The news media thread

[Rewind]

What did I say above about "drama"? The Redstone-Moonves feud just got some more drama:

CBS shareholders sue Shari Redstone, National Amusements
Los Angeles Times, May 31 2018 2:50 PM

A CBS stockholder group in Pennsylvania filed a class-action lawsuit in Delaware today, an attempt to open the legal floodgates in the bitter dispute between the venerable broadcasting company and its controlling shareholder family, the Redstones. The lawsuit asks a judge to rule that nonvoting shareholders are entitled to a special dividend that would give them a voice in CBS’s affairs. CBS has two classes of stock but only the Class A shares have a vote.

The Redstone family, which owns 10.3% of CBS, has 80% of the Class A voting shares. The Pennsylvania fund owns Class B stock. The lawsuit also alleges that Shari Redstone, who serves as CBS’s vice chair, has breached her fiduciary duties to Class B shareholders. The action was filed by the Westmoreland County Employees’ Retirement System against the Redstone family investment vehicle, National Amusements Inc., Shari Redstone and two board members who have been aligned with her. The latest lawsuit comes just two days after National Amusements sued CBS, arguing that the company’s board members are overstepping their authority.

http://www.latimes.com/business/holl...531-story.html

[Rewind]

President Trump is opposed to football players kneeling during the National Anthem to protest the mistreatment of black people by police. He canceled the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' visit to the White House -- and then his favorite cable channel presented some "fake news."

Fox News apologizes for using photos of Eagles players praying and implying they were protesting

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...605-story.html

[Rewind]

This is an excerpt of an opinion piece in today's Los Angeles Times. The complete column is linked below. Goldberg makes some excellent points -- but I expect things will get worse before they get better.

Fox News is a danger to this country — but it's just a small part of a bigger crisis
Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, Jun 7 2018

Ralph Peters, who offered regular military analysis on Fox News for a decade, finally concluded what many of us had long ago realized — and, having done so, he quit the network in disgust in March. On Wednesday, he went on CNN to explain himself further: The network, he said, was doing a "great, grave disservice to our country" and had become a "destructive propaganda machine" for President Trump. Alisyn Camerota, a former Fox News anchor, said today that Peters' experience mirrored her own: "I too was upset about the blurring of the lines between propaganda and journalism."

But it would be a terrible mistake to think that Fox alone is the problem — or even that Fox and Trump are the whole problem. The crisis facing the nation is much bigger and broader. We live in an era in which Americans are being encouraged to disregard or dismiss factual information, research and established sources of information in order to stay in ideological comfort zones. Trump encourages this, as does Fox, but Republicans in Congress do it too.

We live in an era in which the line between truth and opinion is being blurred; this happens on the left as well as the right. We live in an era of media polarization, in which too many people get their information from one-sided sources. This is a recipe for an increasingly divided country in which political, social and cultural differences grow deeper and rational compromise becomes impossible. Fixing this problem will require more than the resignation of a few Fox News employees.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-ol...htmlstory.html

[Rewind]

Soon-Shiong, who became a billionaire in the biopharmaceutical industry, is vowing to revitalize the newspapers, even as they continue to lose readers -- and advertisers -- to Facebook, Google, Twitter and other sites. Good luck!

Historic sale of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong to close on Monday

http://www.latimes.com/business/holl...616-story.html

[Rewind]

A former Trump campaign chairman and current Fox News commentator accused a black Democratic strategist of being out of his "cotton-picking mind." A racist bigot working at Fox News -- Who ever would have guessed!

Fox News commentator apologizes for racist remark

http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/24/medi...ark/index.html

[Rewind]

Most newspapers have had to deal with declines in circulation and advertising, but if Tronc (formerly Tribune Publishing) hopes to revitalize its newspapers, this is not the way to do it:

New York Daily News layoffs slash famed tabloid's newsroom by 50%

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-yor...ewsroom-by-50/

[Rewind]

Almost daily our egotistical, narcissistic, thin-skinned President lashes out at any reporter, politician or news outlet that dares to criticize him. He attacks almost every newspaper and news channel as "fake news" -- except, of course, for Fox News, which seldom says anything negative about him. He even hired former Fox News co-president Bill Shine as his communications director.

Today Trump and Shine barred a CNN reporter from attending a press event because she had previously asked Trump questions about Michael Cohen and Vladimir Putin and he thought the questions were "inappropriate." The reporter appeared this evening on CNN with Anderson Cooper, who is justifiably outraged at the way Trump disrespects the First Amendment and freedom of the press and tries to silence his critics. These are the tactics of a dictator.

CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins barred from covering open press event at White House

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kaitlan...ay-2018-07-25/

[Rewind]

The Washington Post reveals the many ways Trump would like to punish reporters who dare to ask him questions that make him comfortable. Trump constantly calls the news media "fake news" and "the enemy of the people." He denounces reporters as "dishonest people" and wants to punish them. Almost all the Republicans keep silent while Trump turns into a megalomaniacal dictator. Sad!

Venting about the press, Trump has repeatedly sought to ban reporters who ask 'impertinent questions'

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...9xVv?ocid=AMZN

[Rewind]

As I've said many times, in a few more years people will be watching television everywhere except on a television set.

CBS to launch CBSN Local streaming service to expand digital reach
CBS News, Aug 1 2018 6:!0 PM

CBS is launching a new streaming service targeting local audiences modeled on CBSN, the 24/7 streaming service launched in 2014. The new service, known as CBSN Local, is a joint initiative from CBS Television Stations and CBS Interactive, both divisions of CBS Corporation.

CBSN Local will launch in the New York City market in the fourth quarter of this year before expanding into the Los Angeles market. The New York service will be in partnership with WCBS-TV, the network's flagship station, and WLNY. The Los Angeles version is being developed with KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV. CBSN Local will eventually expand into other major markets with CBS-owned stations.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-to-...digital-reach/

[Rewind]

Once again, CBS News has broken a news story about a CBS News program. How do they do it? And the tribute to a Sunday morning program will air on a Friday. Go figure!

CBS News celebrates 40 years of Sunday Morning with September 14 primetime special, Sunday's Best

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-new...-sundays-best/