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** OPINION
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** What’s in a name? MSNBC’s name change is more about independence than style
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The new name and logo for the cable news network formerly known as MSNBC. (Courtesy: MS NOW)

Cable news station MSNBC came on the air in 1996 and, at first, its name with five letters might have felt and sounded a little clunky for a TV channel.

But it didn’t take long for that name to flow and become a recognizable brand and well-known part of the media vocabulary.

Now that the network is breaking off from NBC, however, it’s also breaking off the part of its name associated with NBC. Later this year, the name will change to MS NOW — with the letters standing for My Source News Opinion World.

Anytime a well-known brand changes its name, there typically is immediate pushback and criticism. And Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, recognized that in a memo to staff, writing, “I want to acknowledge that for many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name. This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate.”

In a note to the audience, Kutler wrote she understands that viewers might be initially unsettled by the change, writing, “We understand. But our promise to you remains as it always has. You know who we are, and what we do. The same familiar and trusted hosts and journalists who make sense of what is happening in Washington, across the country, and around the world will still be here — whether that’s as you’re having a cup of coffee getting ready for the day ahead, seeking answers during breaking news moments, going deeper on the day’s headlines in the evenings, or discussing the week’s biggest stories on the weekends.”

The Associated Press’ David Bauder wrote ([link removed]) , “The name change was ordered by NBC Universal, which last November spun off cable networks USA, CNBC, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, Oxygen and the Golf Channel into its own company, called Versant. None of the other networks are changing their name.”

Kutler told viewers, “This gives us the freedom to chart our own path forward, and we’re excited about where it’s headed.”

Most notably, and this is to be emphasized, it will also draw a clear line between NBC News and the cable network. For years, MSNBC shared many of NBC News’ journalists. But that is changing with this split.

The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin wrote ([link removed]) , “Adam Miller, the chief operating officer at NBCUniversal, said in a memo to employees Monday that the change would help avoid confusion between viewers of NBC News and MSNBC as the two channels covered the same news events. Since the split was announced a few months ago, MSNBC has gone on a hiring spree, adding at least three dozen journalists as the organization prepares to separate itself from the sizable news-gathering prowess of NBC News, its longtime corporate cousin.”

While MSNBC had become a well-known name, it was actually outdated. The original name recognized the partnership between Microsoft and NBC. The partnership between the two ultimately ended. Executives considered changing the name at that time, but ultimately decided against it.

In fact, after the announcement in January that MSNBC and other cable stations would be spun off from NBC Universal, Mark Lazarus, the CEO of the spinoff company, said MSNBC would be called MSNBC “for the foreseeable future.”

He added, “I know there was some discussion with the MSNBC name, so you can take that off of your worry list on things.”

The foreseeable future, however, ended Monday.

For what it’s worth, the new name seems appropriate. It keeps some of the original name — MS — and “NOW” not only stands for News, Opinion and World, but the word “NOW” gives it an immediacy that any news organization would want to be associated with. The only part you might question is that NBC News’ streaming service is called NBC News NOW.

Meanwhile, even with a new name, don’t expect MS NOW’s journalism to change. The channel will still be heavy on political analysis and interviews with personalities such as Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O’Donnell and Chris Hayes.

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** Dominion gets another settlement
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Back in 2021, Dominion Voting Systems sued right-wing cable channel Newsmax for a whopping $1.6 billion. Dominion accused Newsmax of knowingly broadcasting conspiracy theories that falsely claimed Dominion helped rig the 2020 presidential election. Dominion claimed that 18 times — on TV and in a social media post — Newsmax falsely claimed it manipulated votes, had ties to a Venezuelan company and received government kickbacks.

Well, Dominion isn’t going to get a billion dollars, but Newsmax is going to write one heck of a check. In a settlement, Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion $67 million. Actually, that amount is big enough for Newsmax that it won’t make the payment in one check, but in three installments by January 2027.

The settlement did not include an apology from Newsmax. In a statement, the company sounded somewhat defiant, saying, “Newsmax believed it was critically important for the American people to hear both sides of the election disputes that arose in 2020. We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”

Yet the hefty sum of the settlement still sends a message, and Newsmax clearly did not feel confident that this would play out well in court.

The New York Times’ Katie Robertson noted ([link removed]) , “In April, Judge Eric M. Davis of the Delaware Superior Court ruled that Dominion had presented ‘clear and convincing evidence’ that the statements from Newsmax were false and defamatory, allowing the case to proceed to a trial.”

Dominion is the same company that had a high-profile case against Fox News, which was also about false election claims. In April 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million.

About the Newsmax settlement, Dominion said in a statement, “We are pleased to have settled this matter.”

President Donald Trump continues to push baseless and false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Many of his claims, as well as those from his supporters, led conservative news outlets to also spread the baseless allegations. But now Dominion has come out on the right end of two lawsuit settlements.

Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time Newsmax has settled with a voting company. Last year, Newsmax paid Smartmatic $40 million to settle that case.

Smartmatic’s suit against Fox News remains alive. It is asking for $2.7 billion. If that case isn’t settled, it is set for trial in New York next year.

The Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio writes ([link removed]) , “Fox News has argued that there is no evidence Smartmatic has lost any business due to its reporting. The network argued that reporting on Trump’s false claims was newsworthy and protected under the 1st Amendment.”


** More on ESPN’s decision to walk away from a doc
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Film director Spike Lee, who has been working on a docuseries about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, is shown here at an event last week. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

In Monday’s newsletter ([link removed]) , I wrote about ESPN’s decision to nix a multipart docuseries about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The project, which has been in the works since 2020, was being made by famed director Spike Lee and was to explore Kaepernick’s activism, which included kneeling during the national anthem to protest against police brutality and systemic injustice.

I mentioned that the announcement came just a couple of weeks after ESPN and the NFL struck a deal in which ESPN acquired the NFL Network and the rights to the league’s RedZone Channel, while the NFL would eventually own a 10% stake in ESPN. As soon as that deal was announced, there were questions about whether the network’s coverage of the league would be affected.

So, was the Kaepernick doc killed because it might have painted the NFL in a bad light? Kaepernick hasn’t played in the league since his 2016 protests, and there are allegations that he was blackballed by league owners.

However, I was told Monday by someone inside ESPN with knowledge of the project that the NFL played no role in ESPN’s decision to walk away from the documentary. In addition, the source said the decision was pretty much made last summer — long before the NFL-ESPN deal came together. There have also been reports that the “creative differences” that doomed the project might have initially been more between Lee and Kaepernick than between the filmmakers and ESPN.

So much remains unknown. ESPN put out a general statement simply saying the deal was dead, and Lee said he couldn’t say anything because he signed an NDA.

What is known is that ESPN and the NFL recently signed a partnership agreement and that the deal requires regulatory approval from the Trump administration. Trump has been highly critical of those who protest by kneeling for the national anthem.

Again, there’s a lot to suggest that ESPN’s decision to walk away from the project really was about “creative differences” and that it would have done so regardless of its deal with the NFL. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote ([link removed]) , “Based on things I’ve separately heard and sensed, I believe the project was destined to die without the NFL on deck to own a piece of ESPN.”

Nevertheless, the new business relationship between ESPN and the NFL will always lead to questions.

In a separate piece for ProFootballTalk, ([link removed]) Florio wrote, “This is the kind of thing that becomes unavoidable, now that the NFL is in line to own 10 percent of ESPN. Whether there’s something to it or whether there isn’t, any time ESPN makes a decision that tends to shield The Shield from scrutiny, reasonable people will think that the NFL asked for it — or that ESPN made the move pre-emptively. Is it worth it? That’s for the NFL and ESPN to decide. But it’s safe to say folks won’t get used to this one. The question of whether ESPN’s coverage of the NFL will be influenced by its business relationship with the NFL will from now on be an integral part of the coverage of ESPN.”


** Speaking of ESPN
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Puck’s John Ourand reports that ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro will host a press briefing in New York today to “unveil all the bells and whistles around its direct-to-consumer app (née Flagship) before its official launch on Thursday. The exact details will be embargoed, but you can expect onscreen overlays for stats, fantasy, betting, and merch information.”

Ourand adds, “While the big news will be the screen — how the app looks and feels — I’m more interested in the bigger picture, post-launch. For ESPN’s streaming product to become indispensable, Pitaro will need to work closely with competitors. Right now, that’s happening outside the app, through bundling deals with NFL RedZone and Fox’s streaming service, which also launches Thursday. But Pitaro’s image is of a future for ESPN that would include not just exclusive sports rights, but also rival channels — like how you can subscribe to HBO Max from within Apple TV.”


** Remembering a legend
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Jules Witcover, a longtime political reporter and columnist for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and others, has died. He was 98.

Witcover covered presidential races and politics for 68 years and once shared a syndicated column with another famed journalist, Jack Germond.

The New York Times’ Robert McFadden wrote ([link removed]) , “Colleagues and critics called Mr. Witcover one of the nation’s best political reporters — rivaling R.W. Apple Jr. of The New York Times and David Broder of The Washington Post — and an insider whose depth went beyond the current crop of public officials and candidates into the history and ethics of politics, and to speechwriters, publicists, lobbyists and others in behind-the-scenes supporting casts.”

McFadden also noted, “He was featured in ‘The Boys on the Bus,’ Timothy Crouse’s 1973 book about pack campaign journalism, the old road show of poker games, pounding typewriters and all-night boozing. He fit right in, but he was one of the heavyweights.”

Aside from working in newspapers, Witcover wrote more than a dozen books, including 1977’s “Marathon: The Pursuit of the Presidency 1972-1976” — which looked at Jimmy Carter's rise to become president.

Witcover was known for his “shoe-leather” reporting, meaning he preferred doing his reporting on the scene. That meant he was often on the road.

He wrote in his memoir, “I’m not complaining, because for the last 50 years and more I’ve had a lively time being a fly on the wall at some of the great and small scenes of contemporary American history and politics. I’ve spent thousands of hours sitting, drinking, singing, writing and only occasionally sleeping on whistle-stop trains, press buses and planes from New Hampshire to California.”

The Washington Post’s Bart Barnes wrote ([link removed]) , “He was feet away from Robert F. Kennedy when the senator from New York was mortally wounded at a Los Angeles hotel while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968. Mr. Witcover said that the sound of the shots rang in his ears long afterward, and that the sight of the senator bleeding on the floor just after winning the California primary would haunt him for decades.”


** Media tidbits
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* My longtime Poynter colleague Al Tompkins with “CBS correspondent Steve Hartman quietly spent years documenting grief that families couldn’t leave behind.” ([link removed])
* Mediaite’s Alex Griffing with “The Disturbing Rise of Nick Fuentes Highlights Dangers of Alternative Media in an Anti-Woke World.” ([link removed])
* For Politico, James Harkin with “Has a Breakthrough Happened in the Agonizing Saga of Austin Tice?” ([link removed])
* Roberta Rampton has been appointed White House news editor for The Associated Press. For the past six years, Rampton was NPR’s White House editor. Here’s more from The AP. ([link removed])
* The Guardian has announced ([link removed]) the formation of a new U.S. political enterprise team. It will be led by George Zornick, who spent the past six years at HuffPost. Aram Roston will join the U.S. political enterprise team as a senior reporter. Roston has been working at Reuters.
* An announcement from Poynter: “Poynter’s MediaWise launches new initiative to combat extremism in online gaming spaces.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* In a powerful guest essay for The New York Times, Laura Reiley — currently a writer for Cornell University and former reporter for The Washington Post and Tampa Bay Times — with “What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life.” ([link removed])
* The Athletic’s Zak Keefer with “Pain took football away from Andrew Luck; what brought him back to Stanford?” ([link removed])


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* Journalists of color: Join a free four-day workshop at Poynter's waterfront campus, where accepted applicants develop the skills needed to become powerful writers. Apply now ([link removed]) .
* Refine your immigration policy expertise with Poynter's Beat Academy. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Access ([link removed]) Poynter’s comprehensive mental health reporting resources.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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