| Oliver Darcy here at 10:20pm ET on Tuesday, Sept. 14, with the latest on the California recall, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's "Peril," that thread on the New Yorker, the new Bill Gates-backed climate change outlet, Apple's virtual event, Christopher Nolan's break from Warner Bros., and more. But first...
White House praises ... Fox!
Fox is earning some rare praise from the White House after essentially admitting on Tuesday that it will follow the protocols pushed by the Biden administration to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In a memo I obtained, Fox Corp. human resources chief Kevin Lord effectively communicated to employees that they all face a choice: Get vaccinated or face a daily Covid-19 test.
Lord told staffers that after the company asked employees to report their vaccination status, more than 90% of full-time Fox staffers "reported that they are fully vaccinated." Lord then explained that "soon" the company will introduce daily testing for the staffers "who are not vaccinated or have not provided their vaccination status." Lord said "additional details about this protocol" would be "shared with the relevant employees in the near future."
In effect, Fox has adopted a more stringent version of the vaccine and testing mandate President Biden announced last week — the mandate that the company's loudest voices have trashed and deemed to be nonsensical and "authoritarian." While Biden pushed a vaccination or weekly testing requirement, Fox is saying it will implement a vaccination or daily testing requirement for unvaccinated staff.
All of this has prompted the White House to offer some praise to the Rupert Murdoch-controlled company, while also issuing a challenge to it: "Today's news from Fox News follows a trend we're seeing across the country: vaccination and testing requirements work," a White House spokesperson told me Tuesday night. "We are glad they have stepped up to protect their workforce and strengthen the economy, and we encourage them convey to their audience that these types of practices will protect their employees, their communities, and the economy..."
The hypocrisy should be no surprise
Throughout the pandemic, Fox has privately implemented common sense health measures to protect its employees, while simultaneously allowing its most influential hosts and personalities to publicly trash such measures. It has been true for face masks. It has been true for the concept of vaccine passports. And now it is true regarding vaccines and testing. Which is all to say, that while it would be nice if Fox's biggest stars did encourage its audience to follow basic health precautions — as the White House is challenging the company to do — I will not hold my breath...
>> Related: Here's a thread from Andrew Lawrence showing the network attack Biden's vaccine/testing mandate Tuesday night while it implements a version of it...
SPEAKING OF RETURNING TO OFFICE PROCEDURES...
NBC delays "full company reopening" to 2022
NBCUniversal exec Adam Miller announced in a Tuesday memo to staff that the company is "moving our full company reopening to January." Miller cited "the prevalence of the Delta variant and increasing number of breakthrough cases" that "caused us to amend our plans." That said, Miller noted some employees have been participating in the company's "soft reopening" and said the hope is to "bring even more" employees to offices in mid-October... WEDNESDAY PLANNER This year's TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people comes out around 8:30am ET...
President Biden will hold a meeting at 1:30pm with business leaders on his Covid-19 response...
Biden will deliver brief remarks in the East Room about a "national security initiative" at 5pm... All eyes on California
As I'm hitting send on this newsletter, CNN is in full election coverage mode. All signs point to Gov. Gavin Newsom surviving the recall effort by a comfortable margin. So the question on Wednesday will likely become: How will Larry Elder respond to the results? Will he concede graciously and encourage his supporters to respect the results? Or will he cast doubt on the integrity of the election, as the signs strongly suggest? And if Elder does aim to attack the integrity of the election, will outlets like Newsmax and Fox News — which have been sued over their 2020 election coverage — allow him to use their platforms to do so?
>> Elder was on Sean Hannity's show Tuesday night putting on a positive face. Hannity also stayed positive, encouraging people to go out and vote and even saying that the next time Elder appears on his show, he could be "governor-elect..." FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE -- Elder's radio employer, Salem Media, is also "a platform, a vehicle and an outright backer for him in this race," David Folkenflik writes. The company has even contributed $$ to his campaign... (NPR)
-- Eric Kleefeld breaks down how right-wing media jumped on a "sloppy local news report" to "exaggerate a computer problem at one California neighborhood into mass voting fraud in recall..." (MMFA)
-- Meanwhile: The lead story across NBC, ABC and CBS on Tuesday night was the severe flooding from Tropical Storm Nicholas along portions of the Gulf Coast... Woodward and Costa's book jumps to #1 on Amazon
Brian Stelter writes: "'Peril' by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa was hovering around #300 on Amazon's best selling books list on Tuesday morning. Now it is firmly at #1, following the noon hour wave of revelations from the book. CNN, WaPo and NYT all published stories highlighting secret government efforts to protect the country from President Trump at the tail end of Trump's time in office. Gen. Mark Milley, worried a deranged Trump could "go rogue," took secret action to secure nuclear weapons, the authors report. And there's a whole lot more. The book comes out next Tuesday..."
>> Of note: In right-wing media, the conversation is firmly centered on whether Milley's rogue actions mean he committed treason and should end up in prison... FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO -- Erik Wemple writes about Tucker Carlson's lying admission: "The admission was bizarre in light of the context: Host Dave Rubin didn't ask Carlson whether he lies, but Carlson came out with his confession nonetheless. Maybe he feels bad about it all?" (WaPo)
-- Norimitsu Onishi reports on the "Fox-style news network" that is riding "a wave of discontent in France" and helping to reshape the country's politics... (NYT)
-- Chris Cillizza writes about the "fake controversy" right-wing media stirred up "over Joe Biden's 'mute' button..." (CNN)
-- How many more headlines like this will we read? "Conservative radio host who swore off Covid-19 vaccine dies after contracting virus, co-host says..." (CNN) "This s**t is just embarrassing"
An Phung writes: "Here is a Twitter thread every newsroom leader should read. Erin Overbey, archive editor for The New Yorker, laid out some pretty embarrassing stats about the venerable publication. Here is one that stood out: 'In its 96 years of existence, the @NewYorker print mag has published only 4 book reviews by African-American women.' Here is another: 'In the last 15 years at the @NewYorker, during the tenure of editor-in-chief David Remnick (author of a bio on Obama), less than 0.01% of print feature & critics pieces have ever been edited by a Black editor...'"
>> New Yorker responds: A spox told NiemanLab, "While we don't believe these tweets present a full or fair view of The New Yorker and its ongoing efforts, there is always more work to do, and we look forward to doing it..." Digital media celebrates WGAE election results
Kerry Flynn writes: "All 7 members of the Solidarity Slate -- the ticket that supported continuing to organize digital media shops -- were elected to the WGAE council, the results of which were announced Tuesday. As I covered last month, members of the opposing ticket, which included the newly elected president, vp and secretary-treasurer, told me they wanted to reconsider that organizing effort. The previous council put digital organizing on pause as they evaluated other options. Now, it's the responsibility of this new council..." FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE -- Margaret Sullivan's latest column is about the importance of language vis a vis political turmoil: "Words matter..." (WaPo)
-- What will Nexstar buy next? The local broadcasting giant "that recently bought The Hill for $130 million is mounting an aggressive acquisition campaign," sources tell Sara Fischer... (Axios)
-- National Association of Broadcasters SVP Ann Marie Cumming writes in favor of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act: "Investments in local journalism pay off in our communities..." (NAB)
-- Kasia Kieli writes about how "freedom of the press is under attack in Poland..." (CNN)
-- Noah Shachtman is making his first hires: Rolling Stone is bringing on Lisa Tozzi as its digital director and Nancy Dillon as a senior reporter... (Axios)
-- Digiday has a new four-part podcast series on "The Modern Newsroom Leader." The first episode features Swati Sharma and Lindsay Peoples Wagner... (Digiday) Bill Gates backs new climate change outlet
"An energy coalition launched by Bill Gates is backing a new publication called 'Cipher' dedicated to the coverage of the climate crisis," Axios' Sara Fischer reported Tuesday. Fischer reported that the outlet will be led by Amy Harder and "promises to have complete editorial independence from its backer, Breakthrough Energy, a six-year-old climate advocacy network founded by Gates..." WSJ: Instagram is "toxic for teen girls" and Facebook knows it
The WSJ published another story in its "Facebook Files" series on Tuesday. The story — by Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz, and Deepa Seetharaman — focused on how Facebook "knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls," according to documents it obtained. Per WSJ, while execs have downplayed the platform's affect on mental health to the public, internally they were aware of a problem. As NYT's Ryan Mac pointed out, the story awkwardly dropped just hours after Instagram boss Adam Mosseri appeared at the Met Gala...
>> This just in: Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, who can't agree on much, just agreed that their subcommittee will probe Facebook's "coverup of its platforms' negative impact on teens and children..." FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR -- The Atlantic's Derek Thompson: "Social media is attention alcohol. It has some beneficial qualities, but it's not naturally wholesome. Many ppl use it often and love it and are basically okay. But a lot of people abuse it and develop unhealthy compulsions with it. Also, it's functionally a depressant..." (Twitter)
-- Emily Shugerman reports that Facebook is "raking tin with shady anti-abortion ads..." (Daily Beast)
-- "Apple and Google have ways to mitigate last week's damaging legal ruling regarding their app store businesses," Dan Gallagher writes. "Ironically, their ability to do so could also prove their critics' point..." (WSJ)
-- LinkedIn is launching a $25 million fund for creators and will test a Clubhouse-like feature, Ingrid Lunden reports... (TechCrunch)
-- "Intuit, the maker of TurboTax and QuickBooks, on Monday said that it has agreed to buy email marketing company Mailchimp for $12 billion in cash and stock," Dan Primack reports... (Axios) Inside Apple's annual event
"Apple unveiled four new iPhones, a new Apple Watch and new iPads on Tuesday during a virtual media event held from California," Samantha Kelly wrote Tuesday, summarizing the company's big annual event. That said, were no groundbreaking announcements at the event. The iPhones — always at the center of these events — only received minor upgrades. Read Kelly's full synopsis here... "Theater is back"
"The longest shutdown in Broadway history is over," NYT's Michael Paulson wrote Tuesday, marking the night when "The Lion King," "Wicked," "Hamilton" and "Chicago" resumed performances for the first time in 18 months. "They are not the first shows to restart, nor the only ones, but they are enormous theatrical powerhouses that have come to symbolize the industry's strength and reach, and their return to the stage is a signal that theater is back," he wrote. But there are asterisks: The Broadway League "is concerned enough about revenue that it has decided not to disclose box office grosses this season." The NYT has a live updates page to cover the occasion... FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE -- "Having secured the rights to the Olympics and the National Football League well into the next decade, Comcast is now turning its attention to another major sports franchise: the English Premier League," Lucas Shaw reports... (Bloomberg)
-- "NBA star Stephen Curry and his Unanimous Media production label have signed a sweeping, first-of-its-kind talent deal" with NBCU, Matt Donnelly reports... (Variety)
-- Front Office Sports is launching a paid subscription product that will cost $300 a year... (Axios)
-- Robert Lloyd writes about how Alex Trebek is "literally irreplaceable," arguing that Mike Richards "acquitted himself as TV's dead man walking..." (LAT)  "Once Upon a Time in Queens" is not quite "The Last Dance"  Brian Lowry writes: "ESPN wants 'Once Upon a Time in Queens,' its latest '30 for 30' docuseries, to do for MLB and the '86 Mets what 'The Last Dance' did for the NBA/Chicago Bulls. It doesn't, and director Nick Davis becomes a bit too enamored with the New York of it all, connecting the on-field heroics with what was happening in the city at that time. But like Doc Gooden on the mound, when it's good, this four-part, two-night presentation is very, very good..." Nolan's break from Warner Bros. points to bigger issue FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX -- Rebecca Rubin and Brent Lang report on how Universal "beat other studios to land Christopher Nolan's new World War II epic..." (Variety)
-- Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures' sci-fi epic 'Dune' is starting its "early rollout this weekend, looking to capitalize on momentum coming off of its star-packed world premiere at the Venice Film Festival," Nancy Tartaglione reports... (Deadline)
-- "James Corden is in negotiations to extend his contract for CBS' The Late Late Show," Peter White scoops. "Corden's current contract runs through August 2022 and the network is thought to be keen to keep him..." (Deadline)
-- "Amber Ruffin's late-night reign will continue at Peacock: The streamer has renewed her self-titled talk show for Season 2," Dave Nemetz reports... (TVLine) Norm Macdonald dies after private battle with cancer
"Norm Macdonald, the acerbic, sometimes controversial comedian familiar to millions as the 'Weekend Update' anchor on 'Saturday Night Live' from 1994 to 1998, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 61," Neil Genzlinger wrote for NYT's obit.
Deadline's Greg Evans, who broke the news of Macdonald's death, cited his longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra to report that the cause was a private battle with cancer which lasted nearly a decade. "He was most proud of his comedy," Hoekstra told Evans. "He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him..."
>> Lisa Respers France has details on how "fellow comedians Jon Stewart, Patton Oswalt, Seth Rogen and more paid tribute" to him... FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN -- "CBS is coming under fire for an upcoming reality TV effort in which six activists compete against each other in a format that's somewhat similar to NBC's defunct 'The Apprentice,'" James Hibberd writes... (THR)
-- Turns out Sam Asghari has a sense of humor. Lisa Respers France helps you get to know the man engaged to Britney Spears... (CNN)
-- Speaking of Spears: She deleted her Instagram account on Tuesday, sparking intrigue, Chloe Melas reports... (CNN)
-- Another one from Lisa: Jennifer Aniston wishes her next love is "not necessarily somebody in the industry..." (CNN) SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
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