Check CNN.com for the live continuing coverage of Israel's strikes in Iran and Iran's retaliation. Now here's the latest from all around the media world — featuring PBS, VideoAmp, Tucker Carlson, Tubi, Mel Brooks, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," and more... |
First (Amendment) things first |
The First Amendment right to free speech is a throughline in so many of the news stories about US politics and society right now.
Press groups have warned about "potential First Amendment violations" during the L.A. protests and unrest. Amnesty International has denounced President Trump's pledge to meet any DC protesters on Saturday with "very big force." Rep. Nancy Pelosi condemned yesterday's handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla by calling it "an assault on freedom of speech in our country."
The editorial board of The Everett Herald in Washington state put it this way: "The First Amendment has been getting a workout in recent days. Even amid abuses of those rights, that's for the good."
Also this week:
>> A federal judge moved Mahmoud Khalil one step closer to release. The ACLU called the ruling "a blow to the Trump administration's attempt to suppress the speech of those who protest and speak out in support of Palestinian rights."
>> Nearly the entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned, stating that the Trump admin's actions are antithetical to "free speech and academic freedom."
>> Reason's Robby Soave argued that the Trump White House's jawboning of ABC News, when the network was assuredly going to suspend Terry Moran anyway, was "an attack on free speech." Here's why.
>> And there was this headline: "Trump proposes 'automatic' year in jail for action protected under 1st Amendment." The action is flag-burning.
I wrote about some of Trump's speech contradictions earlier in the week. This weekend is shaping up to be a huge show of — and test for — free speech rights. Here's the headline on Lauren Mascarenhas's weekend preview for CNN.com: "On his 79th birthday, President Trump is getting a military parade — and millions of expected protesters."
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Let's hear from the protesters |
Just as it's important to hear from MAGA believers at Trump rallies, it's going to be important to hear directly from protesters at the "No Kings" rallies on Saturday.
"'How many people were arrested?' is a lousy way to cover protests," media critic Dan Froomkin says. When "No Kings Day" takes place, "don't focus solely on the conflicts," he suggests. "Don't focus solely on what the police say. Tell us what brought people out. Was it a range of issues or mostly just one? Tell us what some of the signs said — were they funny, angry, both? Tell us what the protesters did — did they march, chant, scream?" Context and a sense of scale are crucial.
And if/when there are conflicts with law enforcement, "explain how they came about rather than simply reporting how many arrests were made," Froomkin adds. Read his piece here.
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Algorithmically 'divorced from reality' |
"Social media and protest used to go together," but not anymore, John Herrman writes in this NY Mag essay.
The L.A. protests "have been visible on social media, but their portrayals are fragmented, strange, and to people on the ground, often absurdly divorced from reality," he writes. "If social media used to work for activists, or at least could, now it's more effectively used against them."
>> 🔌: I talked about the divorced-from-reality feeling with a longtime friend, Elizabeth Holmes, for her "So Many Thoughts" Substack here.
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Intimidation fails in Florida |
This story has been percolating all week: Florida’s child welfare agency "sent a letter to a Florida newspaper telling it to 'cease and desist' its reporting on foster families for a story about a nonprofit associated with Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife that is the subject of an investigation."
The Orlando Sentinel said the unsigned letter was a blatant attempt "to chill free speech and encroach on our First Amendment right to report on an important issue." But the intimidation "won't impact our reporting," the paper assured readers.
>> Here's a twist via Mediaite's Sarah Rumpf: "DeSantis probably wouldn't be governor without the Orlando Sentinel reporter he's now attacking."
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One anti-press post per day for ten years |
The Freedom of the Press Foundation reminded me that this Monday, June 16, "marks 10 years since Donald Trump descended the escalator" and entered the GOP primary race, changing US politics forever.
"Since that day, he's taken to social media nearly 3,500 times to rail against the press," the foundation says. Senior reporter Stephanie Sugars added it all up and concluded that Trump has "posted, on average, one anti-press post per day for 10 years." Sugars writes: "Behind a decade of attacks on the media lies the president’s strategy of control..."
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Will the Senate reject rescissions? |
PBS and NPR are setting their hopes on the Senate now that the House narrowly passed the rescissions package that would revoke all $1.1 billion in future funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
"The fight to protect public media does not end with this vote, and we will continue to make the case for our essential service in the days and weeks to come," PBS CEO Paula Kerger said. PBS immediately revised its online call to action about the funding threat to say, "Contact your senators now." The Senate has until mid-July to approve the spending cuts; otherwise, the funding stays in place. (Even if the Senate ignores the package, though, Trump is still trying to punish PBS and NPR several other ways.)
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VideoAmp's new sports report |
Nielsen challenger VideoAmp is launching a new monthly product that does a deep dive into live sports audiences. Each edition of "The Replay" will explore topics like co-viewing behavior, regional loyalty, and audience segmentation. Peter Liguori predicts it will "become a must-use tool for decision-making."
Here's the first report, focusing on March Madness, which finds that during the later rounds of the tournament, the audience included a higher share of top investor households and those with high discretionary income. The takeaway: The audience skewed toward those with more money to spend (and more money to bet?) as the field narrowed.
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>> "Tucker Carlson and his business partner, Neil Patel, recently bought out investors in their media company," Sara Fischer reports. (Axios)
>> "Jon Stewart let ABC have it over the firing of ABC News anchor Terry Moran." (Daily Beast)
>> "CNN wants to expand its podcast business, bringing new talent and formats to the fast-growing audio (and increasingly video) business," Alex Weprin reports. (THR)
>> Fox's Tubi is "partnering with Kickstarter to distribute a number of films funded on the crowdfunding platform." (The Verge)
>> Sens. Bernie Sanders and Angus King are introducing a bill "that would ban pharmaceutical manufacturers from using direct-to-consumer advertising, including social media, to promote their products." (WSJ)
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👍 Seven great weekend reads! |
>> Liam Scott writes that some small-town newspapers are dying, not because of ailing finances, but because "no one wants to run them." (I do! And I know I'm not alone in feeling that way.) (CJR)
>> Isabella Simonetti and Katherine Blunt say "the AI armageddon is here for online news publishers." (WSJ)
>> "Yachts vs Sunfish:" Chris Cillizza delineates the differences between legacy media titans and Substack-style startups. (So What)
>> Margaret Sullivan argues for a "new look at journalism ethics" in the first part of a series examining the challenges facing today's media industry. (CJR)
>> Nitin Nohria argues that "good taste is more important than ever" in a world filled with AI. (The Atlantic)
>> Rebecca Rubin has thoughts on where Marvel should go next after "Thunderbolts*" lost millions despite positive reviews. (Variety)
>> Shivani Gonzalez shows how "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" keeps "pushing back TV's fourth wall." (NYT)
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Entertainment odds and ends |
>> Mattel and OpenAI have struck a partnership and expect to announce their first "AI-powered product" later this year. (TechCrunch)
>> Sony Music "completed more than $2.5 billion in song deals last year, buying up vast catalogues by artists from Queen to Pink Floyd in the face of rising competition from private equity-backed music investment firms," Daniel Thomas reports. (FT)
>> "Hollywood legend Mel Brooks — who will turn 99 later this month — is officially a go to appear in an untitled 'Space Balls' sequel that will be released in theaters in 2027 by Amazon MGM Studios," Pamela McClintock reports. (THR)
>> "Lilo & Stitch" has "surfed past $800 million at the global box office." (Deadline)
>> Netflix has picked up "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman" for two more seasons. (Variety)
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