EXEC SUMMARY: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is speaking out against this week's raid, PolitiFact is launching a Mueller Report book club, Barnes and Noble is about to be sold, Entertainment Weekly is going monthly... Scroll down to get caught up...
Apollo summer
This summer the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. There will be numerous television specials, including the TV premiere of CNN Films' "Apollo 11" documentary on June 23. The Apollo anniversary is a chance to reflect on what was accomplished -- and assess what should come next. Like... a mission to Mars?
We're talking about all of this on a five-part CNN podcast called "Apollo 11: Beyond the Moon." The first two episodes are up now. Future episodes will feature Launch Control Center Firing Room controller JoAnn Morgan, "Hidden Figures" author Margot Lee Shetterly, "American Moonshot" author Douglas Brinkley, and journalists Rachel Crane, Elizabeth Svoboda and Miles O'Brien. Subscribe here via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred app...
How long to Mars? | | The second episode of the pod, which just went up, is my interview with Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins. He wants to see a Mars landing -- and he has doubts about President Trump's leadership on the matter. When I asked about Trump's space strategy, Collins quipped, "I don't think he's too much aware of Mars. Maybe he doesn't understand that there is a planet Mars."
Trump has directed NASA to focus on a return to the moon first. Many experts support this approach -- the moon as a gateway expedition to Mars -- but Collins said he prefers the "John F. Kennedy express method." Declare a goal and go.
"I'm still looking for Mars, and I'm thinking it's getting closer," Collins, 88, told me. "We're getting people like Jeff Bezos and [Elon] Musk who are throwing billions into the kitty to add to what's there from federal appropriations. So I think we're getting to the point where we have more of a 'can do' as well as a 'will do' aspect of going to Mars." Here's my full story about his comments...
>> "The reason we go to space in my view is to save the Earth," Bezos said at the Re:MARS conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, per CNBC...
IN OTHER NEWS...
"Grave concern" over Sydney raid
Officials in Australia are saying more raids are possible as they "continue an investigation into the alleged publication of state secrets," per CNN's team covering the story.
The outrage and concern has not subsided. Nor should it. On Friday (local time) Australian Broadcasting Corporation chair Ita Buttrose said she has "registered with the Federal Government my grave concern over this week's raid by the federal police on the national broadcaster. An untrammeled media is important to the public discourse and to democracy." She said she believes the raid "was clearly designed to intimidate..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Cara Lombardo and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg's scoop: Barnes & Noble "is nearing a deal to be bought by hedge fund Elliott Management Corp." The stock was trading at $4.19 before the story broke on Thursday... The WSJ says Elliott is expected to pay $6.50 a share... (WSJ)
-- "Miramax-owner BeIN Media Group is shopping a stake in the studio," up to 50%, "in a deal that would value Miramax at $650 million," Ben Mullin and Erich Schwartzel report... (WSJ)
-- Brian Lowry emails: While the NBA Finals continue to slump in the United States, there's an interesting (if not unexpected) footnote in this Variety story: Ratings in Canada, where Toronto calls home, are setting records for the NBA... (Variety)
"Um, sir, it's D-Day, not me day."
...That was Jake Tapper's lead on "The Lead" Thursday afternoon. "On the 75th anniversary of the day of days, D-Day, President Trump continues his personal war and petty attacks on Robert Mueller and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi," Tapper said. He noted that Trump gave a "strong address to mark the occasion of the memorial," but also trashed his political opponents "just yards away from the graves of American heroes." The graves were visible right over Trump's shoulder.
The anti-Mueller and anti-Pelosi soundbites came from Trump's interview with Fox's Laura Ingraham. Speaking on Tapper's show, Amanda Carpenter pointed out that "Trump didn't set up that shot. Laura Ingraham did it. There's a whole network behind it. There's lots of people who said, 'Yes, that looks good.' This isn't just one person's bad judgment. It's a lot of people's bad judgment."
NYT opinion staffer drafts articles of impeachment
Earlier this week the NYT's Opinion section published a graphic-filled piece titled "The Articles of Impeachment Against Donald J. Trump: A Draft." Ian Prasad Philbrick, who works on the editorial staff, came up with it.
This was smart. Why? Because Philbrick reviewed the articles of impeachment drawn up against Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and then "edited them — by removing and adding passages — to match the president's conduct as described in the Mueller report and elsewhere." The similarities are striking and the differences are interesting. Philbrick's point: "The pathway to a possible Trump impeachment is already mapped out in these historical documents."
So what did Fox News do? It punished the NYT by publishing a story titled "New York Times drafts 'articles of impeachment' against Trump." Technically true, I suppose -- but it's absurd to take an opinion section feature by a single staffer and pretend like it's the product of the newspaper as a whole. Fox's story stoked hatred of the NYT -- just check out the comments beneath the story or the Twitter shares for proof of that. It's a shame, because the hate distracts from the important points that Philbrick made...
There's a tape
On Thursday the FBI released audio of a voicemail from then-Trump attorney John Dowd to then-Michael Flynn attorney Rob Kelner giving Kelner a "heads up" on the Mueller case. The message shows a possible attempt to obstruct.
>> Josh Campbell says the voicemail is a reminder, as everyone waits to hear Robert Mueller testify, that "audio and visuals are always more powerful..."
Mueller Report book club...
That's what PolitiFact is launching this summer. "We'll introduce you to the report and each week suggest a set amount of reading," the website explained on Thursday. "As we read the report together, PolitiFact journalists will offer analysis and take your questions." Here it is. There are actually quite a few Mueller-related book clubs already up and running...
FOR THE RECORD, BOOKS EDITION
-- Mark Levin's "Unfreedom of the Press" is No. 1 on the NYT's nonfiction bestseller lists for a second straight week...
-- CNN's book "Anthony Bourdain Remembered," published by Ecco, debuted at No. 10 on the hardcover bestseller list...
-- After a sluggish start, Michael Wolff's new book "Siege" is firmly in the top 10 on Amazon's constantly updated sales chart...
Hundreds of Vox Media employees walk out amid union negotiations | | Oliver Darcy emails: More than 300 Vox Media employees staged a walkout on Thursday as staffers and management failed to come to an agreement for a union contract. The walkout affected Vox Media's batch of popular websites (think Vox, SBNation, Recode, The Verge, Curbed, Eater, etc.) with some of the outlets not publishing new content during the day.
Jason Gordon of the Writers Guild of America East, which is representing the staffers, told me staffers and management still have not come to an agreement on four key issues: salary minimums; guaranteed annual cost of living increases; severance agreement; and a plan for freelancers and contractors.
Bankoff's view
Darcy adds: Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff addressed the walkout in an all-staff email on Thursday. He wrote that he was "disappointed that the union chose to take this action in the midst of good faith bargaining," but said he was "still committed to promptly resolving all outstanding issues."
Bankoff underscored that he wanted to invest in the staff, but said he didn't want to spend "so far above industry norms that we create an unsustainable environment." Bankoff added, "While paying people a lot more than market wages sounds great on the surface, it's not realistic or smart."
FT FUTURE OF NEWS SUMMIT
Top takeaways | | -- ABC News prez James Goldston (seen above with his NBC and CBS counterparts) said his Tuesday evening dinner with Trump and Theresa May was part of "an event celebrating D-Day." He said "I will take that opportunity any time to celebrate those values."
-- CBS News prez Susan Zirinsky: "There is a real hunger right now for a truthful reporting of news. And I think the 3 networks absolutely have that. And you can see it -- you can see it in the numbers."
-- NBC News prez Noah Oppenheim: "I think people are craving news organizations that have clear standards and an objective point of view."
-- BuzzFeed News boss Ben Smith said YouTube has been "taking shelter behind Facebook" but is "now facing its own crisis," citing a "totally out of control" algorithm and confusing rule enforcement...
-- Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones pushed back on a Q about budget cuts at VF: Yes, "I was tasked with modernizing the enterprise," she said. But "we are still very resource-rich..."
Don Lemon speaks out about harassment he faces
Oliver Darcy emails: Speaking at the FT conference on Thursday, Don Lemon detailed some of the harassment that he has been subject to in the Trump era. In one case, Lemon said he was filming a shoot in a park recently when someone came up to him and said, "We built this country. I can't wait for CNN to fire your black ass, you faggot." Lemon also detailed other harassment he's faced, including how he gets hundreds of phone calls a day from a Trump supporter upset with him.
Lemon said the attacks from Trump have taken "a toll on me, on my privacy and safety and security, and the safety and security of my family." And he said he does "wonder how long I will continue to do this particular job in the way I do it." (Though he noted, "It ain't easy, but I don't plan to give up.") THR's Jeremy Barr has more details here...
"How The Atlantic is putting a lot more women in charge" | | That's the headline on Laura Hazard Owen's new piece for NiemanLab about The Atlantic. She reported that "women account for 63 percent of newsroom leaders" today, up from 17 percent in 2016. But most of the Twitter discussion about the piece was about something else -- it was about a quote from EIC Jeffrey Goldberg. "It's really, really hard to write a 10,000-word cover story," he said. "There are not a lot of journalists in America who can do it. The journalists in America who do it are almost exclusively white males. What I have to do — and I haven't done this enough yet — is again about experience versus potential... We have to be very deliberate and efficient about creating the space for more women to develop that particular journalistic muscle."
As the angry reactions piled up, Goldberg said on Twitter, "I was trying to explain (and obviously failed to explain) that white males dominate cover-story writing because they've had all the opportunities. We're trying to change that at The Atlantic."
Owen said she felt his comments were being "somewhat misconstrued. He didn't say the only people who *CAN* write these stories are men." She lamented, "It sucks if a stray comment distracts from what the team there is accomplishing..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- "Google rewards reputable reporting more than left-wing politics:" The Economist's statistical study "revealed no evidence of ideological bias in the search engine's news tab..." (The Economist)
-- "The women warriors of MSNBC:" This LAT piece profiles Stephanie Ruhle, Hallie Jackson, Andrea Mitchell, Katy Tur and Nicolle Wallace... (LAT)
-- A recent story about a teen who underwent "legal euthanasia" has been debunked. Mark Di Stefano and Ikran Dahir explain how the story managed to get "into the internet's bloodstream and travel so widely..." (BuzzFeed News)
-- The NYT profiled "the Teens" behind former Sen. Mike Gravel's media strategy in the run up to 2020. "It might be a stunt — or the future of politics..." (NYT)
Newmark puts $6 million toward Consumer Reports
Craig Newmark announced $6 million in funding toward Consumer Reports on Thursday, saying the aim is to "expand Consumer Reports' scope to address critical issues that impact consumers," specifically in the digital world. A new Digital Lab will "research, rate and report on companies' products and practices that impact data privacy, security, transparency, and fair competition," in an effort to "shift power back into the hands of consumers."
NYT's Marc Tracy called Newmark a "New Friend to Journalism" on Thursday, framing the funding as follows: "An entrepreneur who made a fortune thanks to his digital disruption of the newspaper industry has joined forces with a fearsome nonprofit watchdog publication that is expanding its coverage of the tech industry."
>> Looking for an update on the fledgling publication he funded, The Markup? Newmark is too, telling Tracy, "Well, when the people involved are ready to tell us something, that's when we'll all know."
Spotify strikes deal with Obamas to produce exclusive podcasts
Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground has struck a "multi-year" production deal with Spotify to produce podcasts, similar to its deal with Netflix to produce TV shows and films. The Obamas will "develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics," Higher Ground said Thursday. "Lend their voices" means the former president and first lady will sometimes be heard on the new podcasts -- but their primary role will be in the development and production phases. The first podcasts from Higher Ground Audio are likely to debut in 2020 at the earliest. It gives Spotify some exclusive podcasting content... Here's my full story...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- Read about the Maryland journalists railing against a ban on "recording or broadcasting criminal procedures if they occur in a trial court or before a grand jury," by Tiffany Stevens... (CJR)
-- Erin Moriarty of CBS News will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gracie Awards on June 26 in NYC...
-- How does Al Sharpton do it? He told GQ about his "no-days-off 5 a.m. workout routine" and his "extremely regimented diet..." (GQ)
Telemundo standardizes terminology to better tackle "climate emergency"
Katie Pellico writes: Telemundo's news division is moving away from the terms "climate change" and "global warming" in favor of "climate emergency," making Noticias Telemundo the first Spanish-language news organization in the United States to do so. EVP Luis Fernández explained, "The use of clear and accurate language in covering critical subjects such as the climate emergency is not merely an option for journalists; it is their duty." The Guardian made a similar change recently...
"A Miracle in Minneapolis"
Katie Pellico writes: "In a year where we've already had 2,400+ media layoffs," Erin Schulte offers this much-needed success story: She maps the Minneapolis Star Tribune's unlikely climb to becoming the top metro paper in the country, "a decade after going broke."
Schulte explains that an "intensely local focus is the core of the Star Tribune's push to grow revenue by giving readers news they'll pay for online while improving the quality of the print paper — and the journalism that fills both." And so far? "It's working." Read on...
Goodbye spam calls?!
Oliver Darcy emails: This was the bit of news that brought some sunshine to my day. If you're like me, you are probably pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to stop spam calls. Well, good news: "The FTC voted on Thursday to give wireless carriers like Verizon the green light to block unwanted robocalls automatically for all customers," CNN's Brian Fung reported. "The move could curb a torrent of phone-based scams and unwelcome interruptions that have afflicted millions of consumers, said the FCC."
>> One catch: As Fung notes, it remains unclear whether consumers will have to pay for such blocking services...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- The CW is wrapping up its "upfront" ad deals and expecting to notch an increase, Brian Steinberg reports... (Variety)
-- Google's gaming system Stadia "will start rolling out in November." But only in a limited fashion: "Stadia will work on TVs with a Chromecast dongle or Chromecast support at launch. Those on computers or mobile devices are out of luck until 2020..." (CNN Business)
-- The DC Universe streaming service debuted "The Swamp Thing" last week. And it is basically D.O.A. The rest of season one is still coming, but there won't be a season two... (CNN) | |
A $17 WarnerMedia streaming service?
"AT&T's WarnerMedia is discussing plans to package HBO, sister channel Cinemax and its vast Warner Bros. TV and movie library into a streaming service costing between $16 and $17 a month," the WSJ's Lillian Rizzo and Joe Flint reported Thursday. That's noteworthy because HBO Now currently "sells for $14.99 a month."
Per the story, WarnerMedia is moving away from a three-tiered product offering and focusing on one main offering. "Discussions around pricing and content are still fluid, and plans could still change," Rizzo and Flint wrote. "Top executives across WarnerMedia are scheduled to gather in New York next week and details of the as-yet-unnamed streaming service will be discussed..."
Entertainment Weekly is now... monthly
But it's keeping the Weekly name. Go figure.
Frank Pallotta emails: Meredith is calling this a "reimagining" of Entertainment Monthly, err, Weekly. Deputy editor JD Heyman is taking the reins as EIC. The first monthly issue will coincide with San Diego Comic Con.
>> Pallotta adds: EW was one of my first favorite magazine growing up and helped turn me into the pop culture addict I am today. It's still too early to tell what becomes of EW, but hopefully this is a new beginning for the magazine rather than a beginning of an end...
| | The J.J. Abrams bidding war
Brian Lowry emails: The J.J. Abrams sweepstakes -- updated, sort of, by Deadline and others as the finish line nears -- might feature new players like Apple in the hunt for the services of the multifaceted producer-director. The contest reinforces that Hollywood still sees wisdom in throwing money, and lots of it, at filmmakers with a proven track record.
So will it be Apple? Or WarnerMedia? Frank Pallotta has a backgrounder here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- "Dr. John, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a six-time Grammy winner, died Thursday morning from a heart attack." He was 77. (CNN)
-- Comedy Central announced Thursday that "Lights Out with David Spade" will premiere July 29, following "The Daily Show" on weeknights... (CC)
-- Here's Kendall Trammell with "the truth behind the viral photo of Beyonce, Jay-Z and the Golden State Warriors owner's wife..." (CNN)
Lowry reviews the return of "Big Little Lies"
Brian Lowry emails: "Big Little Lies" -- back on Sunday night on HBO -- can't entirely match the first season, and perhaps wisely doesn't try to. For all that, it's still a lot of fun, highlighting the arrival of Meryl Streep as an inconveniently suspicious mother-in-law, and having announced in advance that this seven-episode follow-up would be the last, promising those who tune in the prospect of closure...
"Tales of the City" coming to Netflix
More from Brian Lowry: The weekend's other miniseries sequel, Netflix's "Tales of the City," doesn't fare nearly as well, coming 26 years after the original PBS adaptation of Armistead Maupin's writings about life in San Francisco, and 18 after the last addition to that story. Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis return, along with a lot of new faces, but can't prevent "Tales" from feeling particularly stale...
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
By Lisa Respers France:
-- Marcia Cross says doctors suspect her anal cancer was caused by HPV and is linked to husband's throat cancer. The "Desperate Housewives" star is planning to get their 12 year old twin daughters immunized soon and said she wants to remove the stigma of anal cancer... (CNN)
-- Ellen Pompeo says "Grey's Anatomy" was an "extremely toxic work environment" for the first decade... (CNN)
-- Lisa Marie Presley has written about her opioid addiction in the foreword of a new book... (CNN)
Ava DuVernay's power
It's been a week since "When They See Us" started streaming on Netflix, and the miniseries is still generating daily headlines and debates.
Lisa Respers France emails her latest: With "When They See Us," Ava DuVernay has presented audiences a mix of the creativity she brought to films like "Selma" and "A Wrinkle in Time" with the social activism of her documentary "13th," which explores racial inequality and the prison system. Neither DuVernay nor "When They See Us" will let you look away. Read on...
>> Further reading: "I'm a black man with a teenage son. I can't bring myself to watch 'When They See Us,'" Doug Criss writes...
| | | Thanks for reading! Send me your feedback, tips, ideas here. Oliver will be here this time tomorrow! | | | |
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