Chris Cuomo fired by CNN

On December 9, 2021 By Kendra FranklinIn News MediaLeave a comment

Source: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN

CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN on Saturday, December 4. According to CNBC, the termination comes from new information detailing how Cuomo helped his brother Andrew Cuomo respond to sexual assault allegations.

Back in early August, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was exposed for accounts of sexual harassment of over 11 women. After being urged to resign from the majority of the Democratic party and even President Joe Biden, Gov. Cuomo resigned on Tuesday, August 10.

Since then, Chris Cuomo’s position at CNN was in danger. The network placed Cuomo on an indefinite suspension on Tuesday, November 30, after New York Attorney General Letitia James released the evidence of Chris Cuomo’s involvement in aiding Gov. Cuomo, CNBC reported.

The suspension also came only hours after the request for CNN to fire Cuomo by a former Gov. Cuomo aide. The aide, Charlotte Bennet, was one of the 11 women that accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment. After the suspension, it only took a few days for new information to come out, showing the network that Cuomo was more involved than originally assumed.

This new information alludes to Cuomo leveraging his position and resources at CNN to help Gov. Cuomo’s case and possible sexual assault allegations of his own.

Cuomo posted a statement on Twitter the afternoon after his termination, stating his disappointment and how he disagrees with how CNN handled the situation.

pic.twitter.com/YArsJnUjqf
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 4, 2021

On social media, some showed support for CNN’s decision to fire Cuomo.

I liked him but here’s the thing: we are not a cult. He crossed an ethical line and we should hold him to a high journalistic standard. If we circle the wagons to protect our own when they’re wrong, we are as bad as they are.
— Pam Moore (@OFA_Pam) December 4, 2021

Fans of Cuomo, on the other hand, either showed support for Cuomo and/or shared their anger and frustration with CNN’s decision.

He did the right thing. A brother is a brother is a brother.
— Marty Meyer (@WisdomfromM2) December 4, 2021

Thank you @CNN for giving me a reason why NOT to tune in to your network anymore. ✌🏼
— Manny Jones (@MannyJones87) December 4, 2021

There are many observing the situation that understand both sides.

I really can’t blame him, it’s his brother & they are very close, but it broke professional standards. He should have been stronger & respected his position to American viewers by simply standing down on entire issue. Difficult but choice he made has consequences now. Too bad.
— aabraham (@aabraha00422511) November 29, 2021

Since his termination from CNN, Cuomo has lost his book deal with HarperCollins, originally set to release in 2022. Cuomo also stepped down from his SiriusXM show after being urged to by the network.

A hefty legal battle is likely the next chapter of this saga. According to Insider, Cuomo is pondering suing CNN for $18 million, the rest of his contract value.

Colin Cowherd Says Lincoln Riley Hire at USC ‘Good for networks’

On November 30, 2021 By johnwilson21In News Media, Sports, TelevisionLeave a comment

Colin Cowherd is one of the biggest personalities in sports media. He works in Los Angeles, California, which is where the University of Southern California is located. With the recent hiring of USC Football Head Coach, Lincoln Riley, he is obviously very excited. He claims that the hiring is good for networks, in which I agree. He pointed out that networks want USC to be good because many people in Los Angeles are college football fans, but they have not been watching lately because of the lack of success from the program, but now that they have hired one of the best coaches in college football, people will begin watching again. While other programs on the west coast have had short term success, like Oregon or Stanford, they do not compare to the draw that USC will bring to televisions on the west coast, as well as throughout the country.

I agree with Cowherd’s take because as a big college football fan, I have not watched many USC games lately because they have not been good. Although, when I was a child, I watched them frequently, as they were one of the best teams in the country. USC not having a good football team does not feel right, as they are historically a great program who produces high quality talent. Networks will also be excited to once again show USC games and they will receive much higher ratings than they have in the past few years. Overall, the move was great and will be great for networks.

Faulty Emergency Alert Could Earn Fox and FCC Fine

On November 30, 2021 By johnwilson21In Ethical Issue(s), News Media, SportsLeave a comment

Fox NFL Sunday is a very popular show in the football realm. The pre-game show includes former NFL players who discuss the NFL’s news around the NFL and upcoming games each Sunday. They often include entertaining skits and graphics that fans enjoy, as they make the show fun to watch and can add to the football experience. This past Sunday, one of their graphics ideas can find them getting into some trouble. They could be receiving an FCC fine for a bit they did this weekend that mocked the Emergency Alert System, including a faulty message and URL, that lead to a website that did not have to do with football. The emergency alert warned fans that the Philadelphia Eagles have a chance at making the playoffs. The URL that was on the page was not real, but somebody quickly picked it up and created a pro-Trump political page, which could be viewed as a bad look for the league. The FCC states that an Emergency Alert System transmission can only be used for a national, state, or local emergency or as an authorized test for the system, and Fox’s football EAS does not fall into that category.

This story interests me because as somebody who may be in the sports production and media field, this is an important lesson to learn from. The FCC is able to hand out hefty fines to networks for making crucial mistakes like this one. Fox should know better than to put out a false report of an Emergency Alert System message that is not actually for a serious matter. There should have been better planning for this skit or at least had made it very clear that the emergency alert was not real and to not include a fake URL on the screen.

Pope Francis thanks journalists for uncovering the Church sexual abuse scandals

On November 14, 2021 By Marlene TurreyIn Journalism, News MediaLeave a comment

At a ceremony to honor two veteran correspondents, Pope Francis thanked journalists for helping uncover the sexual abuse scandals of the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis said it was vital for reporters to get out of their newsrooms and discover what was happening in the outside world to counter misinformation often found online.

“(I) thank you for what you tell us about what is wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the abuse victims.”
Pope Francis

The sexual abuse scandals of the Roman Catholic Church first hit headlines in 2002, when U.S. daily The Boston Globe wrote a series of articles exposing a pattern of abuse of minors by clerics and a widespread culture of concealment within the Church.

Since then, investigations revealed more and more examples of sexual abuse in the Church in different countries, most recently France where a major investigation found that clerics had abused more than 200000 children over the past 70 years.

Although the church has faced heavy criticism and record numbers of church departures, for example in Germany, critics still accused the Church of responding too slowly to the scandals. Therefore, Pope Francis’s public statement is an important signal for Christians.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-thanks-journalists-helping-expose-church-sex-scandals-2021-11-13/

Pandemic-led changes to newsrooms look to be permanent and global

On November 14, 2021 By Marlene TurreyIn Journalism, News MediaLeave a comment

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism released The Changing Newsroom 2021 report. The report is based on a survey of 132 senior industry leaders from 42 countries, as well as a series of in-depth interviews.

These are the key findings:

‘Hybrid working’ will soon be the norm for the vast majority of journalists. Respondents say their companies are now mostly (79%) on board with the shift to hybrid working and even more (89%) say they themselves are committed

Most respondents say their news organization is doing a good job with gender diversity (78%), but fewer say the same about ethnic diversity (38%) and attracting those from less advantaged backgrounds (37%) or with diverse political views (33%). In the light of the Black Lives Matter movement and greater awareness of historic injustices, ethnic diversity remains the biggest priority for media companies – identified by 35% as the single most important priority in terms of improving newsroom diversity, followed by gender diversity (26%) and greater diversity from less advantaged groups (17%).

While participants believe that efficiency (70%) and Employee well being (61%) gains from hybrid working, they also think collaboration (45%), creativity (48%), and communication (42%) suffer from it.

Participants said they still struggle to attract and retain technology and data skills which are in great demand elsewhere. However, most respondents remain broadly confident (63%) about keeping newsroom staff. Around half of the respondents (47%) felt that the pandemic has made recruitment and retention of media staff harder, with less than a fifth (17%) saying that it was easier.

The pandemic has affected some rapid changes in working spaces in the last two years. It is interesting to see how people experience these adjustments and how they would like to continue working.

Aaron Rodgers and the Media’s Trust Issues

On November 9, 2021 By johnwilson21In Ethical Issue(s), News Media, SportsLeave a comment

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers is one of the best players that the NFL has to offer, and a large aspect of the 2021 season has been COVID-19 and all of the rules, issues, and debates that come along with it. In this instance, all of these topics collide, as Aaron Rodgers contracted COVID-19 and was unvaccinated, but in August he gave the impression that he was vaccinated, which caused a roar. Many people are ridiculing him for this occurrence, which caused him to lash out on the NFL, the media, and “cancel culture.” In August, when asked about the vaccine, he claimed that he was “Immunized,” and would not judge teammates who did not receive the vaccine, which many took as the implication that he was vaccinated. He received homeopathic treatment from a doctor in the offseason and says he is allergic to an ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and did not get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of issues with blood clots. In his efforts to defend himself this week, he called out the NFL for “draconian measures” in their philosophies with the COVID-19 cases, as well as media for trying to “cancel him” in light of this controversy and other statements he has made in the past. His choice of wording in August was very technical and the media took it as he was vaccinated, but he was not, and is now not happy with the media trying to accuse him of lying and people trying to “cancel” him for not getting the vaccine, when that is deemed by many as the right thing to do for society.

Aaron Rodgers is a very smart, outspoken individual, in many cases, and this occasion is very interesting. He has an issue with the media for scorning him because of decision to not get the vaccine, as some have called him selfish or deem him to not being doing the “right thing,” by society’s standards. He also has an issue with the ridicule from the media for lying about getting the vaccine, but technically, he did not lie, he just chose his words carefully. Although he did give off the impression he was vaccinated, it is not safe to assume, which as a member of the media, there is an argument they should have not falsely reported or believed he was vaccinated. On the other hand, the media could have an issue with Rodgers because of this false impression, in which he could now lose his credibility with the media and they could no longer trust him with other statements he makes in the future. Rodgers has been accused of being sensitive in the past, which could be pointed out in this case, as he tries to defend himself against the “woke mob” and has put out many claims to defend himself for not getting vaccine. Although, not many people in media or on social media platforms are trying to cancel him, they are just ridiculing him for his loose wording and false impressions he made, as well as his choice to not get the vaccine. Overall, I understand some of Rodgers’ frustration because he technically never said he was vaccinated, but somebody with his proven intelligence should know the implication he gave off and how it may backfire if he were to get into a sticky situation like this. In reality, this will likely be brushed off into past news as the NFL season gears up for a playoff run, but Rodgers and the media both lost trust in each other in future encounters.

The Digital News Report 2021 raises questions about the future of news organizations

On October 5, 2021 By Marlene TurreyIn News Media, Social MediaLeave a comment

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published their 2021 Digital News Report. The report is based on a YouGov survey of over 92000 online news consumers in 46 countries and the whole report can be downloaded here.

A summary of the most important findings in the 2021 Digital News Report:

After recent periods of decline, the overall trust in the news has increased in the last year, with 44% of the total sample saying they trust most news most of the time. However, the U.S. has the lowest level of overall trust in the survey (26%) and Black and Hispanic audiences and younger women in the U.S. feel that news coverage is unfair to them.
Familiar and trusted new brands continue to attract more attention, especially in those countries with strong and independent public service media. However, particularly young people have weaker ties to traditional news media. There are less likely to visit a news website or app directly but are more likely to find news via social media.
The pandemic has also heightened awareness about misleading or false information. In the survey, 54% of news consumers say they have seen misinformation about COVID-19 in the previous week. Those who use social media are more likely to say they have been exposed to misinformation about the pandemic than non-users.
Although reliable and trustworthy news media is very important these days, the industry has been hard hit by the pandemic, leading to job cuts in news organizations worldwide. There has been a significant increase in payment for online news in a smaller number of richer Western countries, while the overall percentage of people paying for online news remains low.

This survey is very important, as it draws attention to some of the biggest problems in media and news organizations. It gives added urgency for a more diverse and inclusive newsroom, as well as showing how important it is to spread awareness for misinformation, in social media in particular. Furthermore, the survey raises the question about the future financing of news organizations.

BuzzFeed Revenue rises by more than 50 percent

On September 13, 2021 By Marlene TurreyIn Data, News MediaLeave a comment

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti, Image Via The Wall Street Journal

On Thursday, for the first time since announcing plans to go public, BuzzFeed reported quarterly earnings. They reported that its revenue rose by more than 50 percent in Q2 of 2021, reflecting improvements in advertising as the economy emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Q2, advertising revenue was up 79 percent to $47.8 million and Content revenue was up 5 percent to $24.2 million. As consumer spending improved, the company attributed some of the growth to its e-commerce business too, which generates revenue by recommending and selling products online. Ecommerce and other revenue rose by 82 percent to $17.1 million.

“Our data-informed approach to content creation and capital allocation allows us to capitalize on secular trends in advertising and commerce and helped fuel our significant topline growth in the first half of the year.”
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti

These reports are important, as BuzzFeed will be the first of digital media giants to go public. As the company announced in June, it reached a deal to merge with 890 Fifth Avenue Partners Inc. and is going to acquire Complex Networks. BuzzFeed CEO Peretti explains: “This impressive performance in the year to date lays the foundation for what we expect to be an exciting second half, with the anticipated closing of the acquisition of Complex Networks and our simultaneous emergence as a public company.” Their valuation of the combined company at $1.5 billion serves as a sticking point for other digital media firms looking to go public, for instance Vice Media, Group Nine Media, or Vox Media.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/buzzfeed-q2-2021-earnings-1235010437/

How the major TV networks reported Hurricane Ida: Very few mentions of Climate Change

On September 2, 2021 By Bruce WarrenIn News MediaLeave a comment

According to a recent 96 hour survey of coverage of Hurricane Ida by major TV news outlets by Media Matters, only 4% of the coverage connected the storm to climate change. The survey, conducted from August 27-30, analyzed 774 TV segments.

The key findings of the analysis included:

Corporate broadcast TV outlets — ABC, CBS, and NBC — aired a combined 93 segments about Hurricane Ida during morning and evening news programs from August 27-30. Only 5 of these broadcast news segments referenced climate change.
Of the 5 climate mentions, ABC had 3 mentions, while CBS and NBC contributed one each.
Cable TV news outlets — CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC — aired a combined 681 segments about Hurricane Ida during all original programming from August 27-30. Only 4% (29) of cable news segments referenced climate change during their Ida coverage.
Of the 29 climate mentions, CNN had 5 mentions, Fox News mentioned climate twice, and MSNBC had the most out of all networks with 22.

Media Matters’ position on this coverage is that “the failure to communicate the connection to the climate crisis is media malpractice.” Additionally, the survey analysis also noted that “TV News rooms with a few notable exceptions did not report on Ida through a justice lens.” “The fact that poor communities and communities of color bear the brunt of the climate crisis is chronically undercovered by TV news, particularly in moments when those impacts are most stark,” they write.

Journalists are beginning to cover the impact of extreme weather events beyond the number of inches of water that has fallen in a storm or the strength of the wind during a hurricane. “Good journalism is grounded in science,” suggest Covering Climate Now, a collaboration of 460+ news and media partners “to produce more informed and urgent climate stories, to make climate a part of every beat in the newsroom — from politics and weather to business and culture — and to drive a public conversation that creates an engaged public.”

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