Trump admin snooped on CNN reporter; Tribune's fate; Cuomo says 'I am sorry;' BBC admits deceit; Disney and Snap's deal; another sign of normality

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TGIF! Brian Stelter here at 11:39pm ET Thursday with the latest on the BBC, CBS, Twitter, Snap, "American Idol," and more. But first, two stories about CNN...

Cuomo apologizes

A rare sight on cable news: On Thursday night CNN anchor Chris Cuomo apologized to his colleagues for a clear breach of journalistic ethics. His on-air statement at the top of "Cuomo Prime Time" came after Josh Dawsey and Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post reported that he participated in strategy sessions with his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid an ongoing sexual harassment scandal. The Post said Chris urged Andrew not to resign and gave other political advice.

CNN effectively confirmed the story by saying, in a statement to the Post, that Chris "often serves as a sounding board for his brother. However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor's staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward."

Media ethics stories are sometimes rather obscure, but WaPo's scoop was the No. 1 story on its website for much of the afternoon and evening. Oliver Darcy wrote a full story about the revelations for CNN here...

>> Darcy writes: "The revelation that Cuomo had advised his brother vexed staffers inside CNN. Multiple CNN staffers said they were bothered by Cuomo's conduct and the violation of traditional journalistic standards. They said he crossed a clear line and he should have known it."

"A bad spot"

Chris Cuomo began his Thursday night program with a comment on the matter, referring to Andrew's "troubles" and the turbulence in the news. "Today there are stories out there about me offering my brother advice," Chris said. "Of course I do. This is no revelation. I have said it publicly, and I certainly have never hidden it."

"I'm family first, job second," he said. "But: Being a journalist and a brother to a politician is unique, and a unique challenge, and I have a unique responsibility to balance those roles."

Chris acknowledged CNN's rebuke of his calls with state officials, saying, "I understand why that was a problem for CNN. It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that."

He also affirmed CNN's assertion that he has "not been involved in CNN's extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo -— on air or behind the scenes." He said "I've never tried to influence this network's coverage of my brother. In fact, I've been walled off from it."

>> I posted the full video of his contrite statement on Twitter...

>> The brothers are also on the cover of Friday's New York Post...

IN OTHER CNN NEWS...

Trump admin secretly obtained CNN reporter's records

When it comes to the Trump admin's conduct regarding reporters, have we only seen the tip of the iceberg?

Well, two weeks ago the Washington Post was notified that phone records of three reporters were secretly obtained by the Trump DOJ in 2020. I asked WaPo reporter Devlin Barrett, could there be others? "I think it's certainly possible," he said.

It turns out The Post wasn't alone: On Thursday CNN revealed that it, too, has received such a notification. Jeremy Herb and Jessica Schneider write that CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr was informed "that prosecutors had obtained her phone and email records covering two months, between June 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017." As in the Post case, the legal process to obtain the records was approved in 2020, toward the end of the Trump years...

>> CNN boss Jeff Zucker's statement: "CNN strongly condemns the secret collection of any aspect of a journalist's correspondence, which is clearly protected by the First Amendment. We are asking for an immediate meeting with the Justice Department for an explanation."

>> "Tomorrow," Starr tweeted, "all of CNN will do what we do everyday around the world. The Pentagon Press Corps will do the same. We are not leaving, not stopping. We are ALL staying and reporting the news. If you need any reminder read the #FirstAmendment."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- At a Thursday press briefing, Gov. Cuomo "exploded at a reporter who dared to ask about blowback for the $5.1 million he received for his book..." (Daily Beast)

-- David Brooks interviewed President Biden by phone this week and shared it in a column. He concluded that "Biden hasn't really changed; he's just doing everything bigger..." (NYT)

-- Biden "signed legislation to curtail a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders," and it looked like old times at the WH, with dozens of mask-free lawmakers in attendance... (AP)

FRIDAY PLANNER

South Korean president H.E. Moon Jae-in meets with Biden at the WH, and they'll hold a presser afterward...

Tim Cook takes the stand in the Epic Games v. Apple case...

HBO premieres a new variety series, "Pause With Sam Jay..."

Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry's "The Me You Can't See" starts on Apple TV+. Oprah will be on "CBS This Morning" with a preview...

I'll be kicking off Sree Sreenivasan's Social Media Weekend conference on Friday evening...

Sealing Tribune's fate?

"Friday is a pivotal day for the 174-year-old Chicago Tribune, Tribune Publishing and the struggling newspaper industry," the Trib's Robert Channick wrote Thursday. Unless there's an "eleventh hour, fully financed rival bid," shareholders will vote on hedge fund Alden Global Capital's bid to take Tribune private. Reporters across Tribune's papers, from Hartford to Orlando to Chicago, are dreading Alden ownership and hoping for a savior. Right now the wild card seems to be LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns 23.7% of the outstanding shares. Journalists have been urging him to vote no. Soon-Shiong told WaPo's Sarah Ellison this week he had not yet made a decision..

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- The banner headline on NYTimes.com right now: "World Watches as Cease-Fire Begins Between Israel and Hamas." (NYT)

-- Biden delivered "hastily arranged remarks from the White House delivered one hour before the truce was due to take effect" and "credited his administration's own 'quiet and relentless diplomacy,' along with efforts by Egypt..." (CNN)

-- This case is getting a ton of attention among media types on Twitter: Emily Wilder, a brand new staffer at The AP, was terminated this week, evidently for "tweets of hers referencing her advocacy for the Palestinian people and opposition to the actions of the Israeli government..." (WaPo)

-- "Facebook has refused to remove a widely viewed attack ad that links Rep. Ilhan Omar to Hamas, even after her aides told the tech giant the message is inaccurate, hateful and threatened to subject her to death threats," Cat Zakrzewski and Tony Romm report... (WaPo)

-- CNN's Bianna Golodryga called out Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for an "anti-Semitic remark" about how Jewish people "control media..." (Mediaite)

"Day of shame for BBC"

That's how the Daily Mail describes it:

The BBC's admissions about Martin Bashir's landmark 1995 interview with Princess Diana, and the release of Lord Dyson's report, confirmed once and for all that Bashir used "deceitful" methods to secure the interview. "While the BBC cannot turn back the clock after a quarter of a century, we can make a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today," BBC Director-General Tim Davie said.

Friday's UK front pages focus on the emotionally charged statements from Diana's sons. Prince William said the public broadcaster contributed "significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation" and established a "false narrative." Prince Harry said "the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life."

>> Bashir, who stepped down from the BBC last week, citing health issues, expressed sadness that the controversy had "been allowed to overshadow the princess' brave decision to tell her story." He insisted that his deceptions "had no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview."

>> This story is partly about the BBC's conduct in 1996... CNN's Zamira Rahim and Niamh Kennedy have details here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- "Jack Posobiec, the notorious pro-Trump internet troll who made a name for himself pushing the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, has been hired by Turning Point USA, the conservative youth group run by Charlie Kirk," Aidan McLaughlin writes. Posobiec, who previously worked at OAN, will also be an editor at the right-wing website Human Events... (Mediaite)

-- Speaking of OAN, Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Chanel Rion earlier this week, and it's airing on the far-right channel for the next few days...

-- Jamiel Lynch and Ray Sanchez report: "His family says they were told he died in a car wreck. Video now shows Ronald Greene was kicked, dragged and tased by police..." (CNN)

-- "Once again," Jake Tapper said, "it's the video revealing an entirely different account from what law enforcement initially described, entirely different." Watch Josh Campbell's full report here... (Twitter)

-- A.J. Katz interviewed CNN EVP Amy Entelis about original series, films, and the value of bringing "passion and curiosity to work every single day..." (TVNewser)

Today's Discovery-Warner update

"AT&T will owe Discovery Inc. $1.77 billion if it terminates the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. Discovery, meanwhile, would owe the telecom giant a $720 million breakup fee if it backs out of the merger," THR's Alex Weprin reports. "However, if U.S. regulators kill the deal, there will be no termination fees..."

>> Also: Discovery chief David Zaslav "got options valued at $190 million on eve of AT&T deal," the WSJ's Theo Francis reported...

"CBS This Morning" heading to Times Square

"CBS' Gayle King is about to stroll into territory long dominated by ABC's Robin Roberts," Variety's Brian Steinberg scooped Thursday. "CBS This Morning" will "hold forth from a new studio in New York's Times Square" located in the ViacomCBS building, Steinberg reported, noting the MTV show "TRL" was once broadcast from the same studio...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Binyamin Appelbaum writes about Big Tech "pretending to be" governments: "Corporations behave like governments because they want to invest their decisions with that sense of procedural legitimacy. But they do it for the purpose of warding off the government..." (NYT)

-- "Twitter on Thursday reopened its verification application process to the public for the first time since putting it on pause in November 2017," Salvador Rodriguez writes, noting it has rolled out a new process to apply for the coveted blue check... (CNBC)

-- Sidney Fussell writes about how Roku and YouTube are "battling for your precious TV data..." (Wired)

-- Alexis Soloski profiles "No One Is Coming to Save Us," a new podcast from Lemonada Media about child care issues, hosted by former ABCer Gloria Riviera... (NYT)

Big changes for Snap's TikTok competitor

Kerry Flynn writes: "Farewell to Snapchat's $1 million per day payouts. Snap announced Thursday as part of its annual Snap Partner Summit that starting June 1 the incentive program for Spotlight, its TikTok copycat product, is changing. Instead of $1 million per day, Snap will give away 'millions' per month. I spoke with Ben Schwerin, Snap's SVP of content and partnerships, about new features the company hopes will entice creators to stay onboard..."

Frank's scoop: Disney and Snap are partnering

Frank Pallotta writes: "Disney and Snap are working together to bring augmented reality to Disney World. The move is yet another step in Disney's efforts to modernize its parks by connecting the digital with the physical. According to Snap and Disney, guests will be able to transform Cinderella Castle with AR. You can even get a digital Mickey Mouse to pop up in your photos and give you a hug. 'How do we take these really rich, deep stories and environments and do more with them? We don't want to be constrained just by the physical brick and mortar,' Gary Daniels, VP of Disney's digital experience, told me. 'We just have so many tools in our toolbox now.'"

>> Flynn adds: "Snap's other big reveal was AR glasses. For his first piece at The Verge, Alex Heath wrote about the latest version of Spectacles. 'I don't believe the phone is going away. I just think that the next generation of Spectacles can help unlock a new way to use AR hands-free,' Evan Spiegel told him..."

Chicago journalists debate mayor's controversial decision

Kerry Flynn writes: "This week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would only grant Black and Brown journalists one-on-one interviews on the press tour for her two-year anniversary as mayor. On 'New Day' Thursday, Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet said she was not bothered by it. 'When you're a big newsmaker with many interview requests, you pick and choose. Some of the outlets that she is talking to today are community outlets that don't have the resources to staff city hall every day, like the big legacy outlets do, and what's wrong with that?' But other reporters felt differently. More in Nicole Chavez and my story..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

By Kerry Flynn:

-- Matthew Hutchison is jumping from Forbes to Dow Jones as Chief Communications Officer... (Dow Jones)

-- Lucy McNulty reports the London Stock Exchange Group claims Reuters' decision to launch a paywall breaches the terms of its 2018 Refinitiv sale... (MarketWatch)

-- Angela Fu writes about a new podcast investigating police accountability that is a collaboration between NPR and KQED in California... (Poynter)

-- "As Pride Month approaches, LGBTQ+ media companies are seeing last-minute growth in ad spend," Kayleigh Barber reports... (Digiday)

-- Tim Baysinger's upfront week takeaway: "It's a streaming world, broadcast TV is just living in it..." (TheWrap)

"UNC tries to explain Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure issue as criticism and protest mount"

"UNC-Chapel Hill trustees were met by more than three dozen students, faculty and community protesters Thursday who are upset that acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones did not get tenure for a new position she will begin this summer," the News & Observer reported Thursday. "Later in the day, UNC leaders attempted to clarify the issue as campus and national outcry continued to mount."

>> The latest via The AP: Hannah-Jones' tenure application "was halted because she didn't come from a 'traditional academic-type background,' and a trustee who vets the lifetime appointments wanted more time to consider her qualifications, university leaders said Thursday."

>> The Knight Foundation, which funds the professorship in question, "is urging the university to reconsider its decision to deny her tenure," the AP reported...

>> "It's impossible to ignore the politics in the decision," CNN's Brandon Tensley writes. "Since its publication in 2019, the 1619 Project has inspired nothing short of a racial panic among conservatives..."

Another sign of normality...

John Krasinski is Stephen Colbert's first in-person guest since the beginning of the pandemic. And they arm-wrestled...

Lowry reviews ''Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.'

Brian Lowry writes: "The hunger for content has freed Marvel to explore what amounts to the bottom drawer of its character roster, which explains 'M.O.D.O.K.,' a very adult animated comedy -- notably for Hulu, not Disney+ -- featuring what co-creator Patton Oswalt described as a 'C- or D-list' supervillain. It also reflects the growing appetite for animation fueled by Adult Swim as a means of reaching young men, including the recent 'Yasuke' (Netflix), 'Invincible' (Amazon) and Fox's upcoming 'Housebroken.' Read on..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- "American Idol" showrunner Trish Kinane "is stepping down and retiring from the ABC show with exec producer Megan Michaels Wolflick moving up to take the big chair," Peter White scooped... (Deadline)

-- "Netflix's 'Shadow and Bone' premiered to a good-sized audience," according to Nielsen's streaming rankings, finishing second "among original series to 'The Falcon and the Winter Solider' on Disney+ and third overall..." (THR)

-- Steven Zeitchik writes: "Warriors-Lakers averaged 5.6 million viewers on ESPN last night, dwarfing the 3-4 million that non-Finals postseason matchups have been getting in recent years. Suspect we just may see more play-in games down the road." (Twitter)

Smaller ratings, no problem?

Brian Lowry writes: "According to Variety's Brian Steinberg, talks are already heating up -- sooner than usual -- in ad negotiations related to upfront week, with the networks seeking to offset their declining ratings by seeking double-digit increases in the cost per reaching 1,000 viewers..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

By Lisa Respers France: -- Disney+ is getting the witchy band back together again. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are returning for "Hocus Pocus 2..." -- Cher tweeted that a biopic about her life is in the works...

LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST...

Pet of the day!

Joe Trippi emails: "Our Green-wing Macaw is named 'Red.' We rescued her about 11 years ago. Enjoying a day in the sun!"

Anchors, reporters, producers, editors, execs, and all other readers: Submit your pet for Pet of the Day by emailing us a photo with a short caption. Horizontally oriented photos are preferred!