| | | | Monday afternoon's meeting between Donald Trump and representatives from NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News was off the record. So all we know about it is what anonymous sources from both sides have been willing to share.
With that in mind, here's my best sense of what happened: Trump vented... he was highly critical of news organizations including CNN... he attacked and showed utter disdain for the news media. But he also answered questions... listened to the journalists' points about access... and committed to making improvements.
There was "real progress made" on the subject of media access to Trump and the administration, according to one of the sources. Trump's aides, at least, say a standard "press pool" will be implemented. But Trump and his team need to show, not tell... | | The bottom line -- in case there were still any doubts -- is that Trump has not changed. "Trump will be Trump," one of the sources told me. He's the same man he was two weeks ago. Here are a couple examples:
-- According to Politico's Hadas Gold, Trump "complained about photos of himself that NBC used that he found unflattering... Trump turned to NBC News President Deborah Turness at one point, the source said, and told her the network won't run a nice picture of him, instead choosing 'this picture of me,' as he made a face with a double chin. Turness replied that they had a 'very nice' picture of him on their website at the moment..."
-- NYT's Michael Grynbaum and Sydney Ember: Trump "described the TV networks as dishonest in their reporting and shortsighted in missing the signs of his upset victory..."
-- On Monday night, Trump reprised his "crooked media" insult, tweeting: "Prior to the election it was well known that I have interests in properties all over the world. Only the crooked media makes this a big deal!" | | | How this meeting came about... | | | Monday's meeting was organized by Kellyanne Conway. Afterward, she said the meeting was "very cordial, candid and honest." Something I'm wondering: Is Conway going to end up working for one of the networks? A contributor deal? | | NBC's Chuck Todd, Lester Holt, Deborah Turness, Phil Griffin... CNN's Jeff Zucker, Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett... CBS's Norah O'Donnell, Charlie Rose, John Dickerson, Gayle King, Chris Isham... ABC's James Goldston, George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Martha Raddatz... Fox's Bill Shine, Jay Wallace, Suzanne Scott, Jack Abernethy...
Who was waiting with me in the lobby, hoping that someone would decide to talk about the meeting: Jeremy Peters, Nick Corasaniti, Philip Rucker, Jennifer Epstein, Todd Heisler, and many more... | | Maybe the meeting with the networks was just a warm-up. On Tuesday NYT publisher Arthur Sulzberger "and others are meeting with the President Elect tomorrow at the request of his team," the newspaper confirmed on Monday afternoon. (Note that last line: "at the request of his team."
Per the NYT, "there will be a small, off the record meeting first, followed by an on the record session with Times reporters and editorial columnists." | | Pelley accepts Cronkite award | | Why wasn't Scott Pelley at the Trump meeting? Because he was in Phoenix accepting ASU's Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. Here's the video of his remarks.
A key portion: "Is terrorism the greatest threat to our country, or a recession?" Pelley asked. "I suggest to you today that the quickest, most direct way to ruin a democracy is to poison the information..." | | "Abhorrent" graphic during CNN segment about racist alt-right leader | | CNN's segment on "The Lead" about racist alt-right leader Richard Spencer was crystal clear about his hateful views. But the graphic on screen -- "ALT-RIGHT FOUNDER QUESTIONS IF JEWS ARE PEOPLE" -- came under widespead criticism on Monday afternoon. Jake Tapper, who was off, tweeted that it was "abhorrent."
"The chyron was unacceptable and I have spoken with my staff about it," he wrote. Jim Sciutto, who was filling in, agreed: "The banner - which we don't write from the chair - was out of line." THR has a full story here... | | -- The Financial Times is "in the acquisition zone..." Eyeing companies that "strengthen its digital subscription business..." (Bloomberg)
-- NPR's Michael Oreskes is responding to some "misunderstandings about when NPR News conducts interviews live and when we tape them..." (NPR)
-- Speaking of NPR, it has a new chief marketing officer, Meg Goldthwaite...
-- Another great read about a gnarly fake news creator: "Meet the Romanian Trump Fan Behind a Major Fake News Site" (Inc)
-- And here's a strange one: "Publicist Who Denies Working for Steve Bannon Works for Bannon's Publicist" (TheWrap) | | | Developing: Kanye West was hospitalized for exhaustion on Monday, a source close to his family confirmed to Chloe Melas on Monday night. West is being treated at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The full story will be up on CNN.com... | | Amazon talking with the sports leagues about live games | | | Amazon is "exploring an ambitious push to infiltrate the last bastion of traditional pay-television: live sports," the WSJ reports. "In recent months, the e-commerce giant has been in talks with heavy hitters like the NBA, MLB and the NFL for the rights to carry live games, according to people familiar with the matter. It also has talked with soccer, lacrosse and surfing leagues, the people said." So will Amazon create a premium sports package and sell it through Amazon Prime? Will the company launch a cablelike TV service and sell the sports package as an upgrade? | | NBCU doubles stake in BuzzFeed | | | As expected, NBCUniversal has doubled its investment in BuzzFeed. On Monday the companies confirmed a new infusion of $200 million. "The new investment, which gives BuzzFeed a valuation of around $1.7 billion, ups NBCU's stake to $400 million, following an initial $200 million investment last summer," Reuters reports... | | New general counsel at NYT | | | Tom Kludt reports: The NYT on Monday announced a change at the top of its legal department, with Diane Brayton tapped to become the newspaper's general counsel. Brayton, who has been with the Times since 2004 and who currently serves as deputy general counsel and corporate secretary, will replace Kenneth Richeri, who will retire at the end of the year... | | | Trump press conference watch | | After Monday's meeting with the networks, Conway declined to say when the president-elect would hold a news conference. "Soon" was her only answer.
Why this matters: Most presidents-elect hold a news conference within days of being elected. Trump was elected almost two weeks ago and has not taken questions in that setting yet... | | | The Kennedy Center Honors, this year versus next year | | Brian Lowry emails: CBS announced that Stephen Colbert will again host this year's Kennedy Center Honors, which will be held Dec. 4 and air on the network on Dec. 27. Based on Trump's Twitter salvos at "Hamilton" and "SNL" over the weekend, one suspects this could be one of the last events of this kind where major figures from the arts will be uniformly interested in hobnobbing with Washington in quite this way.
As Mark Harris noted in a Vulture piece, despite his Hollywood connections, the President-elect has little to lose with his base by campaigning against the elite media and showbiz luminaries. And there are other spheres where this will be an issue. Plenty of NFL or NBA stars, for example, might balk at a trip to the White House next year if their team wins the championship... | | Fox News: a talent pool for Trump? | | Dylan Byers writes: As a candidate, Donald Trump always had loyal defenders at Fox News. Now that he's president-elect, many of them are being discussed for jobs in his administration. The (partial?) list:
-- Contributor Laura Ingraham is in talks to serve as Trump's press secretary...
-- Contributor Richard Grenell is reportedly being considered for the job of ambassador to the United Nations...
-- Contributor Scott Brown is said to be in the mix to run the Department of Veterans Affairs...
-- Host Eric Bolling has "discussed the possibility" of taking a job in Trump's Department of Commerce, per Politico...
-- Host Jeanine Pirro was spotted at Trump Tower last week...
-- Contributor Mike Huckabee said he was offered a job but it wasn't "the right fit..."
-- Contributor Jack Keane recently told NPR he turned down an invitation to serve as Secretary of Defense...
Read Dylan's full story here... | | "We can't just call them all crazy. We have to find a way to reach out to each other and find common ground or else we're literally never going to make it and this country is going to get worse."
—Kenya Barris, creator, "black-ish," in an interview with the LATimes… | | Highlights from Sunday's "Reliable Sources" | | Listen to Sunday's show as a podcast... Or check out the video clips here.
-- Ken Kurson: The media's election coverage was a "disgrace..."
-- Charles Blow: "The country needs us right now to put pressure on him, because we have to make him be the president..."
-- Salena Zito: It's not enough just to interview voters in swing states. "Being there and living there and listening to them" is vital...
-- Marisa Guthrie: "People who are criticizing" Megyn Kelly "for talking about this are actually proving her point, that sexual harassment is a problem and that it needs to be talked about..." | | My Sunday essay about "information warfare" | | "Fake news" sources like "Liberty Writers News" are just a symptom of a disease. The disease is distrust. The folks who click on these links and share these stories don't trust real sources, and I don't know if/when that will change. On Sunday's "Reliable Sources," I asserted that we are entering a new age of information warfare, and it's being fought right on your phone. Here are the main points from my essay:
— We're beyond just "red news/blue news" now. We are in an environment where some people are choosing to be colorblind...
— We need a lot more research to understand why online lies are so appealing to some voters...
— Trump himself has been fooled by fake news. Remember when he said "All I know is what's on the Internet?"
— Media literacy is part of the solution. The more media-literate you are, the less likely you will be tricked by propaganda...
— Journalism is also part of the solution. As an industry, we have to redouble our efforts to restore our credibility...
— But these are not full or satisfying solutions. I wish I knew 'em, but I don't. How does this end? Is the U.S. moving into an authoritarian media climate, more like Russia or China, where no one really trusts anything? | | Via Lisa France:
-- Gigi Hadid got roasted for her Melania Trump impression at the American Music Awards...
-- Selena Gomez has been off the radar for months, but Sunday night she returned with a powerful message about mental health...
-- Great news for Dave Chappelle fans: he's doing three comedy specials with Netflix... | | | What do you like about this newsletter? What do you dislike? Send your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We appreciate every email... And we'll be back tomorrow... | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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