The news coming out of Afghanistan is grimmer by the day. What is the U.S. government doing to bring home journalists safely? What’s ahead for those who can’t leave that country? Also, CNN’s Chris Cuomo breaks his silence on his brother’s resignation as New York’s governor, the co-founder of Snopes is suspended, and reaction to the new hosts of ‘Jeopardy!’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken defends the Biden administration's decision to pull US forces out of Afghanistan: "The idea that the status quo could have been maintained by keeping our forces there, I think, is simply wrong." #CNNSOTU https://t.co/5uk1k2vMbY pic.twitter.com/qlX6LU7BTB
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 15, 2021
Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post: “The Afghan debacle lasted two decades. The media spent two hours deciding whom to blame.”
Group Statement: “Group Statement sent to President Biden on behalf of the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post”
Tom Jones, Poynter: “How the media covered the controversial end of the US’s longest war”
Jon Alsop, Columbia Journalism Review: “A depressing vacuum in Afghtanistan coverage as Kabul falls”
Alexis Benveniste, CNN: “Afghan journalists are ‘absolutely petrified’ amid the Taliban takeover”
Andrea Mitchell & Ben Kesslen, NBC News: “Washington Post publisher asks Biden administration to help evacuate journalists”
Committee to Protect Journalists: “US must protect Afghan journalists as Taliban take power”
Anonymous, POLITICO: “’I believed in the U.S. but that turned out to be such a big mistake”
Ian Berry & Kerry Flynn, CNN: “How Afghanistan front pages covered the fall of Afghanistan to Taliban forces”
Erik Wemple, Washington Post: “Opinion: Ted Cruz’s unpatriotic, bad-faith tweet about CNN’s Clarissa Ward”
Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill: “CNN slams Cruz over Cancun for criticism of reporter in Afghanistan”
Ben Smith, New York Times: “Afghans working for U.S. government broadcasters fear Taliban backlash”
Susannah George, Washington Post: “Afghanistan’s military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions”
Roshan Noorzai, Voice of America: “As Taliban advance and fighting intensifies, Afghan media outlets close”
Anonymous, The Guardian: “’Please pray for me’: Female reporter being hunted by the Taliban shares her story”
Ruchi Kumar, The Guardian: “’For as long as we can’: Reporting as an Afghan woman as the Taliban advance”
European Federation of Journalists: “EFJ calls on European governments to expand refugee visa programmes for Afghan journalists”
Jeanne Bourgault & Ahmed Rashid, New York Times: “Guest Essay: The West’s best allies for 20 years are in grave danger”
Staff, Fox News: “Former CIA station chief’s on “America’s Newsroom’: Kabul will be under siege ‘within days’”
Open Society Foundation: “Open Society Foundation announces $10 million emergency fund for Afghan civilians in peril”
Philippines dismissed second case against Ressa
Reuters: “Philippine court dismisses libel case against journalist Maria Ressa”
Doughty Street Chambers: “Maria Ressa’s legal team welcome dismissal of libel charge against Maria Ressa in Philippines”
Snopes co-founder caught plagiarizing
Dean Sterling Jones, BuzzFeed News: “The co-founder of Snopes wrote dozens of plagiarized articles for the fact-checking site”
Jonathan Bailey, Plagiarism Today: “Snopes co-founder and CEO admits to plagiarizing dozens of articles”
Hannah Sparks, New York Post: “Snopes co-founder banned for plagiarizing dozens of stories on fact-checking site”
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Fox News: “Snopes fact-checks its own co-founder, catches him plagiarizing 54 articles following internal review”
Chris Cuomo breaks silence
"It was a unique situation being a brother to a politician in a scandal and being part of the media," @ChrisCuomo says. "I tried to do the right thing, and I just want you-all to know that." pic.twitter.com/oSWnxNImwG
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 17, 2021
Kenneth Garger, New York Post: “Chris Cuomo breaks silence on brother’s scandal, admits to urging gov to resign”
Elahe Izadi, Washington Post: “Chris Cuomo returns to CNN for the first time since his brother resigned as N.Y. governor”
Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill: “Chris Cuomo addresses brother Andrew Cuomo: ‘I tried to do the right thing’”
Martin Pengelly, The Guardian: “Chris Cuomo says he advised his brother Andrew but was never an adviser”
Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times: “Chris Cuomo of CNN breaks silience on his brother’s scandal.”
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Fox News: “CNN’s Chris Cuomo addresses brother’s resignation, defends his own conduct as anchor: ‘I never misled anyone’”
Tucker Carlson’s Visit to Hungary
Marton Eder, Bloomberg: “Hungary tightens mask mandate as lockdown restrictions grow
Erik Wemple, Washington Post: “Opinion: Hungary punked Tucker Carlson”
Transcript from Hungarian Prime Minister: “Viktor Orbán’s interview on Fox News”
Matt Wilstein, The Daily Beast: “Tucker Carlson to speak at far-right conference in Hungary after meeting with Orban”
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic: “Tucker Carlson’s self-loathing international tourism”
David Smith, The Guardian: “How Tucker Carlson and the far right embraced Hungary’s authoritarian leader”
‘Jeopardy!’ hosts named
Sony Pictures: “Sony Pictures Television names Mayim Bialik and Mike Richards as Jeopardy! hosts”
Michael M. Grynbaum and Nicole Sperling, New York Times: “’Like choosing a Pope’: How succession got messy at ‘Jeopardy!’”
Matt Brennan & Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times: “How did the choice of ‘Jeopardy!’ host become so controversial? Here’s what went wrong”
Christi Carras, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Should LeVar Burton have been chosen as new ‘Jeopardy!’ host?”
Alex Darus, Screenrant: “Jeopardy guest hosts and contestants react to new permanent host choice”
Jeopardy!: “Jeopardy!” guest-host schedule” (Feb. 2021)
