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Monday, July 31, 2023

July is in the books! Vice Media wraps up its sale, CNN announces key promotions, Joe Rogan spreads more conspiracies about January 6, Elon Musk takes the "X" sign off the company's San Francisco HQ, "Barbenheimer" craze leads to more movie theater records, and the world remembers Angus Cloud and Paul Reubens. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Fox Factor

CNN Photo Illustration/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The Fox News audience remains firmly in Donald Trump's corner.

The notion that viewers of the right-wing channel support the disgraced former president is not very surprising, but the sheer extent to which the network's viewership continues to stand strongly behind the twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president might jolt you.

Polling released by The New York Times and Siena College on Monday found that only 5% of respondents who get their news from Fox News believe that Trump has "committed serious federal crimes," with an overwhelming 91% saying he has not done so. Meanwhile, 83% of Fox News-watching respondents believe that after the 2020 election, Trump "was just exercising his right to contest the" results. And, perhaps most importantly, 85% of Republican-leaning poll participants who primarily watch Fox News say the GOP needs to "stand behind" Trump.

By comparison, the poll found that Republicans who get their news from mainstream sources were much more likely to believe Trump committed serious crimes (38%), less likely to buy the idea he "was just exercising his right to contest" the election (58%), and fewer than half (49%) said the party must stand behind the former president.

The remarkable data underscores the grip that Trump continues to exert over the influential right-wing network's audience. Even as he faces mounting legal problems, including potential charges stemming from his post-2020 election actions, Trump still commands the loyalty of the Fox News audience.

The numbers spell out in clear terms the consequence of Rupert Murdoch's decision to embrace Trump in 2016 and his lucrative right-wing network's continued and fevered support of the former president, despite his brazen attempts to wreak unprecedented havoc on the nation's democracy. The network's audience, now programmed by years of near-continuous defense of Trump — no matter how grave the action — is now effectively unable to accept any assertion that runs counter to its continuously-reinforced beliefs.

And in the wake of Tucker Carlson's sensational firing, it helps shed light on why Murdoch's new prime time bloc is made up entirely of Trump sycophants. Murdoch can read the room, and as he learned in the wake of the 2020 election when the network's devoted audience turned the channel in protest, he knows that programming critical of Trump will not bode well for the company's bottom line.

Of course, it is possible that the Fox News audience would not be so supportive of Trump if it were not showered with endlessly positive coverage and distraction. But the staggering volume of support for the former president signals that turning the ship around at this point in time might very well be an impossible task.

The WaPo's Greg Sargent put it well Monday when he wrote that "we will never know whether the GOP primary electorate would have been this in thrall to the doctrine of Trump's absolute innocence" if notable figures in the Republican Party had condemned him.

"But," Sargent wrote, "the role of Fox News and right-wing media in this disaster for democracy seems painfully clear."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/HBO

Remembering Angus Cloud: The entertainment world was hit with sudden grief on Monday. The family of Angus Cloud, who was catapulted to fame for his role on HBO's "Euphoria," said that the actor had died at the age of 25 on Monday. "It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways," the family said. "Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence." CNN's Alli Rosenbloom has more.

► Stars from across Hollywood paid tribute to Cloud. Javon Walton, who played his younger brother on "Euphoria," shared a photo of the two of them. "Rest easy, brother," he wrote. Deadline's Matt Grobar has more.

THE INDUSTRY

THE MARKET

Vice Media announced that it wrapped up the sale to a group led by Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management, and Monroe Capital. (Deadline)
Bob Iger has brought Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs back into the Disney fold, with the two consulting "on the future of the linear properties," Matthew Belloni reports. (Puck)
Warner Bros Discovery announced it will be restructuring its ad sales department as the company addresses a decline in ad demand. (Reuters)
Beginning September, Amazon will require all international app developers streaming video content with ads via Fire TV to offer the Jeff Bezos-founded company a piece of their ad revenue. (Stream TV)
Fox Corporation announced it will close its "Fox Bet" gambling business less than five years after it launched the platform. (THR)

THE FOURTH ESTATE

News Corp Australia is producing 3,000 articles a week using generative A.I. on weather, fuel prices, and traffic conditions. (Guardian)
The New Yorker launched a new cultural-recommendation newsletter, "Goings On," which takes the magazine's popular "Goings On About Town" section online. (New Yorker)
ICYMI: Variety slightly revised its controversial story on behind-the-scenes drama at CNN to include statements from The Atlantic's Tim Alberta and Puck's Jon Kelly. But notably, the outlet did not make any changes to its allegations against former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, which he has vehemently denied. (AP)

MEDIA MOVES

CNN promoted Matthew Hilk to senior vice president of news and domestic executive editorial director; Adam Levine to senior vice president of news and Washington executive editorial director; Leora Kapelus to senior vice president of news and enterprise; and Ben Tinker to vice president of domestic beats. (Deadline)
CNN hired Daniel Strauss as a politics reporter and named Chelsea Bailey as senior editor of its race and equality team. (TV Newser)
First in Reliable | The Guardian hired Chris Moran as the head of innovation for its U.S. team.
Bloomberg tapped Amanda Cox as executive editor for data journalism. (Twitter)
The WaPo promoted Claire Parker to Cairo bureau chief. (WaPo)
The LAT named Matthew Ballinger deputy editor for content business strategy. (LAT)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/James Gilbert/Getty Images

Rogan's Distorted Reality: Spotify personality Joe Rogan can't quit the January 6 conspiracy theories. The popular podcaster — again — spread unsubstantiated claims about the attack on the U.S. Capitol in a recent episode of his show, incorrectly telling his massive audience it is a "fact" that "intelligence agencies" were "provoking people into the Capitol building." During the discussion, Rogan also discussed Ray Epps, saying he "clearly instigated" people into attacking the Capitol. "I don't know if he was a fed," Rogan said, "I know a lot of people think he was a fed." Epps is, of course, suing Fox News for claims the right-wing channel made about him in relation to January 6. The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona has more here.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

"After new charges were filed against former President Donald Trump in the federal documents case alleging that he tried to destroy evidence, Fox News spent over twice as much time discussing a day-old Hunter Biden story," Lis Power reports. (MMFA)
Former Fox News commentator Bill Kristol has joined in the effort to insist that the FTC deny the broadcast license of FOX 29 Philadelphia, which is owned by Fox Corporation. (Daily Beast)
Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for Donald Trump, appeared on "War Room" where she claimed the Murdochs and Fox News are working to take down Trump, calling the channel a "fake news network." (MMFA)
Meanwhile, Trump has subpoenaed Fox News for Tucker Carlson's unaired January 6 interview, Eriq Gardner reports. Per Gardner, Fox News is "fighting Trump's demands." (Puck)
Fox Nation will add three new OutKick shows to its lineup, "Outkick The Show with Clay Travis," "Tomi Lahren Is Fearless," and "Gaines for Girls." (Next TV)
A $475-million lawsuit brought against CNN by former President Donald Trump accusing the network of defamation by using the phrase "the big lie" and allegedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler was dismissed by a federal Trump-appointed judge. (CNN)
Russia has introduced its disinformation and propaganda campaigns into video games, using popular games to indoctrinate younger audiences, Steven Lee Myers and Kellen Browning report. (NYT)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Carlos Barria/Reuters

X'd Out: Who could have ever guessed city officials and neighbors would not be enthusiastic about an oversized, flashing "X" sign being erected atop a San Francisco building? After Elon Musk's attention-grabbing sign drew two-dozen complaints, he seemingly ordered the ostentatious sign to come down. "This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled," a spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection said Monday. The spokesperson added that Musk will now "be assessed fees for the unpermitted installation of the illuminated structure." CNBC's Kim Leswing has details.

🔎 Zooming in: While the drama over the X sign seems silly and ultimately inconsequential, it is emblematic of how Musk has run Twitter. The billionaire often makes decisions on a whim that seem largely aimed at trolling others and not thought out, only to have to eventually reverse them when faced with the reality of the situation.

TOO MANY TABS

Free speech warrior Elon Musk has threatened to file a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that examines the spread of hate and misinformation on social media. (CNN)
X officially updated its mobile app to reflect the company's new black-and-white logo, all but closing the book on the iconic blue bird. (CNBC)
And the platform welcomed back the antisemitic Kanye West. (CNN)
Meanwhile, Nitish Pahwa outlined why Threads "is not a Twitter killer, at least not yet." (Slate)
South Africa became the latest country to crack down on Google after the nation's antitrust watchdog determined the Alphabet-owned company's search engine supremacy "distorts platform competition" in ways that favor larger companies. (Bloomberg)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Hannah Beier/Washington Post/Getty Images

The 'Barbenheimer' Boom: Audiences are still heading to the theaters in big numbers to see both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." AMC Theatres said Monday that, between July 21-27, it had posted its "best admissions-revenue week in the company's 103-year history." Likewise, international chain Vue said that it, too, recorded its "best ever week" thanks to the craze. The news comes as both films continue to perform well at the box office. "Barbie" added a staggering $93 million to its domestic totals during the second weekend, and "Oppenheimer" brought in an explosive $46 million. In other words, the week two totals for both films outpaced initial opening week totals. Variety's Rebecca Rubin has more here.

OFF STAGE

Meanwhile, Disney's "Haunted Mansion" opened with a milquetoast $24 million at the box office. (Variety)
Though Pixar's "Elemental" was initially written off as a box office "flop," Brian Lowry notes it has since "sprouted legs." (CNN)
Bradley Cooper announced he would abstain from the Venice Film Festival premiere of his upcoming film, "Maestro," to show his support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes. (The Wrap)
Paul Reubens, best known for his portrayal of Pee-wee Herman on CBS's children's show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," has died at 70. (CNN)
Angus Cloud, best known for his role in"Euphoria," died at 25. (CNN)
Cardi B became the latest celebrity to have an object thrown at her while performing on stage when a fan hurled their drink at her — and the musician responded in kind, hurling her microphone at the concertgoer in question. (BBC)
The Academy is investigating whether the recent auction of Orson Welles' sole Oscar for his 1941 film "Citizen Kane" is legal. (Deadline)
Disney dropped its trailer for the second season of "Loki." (YouTube)
Elizabeth Banks said that if given the opportunity she would gladly direct a "Cocaine Bear" sequel. (THR)

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 tomorrow.