'George Floyd was all of us;' Gaetz scandal worsens; vaccine milestones; this week's Reliable podcast; remembering Don Farmer

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Brian Stelter here. It's 10:50pm ET on Thursday.

Are you watching?

Part of America is watching the Derek Chauvin murder trial and sharing in the pain of George Floyd's family members. And another part of America is tuning out the case. That's my impression after four days of raw, emotional testimony and graphic video exhibits. At times it's been excruciating to watch -- which is precisely why it should be watched. "George Floyd was all of us," Don Lemon said on "CNN Tonight" just now.

Justin Miller, one of the Floyd family's attorneys, was on CNN's "New Day" Thursday morning. He said "that could have been me or my brother or my father at that particular time in that particular situation. It's really sad because that is the feeling that I think a lot of black Americans are feeling when they watch this."

Later in the day, during a break from trial coverage, Morgan State professor and MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson said on air that Floyd "has been humanized in a way, he has been empathized with in a way that I have never seen in my lifetime for a Black person who was killed by the police."

"People are crying," he said, "people are talking about what a good boyfriend he was, people are confused, people are guilt-ridden by his death..."

Highly rated trial coverage

Nielsen TV ratings are reflecting widespread interest in the trial. On a typical weekday CNN's most-watched programs are at night, when more people are at home and available to tune in, but this week CNN's most-watched hour on Monday was 3pm ET; on Tuesday, 5pm; and on Wednesday, 12pm. Those times all correlated with key periods of testimony in the trial. MSNBC and HLN are also seeing ratings bumps during trial coverage.

Fox News, on the other hand, is barely airing the trial live or covering the hourly developments. When I searched TVEyes for mentions of Floyd on Thursday through 9pm, Fox only showed 13 results, versus 98 for MSNBC and 119 for CNN. That's why I commented that only part of America is compelled to watch this trial...

Inside the courtroom

Most reporters in Minneapolis are watching the proceedings via TV screens on the outside, but it was Sara Sidner's turn to head inside the courtroom for pool duty on Thursday morning. "My nerves are shot," the CNN correspondent wrote beforehand.

After, she said it's like "another surreal world. The pin drop silence. The sobs. The technical language of a paramedic. Seeing Floyd's brother Philonise suffering."

CNN's Josh Campbell was in court this afternoon, too, and he also called it "surreal..."

"Without a doubt..."

Stephen Battaglio of the LA Times caught up with Scott Tufts, senior VP for Court TV, which is using Minnesota v. Chauvin as a relaunch moment of sorts. (E.W. Scripps revived the brand back in 2019.)

"Without a doubt this is the most important and high-profile trial that we've covered since the relaunch," Tufts said. "It may go down as being one of the biggest and most important trials in U.S. history to air on television. This is going to be a really good opportunity for people to find us again..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- I have no idea how to catch you up on all the latest about Rep. Matt Gaetz. Where to begin?! Right now the lead headline on CNN.com says "Gaetz showed lawmakers nude photos, sources say." There are new developments nearly every hour... Reporters are clearly finding lots of sources who are willing to talk... (CNN)

-- Chris Cuomo called Gaetz-gate "the most uniquely bizarre scandal I have ever seen in politics..." (Twitter)

-- "The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a move by the FCC to relax media ownership rules, handing down a unanimous ruling that favors large broadcasters. The decision dealt a blow to challengers who argued that laxer regulations could usher in more media consolidation at the expense of minority and female media ownership..." (The Hill)

-- Meredith "is considering selling its television stations" so it can focus "on its magazine division..." (Bloomberg)

-- A critical followup to February's blackouts in Texas: A Houston Chronicle analysis finds that nearly 200 deaths are linked to the natural disaster, making it "one of the worst in Texas this past century..." (Chron)

This week's Reliable pod: A media roundtable

Since we're three full months into 2021, I asked An Phung, Kerry Flynn and Oliver Darcy to help me analyze the year's biggest media beat stories thus far. From major resignations to the "personalization" of journalism to defamation suits, hear our recap and our look ahead to the spring and summer on this week's "Reliable Sources" podcast, accessible via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...

"Cuomo Primetime" was No. 1, after all

Numerous news outlets reported earlier this week that MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" was the highest-rated cable newscast of Q1, but "apparently there was an error in how the Nielsen data was tabulated by clients," TVNewser's A.J. Katz wrote, "because we found out Thursday that CNN's 'Cuomo Primetime' was actually the highest-rated cable news show among adults 25-54 for the quarter."

Chris Cuomo's broadcast averaged 645,000 viewers in the demo while Maddow's averaged 595,000. Per Katz, "This is the first time that 'Cuomo Primetime' has finished a quarter as the No. 1 cable news show..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- President Biden's infrastructure plan "includes $100 billion to extend fast internet access to every home." But can the $$ really solve the digital divide? Cecilia Kang has an in-depth look here... (NYT)

-- The most-read story on The Guardian's website right now is a pointed contrast to the Trump years: "Biden's cabinet meeting proves the reality TV presidency wasn't renewed..." (Guardian)

-- POTUS offers "a plausible argument for American renewal," Susan Glasser writes, "but there is, of course, a key question that remains unanswered in the Capitol: Does Biden have the votes? Forget the breathless commentary. We don't know yet..." (TNY)

-- Sarah Frier and Sarah Kopit's story minces 0 words: "Facebook Built the Perfect Platform for Covid Vaccine Conspiracies..." (Bloomberg)

-- Two more vaccine milestones: According to CDC data, more than 200 million doses have now been distributed, and the US is on the cusp of 100 million Americans having received at least one dose... (Twitter)

Biden admin unveils $10M vaccine campaign

You'll soon be seeing Covid vaccine ads on TV: "The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled its first TV advertisements to encourage Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus," WaPo's Dan Diamond reported. Per Diamond, the admin will spend more than $10 million on the ad campaign that is set to "include targeted multimillion-dollar ad buys for Black and Spanish-language media..."

Atlantic publishes brutal takedown of Fox's go-to Covid guest

Oliver Darcy writes: "Throughout the duration of the pandemic, Alex Berenson has been one of Fox's favorite guests. And throughout the duration of the pandemic, he's used his Fox appearances to cast doubt on the recommendations of the public health community. Enter The Atlantic's Derek Thompson. In a piece published Thursday, Thompson broke down some of Berenson's recent claims related to the coronavirus vaccines. 'Berenson's TV appearances are more misdirection than outright fiction, and his Twitter feed blends internet-y irony and scientific jargon in a way that may obscure what he's actually saying,' Thompson concluded..."

>> Darcy adds: "As Mediaite's Colby Hall pointed out, Thompson's takedown "should kill" Berenson's Fox appearances. 'But will we stop seeing Berenson as a guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight or The Ingraham Angle? Almost certainly not. Fox News has not responded to our request for comment,' Hall wrote. 'In fact, what's likely to happen is that we will see more of this quack on Fox News because he has either angered the libs or is getting canceled by them.' Hall is spot on..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- "Fox News Channel has signed Bret Baier to a new multi-year deal that will keep Baier in his role as the network's chief political anchor and anchor of the nightly 6 p.m. ET newscast 'Special Report' through 2026," Mark Joyella reports... (Forbes)

-- In other news about Fox News, Christopher Palmeri has a preview of Greg Gutfeld's 11pm talk show. He says Fox execs "are hoping he can do for late-night TV what the channel did in news: create a conservative alternative..." (Bloomberg)

-- Piers Morgan's first "wide-ranging on-camera interview since leaving ITV's Good Morning Britain" will stream on Tucker Carlson's Fox Nation show on Monday. Fox says "a portion of the interview" will air on Carlson's TV show, but this is mainly a bid to sign folks up for the streaming service... (Fox)

-- Premiere Networks is creating a podcast about the life of Rush Limbaugh... (Inside Radio)

Sullivan cautions against cheering Dominion's Fox suit

Oliver Darcy writes: "When Smartmatic and Dominion filed lawsuits against Fox, critics of the right-wing talk channel rejoiced, lauding the voting tech companies for aiming to hold the network accountable for the lies it spread. But WaPo's Margaret Sullivan pointed out that 'for those who care about the reality-based news media, there's a downside.' Sullivan spoke with Reveal, a small investigative newsroom that recently fought off a defamation lawsuit that could have closed its doors. 'These defamation suits can decimate the legitimate press,' Reveal's attorney told Sullivan. As Sullivan wrote, 'It would be comforting to think that defamation suits won't ward off good journalism while seeking to punish the spreading of irresponsible lies. Comforting — but far from a sure thing...'"

About Georgia and Hollywood...

Brian Lowry writes: "ViacomCBS has spoken out against Georgia's new voting law, but the Q for the entertainment industry and media companies is what, if any, action they'll take about it, and whether withdrawing production from the state -- likely for locales like Vancouver -- would further their objectives, beyond just sending a message to state officials."

Some corporate leaders have taken a stand, but for the most part this LA Times headline captures the state of play: "Hollywood studios have been largely quiet about Georgia..."

Remembering Don Farmer, a CNN original

Don Farmer, one of CNN's original anchors and a mainstay of both national and local TV news, died Wednesday. He was 82. Farmer and his wife of 49 years Chris Curle, who shared the news of his death, were key building blocks in the 1980 creation of CNN: They anchored "Take Two," an afternoon program that mixed news, talk and lifestyle segments. I wrote about Farmer and his legacy for CNN.com here.

>> Farmer's son Justin currently works for WSB in Atlanta, the station where his dad worked for a decade. Read Justin's tribute...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Kerry Flynn:

-- I spoke about the future of The Hartford Courant and other local newspapers on "Where We Live," a Connecticut public radio show... (WNPR)

-- "For the first time, female-presenting students hold the highest editorial positions at all eight Ivy League papers..." (The Daily Princetonian)

-- The New Republic union says no employee currently working in NYC will be asked to relocate to DC despite the decision to move operations there... (Twitter)

-- Alex Cranz is joining The Verge as managing editor. She was most recently at Gizmodo... (Twitter)

-- "QAnon Anonymous" co-host Travis View has been using a pseudonym all along. His real name is Logan Strain... (WaPo)

Soon-Shiong: New LAT top editor coming 'soon'

CNN's Matt Egan interviewed LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong about recent attacks against Asian-Americans, and his full report will be up on CNN.com Friday morning. But Egan also squeezed in some questions about the state of the LAT, and Soon-Shiong reiterated he's not looking to sell the paper -- despite WSJ's February report -- and said that he has met with most of the candidates in the running for exec editor. More in Kerry Flynn's writeup here...

>> Related: The Daily Beast's Max Tani wrote about Soon-Shiong's daughter, Nika, who has taken a more active role in the company...

Pulitzer Prize announcements postponed

Oliver Darcy writes: "The Pulitzer Prize Board has opted to push back its announcements of the 2021 winners. Originally scheduled to take place on April 19, the board said Thursday that it will instead make the announcements on June 11 via a video stream on its site. The awards luncheon will also be delayed until the fall..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- "In a rare admission, MTV says its mental-health portrayals are sometimes damaging," and now ViacomCBS will implement "a sweeping program to correct it," Steven Zeitchik reports... (WaPo)

-- "Top Chef" is back: Here's How Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and co. "shot a Portland season amid the pandemic..." (USA Today)

-- Hulu "will produce a documentary series" based on "The 1619 Project," to be produced by Roger Ross Williams... (AP)

-- Here's the one April Fool's joke I really enjoyed today: Someone posted a job listing for Presidential Dog Trainer ;-) (Daybook)

"The Story of Late Night" is coming soon

Veteran media reporter Bill Carter tweeted Thursday: "The late-night doc and podcast are REALLY happening -- even tho it's April 1 -- I swear!"

Indeed, the long-awaited CNN original series "The Story of Late Night" now has an official premiere date: Sunday, May 2. Media types are going to be glued to this six-part docuseries. Carter, an executive producer of the project, is also the host of a companion podcast called "Behind the Desk: Story of Late Night," coming later this month. Details here...

'United States of Al' has good intentions, but not many laughs

Brian Lowry writes: "'United States of Al' triggered some controversy with its concept -- about an Afghan interpreter, moving in with a US veteran and his family -- prompting Reza Aslan, one of the producers, to defend the project. But it's possible to conclude that Chuck Lorre's latest production for CBS -- giving him the entire Thursday comedy block -- is inoffensive, and has its heart in the right place, but is simply not very good..."

This week's Pop Life Chronicles

Lisa Respers France writes: "From Disney princesses to 'The Equalizer,' strong female characters are taking the lead. I talked with Debra Martin Chase who should know: she's executive producer of 'The Equalizer' and also produced Disney hits including 'The Princess Diaries' and the very diverse 'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.' She is the first African American woman to produce a feature film that grossed more than $100 million ('Courage Under Fire' starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan) and the first African American female producer to sign an overall deal with a major studio. That's this week's Pop Life Chronicles... Read on..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

By Lisa Respers France: Chrissy Teigen and her kids graced the cover of People's "Beautiful" issue this week... The usually very private Mia Farrow addressed "vicious rumors" about the past deaths of three of her children... Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk" returned with Niecy Nash and Nash's "hersband" for a frank talk about women who fall for women...

'New Gods' not moving forward

Brian Lowry writes: "THR scooped that Warner Bros. won't move forward with a movie based on Jack Kirby's landmark 'New Gods' comics, which were also a source of inspiration for 'Justice League.' Ava DuVernay has been attached to direct the project, which floats to the bottom of the sea -- or at least back into development purgatory -- along with a planned 'Aquaman' spinoff..."

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...

Birthday dog of the day!

Kerry Flynn writes: "Today is Falkor's 1st birthday. She's been a loyal contributor to Reliable Sources ever since we welcomed her home in June. She much prefers playing with her tiny party hat versus wearing it."

Thank you for reading! Email us your feedback and tips anytime. O will be captain of this ship tomorrow... And we will be taking Sunday off for Easter...

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