Brian Stelter here at 9:37pm ET on Monday, March 7 with the latest on Bob Chapek, "Dateline," Dan Bongino, The Atlantic, the ACM Awards, and much more. But first...
"I'm not hiding"
The AP's David Bauder and Jocelyn Noveck wrote Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "is drawing historical comparisons as an effective and stirring wartime communicator — yet with a distinctly modern touch inflected by the sensibilities of live television and the personal feel of social media."
Here's a brand-new example: Zelensky posted a video of himself in his office in Kyiv Monday night, "the first time he has been seen there since the invasion began on February 24," per CNN's Tim Lister in Kyiv.
The video began with Zelensky recording on a smartphone and looking out a window, then filming selfie-style, as if to prove where he was. Then he walked to his desk and sat down and transitioned into a formal address from a stationary camera. As Charlie Warzel put it, Zelensky was blending "an authentic form of communicating and the more authoritative, institutional form – and both seem powerful and important to the moment." Among his statements in the nine-minute video: "I’m not hiding. And I’m not afraid of anyone.”
Zelensky also taped an interview with ABC's David Muir on Monday. He and his aides have skillfully used a combination of platforms to speak to Ukrainian, European, American, and global audiences.
"Meanwhile," Bauder and Noveck wrote, "Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared detached and distant, speaking to aides via videoconference or the end of an almost absurdly elongated table..."
The digital Iron Curtain
"Like much else about the country, Russia's internet has long straddled East and West," Rishi Iyengar reports for CNN Business. Now Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "which has increasingly isolated the country in recent days, could also prove to be the death knell for its presence on the worldwide web." The newfound blockades against sites like Facebook "have major implications for the ability of Russians to access information and express themselves freely," Iyengar writes. "At a more fundamental level, it could also further accelerate the fracturing of the global internet as we know it."
>> Key quote: This is "definitely a flashpoint, and likely a turning point, for western platforms operating in Russia," said Jessica Brandt of the Brookings Institution...
>> The NYT's Adam Satariano and Valerie Hopkins put it this way: Russia has become "a walled-off digital state akin to China and Iran..."
Are tech platforms truly banned in Russia? It's complicated
This NPR explainer by Shannon Bond and Bobby Allyn sheds a lot of light on what's actually accessible and inaccessible in Russia. "It's not easy to get a clear picture of what's going on," they wrote. "The Kremlin's directives against online platforms can be vague or confusing and on-the-ground reports from Russia about how social media and other apps are working vary."
For example, Twitter has been "throttled" inside the country, but it hasn't been clear whether Russian claims about blocking the platform gelled with the reality for internet users. On Monday, the company said "we're aware of reports that people are increasingly having difficulty accessing Twitter in Russia. We're investigating and working to fully restore access to our service..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- "Russia's vaunted disinformation operation has failed miserably over Ukraine. Its false flags were exposed in advance and fizzled," Jim Sciutto observed. "The most viral images are of the Ukrainian resistance and civilian victims. And pro-Putin voices in the US/West have (mostly) slinked away..." (Twitter)
-- On Monday night Erin Burnett interviewed Tikhon Dzyadko, the editor in chief of Russia's TV Rain channel, who is now in Tblisi, Georgia. Fleeing the country was "humiliating," he said, "because I'm not a criminal..." (CNN)
-- Steven Lee Myers with the big picture POV: Putin "is undoing the social freedoms introduced at the end of the Soviet Union, risking a return to total control and ideological isolation..." (NYT)
-- CNN.com's banner headline right now: "Civilian toll of Russian assault mounts..." (CNN)
-- WaPo's Tuesday front page banner: "Ukraine's humanitarian crisis grows..."
Addario says she witnessed a war crime
Photojournalist Lynsey Addario, whose photo of dead Ukrainian civilians was the dominant image on Monday's New York Times front page, spoke with CNN, CBS and other outlets about what she witnessed. Addario was clear: It was "a war crime" by Russian forces.
When CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell asked Addario "how are you doing" personally, she answered thusly: "I mean, you can ask me that in a few months." I think many journalists can relate to that feeling. "Right now," Addario said, "I'm just trying to stay very focused and work, and I think it's really important that people around the world see these images." She said it was "really brave" of The Times to run the image so prominently...
Journalists becoming refugees
Jamie Maglietta writes: "Journalists are being forced to flee due to the war, just like those they typically interview. 'I've become a refugee,' Moscow-based screenwriter and journalist Andrew Ryvkin said, adding that his ‘entire life is annulled.’ While Ryvkin felt the need to flee Russia, Oksana Grytsenko, who worked as a journalist in Kyiv for more than 20 years, left Ukraine. She wrote about how she became a 'war refugee.' Two journalists on opposite sides of the border: One leaving because of war and the other leaving because of possible persecution..."
>> Journalist Eva Hartog tweeted about her decision to leave Moscow with "journalists first in line for a fresh crackdown." At "a moment when our — and by extension Russians' — voices should be the loudest, we are being silenced," Hartog wrote. "Because we call a war a war."
>> CPJ is also urging countries to give refuge to independent Russian journalists searching for a safe haven...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Steve Herman says "a grassroots crowdfunding effort is launching to put VOA News and RFE/RL programming on the air via private shortwave transmitters:.." (Twitter)
-- Paul Farhi writes about "the tiny radio station" broadcasting Radio Sputnik in Washington, DC: "At its most pernicious, Sputnik offers wholly misleading information..." (WaPo)
-- Twitch streamers in Russia are losing their livelihoods "as sanctions hit home," Nathan Grayson reports... (WaPo)
-- "Rich Russian kids are known for showing off their lavish lifestyles on Instagram, but some have been using the platform to protest" Putin's invasion, Waiyee Yip observes... (Insider)
-- Oprah Winfrey: "There have been so many stellar reporters from all the networks risking their lives to show the world the truth, to stand up for humanity." She praised Clarissa Ward as "fierce, unshakable, and outstanding..." (Oprah Daily)
-- Anderson Cooper will appear on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" from Ukraine on Monday night...
Doomscrolling is back
Well, to be fair, it never fully went away. "The pace of the crisis in Ukraine has created a brain-tangling complexity for anyone trying to understand what is going on," James Tapper writes for The Guardian. "Now doomscrolling is back in ways not seen since the beginning of the Covid pandemic." He notes that "the war has more clarity than the pandemic," at least...
>> Related: CNBC recently ran an article titled "how to stop doomscrolling when tragedy strikes..."
Bongino: "The left is learning" from deplatforming Russia
Oliver Darcy writes: "In right-wing media, there is talk emerging that the deplatforming of Russia will inevitably be used by 'the left' against conservatives in the US. On his Monday radio show, Dan Bongino argued that 'the left is learning' from cutting off services, such as credit cards and social media, to Russia. Bongino argued that 'they are already getting that model for here.' Expect this type of talk to get louder and louder in the coming days and weeks..."
US gas hits a record: $4.14 a gallon
Gas prices are officially at a record high in the US. It's a big story, and it's being covered accordingly by every major outlet. (Google says that "search interest in 'gas price' reached an all-time high this month in the US.) Keep an eye on the differences in the tone and tenor of the coverage, though:
Oliver Darcy writes: "Fox's new fixation on the record-high gas prices is another case of the right-wing network taking a legitimate story and distorting it beyond recognition. On Fox, the network's personalities have been excoriating Biden as if he is solely to blame for the spike in prices. (Peter Doocy even snarked at the briefing that the White House was 'blaming' Putin 'for the increase in gas prices,' as if that's a ridiculous position.) In some cases, the network has also exaggerated the current high prices, as The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona noted Monday. From a political POV, Fox's focus on gas prices is smart, and the GOP will likely advance this narrative more and more in the coming days. Americans (rightfully) care a lot about how much it costs to fill up the tank — something that I suspect some NYC/DC-dwelling journalists forget from time to time. So telling them that it's all Biden's fault will likely have an impact and galvanize voters. The problem, of course, is that the subject is far more complicated..."
IN OTHER NEWS...
Chapek's tightrope walk
"Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out about Florida's controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill in a staff email – but doubled down on his refusal to publish a public statement against it," CNN's Ramishah Maruf wrote Monday. Chapek said corporate statements can be counterproductive and undermine "more effective ways to achieve change." He said "inspiring content" and "diverse stories are our corporate statements — and they are more powerful than any tweet or lobbying effort."
Lowry's take
Brian Lowry writes: "While I'm skeptical, based on history, that calls to boycott Disney over its wishy-washy response to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill will significantly impact the company's bottom line, I'm even more skeptical that Chapek's letter adequately addresses the issue or is going to satisfy employees and studio partners opposed to the legislation. Chapek appears to want to avoid alienating any key constituents, but the bottom line PR-wise is saying Disney supports the LGBTQ community rings hollow if the studio won't push back at all against Florida officials because it has so much invested in the Sunshine state..."
>> Lowry is right: "The reaction from Disney-affiliated individuals has been a mix of disappointment and frustration," Variety's Selome Hailu reports...
TUESDAY PLANNER
Happy International Women's Day...
Apple holds its first product event of the year at 1pm ET... Samantha Murphy Kelly has a preview here...
"Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall," directed by Erin Lee Carr, debuts on HBO...
Tuesday's new nonfiction releases
Bill Barr's "One Damn Thing After Another" is #5 on Amazon's best seller list right now. Here are some of Tuesday's other book launches:
>> Elizabeth Williamson's book "Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth" is "vital reading in the post-truth age," The AP's Donna Edwards writes. On Monday the NYT published a story drawn from Williamson's book, titled "Alex Jones and Donald Trump: A Fateful Alliance Draws Scrutiny..."
>> Laurie Segall's memoir "Special Characters" charts "both her career and her personal life, from her days as a 23-year-old CNN news assistant to interviewing Mark Zuckerberg in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal," The Information's Annie Goldsmith writes. Segall talked with her about the book here...
>> Richard Hasen's "Cheap Speech" is subtitled "How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics — and How to Cure It." Check out his NYT guest essay for a preview of his arguments...
"Biden warms to progressive press"
In Monday's West Wing Playbook, Politico's Max Tani and Alex Thompson read the tea leaves of President Biden's interviews with Heather Cox Richardson and Brian Tyler Cohen, plus some recent outreach efforts by Ron Klain. "Those interviews," they say, "represent a subtle but potentially significant shift in communications strategy for a White House that has been slower to boost lefty digital media outlets than many supporters would like." Key line: "One person with knowledge of the thinking said the White House saw the interviews not just as a way to reach its hardcore supporters online, but a chance to further elevate and legitimize the profiles of successful Biden-friendly media figures." Read on...
The Atlantic writer defends MBS profile
The Atlantic's April cover story, "Inside the Palace with Mohammed bin Salman," has stirred several days of controversy. Jamal Khashoggi's former editor at WaPo, Karen Attiah, called it an "insult to journalism," writing, "Maybe the Atlantic thought MBS's own blatant lies and narcissism would be enough to condemn him in the eyes of readers. But all they did was show themselves to be mere tools in MBS's campaign to restore his image."
Graeme Wood, the author of the 12,000-word story in question, responded to the outside criticism with this: "Of Course Journalists Should Interview Autocrats."
"All journalism is an attempt to bring readers things they do not know, and all interviews with heads of state involve getting them to say things they wish they had not said," Wood wrote. "To elicit these utterances, one must approach the subject sideways — and, most of all, keep him talking, and reveal more than he intends to say. 'Giving a platform' — to use the cliché that imprisons the minds of those who don't know how journalism is done, or what its purpose is — is not a favor bestowed on important people. It is an invitation to walk the boards and fall through trap doors. And that is exactly what Saudi officials themselves, whose past two days have been spent desperately fluffing pillows for a soft landing below, seem to think their ruler did."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- On Monday CNN announced "a number of new executive producers and content leaders joining the CNN+ team," including Vaughn Sterling, who "has been named the executive producer overseeing breaking news coverage on CNN+ and Reliable Sources Daily." Welcome, Vaughn! (TVNewser)
-- "Twitter is elevating two veteran content execs to new roles: TJ Adeshola has been tapped as head of global content partnerships for the social network, and Sarah Rosen will oversee U.S. content partnerships..." (Variety)
-- Shawn McCreesh writes: "Today is Taylor Lorenz's first day at the Washington Post, and she’s already doing, arguably, exactly what she was hired to do: She’s stirring up trouble on social media..." (Intelligencer)
West Virginia Governor threatens to sue reporter
CNN’s Jennifer Henderson writes: "West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said Monday that he may sue the Charleston Gazette-Mail and former statehouse reporter Phil Kabler for 'volumes and volumes and volumes of stuff.' Justice also commented on a recent trip Kabler took and said 'it would have been wonderful in my book if the train would have been hijacked and he had been kept in California forever.'"
These threats rarely amount to anything, but they're a bad look for a governor...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Stan Schroeder says Facebook "appears to be testing a major redesign of its website..." (Mashable)
-- Jess Bravin scoops that "America250 Foundation, a nonprofit planning the government’s observance of the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary, has signed a deal ... giving Facebook’s parent an inside role in producing and promoting the Semiquincentennial commemoration in exchange for $10 million..." (WSJ)
-- Remember Hyperlapse? Instagram has removed the app from the App Store... (TechCrunch)
Roberts: Yes, streaming can make $$$
Peacock is far from profitable, but it can get there, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Monday. In streaming, "you got to be able to make money and you’ve got to have a roadmap to get there. And we believe we can do that," Roberts said, per Deadline's Dade Hayes.
>> Roberts also provided a couple of Peacock viewership data points, though no hard #'s. "Jennifer Lopez's 'Marry Me' is the most-streamed day-and-date movie on Peacock, and Will Smith's gritty 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' reboot 'Bel-Air,' which debuted on Super Bowl Sunday last month, is the platform's top new series," Variety's Jennifer Maas wrote...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- Comcast has (finally) added Apple TV+ to its smart-TV platforms... (Deadline)
-- Jason Gay's must-read column is about "Troy Aikman, Tony Romo and the NFL's million-dollar-a-game announcer club..." (WSJ)
-- Andrew Marchand's latest: "Erin Andrews could be the next Fox free agent to bolt in NFL media frenzy..." (NYPost)
-- Samsung is "looking to flex more muscle in content distribution through a pact" with Sinclair's Tennis Channel, Cynthia Littleton reports... (Variety)
"Dateline" meets drama
Brian Lowry writes: "'The Thing About Pam,' premiering Tuesday, marks another example of news divisions spreading their wings into the true-crime-drama genre – in this case, turning a popular 'Dateline' topic and podcast into an NBC series, with Renee Zellweger starring, and Keith Morrison providing the narration. If it works, expect more..."
"Turning Red" adds to Pixar’s golden touch. But…
Brian Lowry writes: "Dealing with a 13-year-old girl coming of age with plenty of humor, warmth and (on the subject of puberty) boldness for an animated movie, 'Turning Red' shows that Pixar hasn't lost its touch, after a mixed track record with its last few releases. The decision that merits second guessing is Disney's decision to premiere the film on Disney+, which, with theaters opening and Covid restrictions relaxing, feels as if it's leaving green on the table." Read on...
Buzzy trailer of the day
Via Polygon: "Viewers finally have their first look at DMZ, a new miniseries coming to HBO Max, based on the DC Comics series of the same name. The show's first trailer dropped on Monday, just days before the series is set to debut on March 17." It's on YouTube here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
-- "Steven Spielberg has become the most powerful voice yet to express his opposition" to the Academy's plan to move eight Oscars categories out of ABC's prime time telecast, Pete Hammond reports... (Deadline)
-- Angelina Jolie traveled to Yemen to aid refugees and renewed a call for humanitarian access in Ukraine, Lisa Respers France reports... (CNN)
-- One more from France: "Rocketman" star Taron Egerton says he's fine after fainting on stage... (CNN)
-- "The new season of 'Outlander' picked up right where Season 5 left off," Marianne Garvey writes... (CNN)
ACM Awards are happening now
The 57th Academy of Country Music Awards are being presented right now in Las Vegas. The event is being shown live on Amazon Prime Video – potentially "paving the way for streaming awards shows," as Vulture's Joe Adalian wrote here.
>> Check CNN Entertainment for the complete winners list...
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST...
Pet of the day
Reader John McCormick emails a photo of his canine with this caption: "I have to go down those steps again?"
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