First Amendment watch
Maybe we’ll make this a recurring section of Reliable Sources. There are half a dozen news items to highlight just today:
First, in DC, NBC’s Ryan Reilly scooped that “Jeanine Pirro’s office has decided to stop pursuing the case against six Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military and intelligence communities in a social media video not to comply with unlawful orders.”
FIRE director of public advocacy Aaron Terr’s takeaway: The “First Amendment prevails; DOJ drops case it always knew was a complete nonstarter.”
But… win some, lose some? In Florida, US District Judge Aileen Cannon barred the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on President Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified records and obstruction of justice.
The Knight First Amendment Institute, one of the public transparency groups that’s been trying to pry the report loose, said Cannon’s decision is “impossible to square with the First Amendment and the common law.”
Next, to Maine, where a new First Amendment lawsuit is seeking “to stop the Trump administration from retaliating against people who are recording or otherwise observing immigration enforcement activities — specifically challenging immigration agents’ surveillance threats, often, ironically, caught on video,” Chris Geidner reports in his Law Dork newsletter. The defendants are alleging “content- and viewpoint-based discrimination” by the government.
A ‘pincer movement’ to penalize speech |
This morning the NYT editorial board is scrutinizing the Trump administration’s “legally creative, democratically dangerous” attempts to “twist the news.” It says FTC chair Andrew Ferguson’s warning letter to Apple over Apple News; the FTC’s ongoing probe of Media Matters; and Brendan Carr’s actions at the FCC “directly undermine the First Amendment.” “The actions of the two agencies are a pincer movement,” the editorial states. “The FTC is twisting consumer protection statutes to penalize speech it dislikes, while the FCC is weaponizing the ‘public interest’ standard to bully broadcasters into submission.” |
>> View from the right: While the NYT blasts Trump agencies for pressuring speech in the US, National Review’s newest editorial is about “Europe’s War on Digital Speech.” >> The New York Post’s John Coleman is calling out Gov. Kathy Hochul for “cracking down on AI-generated political speech.” >> “A National Park Service employee fired after hanging a transgender pride flag at Yosemite has sued several federal agencies and officials over an alleged First Amendment violation,” the WSJ’s Allison Pohle scooped yesterday. |
Savannah’s day-24 video: ‘We are begging you’ |
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This morning, in her first new Instagram video in more than a week, Savannah Guthrie acknowledged that her mom Nancy “may already be gone.” “But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home,” Savannah said. “For that reason we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery.” “We also know that we are not alone in our loss,” Savannah continued. “We know there are millions of families that have suffered with this kind of uncertainty, and for that reason, today, we also are donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their work in helping families…” >> Tips were “flooding in at at the beginning,” but “that has slowed down,” so the decision was made to offer the new reward money, John Miller said on CNN. >> NBC News aired a nationwide special report at 9 a.m. ET and showed the 4-minute video in its entirety. “Living in this uncertainty is agonizing” for the Guthries, Hoda Kotb said afterward. |
WBD board is ‘reviewing’ Paramount’s new offer |
Paramount has officially raised its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent, and now the WBD board says it is “reviewing” the proposal. The companies have not made the new offer price public. Netflix now has a few days to match the price. “We will update our shareholders following the board’s review,” the WBD board said this morning, emphasizing that “the Netflix merger agreement remains in effect.” “Our work continues on separation efforts and integration planning with Netflix, and our priorities as a business remain unchanged,” WBD CEO David Zaslav told employees this morning. “The focus guiding our every decision is pursuing the best outcome for shareholders while protecting the long-term strength of our businesses.” >> When we’ll expect to hear more: Paramount reports earnings after the bell tomorrow, and WBD before the bell on Thursday. |
The State of the Union is… |
Long. Trump says “it’s going to be a long speech.” I don’t know if that’s the best way to drive tune-in, but hey, he’s the TV president. News anchors will gather at the White House for the traditional pre-SOTU luncheon with the president this afternoon. Special coverage will kick off on CNN at 8 p.m. ET. TVNewser has a roundup of all the coverage plans here… |
Gov. Gavin Newsom has already garnered lots of press for his book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” which is out today. ICYMI, his sit-down with CNN’s Dana Bash was really compelling. Katherine Koretski has four takeaways from the memoir here. >> Yesterday “media outlets on the right seized on a comment” that he made at a book tour stop in Atlanta, Deadline’s Ted Johnson writes. When Sean Hannity attacked, Newsom wrote back on X, “Spare me your fake fucking outrage, Sean.” |
More of today’s new releases |
Dr. Peter Attia leaves CBS without ever contributing |
Dr. Peter Attia “is stepping aside as a contributor to CBS News,” THR’s Alex Weprin scooped yesterday. Attia was named a contributor on Jan. 27 but never actually appeared on-air due to the Jan. 30 release of his embarrassing old emails with Jeffrey Epstein. Attia’s rep said he resigned because he doesn’t want to be a “distraction” for CBS, but it’s too late for that. TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman and Michael Calderone reported back on Feb. 2 that Paramount was “planning” to cut Attia loose, but it “led to a huge internal fight between Bari Weiss and corporate as she dug in her heels.” And now, weeks later, his exit is a done deal. “Attia’s resignation from CBS serves as a testament to the immense power of survivors and advocates to hold rich, powerful people accountable,” UltraViolet said in a statement. “It reminds us that we, too, have the power to fight back against those who enabled or lent credibility and legitimacy to Epstein and his accomplices. They can no longer be shielded by their wealth, networks, or influence.” |
>> Blizzard impact: Boston Globe execs determined they couldn’t get a print edition to subscribers today. It’s an unprecedented decision… but also an entirely logical one in an era when digital is slowly replacing print. (Boston Globe) >> “The national media seems to have moved on from Minnesota, leaving the misimpression that the federal government’s occupation there has concluded,” Jonathan V. Last writes, arguing that the media “has failed” to report the full story. (Bulwark) >> Bot watch: A detailed analysis shows that Nicki Minaj’s “advocacy for conservative causes has been amplified by an army of bots and coordinated activity,” Jason Beeferman reports. (POLITICO) >> David Begnaud “is launching an independent media company using the beehiiv platform while remaining a contributor” at CBS News, Jeremy Barr writes. The venture is called the Do Good Crew, and I just signed up. (The Guardian) >> ESPN hired tennis Hall of Famer Andy Roddick as a tennis commentator. (THR) |
‘It appears NBCUniversal gets the gold’ |
That’s what Deadline’s Katie Campione says, since the Milan Cortina Olympics “were the most-watched Winter Games in more than a decade” in the US. Favorable time zones helped, of course. So did some unforgettable competitions… |
Post Sports, post Olympics |
Remember the turmoil over whether the Washington Post would send anyone to cover the Olympics, since the sports section was about to be dismantled? Well, now that the games are over, Jason Murray’s time as WaPo sports editor has come to an end. But Murray has a message for readers: “I’ll be keeping my WaPo subscription because while what happened was horrific and nonsensical, there are still great journalists in that building doing essential work,” Murray tweeted, adding that, “this country needs them, especially in these times.” |
How X pushes people rightward |
X “has become a place that both attracts more conservatives and pushes them further to the right, resulting in an X-obsessed administration that often uses the bizarre language of Zoomer fascists when posting online,” NYMag’s John Herrman writes in a column that highlights a new study in Nature. The study, “The political effects of X’s feed algorithm,” found that X’s algorithmic feed “increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions.” |
Docs show Meta weighed ‘addictive’ question |
Clare Duffy’s latest is headlined “Facebook researchers previously proposed studying whether features were ‘addictive,’ documents show.” She says the files “raise new questions about what Meta has known about the risks of its platforms, especially to young people — a question at the heart of the legal battle currently underway against the company.” Read on… |
A few Hollywood headlines |
>> Isaac Hayes’ estate has reached a confidential settlement with Trump “to end copyright litigation over the allegedly unauthorized use of the 1966 song ‘Hold On, I’m Comin” at 2024 election rallies.” (Billboard) >> “Ryan Coogler‘s long-gestating ‘The X-Files’ reboot has received a pilot greenlight at Hulu.” (Deadline) >> “Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ have been added to the Criterion Collection.” (Variety) >> Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” snagged the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her 14th No. 1, Gary Trust writes. (Billboard) |