Semafor: “A high-profile nonprofit is launching a Washington D.C.-focused newsroom early next year that promises to publish deep reporting and act as a training ground for young reporters.”
“The Allbritton Journalism Institute said on Wednesday that in January 2024, it plans to launch News of the United States, or ‘NOTUS,’ a new publication that will explore Washington and the 2024 election.”
“The next Republican presidential primary debate will give the two-year-old cable-news upstart NewsNation a chance to introduce itself to a wider audience,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Launched in 2021 as a fully fledged news network, NewsNation has struggled to make a mark in the crowded cable-news landscape, trailing behind the more established brands despite high-profile hires such as former CNN host Chris Cuomo. Adding to its challenges, the overall audience for cable TV keeps shrinking every year amid cord-cutting.”
George Packer: “As soon as Trump left office, readers and viewers disappeared—within a month, The Washington Post lost a quarter of its unique visitors, and CNN lost 45 percent of its prime-time audience. From exile, Trump summoned one reporter after another to Mar-a-Lago and gave interviews for books that both sides knew would attack his presidency and become best sellers. When he returned as a presidential candidate and criminal defendant, cable-news-network ratings climbed again.”
“It’s impossible not to feel that Trump has gotten the better of this codependent clench. His endless stream of grievance and invective eroded his supporters’ trust in the news media to the point where 58 percent of Republicans now say they have none. If half the country believes most of what the mainstream media report and the other half thinks it’s mostly lies, this isn’t a partial win for journalists, whose purpose isn’t to strengthen the opposition but to give the public information it needs to exercise democratic power. Trump’s purpose is to destroy the very notion of objective truth. The match was rigged in his favor, and being compelled to fight it has not been good for journalism.”
“Though reporters did excellent work covering Trump’s presidency, his effect was to make the American media a little more like him: solipsistic (foreign reporting nearly disappeared), divisive, and self-righteous. Trump corrupts everyone who gets near him—spouses, children, followers, accomplices, flunkies. He corrupts the press by obsessing it; by flooding it with so much shit that news becomes almost indistinguishable from fluff and lies; by baiting it into abandoning independence for activism; by demoralizing it with the recognition that much of the public doesn’t care.”
“A top producer for Tucker Carlson who is helping build his new media company has been accused of sexually assaulting a former Fox News staffer when they both worked at the network 15 years ago,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In a lawsuit, former Fox News staffer Andrew Delancey said Fox News then-producer Justin Wells invited him to come to his apartment before they were to join other people at a nearby bar. The alleged incident took place in late 2008, shortly after Delancey joined the network’s New York office.”
“After serving him a drink, Wells pushed Delancey onto his bed, forcibly kissed him and grabbed his genitals, Delancey alleged in the full lawsuit.”
“Donald Trump over the weekend slammed conservative news aggregation site the Drudge Report in a Truth Social post for ‘unfairly’ reporting on him and praised the site’s downfall for not covering him,” The Messenger reports.
Said Trump: “Something happened, but when Drudge went anti-Trump, the site fell apart, very much like Ron DeSanctus. It happened instantly, without notice, but I believe I know the reason why. Drudge had a big moment, but now it’s gone—Never to resurface again. It is totally irrelevant! That often happens when people cover ‘TRUMP’ unfairly. I love it!”
Mediaite reached out to the major cable news networks if there was a chance they might hire former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in any capacity. be it as news host or pundit, and they all said no.
“While the future of Republican presidential primary debates remains uncertain, two major TV networks have begun taking steps to potentially host future forums,” Politico reports.
“Both ABC News and CNN are exploring the possibility of sponsoring upcoming Republican presidential primary debates.”
Dan Pfeiffer: “Ignoring TikTok, the overall media coverage of the Biden economy has been relentlessly and inaccurately negative. For more than a year, the public was bombarded with reports about an impending recession that never materialized. Who could forget a few years ago when the news was filled with stories about turkey scarcity at Thanksgiving and holiday presents that would never arrive because of supply chain issues? The stories about the potential problems led the news and trended online. When the turkeys were in stock and the holiday presents arrived, most news outlets buried the stories. To use an outdated media metaphor — the economic problems are ‘on A1 above the fold’ and buried in the middle of the paper.”
“The media has always had a relentless focus on bad news. People used to say ‘if it bleeds, it leads,’ referring to how local news always led with crime, fires, and car accidents. A decade ago, CNN covered the missing Malaysian airplane 24-7 for months even though there was no news. This addiction to bad news has worsened since mainstream media outlets came to depend on social media traffic for ad revenue.”
“Social media — particularly TikTok — is arguably worse. The most viral posts on the economy have been overwhelmingly negative. Even if the anecdotes themselves are accurate, they lack the broader context about shrinking inflation and rising wages.”
“Newsmax is clashing with the Republican National Committee after the conservative, Trump-friendly channel wasn’t able to co-sponsor one of the first four GOP presidential primary debates,” Axios reports.
“The dispute is a view into the delicate and at times fraught negotiations over the debates, which can propel or depress a candidacy — and add prestige and viewers to networks that sponsor them.”
“The meteoric political rise of George Santos and the web of fabulist tales it was built on are getting a movie treatment,” Deadline reports.
NBC News: “What the audience didn’t see — and what at least five sources shared with NBC News — is that off-screen, there were significant disagreements happening. The DeSantis and Newsom teams were both arguing that the other side was breaking the rules that were agreed upon in advance — particularly keeping distance between the candidates and their guests.”
“According to four sources in the DeSantis camp — one who witnessed the moment in the room and three others who were standing backstage (where there was no press or live studio audience) — Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, came into the debate room on at least two occasions to raise some objections.”
“She also made her way to the stage during the break after the candidates agreed to extend the debate and put an end to it.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) are set to meet Thursday for an unusual debate, following the growing rivalry between the two men that has lasted months.
The debate airs on Fox News at 9 p.m. ET.
Leave your reactions in the comments.
Elon Musk was interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Deal Book conference:
MUSK: Jonathan, the only reason I’m here is because you’re a friend…
SORKIN: I’m Andrew.
“Tucker Carlson was quietly removed from the board of the media organization he co-founded in 2011—The Daily Caller—where he’d held a chair position for more than a decade,” the Daily Beast reports.
“Henry Kissinger died on Wednesday, aged 100. He lasted so long that he outlived one of The New York Times writers who contributed to his obituary,” Business Insider reports.
“Go fuck yourself. Go. Fuck. Yourself.”
— Elon Musk, quoted by Puck, to advertisers threatening to boycott X over his controversial comments.
Rupert Murdoch is being deposed in the $2.7 billion Smartmatic defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp. over allegedly damaging election lies, CNBC reports.
It is the second time this year that Murdoch has been deposed in a high-stakes defamation lawsuit accusing Fox News of airing damaging lies about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
“Fox News’ Sean Hannity is billing his Thursday debate between Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis as a herculean clash between red and blue states,” Politico reports.
“It’s also a test of sorts for Hannity, with Newsom questioning whether the conservative TV host can treat him and DeSantis as equals.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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