“Former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly had a deal with 21st Century Fox Inc. that he couldn’t be fired over unproven harassment allegations, a fresh revelation that casts doubt over corporate governance standards at Rupert Murdoch’s media empire,” Bloomberg reports.
Fox News Went 100 Minutes Without Discussing GOP Loss
Slate: “The biggest political story of the hour is that Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie went down big in Virginia after running a Trump-esque campaign fixated on inflammatory culture-war issues, losing to Democrat Ralph Northam by what looks like it will end up as a nine-point margin. It’s the biggest story of the hour, that is, unless you’re watching Fox News: As observed by political writer Chris Hooks, Donald Trump’s favorite network spent more than 90 minutes in prime time on Tuesday—Election Night!—between discussions of election results.”
The Year In Push Alerts
Slate has an interactive timeline of all of the New York Times push alerts since last year’s election.
Mainstream Media Amplified Russian Propaganda
Recode: “U.S. lawmakers are probing the extent of the Kremlin’s campaign to disrupt last year’s presidential election and have focused their latest efforts on tech platforms like Twitter.”
“But new data show that many news publications — from established outfits like the Post, the Miami Herald (owned by McClatchy), Buzzfeed, CBS and even Vox, to controversial alt-right hubs like InfoWars — were duped into citing some of these nefarious tweets in their coverage, perhaps unwittingly amplifying the reach of Russian propaganda.”
Sinclair Won’t Hire O’Reilly
Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News prime-time host who was forced out this year after a series of sexual harassment claims, is apparently not welcome at conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Said Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley: “We get approached all the time by a lot of people, and he did approach us. But we do not have any interest in hiring him.”
However, Politico reports that Newsmax is courting O’Reilly for a potential deal that would return him to cable television.
Employees Say Fox Russia Coverage Was Embarrassing
“Some employees at Fox News were left embarrassed and humiliated by their network’s coverage of the latest revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling,” according to conversations CNN had with several individuals placed throughout the network.
Said one: “I’m watching now and screaming. I want to quit.”
Fox News Started Early Questioning Mueller’s Credibility
Vox analyzed the past week of Fox News transcripts, comparing them against cable rivals CNN and MSNBC. What they found was striking:
- Fox was unable to talk about the Mueller investigation without bringing up Hillary Clinton, even as indictments were brought against top Trump campaign officials.
- Fox also talked significantly less about George Papadopoulos than its competitors.
- Fox repeatedly called Mueller’s credibility into question, while shying away from talking about the possibility that Trump might fire Mueller.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I had a conversation with Hannity, probably about the beginning of 2015. I called him and said, ‘Listen, you’re nuts.’ We had this really blunt conversation.”
— Former Speaker John Boehner, quoted by Politico.
‘House of Cards’ Will End After Season 6
Netflix announced today that House of Cards will end after its next season, TechCrunch reports.
“The news comes after actor Anthony Rapp told BuzzFeed that House of Cards star Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was only 14. However, TVLine reports that the decision was not a response to Rapp’s allegations, and in fact was made months ago.”
O’Reilly May End Up at Sinclair Broadcasting
“Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News anchor, has been negotiating for a position with the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation’s largest television-station owner,” NBC News reports.
“Sinclair, known for its conservative commentary, is continuing with the talks despite the sexual harassment cases that cost O’Reilly his job at Fox earlier this year… Sinclair currently owns or operates 173 U.S. television stations.”
O’Reilly Blames God for Sexual Harassment Allegations
Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said he’s “mad at God” for the sexual misconduct allegations he’s faced in recent months, The Hill reports.
Said O’Reilly: “You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, I’m mad at him. I wish I had more protection. I wish this stuff didn’t happen. I can’t explain it to you. Yeah, I’m mad at him.”
Quote of the Day
“Until the last year or so, I never heard of the man. Now I’ve heard of him.”
— Former Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by Politico, on former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon.
O’Reilly Paid $32 Million to Settle New Allegations
“Last January, six months after Fox News ousted its chairman amid a sexual harassment scandal, the network’s top-rated host at the time, Bill O’Reilly, struck a $32 million agreement with a longtime network analyst to settle new sexual harassment allegations,” the New York Times reports.
“Although the deal has not been previously made public, the network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, acknowledges that it was aware of the woman’s complaints about Mr. O’Reilly. They included allegations of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her.”
“It was at least the sixth agreement — and by far the largest — made by either Mr. O’Reilly or the company to settle harassment allegations against him. Despite that record, 21st Century Fox began contract negotiations with Mr. O’Reilly, and in February granted him a four-year extension that paid $25 million a year.”
Exchange of the Day
Bill O’Reilly: “Sean Hannity kicking serious butt in the ratings. Tapper on CNN as low as you can go.”
Jake Tapper: “‘Low’ would be sexually harassing staffers and then getting fired for it — humiliated in front of the world. Now THAT would be low.”
Fake News Ads Appear on Fact-Checking Sites
The New York Times reports that as recently as last week, fake news stories “were being promoted with prominent ads served by Google on PolitiFact and Snopes, fact-checking sites created precisely to dispel such falsehoods.”
“The fake news ads all worked the same way: They would display headlines at the top of the fact-checking sites that, once clicked, took readers to sites that mimicked the logos and page designs of legitimate publications. The fake stories began with headlines and large photos of the celebrities in question, but after a few sentences, they transitioned into an ad for an anti-aging skin cream.”
[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]The inability of publishers to adequately block these ads is one reason I moved Political Wire to a membership model. Join today and you’ll get many benefits, including no ads. [/alert]
Russia Prepares to Blacklist 5 U.S. Media Companies
“Russian senators have drawn up a list of five U.S.-based media outlets, including CNN, whose activities in Russia could be restricted in response to a requirement to have the American branch of Russia’s state-funded RT television channel register as a foreign agent,” the Moscow Times reports.
Nearly Half Think Media Makes Up Stories
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that 46% of Americans believe the news media fabricate news stories about President Trump and his administration. Just 37% of voters think the media do not fabricate stories, the poll shows, while the remaining 17% are undecided.
Among Republicans, 76% think the news media invent stories about Trump and his administration.
Trump’s Mysterious Absence from Talk Radio
CNN: “President Trump has invited The New York Times into the Oval Office. He’s granted behind-the-scenes White House access to Time magazine. And he’s sat for interviews with the network news. But there’s one medium the president has conspicuously ignored: conservative talk radio. If there were ever a medium built for Trump — besides Twitter — talk radio would be it. But in his first eight months as president, Trump did not do a single interview on talk radio.”
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