I should’ve mentioned it before now, but you gotta love the headline and front page of the Chicago Sun-Times (above) after Chicago native Robert Prevost was named pope last week and became Pope Leo XIV.
Meanwhile, how did other newspapers around the world react? Here’s The New York Times’ Simon J. Levien with “How Front Pages Around the World Covered the Selection of Pope Leo XIV.”
Speaking of the pope …
In his first audience with news outlets on Monday, Pope Leo XIV asked journalists to lower the temperature around their language use.
In a meeting with more than 1,000 journalists, including the Vatican press corps, Leo said, “Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression. We do not need loud, forceful communication but rather communication that is capable of listening.”
The New York Times’ Matthew Mpoke Bigg wrote, “In the pope’s remarks, which lasted around 10 minutes, Leo called for the release of journalists who had been imprisoned for their work. At least 550 journalists were being held across the world as of December, according to Reporters Without Borders, a nonpartisan organization that works to protect journalists.”
Leo told the reporters, “The church recognizes in these witnesses — I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives — the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices. The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.”
And another
Another high-profile Washington Post staffer is leaving the paper. Columnist Alexandra Petri is leaving to join The Atlantic as a staff writer. Petri is known for her humor and lighter takes.
Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg told staff in a memo, “Alexandra is brilliant and hilarious, wildly creative and adventurous. Her columns for The Post have been the favorites of readers for years. No one cuts to the heart of the matter faster or more incisively than Alexandra. And even those among us who don’t laugh out loud as they read columns laugh out loud while reading hers.”
The Monday announcement comes on the heels of a story in The New Yorker by Clare Malone: “Is Jeff Bezos Selling Out the Washington Post?”
It’s a looooong and detailed look at the Post under Bezos’ ownership.
Washington Post stalwart Sally Quinn turns up in The New York Times opinion section
And here’s even more about the Post. For this item, I turn it over to Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds.
After Bob Woodward, it’s hard to think of another high-octane journalist with as long a tenure at The Washington Post as Sally Quinn. She joined the paper as a reporter in 1969, became its preeminent profile writer in the heyday of the paper’s Style section and married executive editor Ben Bradlee. She also founded On Faith, an early blog described as “a conversation on religion,” for the Post.
So it was eye-catching last Friday to see a Quinn op-ed, lamenting how Trumpism has coarsened the city she loves, in the rival New York Times. That may simply have been Quinn’s chosen venue. But it’s hard not to infer some solidarity with the numerous Post stars who have jumped ship in the last seven months.
The first cause of those defections was the shock of owner Jeff Bezos squelching an endorsement of Kamala Harris last October, together with his February pronouncement that the twin “pillars” for editorials would henceforth be “personal liberties and free markets.” Hostility to publisher Will Lewis (reciprocated by his to the newsroom) has further fueled the exodus of talent.
Other outlets — The Atlantic and The Times particularly — have been only too happy to provide a new home for the disaffected, like political and White House reporters Ashley Parker, Tyler Pager and Michael Scherer and managing editor Matea Gold. Veteran columnist Ruth Marcus resigned, and her piece explaining why got spiked; cartoonist Ann Telnaes quit when the Post refused to run her drawing of Bezos among a group of executives bowing down to Trump.
None of that figured in Quinn’s commentary. Instead, through the lens of a hostess and enthusiast for respectfully civil “salons,” she wrote that she was seeing “an invisible poison” permeating the city. Now in her early 80s, Quinn has not lost much zing on her fastball. A sample:
“The hallmark of this administration is cruelty and sadism, vengefulness carried out with glee. (Elon) Musk said it best: ‘The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.’”
As best as I could find in a Google search, the Times has written about Quinn a number of times — but not published her. A short author’s bio, describing her long association with the Post, had a faint flavor of gloating. Conceivably — but not very likely in my view — the essay could have been first turned down by the Post and then offered to the Times. (I was not able to reach Quinn for comment.) Either way, it’s a bad look for a news organization that doesn’t need any more bad looks.
The return of MJ
When you think of the NBA on NBC, you think of the 1990s. The network carried the league from 1990 to 2002.
And when you think of the NBA of the 1990s, you think of Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six championships during the decade on his way to becoming the greatest basketball player of all time.
The NBA is returning to NBC next season. And Jordan is coming back. Well, sort of. NBC announced a major coup Monday: Jordan will serve as “special contributor” on the network’s NBA coverage. It’s not exactly clear what Jordan’s duties will be, but even if it’s just the occasional appearance in the studio, it’s a major get for NBC. After all, in addition to his six NBA titles, Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP six times, the regular-season MVP five times, as well as being a 14-time all-star. He was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jordan said in a statement, “I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC. The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”
The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch wrote, “This hire sees a continuation of NBC’s nostalgic trip back to the 1990s for its return to NBA coverage. It recently announced the return of John Tesh’s ‘Roundball Rock’ as its official anthem and will use Jim Fagan’s AI-generated voice to create modern promos with an old-time feel, via an agreement between the network and Fagan’s family.”
More sports media news
Rich Eisen is returning to ESPN, and Chris Berman is staying at ESPN. Those were two of the big stories to come out Monday involving ESPN as it plans to unveil the name and pricing of its upcoming direct-to-consumer product.
First, Eisen. More than two decades ago, he was one of ESPN’s big names as a “SportsCenter” anchor until he left for a prominent role at the NFL Network in 2003. He eventually became host of “The Rich Eisen Show,” a general sports talk show that first aired on NBC Sports Network and then moved over to Roku in 2022. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports that Eisen’s show, which airs from noon to 3 p.m. Eastern, will soon move over to the ESPN direct-to-consumer product.
Marchand reports the deal could be similar to the one Pat McAfee has with ESPN. That means Eisen will still own the show, but it will be licensed by ESPN. In addition, Marchand reports, the show also might end up being simulcast on ESPN Radio, but those details haven’t been worked out just yet.
Eisen is expected to continue as host of the NFL Network’s “GameDay” show on Sundays during football season, as well as the network’s draft coverage. He will also continue to call the occasional game on NFL Network.
Meanwhile, Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reported that Berman, who has been with ESPN almost from its inception in 1979, has signed an extension that will take him through the company’s 50th anniversary on Sep. 7, 2029. It also assures that Berman is under contract for when ESPN hosts the Super Bowl for the first time in February 2027.
Berman, who just turned 70 over the weekend, joined ESPN a month after its launch.
Berman said in a statement, “I came to ESPN at 24 years young for my first full-time TV job. I had a full head of hair, was wet behind the ears, and my assignment was to host the wrap-up ‘SportsCenter’ at 2:30 a.m. ESPN had been on the air for less than a month, and we had fewer than 100 employees. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined turning 70 and still being here at our network, which long ago became an icon of sports broadcasting. We’re closing in on our very first Super Bowl, and now I will be able to be part of that, too.”
ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement, “For a remarkable half-century, Chris has embodied ESPN with his smart and entertaining style. Boomer’s enjoyment of sports jumps through the screen and generations of fans have loved being along for the ride. ESPN has been so fortunate to have Chris making us better for decades and I am delighted that will continue beyond our 50th anniversary. And no studio broadcaster has meant more to NFL coverage than Chris and to have his presence on our first Super Bowl presentation is both apropos and significant.”
It seems fitting that Berman will become the first 50-year employee of ESPN. He has become synonymous with the network.
Oh, one more …
As I mentioned, ESPN is close to unveiling the name and price of its upcoming direct-to-consumer product. And the name is likely to be … ESPN, according to CNBC’s Alex Sherman.
Sherman wrote, “Disney’s sports media division will announce the new — and also sort of old — name for the all-access streaming application at a media event next week, according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named speaking about not-yet-public details.”
As far as pricing, most reports seem to indicate that it will cost somewhere in the $25 to $30 a month range.
