Media industry news covering news organizations, broadcasting, digital media, advertising, and media business developments.
ABC, NBC, and CNN declined to air President Trump's prime-time election security address on their main channels, instead offering it on streaming with real-time fact-checking. Fox News and Fox Broadcasting aired it live; CBS joined late and left early. Trump threatened sanctions against NBC and ABC, calling for license revocation.
Gretchen Carlson argues that her lawsuit against Roger Ailes helped spark the #MeToo movement, which has now led to legal changes. She contends that the movement's impact is now codified in law, marking a significant shift in workplace accountability.
The commentary argues that Paramount Skydance's obsession with Netflix is misguided, suggesting that the lawsuit to block their merger with Warner Bros. Discovery is not orchestrated by Netflix but rather driven by political ambitions of state attorneys general. The author contends the company's focus on Netflix is paranoid and counterproductive.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment filed a defamation lawsuit on July 16 against Wired magazine over a July 9 article claiming the arena maintained a secret database tracking celebrities' race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. WIRED's article alleged the database contained nearly 40,000 names, with some assigned risk scores and LGBTQ labels. MSG alleges Wired used data stolen by hackers to manufacture a false narrative and seeks retraction and damages. Wired says it stands by its reporting.
Craig Melvin addressed the 'Today' intruder incident on Instagram, stating he is fine and returning to air Friday. A man was arrested after shouting a racial slur and lunging at Melvin at 30 Rockefeller Center. No injuries were reported, and NBC is reviewing security protocols.
This commentary examines the dilemma faced by US television networks in deciding whether to air President Donald Trump's speech live, given his history of falsehoods about the 2020 elections. It argues that networks struggled to balance delivering news with avoiding amplification of misinformation, ultimately adopting real-time fact-checking strategies.
The FCC is preparing to rule that ABC's 'The View' is not a bona fide news program, subjecting it to equal-time rules for political candidates. The agency is also expected to escalate an investigation into Disney's broadcast licenses, potentially threatening ABC-owned stations. The rulings could come before Labor Day.
Corus Entertainment cut 43 TV jobs, mostly in Western Canada, as it centralizes technical production for Global News in Calgary and Edmonton to Toronto. Unifor condemned the layoffs, linking them to policy failures and the Rogers-Shaw merger approval that redirected support from Corus-owned stations, worsening news deserts.
This commentary critiques the New York Times' coverage of Khamenei's funeral in Iran, arguing that the reporting reflects a biased Western perspective that fails to capture the nuances of Iranian public sentiment and political dynamics. The author contends that the coverage prioritizes sensationalism over substantive analysis.
The commentary argues that CNBC's ranking of Vermont as the best state to live is biased and unreliable, because it uses criteria like reproductive rights and inclusiveness rather than actual migration trends. The author contends that this approach reflects media distrust, as it prioritizes ideological preferences over objective measures of where people choose to move.