As I mentioned above, ProPublica won for its investigative reporting on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. And that brings me to this item.
John Oliver started season 11 of his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” with a bang. And he is, apparently, putting his money where his mouth is.
Oliver thinks Thomas is on the Supreme Court for all the perks, so he is offering Thomas $1 million per year — plus a swanky motor coach worth an estimated $2.4 million — if Thomas agrees to step down from the court immediately. He said the offer is good for 30 days.
Oliver said on air, “Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the court right now, and he’s never really seemed to like the job. He’s said it’s not worth doing ‘for the grief.’ So what if he could keep the luxury perks that he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief? We have a special offer for you tonight. We are prepared to offer you $1 million a year for the rest of your life if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back.”
Oliver held up the contract and said, “This is not a joke. This is real. A million dollars a year until you or I die.”
It was a hilarious bit, given all the reporting — particularly from ProPublica — about the gifts Thomas has received over the years. But, of course, this isn’t really going to happen … right?
Oliver pointed out that his offer is completely legal, adding, “Which seems crazy to me because it really feels like it shouldn’t be. But as they keep pointing out, there are no rules in place to stop me from doing this. And let me be clear: HBO is not putting up the money for this. I am personally on the hook.”
And if Thomas accepts the offer?
Oliver said, “I could be doing stand-up tours for your retirement for years.”
White House angry at New York Times
New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger did an interview Monday with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and revealed that the White House is “extremely angry” over the Times’ coverage of President Joe Biden, including Biden’s age,
Sulzberger said, “We are going to continue to report fully and fairly, not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden. He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We’ve reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it.”
That was a juicy headline to come of the interview, but it was actually a substantive conversation that delved deep into the journalism industry.
About the Times, Sulzberger said, “We try to learn from everyone and everyone tries to learn from us, too. Journalism faces existential pressure right now. But one of the good things that’s emerged from this pressure is that we all trade notes. Who are we looking at? It’s a very broad swath of journalistic organizations. But I also spend a lot of time looking at non-journalistic media organizations because our industry underestimates how shared the dynamics we all face are.”
Sulzberger was asked about how the Times is successful while many news organizations are cutting staff, including the Times’ chief rival, The Washington Post.
“The trends that are decimating news have nothing to do with the success of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic or the New Yorker,” Sulzberger said. “They are a set of existential pressures that are stemming from the decimation of the legacy business models and the replacement of those with the much more economically challenging digital options.”
Sulzberger added, “I'll push back on your premise even further. I actually think that people may be overstating the challenge the Washington Post is going through. If you had told them 10 years ago that they would have a newsroom with hundreds more journalists and maybe two million more subscribers, they would have taken that in a heartbeat, even if it involves some painful moments along the way. So I think the Washington Post, which continues to produce amazing work, is one of the success stories along with the Wall Street Journal and the Times. All of us have more subscribers than we’ve ever had.”
Sulzberger, however, admitted there is a difference between national and local media. Check out the entire interview for more insightful questions and answers about where media is, and where it might be going.
Houston Landing staff unionize six weeks after EIC and senior reporter fired
For this item, I turn it over to my Poynter colleague, Angela Fu.
The staff of Houston Landing announced Monday that they are unionizing, six weeks after their editor-in-chief and a senior reporter were abruptly fired.
Those firings caught staff at the digital nonprofit off guard and highlighted their lack of job protections, the union wrote in a press release. They are unionizing to have a say in company policies and to seek protections like “just cause,” which prevents employers from disciplining or terminating employees without a fair reason. Roughly 75% of the newsroom's 21 union-eligible staff members have signed union cards.
“Recent leadership decisions … have caused concern about a lack of transparency within our organization. We fear the Landing is moving away from values that are integral to our mission,” the union wrote in its mission statement. “As policies change and the Landing grows, we would like a continued seat at the table with company leadership.”
Houston Landing CEO Peter Bhatia did not respond to a request for comment. If the Landing refuses to voluntarily recognize the staff’s union, they can petition the National Labor Relations Board for an election to unionize.
The union campaign is not the first time the Landing’s staff have acted collectively. In the days following the firings — which were made at the behest of Bhatia — newsroom staff denounced the decision in a letter to the Landing’s board of directors. The board ultimately deferred to Bhatia, who has claimed that the firings are part of a strategic shift to make the company a “truly digital enterprise-driven news operation.” Staff have expressed confusion over this shift in strategy as the Landing has met its targets for pageviews, engagement and impact, among other metrics.
The Landing is the third nonprofit newsroom in Texas to unionize since the start of the year. Both the San Antonio Report and The Texas Tribune announced union campaigns last month in part to preserve the benefits they already receive and to secure additional job protections in an uncertain economic climate.
‘This is infuriating’
Just in time for President’s Day on Monday, The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey ranked every president ever. (The survey polled presidential experts.)
Abraham Lincoln finished first with Franklin D. Roosevelt coming in second, and George Washington third. Barack Obama finished seventh, ahead of John F. Kennedy (10th), Bill Clinton (12th) and Ronald Reagan (16th).
Joe Biden was 14th.
And who was dead last, coming in at No. 45? Donald Trump.
That did not go over well with the Fox News bunch, including Fox News host and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who said, “This is infuriating in so many ways.”
Media pans NBA All-Star Game
