

And Fox News isn't the only outlet in Murdoch's empire rushing to defend Trump, the same person the news baron once viewed with such contempt that he declared should not even have his name mentioned on his network.

The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, which is known to echo Murdoch's personal views, published a piece calling Trump's indictment a "sad day for the country." The editorial suggested that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had carried out the action for political purposes.

"There is no doubt that Mr. Bragg is doing what most Democrats want," The WSJ's editorial board wrote. "They want Mr. Trump in the dock and at the center of the political debate. Even if he's not convicted, they figure the indictment and spectacle will help him become the Republican nominee. They think he is the easiest candidate to beat because he motivates Democrats and divides Republicans and independents."

The New York Post also appeared in Trump's corner. The outlet's website prominently featured a story saying Bragg "has a bad case of bias," among other Trump-friendly articles.

I texted Murdoch on Thursday night asking how one could square his behind-the-scenes rhetoric, brought to light by Dominion Voting Systems' case against Fox News, with the narrative his outlets were pushing. I didn't get an answer.

But perhaps the messages released in the Dominion case, showing network leaders were terrified its audience would change the channel over its scrutiny of Trump, can offer us a good clue. He is almost certainly looking after his bottom line.

As Murdoch said, "Everything at stake here."

THE SIDEBAR

The NYT's historic A1 lede: "A Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation's first former president to face criminal charges." (NYT)
Katie Robertson reported on how the indictment news broke, with the big three broadcast networks interrupting regular programming and cable news going into rolling breaking news coverage. (NYT)
Jeremy Barr documented how Fox News hosts and right-wing commentators called for protests and predicted "unrest." (WaPo)
On Fox News, audible gasps were heard as the news jolted through the set of "The Five." (Variety)
Over on CNN, the channel's bookers got quite lucky, having previously locked former Vice President Mike Pence in for a special one-on-one with Wolf Blitzer. Pence knocked what he called the "media's obsession" with the Trump probes. (CNN)
Eric Lach reported on how the press stakeout outside the courthouse "dwindled down to a single cameraman" after outlets thought an indictment was potentially weeks away. (New Yorker)
New York Post reporter Ben Feuerherd tweeted about how "the vibes" were off at the Manhattan criminal clerk's office before the news broke: "Lesson: follow the vibes. And you might witness history?" (Twitter)
CNN producer Carolyn Sung tweeted an image showing the media circus waiting for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to appear. (Twitter)
Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, per CNN, which means that his indictment will saturate the news cycle for the days to come.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Wall Street Journal

Journal Reporter Jailed: Staffers at The Wall Street Journal awoke on Thursday to a 5:11am ET email from Editor-In-Chief Emma Tucker with awful news. "I am very sorry to let you know you that one of our reporters Evan Gershkovich was yesterday detained outside Moscow," Tucker wrote, adding that the outlet is "very concerned" for the safety of the journalist. Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the first time a U.S. journalist has been detained on accusations by Moscow of spying since the Cold War. In a statement, The Journal said it "vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter." I'm told the paper has been in touch with Gershkovich's family. Here is my full story.

► Dow Jones boss Almar Latour condemned the arrest of Gershkovich in a memo to staffers, calling it "an incredibly disturbing development" and saying that the company is working "around the clock" to secure his release.

► The NYT called for Gershkovich's "immediate release." The WaPo said Russia should "release him immediately." And CNN said, "We are concerned by the news coming from Russia and are monitoring the situation there closely."

► White House press sec Karine Jean-Pierre: "The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms."

THE BUSINESS

CNN Photo Illustration/Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Axe Drops at ABC: ABC News on Thursday stunned staffers, laying off several senior executives and restructuring its newsroom amid a broader workforce reduction being carried out by parent company Disney. Among the staffers let go were SVP of newsgathering Wendy Fisher; SVP of talent Galen Gordon; VP of talent Mary Noonan; Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon; VP of comms Alison Rudnick; senior executive producer Chris Vlasto; and executive editorial producer Heather Riley. "Throughout the company, teams are being impacted by the downsizing that was announced several weeks ago, including our own ABC News family," ABC News chief Kim Godwin told staffers in a memo. Here's my full story.

🔎 Zooming in: The C-suite bloodbath astonished staffers at the network, sources tell me. "There's a ton of shock that's gone through the newsroom," one source said. Another added, "Shock is an understatement." It is also worth pointing out that the ouster of some of ABC News' most senior execs come after a string of various difficulties that have bedeviled the network.

IN THE MARKET

✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: Roku said Thursday it will lay off another 200 employees, which translates to about 6% of its workforce. The company laid off staffers last year as well. (Deadline)
The BBC is targeting savings of $493 million in 2023, a goal that will result in a reduction of more than 1,000 hours of programming. (BBC)
BuzzFeed has been quietly publishing articles generated by A.I., Noor Al-Sibai and Jon Christian report. A BuzzFeed spokesperson told the duo they were part of an "experiment." (Futurism)
"The publishing industry has spent the past two decades struggling to adjust to the internet, as print circulation has plummeted and tech companies have gobbled up rivers of advertising revenue," Katie Robertson writes. "Now come the chatbots." (NYT)

IN THE INDUSTRY

The NBC News family hosted a celebration to honor Martin Fletcher and his new art exhibit featuring digital images from his nearly four decades with the network. It was attended by Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell, Rebecca Blumenstein, and others. Mitchell said Martin taught so many "not just how to dig for a story, but how to find the humanity of the story."
Jake Tapper says that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are "integral to the plot" of his new political thriller, "All the Demons Are Here," which is set to be published July 11. (Axios)

MEDIA MOVES

First in Reliable | Slate hired Jenny G. Zhang as a senior culture editor. Zhang will start May 8th.
NewsNation added Sara Azari and Tracy Walder as contributors as it grows its on-air roster. (TV Newser)
POLITICO named Jeremy Bowers as its global CTO. (POLITICO)
Universal Music extended the contract of chairman Lucian Grainge's contract through 2028. (Variety)
The CW tapped Betsy Slenzak as VP of unscripted shows. (Deadline)
ATTN: upped Taryn Crouthers from COO to president. (Agency Spy)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Imagtes

News Orgs Say No: News organizations have a message for Elon Musk: We are not going to pay you for checkmarks on Twitter. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, POLITICO, and Vox Media all scoffed at the notion on Thursday that they would pay Twitter for the feature, which has been free since it was introduced years ago but will soon be phased out. Several of the outlets noted that the blue check will no longer denote verification, but only that someone is paying for a Twitter subscription. "It's evident that verified checkmarks no longer represent authority and expertise," WaPo said. POLITICO's Anita Kumar put it like this to staffers: "In the future, a checkmark will no longer mean you are a verified journalist. Instead, it will simply mean you are paying for benefits such as longer tweets and fewer ads." Here's my full story.

TOO MANY TABS

Elon Musk tried to meet with the FTC chair as the agency probes the company, but was rebuffed, David McCabe and Kate Conger report. The duo also report that Twitter could make exceptions for its pay-for-checkmark program for top advertisers and the 10,000 most-followed organizations previously verified. (NYT)
Under Musk, Twitter has seen advertising revenue fall off a cliff, Aisha Counts and Kurt Wagner report. Pathmatics said from September to October last year, the top 10 advertisers spent $71 million. In the past two months, just $7.6 million, a stunning drop of 89%. (Bloomberg)
Worth $44 billion? Musk has now become the most-followed person on Twitter. (The Verge)
Hailey Fuchs, Clothilde Gourd, and Daniel Lippman dive into how "the campaign to save TikTok has been years in the making," dating back to 2018. (POLITICO)
Speaking of TikTok: Donna St. George reports on how the app "is addictive for many girls, especially those with depression." (WaPo)
Meta will let European users opt out of some targeted ads, Sam Schechner and Jeff Horwitz report. (WSJ)
Faustine Ngila wonders: "Less than two years after it announced itself with pomp and glitz, could the metaverse be headed for a gradual but certain death?" (QZ)
Google is accusing Microsoft of anti-competitive practices. (Reuters)
The Center for A.I. has filed a FTC complaint against OpenAI. (CNBC)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/From NBC News

Grossberg Tells All: Fired Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who is suing the network for allegedly coercing her into providing misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, spoke out in her first television interview Thursday. In the interview, which aired on "NBC Nightly News," Grossberg said harassment she received was so bad she thought about killing herself. "I reached a breaking point where the harassment was so bad that I called a crisis line," Grossberg told NBC's Cynthia McFadden. "I thought I could just walk in front of a car and I wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow." CNN's Marshall Cohen has more.

🔎 Zooming in: Grossberg also painted an ugly picture of Fox News as a toxic workplace where "women are objectified" and "mocked." Fox News did not comment on Grossberg's mention of suicide, but said her lawsuit was "riddled with false allegations against the network and our employees." Fox News also noted the right-wing channel is led by a female chief executive.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Paul Farhi and Sarah Ellison note that Rupert Murdoch "settles a lot of lawsuits" and wonder, "Why not Dominion v. Fox News?" (WaPo)
Christina Cassidy and Jonathan Cooper look at how the lawsuit "highlights effects of conspiracies" on Dominion. (AP)
"Fox has an entire department dedicated to fact-checking," Ethan Collier and Ruby Seavey write. "New Dominion details reveal that it still chooses to lie to its audience." (MMFA)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Rick Bowmer/Pool/AP

Paltrow Prevails: A jury sided with Gwyneth Paltrow on Thursday, exonerating the actress/businesswoman and awarding her $1 in the closely watched ski collision trial that took place in Utah. The trial started on March 21 and it took a jury just a little more than two hours to render a decision over the accident that occurred seven years ago. "We're pleased with this outcome and appreciate the judge and jury's thoughtful handling of this case," Paltrow's attorney said. "Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in, this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right." CNN's Alli Rosenbloom has more.

OFF STAGE

First in Reliable | "Yellowstone" stars Ian Bohen and Jennifer Landon will be presenters at the CMT Music Awards, airing April 2 live from Austin on CBS. Expect more presenters to be announced Friday.
⚾ It's opening day! Dade Hayes writes about how MLB is diving deeper into streaming in 2023, having struck deals with Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and Peacock. (Deadline)
Nellie Andreeva reports the changes at Showtime "have reached the network's development slate which has been cut down significantly, with a slew of projects getting a pass." (Deadline)
"The Mandalorian" is sitting atop Nielsen's latest U.S. streaming chart with 823 million viewing minutes from February 27 to March 5. "Outer Banks" continued to perform well, placing number two. And the other Pedro Pascal series, "The Last of Us," came in third. (Variety)
Paramount+ also made its debut on Nielsen's streaming chart, now that it's measured by the service, with "1923" placing number 6. (TV Line)
Former Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios. (Variety)
Laurence Fishburne is developing a solo play called "Like They Do In The Movies." (Deadline)
Attention J.J. Abrams fans: Corbin Bernsen is set for a reoccurring role in the HBO Max series "Duster." (Deadline)

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 here. We will see you back in your inbox next week.