Don Lemon's viral laugh not so funny. Bolton's book booming. Plus, Geraldo speaks, Bloomberg shakes, and Biden's Office: The Musical.

THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Ben Smith

BuzzFeed News editor in chief Ben Smith has been named the new media columnist of the New York Times, an announcement on Tuesday revealed.

“We are excited to announce that Ben Smith, a relentless innovator who helped change the shape of modern journalism, will become our media columnist,” the Times said in a statement announcing the hire. “Ben not only understands the seismic changes remaking media, he has lived them — and in some cases, led them.”

That's a big move to a big role, and it's a big move on the part of the Times as well. In fact, it's one of several "shake up the box" moves by the paper already this year.

Just last week the NYT announced they are expanding the standards department, and that it will now oversee opinion in addition to news and reporting.

As Mediaite's Matthew Kassel notes, in the currently tumultuous world of journalism, with the staggering power of tech giants to shape the media (and the flow of revenue), Smith is in many well-prepared for the role of media columnist. That's not just due to the companies on his resume but the stories he has covered.

The media's role is a broad topic, and there are as many missteps (see today's Media Loser) as there are innovations. And the practice of journalism is either under siege or exposed to sunlight more than ever, depending on where one's sympathies lie.

To take the reins in such a complicated but audience captivating space, at such a pivotal time, at such a critical institution, is a big challenge, and a huge win for Ben Smith.

MEDIA LOSER:
Don Lemon

Sometimes, perhaps even often, a media personality can suffer a bad day at the races even when it isn't warranted. A mere misunderstanding can make a social media outrage. Other times, one may invite ire by deliberate means.

But then there's just being flat-out tone deaf, which is what happened when CNN's Don Lemon and guests laughed it up at the expense of Trump voters on Monday, mocking them as illiterate, uneducated hayseeds, complete with mock Southern accents.

It's well-established that Trump voters and conservatives think the media, especially CNN, are biased against them. It's a chief complaint, and one of the top reasons cited for Trump devotion. It's why the words "fake news" were an easy sell.

Facing that, it's almost unimaginable that none of the three men in the clip, which went viral, made it to Trump's Twitter, and is already infamous and slated for future GOP ads, had any inkling they were working up a media fail. But they didn't, and still don't. They blame the objects of their ridicule for having the temerity to object.

Trump is crass, cruel, mocking, and mean. And the segment was about Mike Pompeo cursing out an NPR reporter. It's easy to say the base which cheers such behavior is snowflaking when they can't take it in return. But what about those who spend so much time objecting to such cruelty? People like Don Lemon. Isn't the flip side that they're likewise of two faces?

Maybe. Maybe not. But there's no question it's what conservative voters think. And that's definitely not how you get them to tune in. And that, for a show and network that lives on ratings, is an obvious media fail.

The A-Block

The Bolton Book

Former national security advisor John Bolton continued to dominate news on Tuesday morning for the revelations in his book The Room Where it Happened.

Bolton was the object of much dragging on Fox's evening opinion shows, but in other circles his words carried weight enough to potentially influence how the rest of impeachment will play out.

On MSNBC, Chuck Todd argued that the Trump team is so afraid of Bolton testifying that they're "begging" and "screaming at" Senators, and on Fox Business, Andrew Napolitano saw malice and fear in the sudden pariah status for one-time conservative hero Bolton.

Glenn Greenwald

Journalist and author Glenn Greenwald, who was bumped from a CNN interview about the charges against him in Brazil, is becoming increasingly frustrated with Democrats and the press over where their attention is dedicated.

“Basically, what has the past four years of Trump’s presidency been dominated by? Russian and Ukraine — like do you think people in the key swing states wake up in the morning and give the slightest thought to like, what Putin is doing?” Greenwald told journalist Justin Caruso.

“Or whether the U.S. is like, sufficiently arming Ukraine, or who knows who the ambassador of Ukraine is or who gives a f*ck if Trump wanted to fire him?” he added. “Or like, Lev Parnas, or whatever that guy’s name is who gave that interview to Rachel Maddow, that everyone can’t stop talking about now?”

And there's so much more.

The Impeachment of ... Joe Biden?

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Republican Senator Joni Ernst has given up the game and "spilled the beans" about the real motive of the impeachment trial.

It's to get him, he says.

Wagging the Dog...'s Face

Former NYC mayor and current 2020 candidate Mike Bloomberg may not be a dog person. In fact, he may be a person who has never seen or interacted with a dog before.

That is, it's hard to come up with any other explanation for this bizarre interaction.

An 18 Year Streak

Fox News Channel has now officially been the most popular, most-watched cable news channel for 18 years running.

And no signs of slowing.

🎤

In Their Words: Fox's Geraldo Rivera sits down with Mediaite to talk about the upcoming docuseries on his career, not to mention President Trump, impeachment, and the future of media. Mediaite's Colby Hall has the deets...

Must-See Clip of the Day

In Joe Biden's Office, I'm Gonna Let It Shine

A group backing Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders took over former Vice President Joe Biden’s statewide Iowa headquarters while singing “This Little Light of Mine” on Tuesday.

It wasn't a huge protest that was put on by the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action, but the clips lit quite a fire on social media.

It's quite a show. And arrests ensued. Catch the best moments here.

Links We Like

The Debunked "Russian Influence" Nonsense Is Infantilizing Liberals
- via Slate
David French: What Happens When Both Sides Always Have Fuel For The Rage Fire
- via The Dispatch
The Key Questions That Will Determine If Coronavirus Outbreak Becomes A Pandemic
- via Vox
Jonathan Chait: Running Bernie Sanders Against Trump Would Be an Act of Insanity
- via New York Magazine

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