| | | | | Overreactions on the left & right... | | On Friday there was a severe overreaction to FCC chair Ajit Pai's comments about Stephen Colbert. Contrary to what some popular left-wing tweeters claimed, the government is not trying to muzzle one of the most famous comedians in America because he made a vulgar joke about President Trump. No, Colbert is not being "censored."
Despite all of Friday's social media chatter and conflicting news headlines, the FCC is doing exactly what it always does... listening to complaints from viewers... and enforcing its long-standing (and lenient) decency rules. Click here for Frank Pallotta's explanation of the controversy...
-- Brian Lowry emails: The safe harbor provision (10pm til 6am) means on its face this would have to be 'obscene,' and it's nowhere near that. But I think if they receive enough complaints they're obligated to review..." | | | This is not censorship, either | | "The latest strange twist of the Donald Trump presidency finds the major TV networks having to explain why they won't air an ad that attacks major networks," THR's Erik Hayden writes.
Earlier this week CNN requested a change to the ad... now ABC, NBC and CBS have followed suit... because the ad incorrectly labels real news anchors as "fake news." As NBC said: "Consistent with our policies, we have agreed to accept the ad if the inaccurate graphic – which refers to journalists as 'fake news' – is corrected."
The Trump campaign's reaction: "This is an unprecedented act of censorship in America that should concern every freedom-loving citizen." No, it's a commonplace application of TV advertising standards... The campaign was asked to change less than two seconds of the ad... | | | You might be wondering... | | What about Fox News? A Fox spokeswoman confirmed that the network did air the Trump ad earlier this week... | | | What these two stories have in common | | Lots of folks are predisposed to believe the worst about the other side. Some news outlets exploited this fact by publishing headlines that exaggerated what's going on with the FCC. And Trump's campaign exploited this fact by crying "censorship." | | | ABC close to reviving "American Idol" | | ABC has yet to close the deal, but the network is in advanced talks with FremantleMedia to bring back "American Idol," Variety's Daniel Holloway reports. ABC and the production company "have settled on a framework for an agreement to bring back the long-running singing-competition series." Holloway's sources say the network is "eyeing a March premiere for the show, which would potentially air on Sunday nights."
-- Hmmm: Maybe Ryan Seacrest will host in L.A., then fly overnight to NYC for "Live with Kelly and Ryan?"
-- Here's a twist, via Deadline's Nellie Andreeva: "I hear the producers also have received an offer from Fox," but "observers still believe that ABC has the upper hand..." | | | Ryan Grim leaving HuffPost | | Tom Kludt emails: It's the end of an era at HuffPost: Ryan Grim, one of the site's few remaining elder statesmen, is leaving. His next stop is The Intercept, where he'll be the DC bureau chief.
-- HuffPost EIC Lydia Polgreen's memo to staff: "It's pretty much impossible to overstate Ryan's contributions to the journalism and culture of HuffPost..."
-- Brian adds: The news comes as Polgreen searches for a #2, a new executive editor... | | | How many people did Gannett lay off this week? | | We don't know. "Gannett, a company in the information/transparency business, won't say how many journalists they let go this week," CJR's David Uberti writes. The upshot is that "we don't even know how fast local journalists are disappearing anymore..." | | | This rape allegation triggered days of conservative media coverage. Now what? | | Chris Wallace on Friday's "Special Report" program: "Rape charges have been dropped against two immigrant teenagers accused of assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a high school restroom." Police couldn't substantiate the allegations. "The case gained international attention..."
That's right, but Wallace didn't say why or how. The Rockville, MD case gained international attention because it had seemed to fit the political agenda of Fox News and other conservative news outlets. It was the subject of dozens of segments on Fox in March. I'm not making that up... I double-checked today... there were dozens of segments. (I discussed this on "Reliable Sources" at the time.) So what now? Well on Friday the network's 6, 7 and 8pm hours included brief updates. No introspection... | | | Sunday's "Reliable Sources" guest list | | Private investigator Bo Dietl, who figured in Joe Flint's story about the federal probe of Fox News, will join me live... along with Flint, David Zurawik, David Folkenflik, Lisa Bloom, Doug Wigdor, Jonathan Cohn, and hopefully you! CNN, Sunday, 11am ET... | | | Sarah Huckabee Sanders briefs the press | | Friday marked her first time holding an on-camera briefing, filling in for Sean Spicer. Journos said she seemed ready for prime time, or rather, daytime TV. Maggie Haberman tweeted: "Again, Sarah Huckabee delivering one of the smoother podium performances this administration has seen." | | True. But on the other hand... Sanders also insulted Politico... telling a reporter to "never use Politico for a source for your story." Huh? CNN and other outlets have confirmed Politico's scoop about potentially draconian cuts coming to the White House drug policy office... | | | Shep Smith never "came out" because "I didn't think I was 'in'" | | Shep Smith's sexuality has been a subject of speculation in TV news circles for years. I've never seen him speak this candidly before. Here's what the Fox News anchor said during a wide-ranging speech at the University of Mississippi last month:
Last fall "somebody asked me if Roger Ailes had been abusive to me, and I said no, he was always good to me, because that's the truth. And when I told the truth, I guess it was considered that I outed myself." [There were some news stories to that effect last fall.]
"I didn't even think about it, because I didn't think I was 'in.' I don't know... I don't think about my 'fagitude.' I don't think about it, it's not a thing," Smith said. "I go to work, I manage a lot of people, I cover the news, I deal with the holy hell going on around me, I don't think about it. I go home to the man I'm in love with. I come home to my family."
Here's the complete video. A local newspaper wrote about the speech earlier this week, and TVNewser picked up it on Friday... | | Dylan Byers emails: With Fox News under federal investigation, the friendly relationship between Trump and Rupert Murdoch -- on display Thursday night -- will test the independence of the Justice Department and particularly Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is also a close friend and and influential adviser to the president, two former U.S. attorneys in a previous Republican administration told CNNMoney.
The experts said the two men have no obligation to stop communicating, despite the appearance of a conflict of interest... but they stressed that the two men should not be discussing the investigation...
Read Dylan's full story here. And speaking of the investigation... | | | "Federal probe of Fox News focuses on payments to Roger Ailes' alleged mistress" | | | Fox trying to pull Jesse Watters from Bill O'Reilly comedy tour | | Tom Kludt emails: Bill O'Reilly made one thing clear after he was sacked at Fox News: the pseudo-comedy tour he's performed with Dennis Miller since 2011 was still happening. 'The tour stays,' O'Reilly said on his podcast last week. 'Miller and Watters and me.'
That would be Jesse Watters, O'Reilly's longtime protégé. O'Reilly continued to promote Watters' appearances on the podcast for days – that is, until last night. That's likely because Fox doesn't want its on-air talent to appear alongside someone it just publicly fired. A source close to the situation says Fox is working out contractual issues to get Watters off the tour. Read Tom's full story here... | | | Fox denies claims in latest lawsuit | | Tom adds: Last night we shared a tidbit about Fox News Radio correspondent Jessica Golloher's gender discrimination lawsuit against the company. What we didn't include was Fox's response: "Jessica Golloher's claims are without merit. Her allegations of discrimination and retaliation are baseless. We will vigorously defend the matter." | | | Summer movie season starts now... | | | How Marvel Studios built a galaxy of hits | | Frank Pallotta writes: Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" hits theaters this weekend -- and it's expected to be the studio's fifteenth straight No. 1 box office opening. How has Marvel been so successful for so long? It's because Marvel Studios doesn't make superhero movies -- it makes movies from different genres that just happen to star superheroes.
"I always equate it to the comics themselves, and the stories told in those comics are as diverse as any different stories you'd find in novels," the studio's president Kevin Feige told me at Marvel Studios' open house in Burbank two weeks ago. "It's a genre of films based on books."
Read Frank's full story, and check out his related video, the "Marvel model for success," here... | | | "Saturday Night Fever" back in theaters this weekend | | Lisa France emails: "Saturday Night Fever" is returning to select theaters this weekend in celebration of the film's 40th anniversary. I talked with the director and one of the stars about why the movie that made John Travolta a star is still so beloved... | | Megan Thomas emails: It may only be spring, but NBC is already promoting next year's Winter Olympics. A new ad features Shania Twain singing and a long list of Olympians, including Sean White and Lindsay Vaughan. The spot will premiere during Sunday's Kentucky Derby telecast. And if you just can't wait for 10 days of medal counts and moving athlete bios, here's an early look via Variety... | | | This week's podcast guest: Caitlyn Jenner | | Caitlyn Jenner's new book "The Secrets of My Life" debuted at No. 8 on the NYT best sellers list this week. During the book tour, I sat down with Jenner in DC and talked with her about media strategy... her famous interview with Diane Sawyer... her political ambitions... and much more. It was a fascinating conversation... and it's now online as this week's "Reliable Sources" podcast... check it out here on CNN.com or directly through iTunes... | | | For the record, part three | | | 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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