Mental health front and center; Wednesday's front page; Covid risk tolerance; GOP's whataboutism; Big Tech earnings; 'Jungle Cruise' reviewed

View this email in your browser.

Share it on Facebook or Twitter.

Subscribe here.

Brian Stelter here at 11:33pm ET on Tuesday, July 27, with the latest on Simone Biles, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bob Odenkirk, The Daily Beast, NPR, "Jungle Cruise," John Stamos, and much more...

The invisible challenge

The common thread between all of Tuesday's top stories was mental health. It was front and center in Simone Biles' shocking decision to withdraw from her team's Olympic competition. It was highlighted by the police officers who testified about lingering wounds from the January 6 attack. And it was invoked by CDC director Rochelle Walensky as she reignited the so-called "mask wars."

"This weighs heavily on me," Walensky said as she rolled out revised recommendations for masking. "I know that at 18 months through this pandemic, not only are people tired, they're frustrated," she said. "We have mental health challenges in this country." We sure do...

"Mental health is health, period"

This is tricky terrain for the news media just as it is for the individuals involved. There are stigmas associated with mental health talk. But we're seeing that change, day by day, story by story. On Monday for instance, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern about a rash of recent suicides among troops and said "mental health is health, period. And we have to approach it with the same energy that we apply to other -- any other health issue, with compassion and professionalism and resources. And so if you're hurting, there are resources available."

That brings me to Tuesday and the breaking news from Tokyo...

True strength

Athletes and celebrities and brands rushed to support Biles, who broke down in tears as she explained her decision. "I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being," she said, adding, "It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head."

At least she is not alone -- and that's a laudable change. "When I was competing, there were really no resources and mental health wasn't really a discussion," Aly Raisman told Christiane Amanpour later in the day. "Part of being great is recognizing when you can't be great. Biles has shown the world what true strength looks like," USA Today columnist Suzette Hackney wrote.

Of course, contrarians like Piers Morgan had predictable things to say about Biles. Morgan tweeted: "Are 'mental health issues' now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? What a joke. Just admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time." Darren Rovell responded: "I'd rather have my daughter and sons learn that even the greatest, on the biggest of stages, have mental health challenges, than have them emulate perfection."

>> "What you're seeing is a younger generation setting boundaries around what mental health is and what they owe an audience," Tony Reali said on ESPN, specifically about Biles. Reali has been candid about having generalized anxiety disorder. "Mental health is simply health," he tweeted after "Around the Horn." He said mental health does not discriminate but "the way we talk about it does." Hopefully we're seeing that change in real time, on days like today.

"January 6 still isn't over for me"

"More than six months later, January 6 still isn't over for me," Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said during the House select committee hearing on Tuesday, as he described his need for counseling therapy "for the persistent emotional trauma of that day."

Dunn used his nationally televised platform for good, telling fellow officers, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling. What we went through that day was traumatic."

Right on cue, right-wing voices like Tucker Carlson and Jesse Kelly mocked Dunn and other men who shared their emotions at the hearing, with special scorn reserved for Adam Schiff and Adam Kinzinger. But the backlash sparked its own immediate pushback, too...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- I thought Vice's Alexis Johnson said it best on Tuesday night: "The fact that anybody can dare criticize anyone's mental health status during this hellish pandemic is astounding to me." (Twitter)

-- CNBC offered up this: "How can you tell if you need to take a break to care for your mental health and what does that look like? Here's what you need to know..." (CNBC)

-- "There's an entire HBO documentary specifically about the toll that being an Olympian takes on mental health," NPR's Linda Holmes pointed out, recommending last year's film "The Weight of Gold" featuring Michael Phelps... (Twitter)

-- Phelps, Naomi Osaka and now Biles: This "could mark a new era of mental health awareness among athletes..." (TIME)

Wednesday's front page

The Washington Post front page juggles the CDC guidance and the 1/6 hearing. Let's analyze the Covid news first...

It was also the lead on all the network nightly newscasts on Tuesday. A reversal... a step backward... a capitulation to people who refuse to get vaccinated... call it what you will, but it was one of the most disappointing days of the pandemic thus far.

Critical moment for news orgs

Oliver Darcy writes: "For most of the pandemic, the CDC's guidance has felt reasonable. It made sense to wear masks when vaccines weren't available and the public had no other ability to protect itself. And news orgs relayed that guidance and other recommendations to audiences. But we are in a very different situation now with some swaths of the country hitting high rates of vaccination, and others with dismally low rates. The disparity in vaccination rates means that a positive case in a state like New York is far different than a positive case in a state like Louisiana. The CDC's own hospitalization data bears this out: Louisiana is seeing a spike in hospitalizations while New York is not. And yet, the CDC's latest guidance treats parts of New York exactly the same way it treats Louisiana. It doesn't make much sense..."

Darcy adds: "Policies like this should be challenged and tested. Gov't officials should face reasonable questions about the guidance they are issuing. An easy one: Why isn't the CDC basing its recommendations on hospitalization rates versus case counts? Another: How did the CDC determine that 50 new cases per 100,000 amounts to 'substantial' transmission? This is a moment during which media outlets can prove they aren't alarmists and are willing to challenge health officials..."

It's all about risk tolerance

Let me just add a little bit to what Darcy said. The two of us walked over to Whole Foods on Tuesday evening and found a roughly 50/50 split between masked and unmasked shoppers. This seemed about right to me. There's been no renewed mandate in New York; no edict. Instead, government agencies should give people the most up-to-date info and let them make their own risk assessments. At this point, Covid is all about risk tolerance. Different people are choosing to accept different levels of risk. Big employers are mandating vaccinations and more are following suit every day.

The bottom line is that, as Aaron E. Carroll wrote for NYT Opinion on Tuesday, "to suggest that Covid-19 is an escalating emergency in the United States is not quite right. The truth is that the vaccinated and the unvaccinated are experiencing two very different pandemics right now. If we don't confront that, the nation can't address either appropriately." Covid is "not even close to a crisis for those who are vaccinated, but it is a true danger to those who are unvaccinated," he wrote. "Our policies and actions should continue to reinforce that message while helping the latter join the former..."

WHCA reimposes mask mandate

Oliver Darcy writes: "Mask mandates are heading back to the White House, which means that reporters will once again be forced to don face coverings. White House Correspondents Association president Steve Portnoy emailed members Tuesday afternoon to note the organization is 'reimposing its mask requirement for all indoor spaces at the White House,' given the new CDC guidance that puts the DC area in the 'substantial' spread category..."

WEDNESDAY PLANNER

Facebook reports earnings after the bell...

Eric Bolling's show on Newsmax debuts at 4pm ET...

Some Activision Blizzard staffers "plan to join a walkout" to "protest the company's response to a recent discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit..."

The GOP "has waged war on memory"

That's how Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote in his latest column for the Miami Herald, about the testimony of the police officers who "refuse to let deniers shove the horror of Jan. 6 off the stage." Pitts Jr. said Republicans have been "asking us to believe Republican lies over the testimony of our own eyes," but "on Tuesday, memory fought back."

The testimony was riveting, indeed. NBC producer and reporter Haley Talbot shared this photo of Capitol officers "glued to the hearing, watching their colleagues testify" via screens showing C-SPAN:

Fox News and Newsmax did air the 1/6 hearing, but surrounded it with GOP commentary. Overall, all across right-wing media, the testimony was overwhelmed within hours by hateful remarks, ridiculous false equivalencies, and whataboutism. Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and other hosts went on and on about last summer's outbreaks of looting and violence in major cities. Hannity ridiculed House Democrats and said "their house is much more important than your house." Here are three key points about the propaganda effort, pulled from my CNN story and "AC360" segment:

– Right after the police officers testified, Newsmax featured an interview with a father and son charged in connection with the riot who described a peaceful scene at the Capitol, including an "open door" and "really cordial" officers. In other words: Don't believe what you just heard at the hearing...

-- One America News skipped the hearing altogether; slipped in several factual mistakes; and aired the GOP's counter-programming instead...

-- Newsmax's Grant Stinchfield said he refused to lead his 8pm show with the hearing and repeated falsehoods like "there were no guns" among the mob...

I'll see you on "New Day" in the A.M. with more on all this...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Reporter Hunter Walker, who was at the Capitol that day, wrote, "202 days later I can't get over how much the society has glossed over January 6th and how some actively are trying to pretend it didn't exist..." (Twitter)

-- Sad but true, via CNN's Ryan Nobles: "Ask a Republican today what they thought about today's explosive hearing and the most common response you receive is something along the lines of 'I was too busy too watch.'" (Twitter)

-- To bleep or not to bleep? David Bauder noted that 1/6 hearing viewers were "exposed to the sort of blunt language, including profanity and racial slurs, rarely heard on daytime TV." Well, real life is profane sometimes... (AP)

-- Steve Inskeep's comment about about NPR's decision-making: "Ordinarily some attempt would be made to bleep such language, but editors have judged that today's full record should be heard and known..." (Twitter)

It's a "parallel media network"

This, from domestic extremism researcher Jared Holt, is what everyone in media and politics needs to fully grasp: "Trump and his fans now operate in a parallel media network." Holt said "the questions of 'what can we do to reach these people' run on an assumption they have access to them. Truth is, for millions, they might as well not exist to begin with. Any successful strategy would have to be disruptive enough to that system to break through the firewall." Holt quoted from Philip Bump's recent analysis for WaPo, which explained that Big Lie outlets like One America News exist on "the remote media fringes," and out there, "Trump's message is as loud as it has ever been." It is a "parallel media network..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Marc Tracy with the big picture: "In American life, truth is now contested. And while this has profoundly affected the country's politics, and so much else, it has raised unique challenges for one group in particular: journalists..." (NYT)

-- Erik Wemple writes about how the "bogus NSA story" shows Tucker Carlson is in control at Fox: "Fox News executives had a choice: They could force Carlson to amend his outlandish claims, or they could sign on to his deceptive package ...Those executives chose to side with Carlson's fantasy, ratings and money..." (WaPo)

-- A group of scholars studying the US response to Covid say they've found that "if you rely on Facebook" for Covid info, "you are substantially less likely than the average American to say you have been vaccinated. In fact, Facebook news consumers are less likely to be vaccinated than people who get their coronavirus information from Fox News..." (WaPo)

-- The BBC is calling for immediate action "by the Chinese government to stop these attacks" on reporters covering the floods in Henan Province... (Reuters)

Blowing past expectations

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft all beat expectations on Tuesday, and all for different reasons.

The lead story on the CNN Business homepage right now is about Apple posting a record quarter thanks to iPhone sales. Additionally, "the company posted double-digit revenue growth in each of its product categories," Clare Duffy reported.

Alphabet's strength was fueled by demand for online ads. Google's core ad business "posted revenue of $50.4 billion – a 69% increase from the year prior," Rishi Iyengar wrote. Ad revenue from YouTube "surged 84% to $7 billion."

>> If those staggering #'s don't impress you, this # will: "From just April to June, Apple, Google and Microsoft together made $56.8 billion in profits," the NYT's Jack Nicas pointed out...

The 'murky' future of BuzzFeed, Vox, Vice and Group Nine

Kerry Flynn writes: "After BuzzFeed announced its SPAC plan, will its peers in digital media follow suit? NYT's Edmund Lee and Lauren Hirsch have a rundown on the state of the deals. They also explored the 'murky' middle where these businesses sit -- overly reliant on ads and scale instead of subscriptions or loyal niche audiences."

>> Flynn adds: "But there are growing revenue opportunities for these four media brands: Studio businesses. The Information's Sahil Patel reported that each of the four said 'its studio operation has either become or is on the path to becoming a meaningful contributor to its topline.' Vox, for example, has sold 50 TV and film projects to streaming services and to TV networks over the last 15 months..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Kerry Flynn:

-- LinkedIn quietly launched a pilot program last month that gives Premium members greater access to content on some paywalled sites, Max Willens reports... (Digiday)

-- "At Futuro Media, Maria Hinojosa is building a home for authentic Latino storytelling," Hanaa' Tameez writes... (Nieman Lab)

-- Forbes staffers voted in favor of unionizing, 67-7, with NewsGuild... (Twitter)

-- Louise Story, who oversaw digital strategy and tech at WSJ, is leaving the paper and working on a book.... (NYT)

Lloyd Grove to retire

Oliver Darcy writes: "The Daily Beast EIC Noah Shachtman shared some 'bittersweet news' with the outlet's staffers on Tuesday. 'One of the giants of our industry, Lloyd Grove, is retiring after more than four decades in the business,' Shachtman wrote in a note. Shachtman described Grove's career as the kind 'most of us can only dream about.' That said, Shachtman said that Grove will remain a contributor..."

>> Darcy adds: "Filling Grove's role as editor-at-large will be Lachlan Cartwright. Shachtman explained The Beast wanted someone who could 'chase down big stories, dole out tips, and mentor young reporters.' He said promoting Cartwright was the natural option..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Congrats to this year's nominees for News & Documentary Emmy Awards! PBS scored 52 nominations. "CNN again runs second among networks with 41 noms, followed by CBS (30), ABC (22) and Vice (20)." Here's the complete list... (Deadline)

-- NBC News says it is adding 200+ jobs "to its digital organization, led by a major investment in streaming as well as in its 'Today' show brand," Sara Fischer reports... (Axios)

-- NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara has been promoted to chief communications officer, a new position for the outlet... (NPR)

-- "Twitter's recent acquisition spree continues" as "the company announces it has acqui-hired the team from news aggregator and summary app Brief..." (TechCrunch)

-- "Amid a ratings plunge and star-athlete stumbles, NBCU and media agencies with Olympics clients are haggling over 'make goods,' or extra ad inventory given when audience guarantees aren't met." Here is Brian Steinberg's latest... (Variety)

FX extends deal for NYT docs

Brian Lowry writes: "FX has extended its deal with the New York Times for documentaries under the 'The New York Times Presents' banner, with an eighth project to air in September. Separately, it was announced that media reporter Rachel Abrams will be moving to the documentary team as a senior producer..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- Ben Strauss writes about how there is growing interest in the National Women's Soccer League, but notes that "broadcasts struggle to keep pace..." (WaPo)

-- "In what marks another big starry package for Netflix, the streamer has acquired worldwide rights to the action thriller 'Fast & Loose' from STXfilms, with Will Smith set to star and David Leitch to direct..." (Deadline)

-- Breaking at the time I'm hitting send: "Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the set of AMC's 'Better Call Saul' set and was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday..." (THR)

-- "An 18-year-old woman was killed and a 19-year-old man was badly injured during a shooting at a screening of 'The Forever Purge'" at a California theater... (Variety)

A highly enjoyable trip

Brian Lowry writes: "Perhaps I'm guilty of grading on a curve -- movies based on theme-park rides don't have a glittering track record -- but I came away from 'Jungle Cruise' pleasantly surprised, although the film owes more to Universal's 'The Mummy' franchise than anything in Disney's fleet. The real question is what sort of waves a movie based on a 66-year-old attraction can make at the box office, and whether the studio will again be trumpeting aggregate 'consumer spend' and premium Disney+ revenue five days from now." Read Lowry's full review here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

By Lisa Respers France:

-- Joey Jordison, former Slipknot drummer and one of the founding members of the heavy metal band, died in his sleep. He was 46.

-- Rapper DaBaby defended his homophobic comments at a music festival this past weekend amid backlash...

-- Ashton Kutcher and Mika Kunis say they don't believe in bathing their kids or themselves too much...

John Stamos, podcaster

Lisa Respers France writes: "John Stamos wants to tell you about the most famous crime you may have never heard of. The 'Big Shot' and 'Fuller House' star told me he came to learn about the 1963 kidnapping of them 19-year-old Frank Sinatra Jr. in an interesting way -- by becoming friends with the kidnapper who masterminded the scheme. Now Stamos has narrated a true crime podcast all about it." Details here...

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

Pet of the day!

Reader Robert Janyk emails a photo of his canine with this caption: "After Dad reads me his daily Reliable Sources...I get so ponderous I have to pick up a stick and do some serious pondering of all of the reliable information."