THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Jim Sciutto

CNN’s chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto signed off from Lviv, Ukraine on Friday, ending his month-long stay in the country while covering the brutal Russian invasion.

“Tomorrow, I’m leaving Ukraine after a month here,” Sciutto began, striking a somber tone.

“This country is now more than two weeks into a bloody devastating war. The biggest and perhaps most dangerous in Europe since World War II,” he continued.

During his time in Ukraine, Sciutto has been an integral part of CNN's on-the-ground team, bringing the world a close-up view of the devastation wrought by Putin's obsession with rebuilding the Soviet Empire. Perhaps most importantly, he's conducted many interviews with Ukrainians over the past month that showed their "admiral resolve" and put a human face to this war.

Sciutto wrapped his remarks by noting that the Ukrainian people "share our dreams and our hopes and fears and they are being tested now in the most horrible ways," and "we are being tested as well."

“This is a 1939 moment for Europe and the world. We at CNN will continue to cover this war as only CNN can and I will be back here with my team soon as well,” he concluded. “Thanks so much to all of you for joining us this hour, I’m Jim Sciutto signing off from Lviv, Ukraine.”

It goes without saying that reporting from a war zone carries personal safety risks, and Sciutto should be proud of the work he and his team have done over the past month to tell these important stories. 

MEDIA LOSER:
Tucker Carlson, Yet Again

Your friendly neighborhood Mediaite newsletter correspondent would like to state for the record that we do not enjoy naming Tucker Carlson the Media Loser of the Day so frequently. We would much rather have the top-rated Fox News host remember that with great power comes great responsibility, and the combination of his massive audience and the seriousness of the topics he discusses (Covid-19, the 2020 election, Ukraine, etc.) means the farrago of festering misinformation he spews can have real world consequences. 

Just within the past 24 hours, Carlson poured gasoline on a Russian propaganda fire and made cheap shots at reporters who dare to actually report on the news.

As part of their ongoing false flag campaign to justify their brutal assault on Ukrainian civilians, Russia has made a number of easily debunked claims, such as accusing their neighbor with a democratically-elected Jewish president of needing to be "de-Nazified." The latest Russian propaganda claims that Ukraine is making biological weapons, in facilities supported and financed by the U.S. government. 

Carlson breathed oxygen into this conspiracy by selectively quoting an interview with a Pentagon official who actually said the exact opposite of what the Fox News host told his audience he had said. Mediaite's Michael Luciano wrote a detailed analysis of Carlson's "stunning mendacity."

Carlson also complained about reporters who he said were promoting "Pentagon talking points." Besides being a oh-so-thinly-veiled swipe at Jennifer Griffin, Carlson might have more credibility if he hadn't spent the past few months sounding like a PR flack for the Kremlin.

The A-Block

Here we go again

Recent history seems to be repeating itself in a number of news reports lately, and sadly it's not the fun stories, like when some llamas escaped and went on a highly-entertaining romp

Former President Donald Trump is finding new ways to get kicked off social media. YouTube removed a recent podcast episode by the viral prank group "NELK Boys" in which Trump was a guest. The former president predictably complained about "Big Tech lunatics" who won't let him have any fun. And Trump's TRUTH Social has been an embarrassing flop so far, joining the tarnished legacy of previous Trump ventures like Trump University, Trump Steaks, and his Atlantic City casinos. 

President Joe Biden mocked GOP members of Congress who tried to take credit for the infrastructure bill even though they voted against it. Political observers with memories longer than your average goldfish may recall some Republican pulling the same trick with the Covid stimulus checks and Obamacare. 

There's yet another video with Donald Trump Jr. having a bizarre rant. This time he's claiming his father praised dictators like Putin so he could "play" them "like a fiddle." Sure, that's totally what happened.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) got caught on video saying dumb stuff too, throwing insults at Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky that were so outlandish even his fellow Republicans rebuked him. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) is plotting his comeback and a shocking new poll shows him running nearly dead even with the current officeholder (and his replacement), Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY).


🇺🇦 FOR LATEST UKRAINE COVERAGE CLICK HERE


In Other News...

Jussie Smollett FLIPS OUT After Judge Sentences Him to Jail: 'I Am Innocent and I Am Not Suicidal!'

WATCH: Psaki Objects When Peter Doocy Asks 'Are You Guys Just Going To Start Blaming Putin For Everything Until The Midterms?'

Giant Parachuting Spiders, Peacock Turf Wars, and Manatees in Rehab: The Best of This Week’s Weird Critter Stories

LUCIANO: Ted Cruz Berates Reporter Instead of Answering Very Simple Question About Vaccines


Industry News...

CNN+ to Launch on March 29

Must See Clip

"Stuck in a tank conga line"

Stephen Colbert mocked Vladimir Putin for his many military shortcomings throughout Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Colbert opened Thursday’s edition of the Late Show by praising the toughness and bravery Ukrainians have exhibited throughout Russia’s invasion.

“And get this,” he said. “The Ukrainians didn’t sink just any ship, because the Russian warship that was told to go fuck itself at Snake Island has been destroyed.”

“So, it may not have done exactly what Ukrainians wanted, but it did go down on itself,” Colbert added.

The late night host also had a Gloria Estefan parody that ridiculed the stalled Russian convoy. 

Watch here.

Links We Like

We Need to Relearn What We’d Hoped to Forget
- Tom Nichols, The Atlantic
“The alarmists were right all along”: A Moscow journalist on Putin and the new Russian reality
- Sean Illing, Vox
The Distortions of the Putin Apologists
- Tim Miller, The Bulwark
Male State: The Russian Online Hate Group Backing Putin’s War
- Michael Colborne, Bellingcat
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