It will be fascinating to watch
The Muck Rack Weekly newsletter includes some of the most talked about stories in the journalism and public relations communities over the past week, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of Muck Rack.
Media statistic of the week
We’ve hit a new low – in trust, that is. Per a Gallup poll Megan Brenan writes, “Americans’ confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low, with just 28% expressing a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. This is down from 31% last year and 40% five years ago.”
“Meanwhile, seven in 10 U.S. adults now say they have ‘not very much’ confidence (36%) or ‘none at all’ (34%).”
Read the full report here for Gallup: Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.
This past week in the media industry
Bari Weiss is the editor-in-chief of CBS News
Joe Flint has the biggest media story of the week for The Wall Street Journal: Paramount Buys Bari Weiss’s the Free Press for $150 Million. As part of the deal, Weiss will now be at the helm of legacy media brand CBS.
‘The combination of the Free Press and CBS News will create a news organization that ultimately becomes one of the most trusted destinations for news in this country,’ [David] Ellison said in an interview. ‘We want CBS to speak to that 70% of the audience that would really define themselves at center-left to center-right.’”
“CBS News plans to launch a debate-style program that Weiss will oversee that is similar to debates the Free Press streams on topics ranging from immigration to the ethics of gene-editing embryos. Weiss will also continue as CEO and editor of the Free Press.”
Per Brian Stelter on X, she’s already given out the 10 journalistic values she’s fighting for.
Jessica Testa has more for The New York Times (NYT): How Bari Weiss Won.
“In its nearly 100 years, CBS has not seen a leader quite like Ms. Weiss. Neither has the media industry. Ms. Weiss, 41, has ascended the mountain of journalism on a slingshot. In 2020, she publicly resigned as an opinion writer and editor at The New York Times to start a newsletter on Substack. Today, she has one of the most prestigious jobs in news.”
“She achieved this without climbing the typical journalistic career ladder, and with no experience directing television coverage. She is richer in social clout than in Emmys or Pulitzers. And she is known more for wanting to rid the world of so-called wokeness than for promoting journalistic traditions.”
Whether you agree or disagree with the hire, former CBS News anchor Katie Couric summarizes it best with her quote in the NYT piece: “It will be fascinating to watch.”
Weiss posted about The Future of The Free Press, which she says will remain independent under its new ownership. "We'll be investing heavily in this community, and so many of the things we've long dreamed about will become possible much more quickly," she said.
There’s already been a new hire, too (plus a reminder that sometimes not even chicken is safe from politics). For the New York Post, Alexandra Steigrad writes that CBS News taps Adam Rubenstein — once ostracized at NY Times for liking Chick-fil-A — as new deputy editor.
MSNBC’s new code of principles
As of October 6, Tom Jones reports that Today is MSNBC’s first day apart from NBC. Here is its new code of principles.
“Outside of Washington, D.C., operations, MSNBC will no longer rely on NBC News correspondents or crews for coverage. Beginning on Oct. 20, MSNBC will no longer rely on NBC News correspondents or crews for Washington, D.C.-based coverage. And by the end of the month, MSNBC will no longer participate in NBC News-led editorial calls and meetings. It will be fully independent.”
Brian Flood and Joseph A. Wulfsohn have more for Fox News: MSNBC takes first major step toward complete independence from NBC News as corporate breakup looms.
“MSNBC loses its corporate sibling on the heels of a rough third quarter that saw the network shed 45% of its total day audience and 59% of viewers from the advertiser-coveted demographic, compared to Q3 from last year. It was MSNBC’s worst performance in the critical demo since 1997.”
“Despite the sagging viewership, everyone on MSNBC's current lineup will remain on the network through its transformation into MS NOW, including Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, Chris Hayes, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.”
As a comparison between the MSNBC news and the changes at CBS News, this is an interesting look from Laura Hazard Owen for Nieman Lab: Bari Weiss’s CBS News and MSNBC both just laid out their new journalistic principles — and they’re fascinatingly different.
“CBS: ‘America,’ ‘American,’ ‘all of the tools of the digital era,’ and speed. MSNBC: Press freedom, the First Amendment, and ethics,” she writes.
Sora 2 – fad or here to stay?
Sarah Perez reports for TechCrunch that OpenAI’s Sora soars to No. 1 on Apple’s US App Store.
“OpenAI’s Sora app for AI videos is a viral hit, despite being invite-only for now and limited to users in the U.S. and Canada at launch. On its first day, Sora saw 56,000 downloads, and is now ranked as the No. 3 Top Overall app on Apple’s U.S. App Store, according to new data from app intelligence provider Appfigures. On Friday, October 3, it became the No. 1 app on the U.S. App Store.”
Yet there’s apprehension about Sora. Perez also reports for TechCrunch MrBeast says AI could threaten creators’ livelihoods, calling it ‘scary times’ for the industry.
“On Monday, the creator posted his concerns on social media, where he openly wondered how AI-generated videos could affect the ‘millions of creators currently making content for a living.’”
“‘Scary times,’ he added.”
Scott Rosenberg outlines some of the problems with this new world for Axios: AI video's empty new world.
“OpenAI's new Sora app gives us a fast-forward view of a future in which AI video, social media and the attention economy fuse into one giant mucky, murky, reality-corroding pool of virality.”
“Feeds, memes and slop are the building blocks of a new media world where verification vanishes, unreality dominates, everything blurs into everything else and nothing carries any informational or emotional weight.”
Tom Llamas covers one of the top concerns for NBC News: Fake videos flood social media after Sora 2 launch. And for The Guardian, Josh Taylor reports OpenAI promises more ‘granular control’ to copyright owners after Sora 2 generates videos of popular characters.
More notable media stories
From the Muck Rack Team
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