| | | | We made it.
I mean, technically there are still a couple hundred hours left in 2016, but the media biz has mostly closed up shop until January 2. There are sure to be a lot of news stories these next ten days -- if nothing else happens, Donald Trump's Twitter feed will surely see to that. But this is an opportunity to reflect. This is also our final newsletter until the ball drops. Thank you for your readership, viewership, tips, ideas, and insights this year. See you on 1/1/2017! | | | Remember December 31, 2015? | | Trump made a cameo on the New Year's Eve show on Fox News, and he predicted he would be Hillary Clinton's "worst nightmare" in a general election match-up.
Looking ahead to the end of 2016, he said, "I hope you're going to be calling me in the White House." Soon... | | | Dylan sums up the top story of 2016 | | Dylan Byers emails: There is indisputably one major, colossal, titanic media story of 2016, a story that both eclipses and contains all the other media stories of the year. That, of course, is the story of Donald Trump's rise to the presidency. One year from now, 10 years from now and likely 100 years from now, we will remember 2016 for that alone.
Trump's rise was as much a media story as it was a political story: A product of media (NYC tabloids, then reality TV) uses the media (from Twitter to 24-hour cable news) to bash the media (berating us daily as "dishonest" "scum") to galvanize a populist groundswell that ends up proving the media, the pundits and the pollsters wrong.
Now, think of all the other major media stories in 2016... They're all either caused by or in some way tied to Trump: The fall of Roger Ailes... the rise of Megyn Kelly... the rise of Breitbart... the decline of faith in mainstream media... the ratings bonanza for Fox News and CNN... the unapologetic partisanship of Sean Hannity and Joe Scarborough... It Was All. About. Trump. He was all-consuming. | | | Rezaian. Wikileaks. Gawker. Kelly. The "alt right." | | Debates. Downfalls. Feuds. Failures. CNNMoney's Laurie Frankel and I compiled a media top ten list that will be airing on CNN next week... Here's a preview:
10. Jason Rezaian's release from an Iranian prison
9. Michael Strahan's awkward exit from "Live with Kelly"
8. Viacomdrama and the AT&T-Time Warner deal
7. Leaks and hacks, from Wikileaks to the "Access" tape
6. Hulk Hogan and Peter Thiel defeat Gawker
5. The rise of fake news sites, a new age of info warfare
4. Alt-right media out of the shadows
3. Gretchen Carlson's suit and Roger Ailes' resignation
2. The election result that stunned the news media
1. Trump's extreme anti-media campaign | | | This year in Viacomdrama... | | In yesterday's newsletter, we asked you what the top non-Trump media story of 2016 was. Variety's Cynthia Littleton emails: "Other than Trump, it would have to be the saga of the house of Redstone. It had everything: sex, mistresses, really ugly family battles, betrayals, shifting alliances, intrigue about the mental status of a 93-year-old billionaire, the sense of karma catching up with him and lots and lots of money at stake. And lawyers. It also feels like it's the last gasp of the parochial media baron-ism, given Sumner's iron-clad control of CBS and Viacom. Even Rupert Murdoch sorted out his succession issues, but Sumner never did until it was too late.
You could do a crazy graphic totaling up the $$$ paid to Philippe Dauman and Tom Dooley to go away. You could count up all the lawyers involved -- just in those Massachusetts hearings alone -- and estimate the costs. And then the PR army working for Viacom. These bills have to be eight figures.
Runners up, of course, would be Ailes and also I think the rise of the OTT MVPD. That has the potential to change the media biz quite a bit. We'll see if it actually takes root next year..." | | | Legal pitfalls for the press | | CNN counsel Drew Shenkman emails from his POV as a media lawyer: Biggest non-Trump story was "the legal trouble the media continues to face on the privacy front, especially when it comes to coverage of public figures which we have always assumed the First Amendment protects: Hulk Hogan's sex tape, Jason Pierre Paul's medical record, etc.
Story 1A is the private funding of the Hogan suit by Peter Thiel and the ability for one man to sue a media outlet out of business over an old grudge." | | | A few more reader responses | | — Ken Droz: "The 'post truth' era. It's scarier than anything George Orwell ever conceived. How can an informed populace make decisions when they're completely, and almost willfully, misinformed?"
— Liz Stober: "How the media non-stop covered Hillary's emails, possibly playing a part in her losing the election. I think people will talk about it for years to come and history books will cover it…"
— Ethan Brown: "Other than Trump/U.S. politics/international politics in general, the biggest media story of 2016 is the deaths of some of the entertainment industry's most influential names -- David Bowie and Prince are the biggest names that come to mind. They were legendary artists who, like many before them, died unexpectedly and immediately created a renewed appreciation for their art and life." | | | Reasons to DVR "Reliable Sources" | | On the Christmas Day edition, this Sunday at 11 a.m. ET: a special edition, "Obama and the Media." Fareed Zakaria's documentary about Obama's legacy will air from 9 til 11 a.m., so this hour is a companion piece, analyzing the press-president relationship since 2009. I have interviews in the briefing room with three of Obama's press aides, Josh Earnest, Jen Psaki and Eric Schultz, plus in-depth conversations with reporters David Gregory, April Ryan, James Risen and Ann Compton. Here's a preview of the Obama aide interviews...
On the New Year's Day edition: Three of the top editors in the business -- NYT's Carolyn Ryan, the AP's Kathleen Carroll and NPR's Michael Oreskes -- reflect on 2016 and share their resolutions for 2017. Plus Clarissa Ward... John Avlon... and most importantly Debra and Marc Tice, the parents of Austin Tice, the American journalist who has been missing in Syria since 2012. | | | Friday's media and entertainment news | | | | Carrie Fisher rushed to the hospital | | | Click here for CNN's latest updates on Carrie Fisher's condition. At the time we're hitting send, Fisher is still in the ICU, according to the actress's brother. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a cardiac arrest at a United Airlines gate at LAX when Fisher's flight from London arrived on Friday afternoon. Thoughts and prayers with Fisher and her family. | | | Diane Rehm's last live show | | Diane Rehm thanked her listeners on Friday as she said farewell to "The Diane Rehm Show," a staple of public radio with fans all across the country. "It's not goodbye, it's just farewell," she said.
Rehm, 80, is semi-retiring after four decades in broadcasting. (Starting next month, she'll host a weekly podcast.) On Friday, famous fans like Julie Andrews, John Dickerson, Cory Booker and Judy Collins called in to honor her. Some listeners said on social media that they teared up toward the end of the program. Here's my recap... | | More from the farewell show: While many of Rehm's longtime listeners are clearly anxious about a Trump presidency, Rehm expressed optimism about the future of the country and said "we're going to be OK." She also alluded to shortcomings in campaign coverage by saying, "there has to be much more active listening on the part of all of us, not just those who are part of the media, all of us."
Looking ahead to family holiday gatherings, she said, "what I beg of you is, rather than arguing your point, listen to the others' perspective. Try to listen. Ask questions and engage rather than using your own points of view to shut people down..." | | | Continuing our 2016 retrospective... | | | For your listening pleasure | | | "Reliable Sources" producer Lee Alexander emails: 2016 was overwhelming for media consumers, and this list of the 50 best podcasts of 2016 is the perfect way to catch up during holiday travel... or if you need a little break from your loved ones. And a special shout out to WNYC's 2 Dope Queens which made the list! | | | Memorable moments from "Reliable" | | | The worst thing about best-of lists | | Brian Lowry emails: In the you-kids-get-off-my-lawn dept., a word about year-end lists: The digital beast demands to be fed, which is why year-end lists might be the only thing in December that outnumber college football bowl games in quantity or, for the most part, meaninglessness. Obviously, those rosters of the 10 or 20 or however-many-can-fit-in-a-gallery highlights, or lowlights, serve a purpose. Best movie lists have long been a staple of the culture, appropriately timed to the award season, which has turned into a sprawling cottage industry. After bests or worsts, people have to start getting creative, drumming up lists of disappointments, new shows, best episodes, etc. Inevitably, some smart-aleck will produce a list of the very best or worst year-end lists.
And let's not even get started on predictions.
As someone who has posted a best and worst TV list, I recognize an element of hypocrisy in even mentioning this. But "Everybody does it" is a pretty lame-sounding defense, and stripped to its core, this is really just the journalistic equivalent of "Made you look," which has its place, but is no substitute for "Made you think." | | | Chloe's look at holiday movies | | Chloe Melas emails:
If you're looking for an excuse to get out of the house over the holiday weekend, go to the movies! "Silence," starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver is in theaters, and I had a chance to chat with Neeson about working with director Martin Scorsese. Check it out here...
Then there's the ultimate family flick, "Sing," an animated movie featuring some of your favorite celebrities (Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Scarlet Johansson) voicing some adorable animals. There's also "Patriots Day" starring Mark Wahlberg, but it's only in NYC, Boston and L.A. til next month... | | | Is there a word for movie binge-watching? I haven't even seen "La La Land," "Arrival," "Lion," or "Manchester By The Sea" yet. So you'll find me and Jamie at the theater while we're off work next week... | | | Three things Sandra will remember | | | "The general domination of female entertainers is high on the list of reasons 2016 wasn't all bad," Sandra Gonzalez writes in this look back at the year in entertainment. Other themes: pop culture that matters and farewells to legends... Read her recap here... | | | One of Lisa's favorites of 2016 | | Lisa France emails: This year has been SAVAGE. Death, contentious politics, the Zika virus, Justin Bieber leaving Instagram. Which brings me to one of my favorite stories of the year: that time Bieber "accidentally" returned to Instagram after quitting in a huff.
But at least we have Awards Season to look forward to. I've written a primer on which show to watch based on your personality... | | | Frank's resolutions for 2017 | | Frank Pallotta is way ahead of the rest of us -- he already crafted a list of 30 New Years resolutions. And sent it to me! Instead of embarrassing him by printing all 30, I picked out half a dozen to share:
5. Don't tell the readers the news, show them the news. Give them the numbers. Give them the data.
12. Proofread.
16. Use Snapchat and Instagram more, Twitter and Facebook less.
20. Write for the newsletter more. (Editor's note: This is an actual resolution! Not coerced.)
26. Turn your phone off at dinner, you monster.
30. Don't say or write anything you wouldn't want to read in a deposition. | | Colin Miner in Portland, Oregon gets the final word. He wrote "A Newsroom Night Before Christmas," which begins this way...
'Twas the night before Christmas, and wouldn't you know
We were hard at work on the five o'clock show;
Reporters sent to locations picked with care,
In hopes that a news story soon would be there;
Producers all nestled snug in Control A,
While they wondered why they were working that day;
And the EP was pacing, and I at the desk,
What would make this show better than all the rest?
When over the scanners there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Maybe maybe I was hearing it all wrong
But if I was right it wouldn't be long...
Read the rest here...
And to all a good night! | | | What do you like about this newsletter? What do you dislike? Send your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We'll be back on January 1, 2017. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! | |  | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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