| | | | This is Dylan Byers in for Brian Stelter... | | | White House bars staff from Correspondents' Dinner | | New tonight: The White House has announced that White House staff will not attend this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner out of "solidarity" with President Trump, who said long ago that he intends to skip the event.
Why it matters: First and foremost, it's a blow to civility in our politics. For as much criticism as it gets, the WHCD is meant to act as a bridge in White House-media relations, a reminder that no matter how contentious the relationship can get, both sides can still come together for a few laughs and more than a few drinks.
Traditionally, the White House press secretary sits on the dais of the dinner and the dinner's toast is to the president. Not this year.
Second, it's a reminder of the lengths to which Trump's White House is willing to go to antagonize the media. They are effectively barring their staffers from attending the main event of what is arguably the most jovial weekend in Washington.
Hardest hit: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, a veteran of the D.C. social scene who relishes a good party -- especially the Correspondents' Dinner -- and would have sat on the dais this year. | | | W.H. Correspondents' Association 'regrets' | | The White House Correspondents' Association, which announced the news, said it "regrets this decision very much..."
"We have worked hard to build a constructive relationship with the Trump White House and believe strongly that this goal is possible even with the natural tension between the press and administrations that is a hallmark of a healthy republic," WHCA President Jeff Mason said in a statement.
"We made clear in our meeting tonight that President Trump, Vice President Pence, and White House staff continue to be welcome to join us at this dinner.
"Only the White House can speak to the signal it wants to send with this decision. But our signal is clear: We will celebrate the First Amendment on April 29 and look forward to acknowledging the important work of our terrific members and awarding scholarships to students who represent the next generation of our profession."
An observation: News organizations that were wary of attending the dinner because of Trump's anti-media rhetoric will now find it much easier to do so. They may not admit that, but it's true. The weekend is now simply a celebration of journalism, without any conflicts of interest. | | | The White House vs. The Washingon Post | | Speaking of White House-media relations... Remember last week when President Trump spoke to reporters from The Washington Post and The New York Times in the wake of the healthcare bill failure? Well, the relationship has soured again...
At Tuesday's press briefing, Spicer told reporters that the Post "should be ashamed" of itself for reporting that the administration had "sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Trump's presidential campaign."
This came after the White House released a statement calling the story "entirely false." The Washington Post is standing by its story.
Meanwhile... Trump's Twitter accounts are attacking the media on Twitter again... Tuesday morning: "The failing @NYTimes would do much better if they were honest!" ... Tuesday evening: "Why doesn't Fake News talk about Podesta ties to Russia as covered by @FoxNews or money from Russia to Clinton - sale of Uranium?"" | | Quote of the day, from the exasperated press secretary...
"If the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russia connection."
What Spicer is telling reporters: No one has proved any "collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia, so stop asking. "At some point ... you're going to have to take 'no' for an answer," he said at the briefing.
Reality check: 1. Journalists should keep asking questions until their given full and honest answers... 2. It's hard to take this administration at its word, without further digging, given the enormous credibility chasm that's opened up over the last two-and-a-half months...
To wit: Trump told reporters last month, "I have no dealings with Russia. I have no deals that could happen in Russia, because we've stayed away. And I have no loans with Russia. I have no loans with Russia at all."
But: USA Today reported Tuesday, "Trump, his company and partners repeatedly turned to wealthy Russians and oligarchs from former Soviet republics — several allegedly connected to organized crime." | | | About that Russia investigation... | | Read Ryan Lizza on "How the White House and Republicans Blew Up the Russia Investigation..."
"The evidence is now clear that the White House and Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, have worked together to halt what was previously billed as a sweeping investigation of Russian interference in last year's election," Lizza writes. | | Cable news channels announced first-quarter ratings Tuesday...
Confession: I hate ratings day.... Every network spins their numbers harder than Bert Blyleven spun a curveball.
And yet... Sometimes ratings tell a story -- about the changing television landscape, about the tenor of our politics, about the direction of our country. The first-quarter ratings that came out Tuesday tell us some things... and because every executive, anchor and, most importantly, advertiser cares about these ratings... here we go...
1. CABLE NEWS IS THE NEW ESPN
Fox News finished with the highest-rated quarter ever in cable news history in terms of 24-hour viewership, averaging 1.7 million total day viewers. ... It was the most-watched cable news channel in primetime, topping ESPN... Meanwhile, CNN had its most-watched first quarter in 14 years in both the 25-to-54 demo and total viewers and MSNBC claimed its largest total audience ever in morning, prime time and total day.
In short, Donald Trump's presidency has put cable news front-and-center in the national dialogue. Americans are more interested than ever in the developments out of Washington and in the ideological arguments that dominate primetime. Every day brings new drama, new controversy, new "moments" -- and "moments" are the lifeblood of live television.
2. LIBERALS ARE COMING BACK HOME
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow had the second most-watched cable news show in the 25-to-54 demo, and beat Fox News's Tucker Carlson in the 9 p.m. hour -- a feat unthinkable when she was going head-to-head with Megyn Kelly (who is now her colleague). Maddow is now second only to Bill O'Reilly, the king of cable.
There's a caveat here, which is that Maddow's silver medal was earned with her painfully long and painfully disappointing "scoop" on Trump's 2005 tax returns. ... Still, Maddow is stronger than ever, and perhaps the biggest force in cable news right now. As the New York Times has observed, "rattled liberals" who drifted away from television in the Obama era "are surging back, seeking catharsis, solidarity and relief."
3. TELEVISION IS STILL TRIBAL
When Trump is up, Fox is up. When Trump is down, MSNBC is up. Both networks know this is where their bread is buttered, and so each will likely try to serve as a home for their respective constituencies throughout the Trump presidency. While each network may tout its respective news divisions, the battle lines drawn at the end of the George W. Bush era are here to stay...
CNN's north star, meanwhile, is old-fashioned journalism -- with, yes, mega-panels of liberal and moderate and conservative analysis -- which may put it more in line with The New York Times or The Washington Post than with the staunchly partisan news networks it is said to compete against. | |
-- Margaret Sullivan's WashPost column, on Alex Jones' Pizzagate apology: "This has about the same level of sincerity as the downcast 'sorry' muttered by a 6-year-old after kicking his brother..."
-- The Writers Guild of America just took another step towards a strike... (Variety) | | | New twist in Fox News investigation | | Here's a significant development in the federal investigation stemming from sexual harassment allegations made against former Fox News chief Roger Ailes...
Mark Kranz, the former Fox News chief financial officer, has been offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for his cooperation with the investigation. That news, first reported by the Financial Times and confirmed by yours truly, suggests the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Southern District is still hard on the case despite the firing of Preet Bharara by the Trump administration earlier this month.
What it means: The investigation centers on whether 21st Century Fox misled investors by hiding payments to Fox News employees who alleged that they were sexually harassed by Ailes. As CFO, Kranz was directly involved in preparing the company's financial statements and is thus potentially a key witness in the investigation. | | Via Tom Kludt: "Fox News host Bill O'Reilly apologized Tuesday after coming under fire for mocking a black congresswoman's hair. ... During an appearance on 'Fox & Friends,' O'Reilly reacted to a clip of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) delivering a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"'I didn't hear a word she said,' he said. 'I was looking at the James Brown wig...'"
O'Reilly's apology: "As I have said many times, I respect Congresswoman Maxine Waters for being sincere in her beliefs. I said that again today on Fox & Friends calling her 'old school.' Unfortunately, I also made a jest about her hair which was dumb. I apologize."
Great. Good. Stop there. Don't keep...
Tom emails, after watching O'Reilly's show: O'Reilly repeated his apology during his opening monologue... but spent the rest of the segment attacking Waters' floor speech in which she sharply criticized Trump -- the speech that had inspired O'Reilly's joke about the congresswoman... | | | WSJ faces staff complaints | | Just upstairs from Fox News, reporters and editors at The Wall Street Journal sent a letter to management calling for greater representation of women and people of color in the newsroom:
"Diversity in the newsroom is good for business and good for our coverage," read the letter, which was first obtained by Business Insider. "We would like to see The Journal undertake a more comprehensive, intentional and transparent approach to improving it."
The Journal's statement: "The Wall Street Journal's editorial leadership is committed to fostering and developing a highly successful and welcoming workplace that provides the best possible opportunities for all journalists, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation." | | | Pro-Trump media seeks White House limelight | | A fun one from BuzzFeed's Charlie Warzel...
"[A] number of unabashedly Trump-friendly news outlets have made the pilgrimage to the West Wing briefing room — the symbolic heart of the establishment. Their goal: to bring their anti-elite, pro-Trump, and occasionally trollish brand of coverage to the White House. ...
"'The briefing room has become a piece of pop culture for this generation and the people who followed the election every day on TV and are now glued to the day-to-day,' one newer White House correspondent told BuzzFeed News.
"For the reporter, being in the room brings with it the intoxicating proposition of asking a question that could set news cycle for the day — or the week. 'And so it's definitely an opportunity for far-right, crazy blogosphere types to make a name for themselves. It's that way for anyone new but definitely true for the far-right guys. Everyone's watching.'" | | Some great news for us West Coasters, from the L.A. Times' Stephen Battaglio...
"NBC's prime-time coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will air live across the United States, including on the West Coast, a first since the Games became a major television attraction in the late 1960s."
"The move to coast-to-coast live coverage... is an acknowledgement that holding back results or highlights for any part of the audience is no longer a viable option as viewers have instant access to information immediately through online platforms and digital devices..." | | | Dessert: Russian Salad Dressing | | Fun fact: Our colleague M.J. Lee reports that Russian salad dressing is really just mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, onion and Worcestershire sauce.
Doesn't sound terribly Russian to me, but what do I know? | | What do you like about this newsletter? What do you dislike? Send your feedback to reliablesources@cnn.com. We appreciate every email. | |  | | 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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