White House Correspondents Insider

One America Nation Network (OANN) has been removed from the seat rotation in the White House briefing room after OANN correspondent Chanel Rion attended two coronavirus task force briefings — on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week — despite not having her name on the seating chart. The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that a White House Correspondents’ Association member had asked her to leave, but Rion refused and told them she was there “as a guest of Stephanie Grisham,” the White House Press Secretary. The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents White House journalists, sent a letter informing their members of the transgression before Wednesday’s briefing concluded. “We are writing to inform you that the WHCA Board has voted this evening to remove a news outlet from the rotation for a seat in the briefing room,” it said. “We did this because a reporter for this outlet twice attended press briefings in contravention of this policy. We do not take this action lightly. This is a matter of public safety.”

OANN and Rion have gained a favorable reputation with President Trump over the course of his presidency. Chanel Rion has Facebook pictures of herself socializing with the Trumps and has proudly “been aboard the Trump Train from its first week,”  according to an article in The Washington Post. Rion often asks questions that imply fringe conspiracies and has worked to reinforce White House narratives that defend Trump’s presidency. During Trump’s impeachment proceedings, Rion was in Ukraine with Rudy Giuliani, the president’s attorney, shooting a “multipart series promoting unfounded conspiracy theories aimed at defending Trump against the allegations at the center of his impeachment,” as reported by Politico. Later, when Trump was challenged about the racial rhetoric around the term “Chinese virus,” Rion asked Trump whether “Chinese food” was also racist terminology. According to The Washington Post, when Trump picked Rion for a question in Monday’s briefing, she compared coronavirus deaths to abortion deaths and asked if Trump agreed “with states who place coronavirus victims above elective abortions?” Once, after calling on Rion at a briefing, Trump reportedly said, “OANN. Very good. They treat me very nicely.”

 

Jonathan Karl, White House Correspondents’ Association President and ABC News’s White House reporter, says he notified Stephanie Grisham and the White House press office on Tuesday that OANN was in “a clear violation” of the guidelines put in place for coronavirus safety, according to The Washington Post. “The rules are clear. If you don’t have a seat in the briefing room on your given day, you cannot be there. The rules are established to protect the health of the White House press corps. We’re abiding by the [Centers for Disease Control’s] guidelines,” said Jonathan Karl. OANN founder and CEO Charles Herring sent an email arguing to the contrary, saying that Rion’s presence “was appropriate” because she had been invited although he did not specify who invited her or why.

On Tuesday, Jonathan Karl announced that the White House correspondent who was suspected of contracting the coronavirus tested negative, saying, “I have just been advised that our colleague who we learned last week had a suspected case of COVID-19 has finally received test results. They were negative.” The coronavirus scare prompted stricter guidelines in the James S. Brady briefing room, lessening the number of reporters from 25 to 14. “We understand these restrictions are deeply disruptive to our members and their ability to do their jobs,” the White House Correspondents’ Association said. “But we are forced to take these steps to do our part to ensure that there is a healthy pool available to cover the president and inform the public during this critical time.”

Jason Kilar, founding CEO of Hulu, is tapped by AT&T Inc. to be the next CEO of WarnerMedia Group. The WarnerMedia Group is made up of some of your favorite channels including CNN, HBO, Warner Bros movie studio, and the soon-to-be launched streaming platform, HBO Max. HBO is home to many acclaimed TV shows like Game of Thrones, Westworld, VEEP, Silicon Valley, Big Little Lies and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Jason Kilar will report to John Stankey, the president and COO of AT&T who had previously held Kilar’s new position. According to Stankey, AT&T is interested in Kilar’s background in streaming to help their new platform take off. When asked about the decision, Stankey says, “His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia’s storied success.”

This has been one of a number of leadership changes at AT&T. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson says he will stay with the company through 2020, but won’t look any further than that, and Stephenson acknowledges that Stankey is likely next in line to run the company. Before Jason Kilar was announced as CEO of WarnerMedia, there had been some consideration of Jeff Zucker, CNN president who runs all sports and news at WarnerMedia, for the spot.

Kilar worked a number of different roles at Amazon, including senior vice president of worldwide application software, before he founded Hulu in 2007. He continued to run Hulu through 2013, during which his innovative new ideas about consumer experience created conflict between Fox, NBCUniversal and the Walt Disney Co. – Hulu’s owners at the time. After leaving, he co founded another streaming company, Vessel, that was sold to Verizon in 2016. Kilar is a Pittsburgh Native and a Harvard Business School Alumnus.

Journalism leaders are struggling to catch their breath after what may have been the worst month in the history of local journalism. Declining ad revenue has been a problem in the industry ever since the Great Recession pulled around 70 percent of American newspaper’s ad dollars down the drain, but many of the larger national news organizations — such as The Atlantic, Business Insider, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal — managed to dodge the worst of the impact with their large reader bases. The local news industry, on the other hand, remained precariously dependent on local businesses for most of their ad revenue.  That is until coronavirus shutdowns across the country forced these local businesses to save their dollars and distance their images from the pandemic. 

As news industry analyst and Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape the News You Get author, Ken Doctor writes, “This event isn’t just a black swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s parlance for an unexpected happening that forever alters the course of history. For dailies — in the U.S., in Canada, in the U.K., and really globally — it’s a flock of black swans.” Among this ‘flock of black swans,’ we have an ad revenue shortage, newspaper delivery shutdowns, event closings and falling paywalls to accommodate coronavirus news seekers, all threatening the future of our news.

Even while digital subscriptions are “way up,” at better known sources, according to Ken Doctor, “with new weekly signups up 2× to 5× over pre-virus times,” much of the local industry is still seeing layoffs, decreased publications and changing subscription models as companies try to survive the ad floor giving out. But the outlook is grim. “I’ve spoken with more than a dozen well-placed executives in the industry,” Doctor says, “and the consensus is that, in April, daily publishers will lose between 30 and 50 percent of their total ad revenue. Things are unlikely to improve until we’re past mass sequestration, whenever that is.”

Several prominent voices have begun to speak up for local journalism. Governor of Vermont, Phil Scott, whose state has recently seen a number of changes in their local news organizations, posted a tweet Sunday asking the public to consider subscribing to local newspapers. Monday, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would “dole out $25 million in grants to local news outlets and spend $75 million in a marketing drive aimed at news organizations internationally in response to the coronavirus-prompted economic downturn, which has caused advertising to plummet and has threatened media industry revenues,” as reported by New York Times. And last week, Twitter announced that they would be donating $1 million dollars evenly distributed between the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation.

A few news organizations have pointed towards an even more wide reaching solution. The president and co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action, Craig Aaron, wrote a Columbia Journalism Review article detailing a $5 billion dollar government stimulus plan for the news industry. He recommended using the money to double the funds for public media, invest in support for daily and weekly newsrooms, and create a $2 billion “First Amendment Fund” for new innovations in news media. Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan also promoted the stimulus plan.

New York Times media columnist Ben Smith argued that newspaper chains are not worth saving and that the industry would be better off pivoting towards new online platforms. “Without careful restrictions, a huge share of that government money will go to doomed newspaper chains for whom a major goal…” Ben Smith reports, “…is paying a dividend to shareholders unwise enough to invest in his doomed business.” While the details of a relief package for local journalism still need to be hammered out, the fact that help is needed is widely understood. David Chavern, the president and CEO of the News Media Alliance, sent a letter to President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi informing them of the danger of a recession in the ad market. “While that is bad in every circumstance, in the current environment it could prove fatal — both to publishers and the public,” it read. “As we move into a continuing phase of this crisis, we will be engaging with elected representatives in a discussion of options for actions the federal government could take to help sustain our local news ecosystem”

Living in the midst of what is shaping up to be one of the biggest news stories of the century, it’s surprising to hear that local journalism is in trouble. Local news outlets comprise an absolutely essential function in reporting important information to the general public during this global pandemic. Many consumers are using our digital products, which can often be created and accessed remotely. As reported on Wall Street Journal, market advertising analyst, Gordon Borrell, estimates that local advertising will drop by 25% this year, as local businesses close their doors and save their dollars. Nieman Lab put together a list of over 30 local, alt-weekly publications that have had to ask for donations, start seeking subscriptions, suspend their publications, or even lay off workers just to make ends meet as their revenues dry up.

In early March, the Director and Founder of the Harvard-based journalism innovation promoter Nieman Lab, Joshua Benton, was quick to note that market turmoil would make it much harder for news companies to find businesses that are interested in advertising. At the beginning of March, The New York Times Company had already warned investors that “uncertainty and anxiety about the virus” had decreased their advertising revenue expectations. But New York Times and other high-end national news companies have large membership bases to help them coast.

Advertising disruption hits local news far more directly. Most local news companies depend on the local business market for ad revenue, much of which has been shut down to increase social distance. And, on top of that, local news is still heavily reliant on paper products. “Despite industry-wide declines in print circulation, many newspapers still rely on dead-tree products for the bulk of their revenue,” Jon Allsop reminds us in his Columbia Journalism Review paper. “What happens when newspaper carriers become virus carriers, and get taken off their routes?” What happens is not good.

“Due to the hellscape of unforeseen economic events brought on by the coronavirus, The Stranger temporarily laid off 18 employees today,” said Editor Christopher Frizzelle of the Seattle based bi-weekly publication on Tuesday. “Additionally, The Stranger is suspending production of our print issue. It is our hope that after weathering this storm, we will be able to bring back the print edition and all the staffers whose work goes into creating it…”

Even more concerning for the news industry is event cancellations. This Tuesday, O’Reilly Media, a tech innovation online networking education company that hosted high-profile events like OSCON, announced that they would be cancelling all in-person events and closing down their events business entirely. While the coronavirus served as the impetus for the decision, O’Reilly president Laura Baldwin showed skepticism for the future of the events business altogether. “With large technology vendors moving their events completely on-line, we believe the stage is set for a new normal moving forward when it comes to in-person events.” Joshua Benton thinks this is a dangerous omen for the other media businesses that rely on in-person events for much of their revenue. “Reading Baldwin’s note and O’Reilly’s decision made me think maybe this really is closer to a stop than a pause,” he writes.

Meanwhile, the digital media platform Digiday recently switched to a membership model for their website. The Editor-in-chief, Brian Morrissey, maintains that the decision was not made in response to coronavirus, but as a way of “adapting to the changed needs of our audience and our own evolution as a company.” Yet, Morrissey admits in Digiday’s announcement for their new membership model that “We have needed to postpone several events, and this hits an independent media company particularly hard.”

Visits to high-end national news sites including The Atlantic, Business Insider, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and Wired have nearly doubled as consumers search for the best and newest coronavirus information. Yet, even most news companies are not expecting big gains this year. According to New York Times, Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired, suspects that their magazine will “take a big hit” despite the surge in site visits. Fortunately, there is still room for many of these larger platforms to evolve and keep up with the changes that lie ahead. The local news industry may not be so lucky.

If you are watching President Trump’s coronavirus press briefings then you already know that the reporters are social distancing, but it may be too late for one reporter. The White House Correspondents Association’s President Jonathan Karl sent a letter to inform members that the reporter with the “suspected case of COVID-19” was at the White House on March 9, 11, 16 and 18. The White House Correspondents Association asked all journalists who attended press events at the White House during any of those four days “to review public health guidance, consult their medical professionals and take the appropriate next steps.” 

President Trump and Vice President Pence attended press briefings at the James S. Brady briefing room on three of the days that the reporter was present. White House officials say that the president and the vice president both already tested negative for the coronavirus.

The White House Correspondents Association also announced that they would be revising the temporary room seating chart that they put in place March 15th for the James S. Brady briefing room. The first version of the temporary seating chart reduced the capacity from 49 reporters to 25. This newest change will further reduce that capacity down to just 14 reporters. 

The White House Correspondents Association contacted the unnamed reporter’s news organization and the Office of the President’s Physician to ask that “all members who can stay home or work remotely please do so.” The White House Correspondents Association went on to ask reporters to practice caution. “Please do not come to the White House if you do not have a workspace or an assigned seat on that day. And please DO NOT come into the White House if you are feeling at all ill.”

President Trump has expressed concern about the number of reporters in the press room, even after the number of reporters had been reduced to 25. Just last Thursday, Trump said to the members of the press that, “Really, we should probably get rid of about 75, 80 percent of you. I’ll have just two or three of you that I like in this room. I think that’s a great way of doing it.” 

The White House Correspondents Association reminds us in their letter that, “As we have said since this crisis began, our priority is to ensure that we can maintain a healthy pool to provide coverage of the president.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) announced Saturday that the 2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be postponed to a later date. The annual dinner, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 25th, is among the latest major DC events to reschedule amid the coronavirus pandemic.

WHCA President and ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl said he had been monitoring the situation since early March. He told reporters last Thursday that the WHCA was “exploring alternative dates” for the high-profile annual dinner. The WHCA tweeted on Sunday that they are “unable to go ahead with its 2020 dinner on April 25.” The WHCA has yet to announce on a new date for the dinner.

The WHC Dinner joins a number of other noteworthy cancellations in the DC area. All Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo have been closed since March 14th, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival has cancelled or postponed all of its major events this year. 

In early March, the Gridiron Club announced the cancellation of their annual dinner for only the third time in its 135-year history and the first-ever cancellation for public health reasons. The Gridiron Club was also considering the optics of hosting a light-hearted gathering of media elites during a global pandemic when making their decision. “We’ve always taken the view that it’s appropriate to have political humor even when times are dark,” said Gridiron President Craig Gilbert. “The difference with coronavirus is the health issue.”

The WHC Dinner announced comedian headliners Kenan Thompson from SNL and Hasan Minhaj from the hit Netflix show, “Patriot Act,” signaling a return to the comedic tradition of past dinners. We hope that the WHCA will be able to uphold that tradition at a later date this summer. Even with the rescheduled date, it is unlikely President Trump will attend, having missed the last three dinners during his presidency.

It was a great gathering of Democrats, Republicans, media and diplomats to celebrate the publication of Bret Baier’s new history book, “Three Days at The Brink” at Cafe Milano. Co- hosts included Amy Baier, Tripp & Amy Donnelly, Ambassador and Mrs. Yousef Al Otaiba, Franco Nuschese, Raul & Jean Marie Fernandez, David & Carrie Marriott, Ande & Mae Grennan, David Tafuri & Anastasia Vakula, Evan & Cindy Jones and Tammy Haddad.

The packed crowd of well-wishers heard co-host Tripp Donnelly share the high level praise for Bret’s work on this book and his previous books elevating important historical times. Mr. Baier shared the news making moments his research revealed on the planning of the future of the world at the Tehran conference with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.

Guests included Wilbur and Hillary Ross, Sen. Roy and Abby Blunt , Norah O’Donnell and Geoff Tracy, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Jonathan Karl, Mike Allen, Norah O’Donnell and Geoff Tracey, Phil Rucker, Brian Stelter, Chris Isham and Jennifer Maguire, Ruth Marcus, Rick Klein, Brian Stelter, Shannon Bream, Carol Melton, Barbie, Robert and Elena Albritton, Capricia Marshall, Dan Meyers, Kevin Latek, Juleanna and Becca Glover,Donald Graham and Amanda Bennett, Ryan Williams, John McCarthy, Anita McBride, Ambassador Elin and Lala Suleymanov, Ambassador and Mrs. Stuart Bernstein.

Guests enjoyed Cafe Milano’s special cocktails and yummy hors d’oeuvres with a packed crowd enjoying a starry sky. To see if Bret Baier is coming to your town and see his other titles click here.

 

Presidential candidates make their way to the famed Soap Box at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines because Iowans host the first in the nation caucus for the 2020 election. Spanning 445 acres,11 days with a million attendees, the fairgrounds are home to all sorts of rides, games, animals, and this year even a wind turbine blade.

The first Iowa State Fair was held in Fairfield. Moving around the state beautiful the fair finally settled into a permanent home in 1878. The candidates appear on the Soap Box 50 square feet stage, hosted by the Des Moines Register newspaper. Each candidate gets an allotted amount of time to speak and answer questions to convince the fairgoers to vote for them. We arrived very early to set up our camera to capture the candidates and try to get interviews. I learned there is much waiting time when working on a news show. We shot video of Montana Governor Bullock, Marianne WVice President Joe Biden, and former congressman John Delaney.

My job was to follow our host Greta Van Susteren, the Gray Television Political Analyst. As she approached Vice President Biden he surprised us by grabbing her hand and having her walk with him as she asked him questions. It was exactly what we wanted and more because it made her look more important walking with him through the crowd. It was great video. She is the host of a new political show on Gray TV called Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren.

Before we left, we walked down the main street to see a 150-foot wind turbine blade. Greta proceeded to interview the wind association representative and I continued to shoot video while the local TV station cameraman put a microphone on Greta and the guest.

Before we went to the fair we visited a farm. The Kimberleys, Grant and his father, Rick, grow soybeans and corn on their multi-generational family farm and they shared the problems they face. China President Xi visited their farm to see where the soybeans are grown. We began at Kimberley’s farm house and walked through the fields as Greta interviewed both of them. Grant explained how farmers grow and export soybeans. In addition, he informed us of the challenges of weather to crops. With the ongoing trade war with China, the American soybean business is in jeopardy. China does not need American soybeans as much since they are using technology to grow them in places they were not able to grow before. After we finished the interview, Rick showed us a picture of him and President Xi. President Trump visited him as well. Here is the story that was cut to run nationally on Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren.

Tammy Haddad, the CEO of Haddad Media and co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of WHCInsider.com, is launching a new podcast called Cone of Silence. The podcast will serve as an extension of the White House Correspondents Insider channel on Apple Podcasts and AudioBoom.

Cone of Silence was inspired in part by Amanda Katz, one of the top editors at CNN.com, with the idea of sharing how things really work behind the scenes — from presidential campaigns or television comedies, to any of the out-of-sight things going on today in politics, business, entertainment, and technology.  

Haddad’s first guest — who she interviewed this week in LA leading up to the Emmys — is David Mandel, the award-winning executive producer and showrunner of HBO’s Veep. Mandel’s comedy career began at Comedy Central and Saturday Night Live. Mandel went on to produce some of the greatest comedy hits of our time, including Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Veep (since taking over in Season 5).

In the first episode of Cone of Silence, Haddad gets the inside scoop on how the Veep team put together the last season and created the incredibly fitting finale (be warned: spoilers!). 

Haddad and Mandel also discuss what it’s like to work (twice) with the amazing Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and what it takes to stay on top of the comedy game. Plus, they share how Veep always seems to be ahead of the news cycle (we’re talking Washington insiders!).

Don’t miss the first episode of Cone of Silence. Available on Apple Podcasts and AudioBoom.