What's next for Assange?
Now that he's been arrested, the Julian Assange case could have serious ramifications. "But it's not really about whether or not you like Julian," CNN's Atika Shubert wrote Thursday night. "The case against him is about soliciting and conspiring with a whistleblower to access classified information and make it public. That is a legal battle that affects all of us and our access to information. Whatever happens now, it will set the precedent for years to come."
It may also take years for anything meaningful to happen. "Assange indicated that he would fight extradition, and legal experts said that process could take years," the lead story in Friday's NYT notes... | |
Here's the latest from London
Hadas Gold emails from London: What a day. We won't see Assange in court here again until May 2. In the interim, his lawyers say they plan to fight any extradition request. The UK Home Secretary said full extradition papers must be released within two months. Here are some of the open questions:
-- Will he (can he) have visitors in prison? Who will visit? What other statements might we hear from him?
-- Will Russia get more involved? Will Vladimir Putin comment?
-- Ecuador has started to air all the dirty laundry about Assange, including what it says was the $6 million they spent to house him... and his alleged bad behavior. Will we see more stories about his life inside the tiny embassy? I think so...
-- What will Sweden do? The sexual assault charges against Assange in Sweden were dropped -- but not because Assange was necessarily found innocent. A Swedish official said Thursday, "We will now examine the case in order to determine how to proceed."
-- What are the other American charges? The DOJ will likely bring more changes against Assange, a US official briefed on the matter told CNN's Evan Perez...
"Deeply troubling" implications for the press
Several prominent groups that advocate for the press say they are very concerned about the implications of Thursday's charges, even though, as the Committee to Protect Journalists noted, "the indictment does not explicitly charge Assange for publication."
What it does do, CPJ said, is construe Assange's interactions with Manning "as part of a criminal conspiracy." Robert Mahoney, CPJ's deputy director, said "the potential implications for press freedom of this allegation of conspiracy between publisher and source are deeply troubling. With this prosecution of Julian Assange, the U.S. government could set out broad legal arguments about journalists soliciting information or interacting with sources that could have chilling consequences for investigative reporting and the publication of information of public interest."
Others are not so sure. As Floyd Abrams told me earlier in the day, "the government has used significant restraint in making only this single rather unique charge against Assange and the ultimate impact on the press may thus be limited." If you missed our special afternoon edition of the newsletter, here are the highlights...
Recommended reads
-- Glenn Greenwald and Micah Lee's end-of-the-day piece for The Intercept says "the indictment seeks to criminalize what journalists are not only permitted but ethically required to do: take steps to help their sources maintain their anonymity..."
-- Matt Taibbi's column is along the same lines: "Why the Assange Arrest Should Scare Reporters."
-- Margaret Sullivan's latest column: "Yes, Assange crossed a line if he indeed conspired with his source to break a secure government password. But the risks to news organizations of prosecuting him remain very real. Before we turn our backs on Assange, we ought to think deeply about what's at stake..."
-- Tim O'Brien's piece for Bloomberg: "I may get in trouble in some quarters for saying this, but journalists stop being journalists when they help case the joint..."
-- World affairs columnist Frida Ghitis, writing for CNN, says "Assange is not a journalist," but "his arrest does present a potential threat" to journalists...
| | IN OTHER NEWS...
Just $6.99 a month for Disney+
Frank Pallotta emails from L.A.: How much would you pay for Marvel, "Star Wars," Disney Animation, National Geographic and "The Simpsons?" $15? $10? How about $6.99 a month? That's how much Disney+ is going to cost (it's even cheaper if you buy the annual subscription), and honestly I'm shocked. And I wasn't the only one surprised -- some of the investors and media members in the room gasped when the price was announced at Thursday's Disney investor event.
The price, of course, undercuts the price of Netflix, and that's partly the point. Disney needs to gain as many subscribers as quickly as it can. The company said it expects to have 60 million to 90 million subscribers by end of fiscal year 2024...
The big day: November 12
Disney+ will launch on November 12 in North America. Here's an easy way to catch up on all of the announcements: Read Frank's live blog here...
"Welcome Synergy" | | "The Simpsons," newly acquired from Fox, made a funny appearance via video... Notice the photo of Rupert Murdoch in the trash can out by the curb... The show's library will be moving from FXNow to Disney+, although the details are TBA...
Lowry's impressions
Brian Lowry emails: There's nothing really fancy about the Disney+ interface, which is built around five established brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. But it's clean and effective. As for the marketing, Disney is shrewdly going where the fans are – providing pre-launch pushes for the service at Star Wars Celebration, Comic-Con and its own D23 Expo. In addition, execs noted that they're going to use all of the company's consumer-facing arms, including theme parks, cruise ships and networks, calling the magnitude of the synergistic promotional effort "unprecedented" within the company.
That was the most persuasive part of Thursday's pitch, given that much of the impressive array of original content – especially from Marvel and Lucasfilm – had already been announced or leaked out...
The part that's really hard to measure...
Brian Lowry adds: During the Q&A, Iger declined to discuss what the impact of Disney+ will be on the existing cable bundle model, in which, of course, the company is hugely invested with its various networks. That's the hard-to-measure tradeoff in this venture — to what extent does this service, not to mention others, undermine the system on which the business currently relies, and how much of the revenue generated amounts to, essentially, robbing Donald to pay Mickey...
Iger says he's really planning to step down in 2021
Frank Pallotta writes: Thursday's event was all about the company's future. Will Iger extend his contract once again to be a part of that future? "I'm expecting my contract to expire at the end of 2021," Iger said in an investor Q&A after the event. He joked that he's said this before, but that this time he means it. In terms of Disney's strategy, Iger said it's "aggressive," but that "we need to be all in."
"We are really committed to this," Iger said. "We feel that this is the best way to success."
--> Peter Kafka's recap for Recode: "Your move, Netflix. And Apple. And AT&T..." | |
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Former Obama W.H. counsel Greg Craig was indicted on charges connected to the Mueller probe on Thursday. His "alleged lies about media contacts are key to his new indictment," Rosalind S. Helderman noted... (WaPo)
-- The New York Post and Fox talk show hosts are blasting Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar for the way she recently referenced 9/11. The alternative view, via a banner on MSNBC's "All In," is "conservative media pushes out-of-context clip." These outrage cycles just keep intensifying... (CNN)
-- Pete Buttigieg taped an appearance on the "Ellen" show on Thursday... It's airing on Friday... Here's his new comment about VP Mike Pence: "I'm not critical of his faith; I'm critical of bad policies..." (Ellen)
-- "McClatchy could hire 10 reporters for the money it will spend to get Devin Nunes lawsuit dismissed..." (Poynter)
-- McClatchy CEO Craig Forman will join me on Sunday's "Reliable Sources..."
A new investigative reporting fund in Seattle
Pavni Mittal emails: This is a really interesting initiative. The Seattle Times is setting up an investigative reporting fund and is leaning on individuals to chip in. "The awareness now about the importance of journalism and helping it survive and thrive is so much higher than it was a few years ago," managing editor Michele Matassa Flores said. "We wanted a way for everyone to get involved, not just people who have a lot of money." Poynter's Kristen Hare has the background here...
Erin Lee Carr on this week's "Reliable" podcast This week's pod is especially personal. It is a conversation with Erin Lee Carr about the man who mentored us both -- her father David Carr. It's been a little more than four years since David died, and Erin is out with a powerful new book, "All That You Leave Behind," that shares the ups and downs of their lives through emails, Gchats, photos, and stories. >> Listen to our conversation via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO -- Thursday's buzziest piece? Isaac Chotiner's interview with Bret Easton Ellis. The title: "Bret Easton Ellis Thinks You're Overreacting to Donald Trump." ( The New Yorker) -- In response, The Daily Beast's Max Tani aptly tweeted, "kinda surprised famous people keep agreeing to these Isaac Chotiner interviews when he consistently bodies anyone who shows up underprepared..." -- Mark Landler is the NYT's new London bureau chief... ( NYT) -- The LA Times "is now journalism happy-news, with a passel of prestige hires" and a billionaire owner, Joe Pompeo writes... "But not everything is rosy in El Segundo..." ( VF) -- John Avlon's Thursday "Reality Check" was all about social media being "susceptible to being hijacked by hyper-partisans... and bots on a disinformation mission to divide..." ( CNN)
| | WaPo's scoop
This story by Rachael Bade and Nick Miroff sent other newsrooms scurrying on Thursday night -- and right now, shortly after midnight ET, it's the No. 1 story on the Post website.
The headline: "White House proposed releasing immigrant detainees in sanctuary cities, targeting political foes." Read it...
Correction of the day
This is a textbook example of the Trump-Fox feedback loop and how the two sides help each other spread misinformation. On Wednesday night Lou Dobbs made a mistake: He claimed that a new Georgetown U poll has Trump at a 55% approval rating. Dobbs' producers put up a graphic titled "TRUMP'S SOARING APPROVAL." Someone in Trumpworld noticed, and posted the graphic on Twitter Thursday morning.
I know what you're thinking: There's not a single poll in America that has Trump at 55% approval. If there was, it would be big news! Sure enough... 55% is actually Trump's "unfavorable" rating, according to the pollsters. Fox aired a correction on Thursday morning, and Dobbs acknowledged it on Thursday night, but the damage is done, and Trump still has the false stat up on his Twitter account...
Five CNN town halls on April 22
Five Democratic presidential candidates will appear in back-to-back CNN town halls on Monday, April 22, the network announced Thursday. Here's the schedule of events (ET), to be telecast from New Hampshire:
7 p.m.: Sen. Amy Klobuchar
8 p.m.: Sen. Elizabeth Warren
9 p.m.: Sen. Bernie Sanders
10 p.m.: Sen. Kamala Harris
11 p.m.: Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Chris Cuomo, Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon will moderate in shifts: Cuomo will take the Klobuchar and Sanders town halls, Cooper will moderate the Warren and Buttigieg town halls, and Lemon will moderate the Harris town hall. Read on...
CNN's reply to The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller came out with a story on Thursday saying that Fox News and MSNBC have out-rated CNN's town halls with 2020 contenders. No surprise there -- Fox and MSNBC's POV talk shows usually fare better than CNN's shows in prime time. But President Trump retweeted the story on Thursday night, which prompted CNN P.R. to respond with a useful reminder that ratings are not the only rubric for a television network.
"CNN does not host presidential town halls for ratings," @CNNPR wrote. "We host them because substantive conversations with presidential candidates inform and empower voters to make the best possible choices for their families and communities. And it's the right thing to do."
>> Speaking of that... Here are 4 takeaways from Thursday night's town hall with Julián Castro... | |
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- The latest Apple News+ review is more of a hack: "How to use your Apple News Plus subscription to get around paywalls..." (The Verge)
-- Samsung's foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, will be available for preorder beginning Friday, ahead of the April 26 release date... (Engadget)
-- "How photo booths escaped the brink of extinction by becoming FOMO generators..." (The Verge)
Burkle backing away from Enquirer talks?
After Edmund Lee and Andrew Ross Sorkin reported on Thursday that American Media was in talks to sell the National Enquirer to Ron Burkle, a rep for Burkle waved off the report. "Ron Burkle and Yucaipa are not buying The Enquirer," the rep said. "Furthermore, I'm told we are not in talks to buy it."
So what happened? Well here's the latest from Lee and Sorkin: "The disclosure of the talks threatened to scuttle them, leaving both sides frustrated that the news had leaked. Two people with direct knowledge of the talks said Mr. Burkle's team was upset that news of their involvement had been made public, and they felt used by AMI. It is unclear what will happen next, but AMI was pushing to continue the talks..."
Other potential bidders?
The NYPost's Keith J. Kelly says "four names have bubbled to the surface: Paul Pope, the son of the National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr., billionaire Ron Burkle, Hudson News CEO James Cohen, and even chief AMI antagonist Jeff Bezos..."
Thank you for reading
The Hollywood Reporter included me on the mag's annual "most powerful people in New York media" list in part because, the blurb says, "his Reliable Sources newsletter is a must-read among the media cognoscenti." So let me just take the opportunity to say thanks to all of you -- for reading, for critiquing, for sending tips and ideas and suggestions. Many CNN reporters write items that make this newsletter worth opening. I love staying up late compiling all of it for you. So: thanks! And onward...
Spotted:
At THR's party on Thursday night, cast members from Showtime's forthcoming drama about Fox chatted with real-life TV hosts... Across the room, Gawker slayer Peter Thiel and former Gawker spokesman Davidson Goldin traded war stories...
Here are my other sightings: Matthew Belloni, David Nevins, Brooke Shields, Alison Brower, Susan Zirinsky, Chris Cuomo, Risa Heller, Michael Barbaro, Brian Kilmeade, Liz Claman, Kate Bolduan, Trevor Noah, Sara Haines, Michael Strahan, Katy Tur, Tony Dokoupil, David Remnick, Jane Mayer, Jeff Glor, Keegan Michael Key, Marc Graboff, Pat Kiernan, Sunny Hostin, Samantha Bee, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Gayle King, Phil Griffin, Jonathan Wald, Jacob Soboroff, Sheinelle Jones, Al Roker, Rebecca Keegan, Eriq Gardner, Marisa Guthrie, Violet Gaynor, David Nugent, Jill Hennessy, Samantha Barry, Gabriel Sherman, Edmund Lee, Lisa Dallos, and many more...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Zirinsky had a busy night: She also spoke at a Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner... Here are the highlights... (Fortune)
-- Drew FitzGerald's latest, pegged to the YouTube TV price hike: "Online TV bundles are getting bigger and prices keep rising, edging closer to the cable bundles they were designed to replace and muddling the economic equation that has prompted millions of Americans to cut the cord..." (WSJ)
-- Chicago is officially suing Jussie Smollett for the cost of its hate crime investigation... Here are the details about the civil suit... (CNN)
-- Sources tell Chloe Melas that Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli are "not ready" to make a plea in the college admissions scandal... (CNN)
The stars align for Nipsey Hussle | | Katie Pellico emails: Thousands gathered for the "Celebration of Life" in honor of Nipsey Hussle on Thursday. The procession stretched 25 miles through the city, past Hussle's Marathon Clothing store, where the rapper and local role model was gunned down on March 31. The NYT describes the store as "a potent symbol of black entrepreneurship."
Eliott C. McLaughlin has the full recap here -- of Louis Farrakhan's remarks, Barack Obama's letter, Stevie Wonder's call for gun violence reform, and more. "Singers Anthony Hamilton, Marsha Ambrosius and Jhene Aiko, who delayed the release of new music this month to reflect on Nipsey's death, also performed," he notes.
--> More from Lisa Respers France: The beauty of Stevie Wonder playing Nipsey Hussle's funeral is in how similar the two artists were... In both social activism and love of technology...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- Chloe Melas writes: Wendy Williams has filed for divorce from Kevin Hunter, her husband of more than 20 years... (CNN)
-- The "Game of Thrones" final season hasn't even started yet, but it is already a hit on Twitter, as Lisa Respers France reports here... (CNN)
-- For those of you heading to Indio, here are Coachella set times... And for those who aren't, "YouTube will once again be offering a curated livestream of the event, but for the first time will do so for both weekends..." (CNN)
| | "Transparent" series finale spoilers ahead...
Regarding the upcoming series finale of "Transparent," the LA Times reports "what most have suspected about the show's musical series finale: Jeffrey Tambor's character, Maura, will be killed off."
The episode, expected on Amazon Prime this fall, "will begin with the passing of Maura and will follow the Pfefferman family... as they all grapple with her death," per LAT's Yvonne Villarreal.
Show creator Jill Soloway tells Villarreal, "We were all in mourning in many ways, and we all had to process together."
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
-- HBO tells TMZ it has no plans to pull "Leaving Neverland," despite chatter to the contrary... (TMZ)
-- Moschino previewed a pixelated spring line. The collaboration with EA pays homage to 20 years of The Sims... (Twitter Moments)
-- "CBS has ordered a 17th season of its flagship drama series NCIS for the 2019-2020 broadcast season..." (Deadline)
COUNTING DOWN TO SUNDAY NIGHT...
How "Game of Thrones" conquered TV with drama and dragons
Brian Lowry emails: Amid all the scholarly analysis devoted to the "Game of Thrones" premiere, I add this thought on why the HBO drama became the network's biggest success since "The Sopranos:" It embodied the network's old "It's not TV. It's HBO" slogan, residing somewhere in the realm between prestige serialized drama and theatrical blockbusters. In other words, if "The Sopranos" and "Star Wars" had a baby, this would be it...
Best TV series ever?
One more item from Lowry: There have been a lot of questionable takes in the run-up to the "Thrones" premiere, and one suspects they'll only get more strained as the pressure for clickbait mounts in the waning days, once most everything angle been pretty well exhausted. But one of the legitimate debates is whether the show ranks as the best TV series ever, with the LAT's Mary McNamara weighing in today in the "Yes" column, writing, "In story and sweep, ambition and execution, heart and mind, 'Game of Thrones' is, quite simply, the greatest show on earth." Here's her argument...
| | | Thank you for reading. Email me anytime! See you tomorrow... | | | |
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