Fox News personalities texting Trump’s chief of staff during the Jan. 6 riots. Chris Cuomo interfering in reporting on his brother, the then-governor of New York. Don Lemon texting actor Jussie Smollett about the police investigation into hate crime he’s since been convicted of falsely reporting. How did cable news lose its way? Can new faces and new formats bring it back? Or, is it time to pull the plug?
Edward Helmore, The Guardian: “CNN mess over Cuomo shows dangers of news-as-entertainment”
Tom Jones, Poynter: “Does Chris Wallace’s move to CNN+ change the streaming news game?”
Sara Fischer, Axios: “Cable news talent wars are shifting to streaming platforms”
Fox hosts’ Jan. 6 texts to Trump
Greg Sargent, Washington Post: “Opinion: Fox News hosts grew alarmed about Jan. 6 – after feeding the ‘big lie’ themselves”
Jim Windolf & John Koblin, New York Times: “Fox News hosts sent texts to Meadows urging Trump to act as Jan. 6 attack unfolded”
Brian Stelter, CNN: “Fox stays silent about new texts that expose Hannity and Ingraham’s Jan. 6 hypocrisy”
Jeremy Barr, Washington Post: “Fox News hosts urged Meadows to have Trump stop Jan. 6 violence, texts show”
Amanda Carpenter, The Bulwark: “Fox News hosts begged Trump to stop the January 6 attack on the Capitol”
Nicholas Wu and Kyle Cheney, POLITICO: “He’s got to condemn this…’: Panel releases urgent Jan. 6 texts from Donald Trump Jr., lawmakers and Fox hosts”
Jussie Smollett & Don Lemon
Richard Prince, journal-isms: “Post-Smollett trial, some say story is Lemon’s, too”
Emily Crane, New York Post: “Don Lemon brands pal Jussie Smollett a liar”
Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times via MSN: “Black Lives Matter stands with Jussie Smollett after verdict, but Don Lemon does not”
Natasha Anderson & Alastair Talbot, Daily Mail: “Justice for Jessie? Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and cream of woke America are slammed for their deafening silence after Jussie Smollett’s conviction having first branded it a ‘modern day lynching’”
Paige Gawley, ET Online: “Don Lemon says he texts Jussie Smollett every day following attack” (February 2019)
Chris Wallace ditches Fox for CNN
CNN: “Chris Wallace joins CNN+”
Brian Steinberg, Variety: “Chris Wallace to leave Fox News Channel”
Sara Fischer, Axios: “Chris Wallace leaving Fox News after 18 years for ‘new adventure’”
Oliver Darcy & Brian Stelter, CNN: “Chris Wallace announces he’s leaving Fox News”
Joseph Choi, The Hill: “Chris Wallace announces he is leaving ‘Fox News Sunday’”
Erik Wemple, Washington Post: “Opinion: Chris Wallace bolts Tucker Carlson’s Fox News”
Jon Allsop, Columbia Journalism Review: “Chris Wallace, an old approach, and something new”
Tom Jones, Poynter: “Why Chris Wallace’s departure is a serious blow to Fox News”
Fox News & The Christmas Tree
Jeremy Barr, Washington Post: “’We will not be defeated’: 36 hours of Fox News covering its own Christmas tree fire”
Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News: “Suspected Fox News All-American Christmas tree arsonist could be back on streets in a matter of hours: expert”
Rebecca Rosenberg & Dom Calicchio, Fox News: “Alleged Fox Christmas tree arsonist reveals thoughts before setting it on fire: ‘all day long’”
Timothy Bella, Washington Post: “The Fox News Christmas tree was set on fire in New York. A man is now in custody, policy say.”
Justin Baragona, Daily Beast: “Fox News contributor compares Christmas tree fire to Pearl Harbor”
Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill: “Fox News host suggests Christmas tree fire could have been ‘a hate crime’ against network”
Caleb Ecarma, Vanity Fair: “Fox News completely freaks out over Christmas tree fire”
Deadly Midwest tornadoes
Rachel Lerman, Washington Post: “OSHA investigating Amazon warehouse collapse in Illinois”
Al Tompkins, Poynter: “CNN anchor Pamela Brown isn’t just covering the tornado damage in Kentucky. She’s reporting on her home.”
Person of the Year
Molly Ball, Jeffery Kluger & Alejandro De La Garza, Time Magazine: “TIME 2021 Person of the Year: Elon Musk”
Francesca Gariano, NBC: “Elon Musk named Time magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year”
Kerry Flynn, CNN: “Time Person of the Year: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, named most influential of 2021”
