Hello from London. I'm here for the third annual Truth Tellers summit. In today's letter: One America News is offering its pro-Trump content to Voice of America, Disney is gaining subscribers despite price increases, and Netflix is unveiling a sleek new TV home page... |
I'm at the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit, which Tina Brown launched in 2023 as a tribute to her late husband, the pioneering newspaper editor Harry Evans. You can watch the sessions here or check out the highlights on X.
Naturally there's been a ton of conversation here about President Trump's attacks against the media. Trump "has gone for the journalistic jugular," Brown said on stage, "and when the press needs to be at its most strong, the underpinnings are at its most weak. We're seeing the consequences of the twin evils of two decades of predatory digital content theft and corporate ownership that is so bedeviled by conflicts of interest that they're proving how little pressure it takes to throw their media assets under the bus if there's a business deal in jeopardy."
Some of the later speakers (including yours truly) sounded more optimistic. Reuters editor in chief Alessandra Galloni conveyed how her wire reporters are covering the White House thoroughly even though Trump's press shop has sharply curtailed access for both Reuters and the Associated Press.
New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn said scoop-driven beat reporting clearly still breaks through, despite all the fragmentation and polarization. And I pointed out that even as some media owners "fold" (see: CBS), journalists at those very outlets are showing "fight" by continuing to report fearlessly.
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The importance of 'meaning making' |
On the topic of Trump, "every day is a kind of Watergate at this point," The Atlantic's editor Jeffrey Goldberg said, acknowledging the president's effectiveness at overwhelming "human cognition." Of the US in 2025, Goldberg said, "I think we live in an authoritarian or incipient authoritarian kind of climate, but we still can publish what we want to publish."
One on-stage subplot has been legacy media outlets versus digital upstarts. Anand Giridharadas, who runs a Substack publication called The.Ink, observed that old-line news outlets are great at gathering the raw material, but not so good at "meaning making" — explaining what all the raw material means and putting it into proper context.
"If you are not helping people make that meaning, you are leaving demagogues to give them explanations," Giridharadas said. He suggested that people are flocking to Substack-type outlets to find more "meaning."
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Bringing the audience home |
During a session just now about "rebooting legacy media," news execs emphasized the importance of bringing audiences back to owned-and-operated platforms where grazers can be turned into paying subscribers. BBC News CEO Deborah Turness said yes, the BBC will be sharing more on YouTube, "but we're not going to put the farm on there," she asserted. "We're going to bring them back to our farm."
CNN CEO Mark Thompson described a "relentless process of experimentation" that's happening at outlets like ours. "Showing audiences how we do journalism" – the process of gathering and publishing the news – "is a way of letting them inside" and addressing criticism head-on, he said... |
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Watching for smoke signals |
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Voice of America or Voice of Trump?
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One America News, the amateurish far-right TV outlet best known for promoting Trump's 2020 election lies, is going to provide "newsfeed services" to Voice of America and other US-funded international broadcasters, according to Kari Lake.
In a late-night X post, Lake said the idea originated from the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which beams Radio Martí into Cuba. She said OAN is offering "their newsfeed and video service free-of-charge."
VOA is off the air right now, but a handful of staffers were called back to work yesterday. Staffers sense that Lake wants to reboot the network as a shell of its former self (while satisfying the federal judges who are scrutinizing the shutdown). Having access to OAN content is a big step toward turning the Voice of America into the Voice of Trump.
>> Patsy Widakuswara and Jessica Jerreat, two of the sidelined journalists who are suing to save VOA, told me in a statement, "Congress mandated VOA to report reliable and authoritative news, not to outsource its journalism to outlets aligned with the president's agenda. VOA already has talented and professional journalists ready to tell America’s story in line with the VOA Charter, but we are blocked from our own newsroom. That is why we will continue fighting for our rights in court."
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When Megyn Kelly left NBC six years ago, she was a punchline. Now she is one of the biggest podcasters in the industry. New data from TheRighting, shared exclusively with Reliable Sources, shows a 176% year-over-year surge in subscribers to Kelly's titular show. It is now the third most-subscribed conservative podcast, trailing only Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, per the data.
"There's clearly a growing audience for her MAGA-friendly point-of-view and she has ridden the Trump wave perfectly since his January 20 inauguration," said Howard Polskin, president of TheRighting. "It's no wonder that she is extending her brand and creating an entire podcast network with like-minded voices."
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Three newsy Trump nuggets |
>> The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says the Department of Education has "terminated a federal grant program that funded shows for children," Ben Mullin reports. (NYT)
>> Now that Trump is fundraiser-in-chief for the Kennedy Center, "Trump allies have held private discussions about possibly asking that any settlement Trump reaches with CBS News include money earmarked for" the DC cultural center, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer report. (The Atlantic)
>> One more from Mullin: "A group of U.S. senators, including Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are urging Shari Redstone... not to settle President Trump's lawsuit against '60 Minutes.'" (X)
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Coalition seeks court records in Abrego Garcia case |
Liam Reilly writes: A media coalition — including the Associated Press, CNN, CBS, Fox News and NPR — have filed a motion to unseal court records in Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawsuit against the Trump administration. "The case raises profound questions of separation of powers, civil liberties, and foreign relations," the filing states, and "such a case requires maximum transparency."
>> Related: "Responding to coverage of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's deportation, the Trump administration has called journalists 'despicable,' questioned CNN’s patriotism, scolded Fox News and even admitted to a mistake — in admitting to a mistake in the first place," David Bauder writes in this excellent, well-timed story.
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Biden sits down with the BBC |
Edging out any number of American interviewers, BBC presenter Nick Robinson landed Joe Biden's first interview since leaving office. The BBC released the sit-down this morning on TV, radio and in podcast form.
Robinson reflected on the interview in this essay. Biden had the "determined air of a man on a mission," he wrote, observing that Biden seemed "most angry about Donald Trump's treatment of America's allies - in particular Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky."
>> The next interview: Joe and Jill Biden will be on ABC's "The View" tomorrow...
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>> I'm still going to call it SpinCo, but... "Comcast's spinoff of the majority of its NBCUniversal cable network portfolio will be named Versant." (CNBC)
>> NBC will use AI to resurrect the voice of the late NBA narrator Jim Fagan for "NBA on NBC" promos, title sequences and show opens. (The Verge)
>> Fox News Media "is projecting half a billion dollars in revenue this fiscal year for its non-cable TV businesses," Sara Fischer reports. (Axios)
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Free idea for PBS in Palm Beach |
In response to Justin Baragona's suggestion that Trump got his big Alcatraz reopening idea from a local PBS rerun of "Escape From Alcatraz," Reliable Sources reader and "concerned Canadian" Vicki C. has a thought: "Could you please suggest they rerun Mr. Smith Goes to Washington a few times?"
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Shares of Disney are up more than 8% in premarket trading after the company reported earnings that "blew past" Wall Street expectations, THR's Alex Weprin reports. "Every division — Entertainment, sports and experiences — beat expectations, with streaming driving particular growth in the entertainment division."
>> And in other Disney news today, it is announcing a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, its first new resort in a generation. "Miral, an Abu Dhabi company, will fully develop, build and operate the resort with Disney Imagineers leading creative design and operational oversight," CNN's Natasha Chen reports...
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Netflix's newest enhancements |
Liam Reilly writes: Netflix this morning unveiled a sleek new TV home page, its first major redesign since 2013; and announced it'll test two new mobile features: generative AI-boosted search that will allow users to search for shows or movies using conversational terms; and a TikTok-like vertical video feature that will turn browsing for Netflix content into yet another option for your nightly scroll. More here.
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Entertainment odds and ends |
>> "Good Night, and Good Luck" has "broken its own all-time record for highest grossing play in Broadway history and is the first play to surpass a gross of $4 million in a single week." (Deadline)
>> Amazon MGM Studios "has landed worldwide distribution rights to 'The Beekeeper 2' in a deal pegged by sources at comfortably north of $50 million." (Deadline)
>> Apple has renewed "The Studio" for a sophomore season. If you haven't binged season one yet, start today! (THR)
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