A PROJECT UNLIKE ANY OTHER
The Atlantic, early Monday morning, unveiled what it’s calling the largest digital project in its history by producing 50 norm-shattering moments of the Trump administration. The report, titled “Unthinkable,” captures the Atlantic’s take on the 50 moments in 50 separate essays by 50 of The Atlantic’s writers. The incidents are ranked, with the editors selecting family separation as the most egregious act.
The Atlantic, for only the third time in its 161-year history, endorsed a presidential candidate when it chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Clearly, the Atlantic has not changed its opinion of the president, as editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg blasts him in the introduction to the project. Here’s one passage:
There was a hope, in the bewildering days following the 2016 election, that the office would temper the man — that Trump, in short, would change.
He has not changed.
Goldberg also wrote:
Our 2016 editorial was a repudiation of Donald Trump’s character as much as it was an endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president. It was not meant to be partisan. The Atlantic’s founders promised their readers that we would be “of no party or clique.’’ This remains a core governing principle of the magazine today. What follows is a catalog of incidents, ranked — high subjectively! — according to both their outlandishness and their importance. It most any previous presidency, Democratic or Republican, each moment on this list would have been unthinkable.
Other notable works of the 50 essays released simultaneously Monday morning include Adam Serwer on Trump and white nationalism; Adrienne LaFrance on the meaning of “covfefe”;’ Annie Lowrey on tax returns; Ibram X. Kendi on “(expletive) hole countries;’’ Megan Garber on press secretaries; Jemele Hill on black athletes; Franklin Foer on Russian collusion; Emily Bell on attacks against the press; Vann Newkirk on Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria; and Caitlin Flanagan on nepotism in the White House.
INDUSTRY BOMBSHELL
Huge media news Sunday night as the Wall Street Journal reported that a hedge fund company known for gutting newsrooms and slashing payrolls is making a pitch to buy Gannett. MNG Enterprises, better known as Digital First Media, wants to buy Gannett, which owns more than 100 daily newspapers, including the Indianapolis Star, the Detroit Free Press, the Tennessean, the Arizona Republic and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Read Poynter’s report about this story here.
OCASIO-CORTEZ RIPS CBS NEWS
It was supposed to be an exciting announcement for CBS News: the unveiling of its 2020 digital presidential election team. But almost immediately, the announcement was met with criticism, including a wagging finger from New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The issue? The CBS digital team has no African-Americans among its eight reporters and four associate producers.
One of those associate producers, Ben F. Mitchell, tweeted out the announcement with photos of the new team. As of Sunday night, the tweet had more than 2,400 responses even though Mitchell has only a little more than 1,000 followers. Most of the responses were critical of the lack of diversity.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her criticism, writing: “This WH admin has made having a functional understanding of race in America one of the most important core competencies for a political journalist to have, yet @CBSNews hasn’t assigned a *single* black journalist to cover the 2020 election. Unacceptable in 2019. Try again.”
MEGYN KELLY’S NEXT MOVE
So what’s next for Megyn Kelly? She was halfway through her three-year, $69 million deal with NBC when her morning show was canceled amid underperforming ratings and a couple of controversies, the last being her defense of blackface in Halloween costumes. CNN reported last week that NBC will pay Kelly the remainder of what’s left on her contract, believed to be around $30 million. It brings to an end an acrimonious 18-month tenure at NBC after a quite successful 12-year run at Fox News.
Now what? She does not have a non-compete clause, meaning she is free to go wherever she wants. But, as of now, no one outside of maybe Kelly, 48, knows where that might be. There have been several reports speculating that Fox News is not interested, at this time, in bringing her back. Speaking on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,’’ CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy said, “I can’t imagine that any of the main networks, at least, would be looking to hire her anytime soon.’’
BAD NEWS IN OAKLAND
The East Bay Express, a weekly alternative in Northern California, has laid off a third of its staff, including its entire editorial staff except for editor Robert Gammon. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the paper will continue to publish, relying on just a few editors and freelance writers. The Mercury News also reports that the layoffs came after the Express lost a lawsuit filed by an ex-sales and marketing director who claimed he was illegally denied overtime pay. The lawsuit came, the Mercury News reports, as publisher Stephen Buel has been trying to sell the publication.
Poynter’s ICYMI headlines:
- ABC News: Families of Sandy Hook shooting victims win legal victory in lawsuit against InfoWars, Alex Jones
- Washington Post: How the fossil fuel industry got the media to think climate change was debatable
- Boston.com: Stephen King complained about his local paper’s cutbacks. They responded with a challenge.
- AdWeek: How a Cable News Blog Turned Into a Top Source for the Highs and Lows of Broadcast Media
On Poynter.org
- VICE News investigates the under-the-radar arming of America’s teachers. By Tom Jones
- Fact-checkers sparred with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over their alleged ‘bias.’ But it ended on a high note. By Daniel Funke, Susan Benkelman and Alexios Mantzarlis
Upcoming training:
- Essential Skills for Rising Newsroom Leaders (Spring). Deadline: March 1.
- The Flying Camera: Drone Photography skills webinar series. Deadline: March 11.
From PolitiFact.com:
- Does Border Patrol catch 90 percent of immigrants crossing the border illegally? By Amy Sherman
- Trump says he didn’t say Mexico would write US a check for border wall. But he did. By Samantha Putterman
PolitiFact is a property of the Poynter Institute.
Want to get this briefing in your inbox? Sign up here.
