| | | | The story isn't just about Roger Ailes now. It's about the workplace at Fox News as a whole. "This is really about a culture that Ailes enabled that was incredibly hostile to women," Gabriel Sherman said on this morning's "Reliable Sources." He alleged a "cover-up" of sexual harassment claims, saying that his reporting leads him to believe that senior Fox execs "were fully aware of this culture." Fox declined to comment directly. But I think we'll hear more from the company in the coming days.
Here are this weekend's headlines:
-- Damning stories in the NYT and NYMag about Fox's workplace
-- Tonight, a must-read by ABC investigative reporter Josh Margolin: "How Megyn Kelly's Silence Signaled the Worst for Roger Ailes"
-- Trump is praising Ailes... And not commenting on whether Ailes is advising him
-- Howard Kurtz: "Let me be blunt. This has been a painful and embarrassing period for the network"
-- Friend says Ailes is focusing on writing his memoirs | | The WashPost says Gretchen Carlson's suit and the ensuing investigation have prompted "25 women to come forward with what they describe as similar harassment claims against Ailes." It is unclear exactly how many women have been interviewed by Paul, Weiss. But the NYT, in a blockbuster Sunday page one story, found women who say other supervisors also engaged in inappropriate behavior.
Of the "dozen women" interviewed, "who said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment or intimidation," two cited Ailes and the rest cited other bosses. One of them, Rudi Bakhtiar, spoke on the record, violating the non-disparagement clause in her exit agreement... Here's the full story if you missed it...
-- Gabe Sherman also interviewed Bakhtiar: "How Fox News Fired and Silenced a Female Reporter Who Alleged Sexual Harassment"
-- Bakhtiar tweeted at Carlson: "It took me 9 years. You inspired me. Thank you Gretchen." | | What I'm hearing from sources in and around Fox:
-- This is very much still an active situation... A "crisis," as one official said to me...
-- Oh, to be a fly on the wall of 21CF general counsel Gerson A. Zweifach this week...
-- How involved is Rupert Murdoch really going to be as the acting CEO? His aides say he'll be "very engaged." But there's buzz that he's going to be on vacation/out of NYC for much of the month of August...
-- And what about James and Lachlan? "At some point, the kids are going to assert some control," a longtime employee predicts, and then what happens?
-- A potential "housecleaning" is still on everyone's minds... | | The prospect of a "cover-up," as Sherman said on today's show, is sure to get more attention. "Let's be very clear, they knew exactly what was going on, they did not speak up," Sherman said, pointing the finger at some of Ailes' top lieutenants.
This weekend's stories about Fox culture "raise some questions for the Murdochs about how far this needs to go," Dylan Byers said during the discussion. But from a business standpoint, removing the VP-level execs who "keep things going on a day to day basis" could prove problematic for the channel… | | Ailes has been mum since Thursday, but in private, he's been telling friends he's getting to work on that autobiography that he's been mulling for years. "The book is a priority for him now," one longtime friend told me. A second confidant confirmed that Ailes told colleagues last week that he's focusing on the book.
Ailes signed the book deal with Harper Collins way back in 2011... And enlisted Jim Pinkerton to ghost-write it... So we'll see if/when it materializes. Harper Collins never actually announced the book. Here's my full story... | | As for how Ailes is feeling, three days after resigning from the channel he created, the aforementioned friend said, "I think he's a realist. He understands that everything comes to an end."
Hmmm. That portrayal of Ailes sounds a little too happy-go-lucky to be true, if we're being honest... | | | Silence from the Fox stars who stood up for Ailes | | | I included this item in Friday's newsletter... and it's still true today... | | Deciding what to say, and what not to, will be a challenge for Fox personalities going forward... Particularly for the hosts who strongly supported Ailes at the outset... For now, pretty much everyone is staying silent...
-- Gabe Sherman tweets: "Hearing that Ailes loyalists like Sean Hannity are telling people that what Paul, Weiss lawyers are finding was so bad Ailes 'had to go.'" | | "If you were a woman working at Fox, and many did very well there, you have questions over you. That's really reprehensible. 'Were you one of the ones who cooperated?' That's an awful thing for a woman to have to deal with."
--CNN media analyst Bill Carter on today's show | | | Trump sticks up for his friend Ailes | | Today we heard from Ailes' friend Donald Trump via interviews with Mark Halperin and Chuck Todd. Trump said Ailes is "such a great guy..." The exit from Fox is "so sad..." And he's sure it was "friendly" with Rupert, though it was not.
Trump didn't deny that Ailes is advising him. "A lot of people are thinking he's going to run my campaign," he said slyly, before implying he doesn't need the help.
Trump also repurposed Ailes' talking points about Carlson. "Some of the women that are complaining, I know how much he's helped them. And even recently. And when they write books that are fairly recently released, and they say wonderful things about him. Now, all of a sudden, they're saying these horrible things about him. It's very sad. Because he's a very good person." Here's my full story... | | "You would not have Donald Trump without Roger Ailes," former Fox contributor Jane Hall said on today's show. Watch here.) Jeff Greenfield didn't go quite that far, but he said, "Ailes did to the media what Trump did to the political process. He found what the economists called a market inefficiency." Mediaite's Josh Feldman wrote up the segment here...
-- Related: Read David Remnick on the "Trump-Ailes nexus" | | | Variety's Andrew Wallenstein writes: "It's entirely possible that if you look back at any company of Fox News' size over a period of years, you'll find enough incidents of impropriety. What may seem egregious in isolation may not statistically be the case. Fox News may be no different than any other company in terms of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment..." | | | Listen/watch today's "Reliable Sources" | | | Verizon/Yahoo deal coming Monday | | | Cristina Alesci and Seth Fiegerman report: "Verizon has agreed to pay $4.8 billion or $5 billion for Yahoo... A person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNNMoney on Sunday that a deal had been struck." Announcement coming on Monday morning... | | | What will Marissa Mayer say? | | Alesci and Fiegerman note that Tim Armstrong "is widely expected to take over Yahoo." So what's next for Marissa Mayer... What will she say tomorrow? Anything? -- More: While she's not sticking around after the sale, "she is due to receive severance worth about $57 million, according to Equilar," NYT's Vindu Goel write... | | | Jeff Weiner puts it into perspective, and says it's hard to fathom: "Verizon bought AOL ($222B peak market cap) and Yahoo ($128B) for $4.4B and $4.8B respectively" | | | Politico admits "mistake" after email to DNC is published | | Some Bernie Sanders supporters say the #DNCLeaks document dump proves media "collusion" with the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign. I'm still waiting to see any evidence of that. (The stolen emails do confirm that Luis Miranda subscribes to this newsletter though. Hi, Luis.)
There are several emails that raise media eyebrows. One: Politico's Ken Vogel sending a story to the DNC before publishing. The email thread doesn't prove that Vogel succumbed to any pressure to adjust his story, but "sharing entire stories in advance is generally discouraged in newsrooms," as HuffPost's Michael Calderone writes. Politico told Calderone that "checking the relevant passages for accuracy" was OK, but "sharing the full piece was a mistake and not consistent with our policies..."
Separately, CNN's Jake Tapper blogged about an email from one of his show producers to a DNC staffer asking, "Any particular points he'll want to make? We're gonna stay Dem focused." That's a perfectly normal question for a TV producer to ask. But it can seem confusing to some readers, especially out of context. So Tapper wrote about it here... | | -- Adam Rawnsley: "If you can imagine looking at the Watergate break in & saying 'Never mind who did it, what'd they find??' thats pretty much DNC hack coverage"
-- Ben Mullin: "The DNC/HRC email dumps are a really good reminder to report as if everyone is watching you all the time"
-- Donald Trump: "If the Republican Convention had blown up with e-mails, resignation of boss and the beat down of a big player. (Bernie), media would go wild." Hadas Gold responds: "dude we ARE going wild." | | | Donna Brazile's CNN contract is suspended | | With Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepping down as DNC chair, and Donna Brazile stepping in as interim chair, CNN says it has reached an agreement with Brazile to "temporarily suspend her contract as a contributor for the network effective immediately. As a valued voice and commentator, CNN will revisit the contract once Brazile concludes her role."
Brazile will still appear on CNN's air this week -- but in an unpaid capacity -- as a newsmaker... She appeared tonight with Anderson Cooper and said "I want to learn what is behind all of this, because more emails are coming..." | | | Protests already underway in Philly | | | NYT's Trip Gabriel tweets: "There were 10x as many pro Bernie protesters today as the crowd on any day in Cleveland. And maybe 1/10 the media." | | | Only one issue: "Trumpism" | | | "This election is the Gettysburg of the culture wars. It's definitive. It's the seminal battle. The effect of it is going to be felt for the next 30, 40 years," Carl Bernstein said on today's show. Heading into the Dems' convention, he asserted that "there is only one issue in this election, and that's Trumpism. And it's incumbent on the Democrats to stay focused on that..." | | | Worth noting: "CBS Sunday Morning" had a Ted Koppel interview with Donald Trump... "Face the Nation" had a John Dickerson interview with President Obama... And "60 Minutes" had a Scott Pelley interview with Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine, their first joint interview of the campaign... | | | Tale of two "60" interviews | | | Trump/Pence last Sunday, Clinton/Kaine today, so I made a GIF... | | | Colbert's second convention weekend | | | Stephen Colbert was in Cleveland last Sunday and he was in Philly today... So look out for the results on Monday's "Late Show..." | | | CNN photog John Nowak sent me this photo after the show. Unlike in Cleveland, CNN and several other networks have sets on the floor of the hall for the duration of the convention in Philly. Outdoors, it was sultry and security was a struggle... But indoors, it was a breeze... Some balloons even fell from the ceiling prematurely... | | -- Chicago reporter Anthony Ponce quit his job at WMAQ, and now he's working as a Lyft driver, using it as a setting to tape interviews with Chicagoans. Title: "Backseat Rider..." (Facebook)
-- NYT sports columnist William Rhoden is retiring... (NYT)
-- John Herrman has this look at how "publishers, social media companies and advertisers are negotiating new relationships..." (NYT)
-- John Gapper's latest: "Guardian Media Group hit with record £173m loss" (FT) | | | You're gonna love NYMag's cover story | | | Actually, you may hate it. Let's see. This week's issue is "THE CASE AGAINST THE MEDIA -- BY THE MEDIA." Check it out... | | | Now, the case FOR the media | | | In Monday's WashPost, Margaret Sullivan has this fresh look at Trump's attacks against the media. "American citizens certainly would be much worse off without the press, but Trump and his fans never connect the dots," she writes... | | | "Star Trek" has an enterprising box office opening | | | Frank Pallotta emails his latest: The latest voyage of the starship Enterprise boldly brought in a big box office haul this weekend. "Star Trek Beyond" nabbed $59.6 million debut in North America, topping industry expectations and winning the weekend box office. "Beyond" is a much needed hit for Paramount Pictures following a rash of box office letdowns this year like "Zoolander 2" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows..." | | Let us know what you think... | | | What do you like about today's newsletter -- and what do you think we should improve? Email your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We'll be back Sunday... | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
Post a Comment