Moving the needle?
“Not that long ago, the press could root out corruption, topple presidents, and end wars. Now, even the biggest scoops have little impact,” Craig Unger says in an essay titled “Nothing Moves The Needle.”
“Lord knows, I’ve tried,” the veteran investigative reporter writes, bemoaning what he sees as a “flatlined” public response to President Trump’s “scandals.”
It’s a provocative piece, even if you’re skeptical of his emphasis on Russia, or unsure if “the needle“ is an appropriate way to evaluate the work of reporters.
When Unger says “the ground journalism was built to stand on stopped being solid under everyone at the same time,” he is channeling a familiar frustration among members of the media — that the public just doesn’t seem to care the way it (maybe?) used to care.
“The watchdogs are barking themselves hoarse,” as Marie-Rose Sheinerman wrote for The Atlantic yesterday.
Among other things, Unger blames Americans living “inside their own impenetrable silos, talking to each other (but not to outsiders) about information and disinformation that has been deliberately engineered to be aligned with a desired political outcome.”
Maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me, but I think there are plenty of examples — from both Trump’s times in office and Joe Biden’s time in between — of real reporting breaking through. This year, public opposition to Trump’s priorities and profiteering is evident in poll after poll.
In the social media responses to Unger’s essay, The Texas Newsroom investigative reporter/editor Neena Satija said Unger is missing something: “The decimation of the local news industry is part of the problem. Still, there are plenty of bright spots in local news where reporting IS moving the needle, every day.”
Colorado news anchor Kyle Clark similarly conveyed his experience at 9News “building real community/shared reality despite disinfo.” And Salon writer Sophia Tesfaye observed that “citizen journalists made the difference in Minnesota this year.”
>> Jury selection begins today in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the only person ever charged in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 shooting death. Davis has pleaded not guilty. CNN’s Eric Levenson previews the trial here.
>> There’s also a trial getting underway in Tennessee “over allegations by state prosecutors that Meta designed its products to addict young users.” Reuters is out with a new poll showing that “three in five Americans favor stronger oversight of social media companies.”
>> Trump’s media company reports earnings after the bell today.
While the Trump administration continues to pick a fight with Disney via the FCC, Disney’s ESPN is giving the president’s Patriot Games competition some much-needed visibility. ESPN streamed the first day of competition yesterday and will show more action today and tomorrow, all in the ESPN app. On Thursday night, the highlights will air in a prime-time special on ABC.
I checked out a few of the events online yesterday, and the bleachers looked pretty empty, which is unfortunate since these high school student-athletes deserve support. So the ESPN streams are making the events accessible, though one wonders if the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group has failed to get the word out sufficiently.
CNN’s Isabelle Khurshudyan and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn have more on the “highly produced display of youth patriotism” here…
This is intriguing mostly because, as the NYT’s Theodore Schleifer writes, Scott is “one of the world’s most scrutinized billionaire philanthropists” and is “intensely private.” Scott has “only spoken through annual or biannual blog posts since 2020, when she began giving away billions of dollars a year and upending philanthropy.” Now she appears to be self-publishing an 80,000-word novel on a Substack newsletter account, bit by bit, all month long. Rad!
Here’s the first line of the prologue: “In a cemetery beyond the Badlands, twenty-four of the original members of the Church of the Long Tomorrow lie in unmarked graves.” Scott has 2,000-plus subscribers so far…
Trump has nominated Brendan Carr aide Danielle Thumann Severs to the FCC, foreshadowing a fight over the commission’s traditional Republican–Democrat balance.
As David Shepardson’s Reuters story explains, “the FCC historically is divided 3-2 with the party in control of the White House holding a majority. The law requires three members for a quorum, so if Thumann is confirmed it could allow Trump to fire” the commission’s lone Democrat, Anna Gomez, who has been an outspoken critic of Carr and Trump’s anti-media moves.
About that confirmation process: Thumann Severs “will face a tight legislative calendar given the looming midterm elections and the meager days left in the session, although Republicans have fast-tracked FCC nominees in less time before,” Politico’s John Hendel wrote.
Democratic lawmakers told Hendel they’ll stand in the way if Republicans advance Thumann Severs “without any attempt at bipartisan balance.” It’s hard to believe that Trump is concerned about “bipartisan balance” at the FCC, however.
Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal editorial board says there are good reasons to repeal the cap on TV station ownership, but “a better solution would be eliminating the FCC.” The editors are especially concerned about Carr’s plan to review deals on a “case-by-case” basis, writing, “This is an invitation for rent-seeking and political abuse.” Trump and Carr’s “latest threat has been against ABC,” they note. “Want a deal that exceeds the ownership cap approved? Better not run Jimmy Kimmel.”
The late Lindsey Graham “loved to gab with reporters,” but as sister Darline Graham adjusts to his longtime Senate seat, “she has shied away from the media attention” that he so often relished, Michael Gold writes for the NYT. Gold answers the so-what? in the very next sentence: Her silence “has left many unanswered questions about the views and positions of a woman who had never held public office.”
>> Correction: On Friday, I misspelled the first name of the new interim Opinion editor at The Washington Post. His name is Mark Lasswell. Apologies, Mark!
>> “A federal judge clarified that reporter Catherine Herridge doesn’t have to pay an $800-per-day contempt fine as she appeals to the Supreme Court.” (Deadline)
>> Juan Benn Jr., a local criminal justice reporter for The Washington Post, shares what he learned after being picked for jury duty. (WaPo)
>> The Kansas City Call, the city’s “oldest and without a doubt most cherished Black-owned newspaper,” is on the brink of shutting down. (KC Star)
X “is shaking up how it pays influencers and creators,” replacing its Revenue Sharing program with Original Content Rewards, TechCrunch’s Anthony Ha reports. The old program paid creators largely based on engagement from premium users; under the new one, only qualifying impressions on original content will count. In other words, as Ha writes, “the big change is the emphasis on originality.” Hope it works…
>> Meta has “introduced a new AI model that’s light enough to run on a single computer, allowing users to download and customize the technology,” Vlad Savov reports. (Bloomberg)
>> Max Tani highlights Spotify’s “potential disruption of the podcast ad economy” in the form of a streamlined ad-skipping button. This reminds me of the TV industry fights over DVR ad-skipping tech. (Semafor)
>> Would nostalgia be enough to make a relaunch of Myspace successful? I’d love to say yes, but the answer is no. (CNBC)
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is “continuing its unparalleled box office run, scoring another $145 million domestically during its second weekend in theaters,” Variety’s Rebecca Rubin reports. “At this pace, box office watchers are wondering whether ‘Spidey’ has the staying power to become the first movie to ever reach $1 billion at the domestic box office and become the sole film to hit $3 billion globally,” she adds. I saw it in a packed theater on Saturday night, and I’d be tempted to go see it again…!
>> “The Odyssey” is “officially Christopher Nolan’s biggest movie ever, with $1.1 billion,” as well as “Imax’s highest-grossing release of all time with $289 million,” Rubin also reports.
Big indie box office news: Matt Johnson’s “Tony” Bourdain biopic “earned the top per theater average of the weekend as A24 released the film in six theaters in New York and Los Angeles, earning just shy of $349,000 for a per theater average of $58,159,” TheWrap’s Jeremy Fuster reports.
That’s a huge per-theater average and shows real excitement for the biopic. The film opens nationwide on August 21…
This edition of Reliable Sources was edited by Andrew Kirell and produced with Liam Reilly. Email us your feedback and tips here.