Happy Halloween! Here's the latest on Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, MSNBC, Martha Stewart, Tucker Carlson, Nicky Jam, The Economist, Comcast and much more... |
Michael Swensen/Getty Images/File |
Election officials cannot keep up with the sheer amount of misinformation coming from Elon Musk and his X platform. They are simply "outmatched," CNN's Zachary Cohen, Sean Lyngaas and Sara Murray report in this critical new story.
Key graf: "Election officials in pivotal battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona have all tried – and largely failed – to fact-check Musk in real time. At least one has tried passing along personal notes asking he stop spreading baseless claims likely to mislead voters."
In his costly effort to defeat Kamala Harris and get Donald Trump back in office, Musk isn't just misstating a fact here or there. He is promoting an entirely fictional "reality" about America; about Trump; and about the early vote counts in key states. Read all about it here...
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The political press loves to talk about "October surprises." I searched TVEyes and found more than 8,000 references to the idea across both local and national TV and radio this month.
But the more apt phrase for this month is "October affirmation." No, it doesn't roll off the tongue as easily, but October has been full of news cycles that merely confirmed what we've already known about this election. Examples: Poll after poll has reaffirmed a 50-50 race...
John Kelly has restated his condemnation of Trump... and Harris has surrounded herself with anti-Trump Republicans like Liz Cheney...
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October affirmations, by the #'s |
Here are some stats you probably haven't seen anywhere else:
Trump is still a ratings draw: During Trump's MSG rally, Fox News peaked with 4.2 million viewers, about triple what Fox averaged at the same time the prior Sunday. Newsmax peaked with 1.4 million viewers, about six times its audience the prior Sunday.
...And so is Harris: During her speech at the Ellipse, MSNBC peaked with 3.4 million viewers and CNN peaked with 1.8 million, both about twice as many as usual. CNN topped MSNBC among 25- to 54-year-olds. Fox's audience actually declined while it carried the speech.
Many right-wing media viewers have been radicalized: They are much more likely than other Americans to agree with the notion that "true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country." According to PRRI's polling work, "Americans who trust conservative news outlets are the most likely to support political violence (41%), followed by 30% of those who most trust Fox News, 18% of those who do not watch any TV news, and 13% of those who most trust mainstream TV news."
Negative polarization is driving everything: 75% of Republicans who believe Trump won 2020 say they somewhat or strongly agree that Democrats are "not just wrong for politics, they're downright evil," according to this new data from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins. "Only 27% of Republicans who think President Joe Biden won in 2020 agree with the sentiment. Meanwhile, less than half of Democrats consider Republicans evil."
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Is the worst over for the Washington Post? Possibly. The paper is trying to win its alienated readers back, for instance by paying "to boost stories critical of Trump" on Facebook, Semafor's Max Tani and Josh Billinson reported. Meantime, Post publisher Will Lewis has "yet to address his angry and anxious workforce in person," Oliver Darcy notes in Status. He says would-be buyers of the Post are "eagerly positioning themselves" in case Jeff Bezos wants to offload the outlet someday.
Meanwhile, Steven Waldman has a suggestion: Bezos could "donate the Washington Post to a public charity dedicated to maintaining its quality and independence." (CJR)
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>> This morning The Economist endorsed Harris because a second Trump term "comes with unacceptable risks." (Economist)
>> Sarah Scire says other Harris-endorsing publications, including the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Guardian U.S., capitalized on the Post controversy and racked up new subscribers and supporters. (NiemanLab)
>> Yesterday, Trump seized on the non-endorsements by the Post and LA Times and claimed the decisions are proof they support him over Harris: "They're saying this Democrat's no good. They’re no good. And they think I’m doing a great job." Hadas Gold has more here. (CNN)
>> Reggaeton superstar Nicky Jam withdrew his Trump endorsement over Tony Hinchcliffe's "floating island of garbage" comment, Elizabeth Wagmeister and Priscilla Alvarez report. (CNN)
>> Here's how the late-night shows reacted to President Biden's "garbage" gaffe and Trump's subsequent ride in a garbage truck... (NYT)
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When Trump lost in 2020, Tucker Carlson's friends dreamed about him as a 2024 presidential candidate. (And we all remember what Carlson thought of Trump at the time.) Alas, "Carlson 2024" was not to be. Instead, the radical conspiracy theorist is on a live tour across the country, trying to rebuild his influence after losing his Fox platform. And tonight, Trump will join him as a very special guest at a live tour stop in Glendale, Arizona. Hours before the event, some tickets are still available...
>> Tour stops are usually money-making events for Carlson, but since Trump is attending, this one is being framed as a "hurricane relief benefit."
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Political media notes and quotes |
>> The end of the election is in sight: Trump's "last campaign stop before Election Day" will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday evening, a source tells CNN's Kate Sullivan and Kristen Holmes. And in Philly, a stage is being erected at the Art Museum steps for a Harris rally... (#####)
>> "Skewed polls and anonymous betting markets are building up Republicans’ expectations" for a Trump victory, and the data "could be held up as evidence of cheating if that victory does not come to pass," Ken Bensinger and Kaleigh Rogers write. (NYT)
>> "We know he’ll never say he lost," Juliette Kayyem told Dan Froomkin. "So he either wins, or he says that he won and won’t concede. So start thinking about how you're going to cover that." Major news outlets definitely are. Here's an example... (Press Watch)
>> Numerous CNN anchors talked on Wednesday about how Trump is laying the groundwork to contest the election results... (CNN)
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Another blow to New Jersey news |
As a New Jersey resident who would like to subscribe to more print publications, not fewer, this hits hard: The state's largest paper, The Star-Ledger, is going out of print early next year, along with two other daily papers, The Trenton Times and The South Jersey Times. Advance Local said the brands will continue publishing online, but the closure of the Star-Ledger's printing press is enough to put a sister paper, the Jersey Journal, out of business altogether. "Unfortunately, we have concluded that it doesn’t make sense to continue," the Journal's editor and publisher David Blomquist said.
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Threads thrives amid eXodus |
Jon Passantino writes: Meta's fast-growing X competitor has hit 275 million active monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday as the tech giant reported quarterly earnings. The Meta chief said Threads has seen more than one million sign-ups per day and is on track to becoming “our next major social app.” The rapid user growth comes as Musk turns the platform formerly known as Twitter into a pro-Trump propaganda machine, sending users and advertisers fleeing.
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>> In other Meta news, the company "reported record revenue despite slower digital advertising growth, bolstering profits that helped fund billions in artificial intelligence and augmented reality investments. (WSJ)
>> Microsoft also reported strong earnings yesterday, but shares in both giants are down this morning, owing to future guidance about AI-related expenditures. (The Information)
>> Apple reports quarterly earnings after the closing bell today.
>> "Amazon is making a big bet on the creator economy, investing in the creator-focused firm Spotter," a startup that "provides guidance, software and capital to creators on YouTube." (THR)
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>> Beloved business editor and author James Ledbetter, who wore so many hats over the years, including as a pioneering media columnist, has died. He was 60. (Talking Biz News)
>> Comcast beat third-quarter earnings expectations this morning, "as the Summer Olympics in Paris boosted NBCUniversal's revenue and Peacock's subscriber count..." (CNBC)
>> Breaking: Comcast president Mike Cavanagh says the company is weighing a spinoff of its cable networks, which could potentially impact MSNBC, CNBC, and others. (THR)
>> The Dodgers defeated the Yankees and won the World Series overnight. The New York Post's back cover called it the "END OF AN ERROR." (Post)
>> Game 4 of the series averaged 16.7 million viewers Tuesday night and peaked at 18.2 million in its most-viewed game since 2019... (AP)
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Disney pays big for the Grammys |
David Becker/Getty Images for The Recording Academy |
Elizabeth Wagmeister writes: Disney has scooped up the Grammy Awards, which have aired on CBS for more than 50 years. Beginning in 2027, the Grammys will be simulcast on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ in a major 10-year deal with the Recording Academy.
>> Disney is paying "more than $500 million over ten years" to secure the rights, the WSJ's Joe Flint reports, paying a premium to what CBS currently pays. Notably, ABC "and streaming services Disney+ and Hulu will carry the show simultaneously. The Academy will also create specials and other new programming for Disney’s platforms..."
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>> Disney is "adding a Top 10 list to Disney+" to boost engagement... (THR)
>> Amazon, "which launched a new Black Friday NFL game last year — the first of its kind and an event created specifically for Amazon’s Prime Video service — will add an NBA match to the mix next year," Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)
>> "Welcome to Wrexham" stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are "selling a minority stake in the club, and also acquiring a local brewery, in a bid to grow the club and its influence," Alex Weprin reports. (THR)
>> Martha Stewart is not thrilled with R.J. Cutler's "Martha" documentary for Netflix, Brooks Barnes reports. (NYT)
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