Good Monday morning. Plenty to discuss this week in the media world. Abortion debates. A possible showdown with Iran. And the ending of “Game of Thrones.” But know who likely won’t discuss any of it? The White House.
Although the public likely doesn’t care what the White House thinks about the Iron Throne, it might care about the White House’s take on real politics. But, as you will see in my first item this morning, chances are we won’t hear what the White House has to say. I also look at the end of a fabulous journalism career and a really cool must-see project by The New York Times in today’s “Hot Type” section.
But first, the White House.
Setting another record
The last official White House press briefing was March 11. That’s more than two months ago — 70 days to be exact — and is considered an all-time record, previously held by, you guessed it, this administration. To be fair, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders does often speak to the media in other venues, such as the front lawn of the White House. But there has been no traditional Q&A session from the briefing room.
Former White House press secretary Joe Lockhart thinks it’s a big deal. Press briefings aren’t just for the media, he says. They are for the citizens of the United States to stay engaged with their elected leader. Speaking on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” Lockhart, who served under Bill Clinton, told host Brian Stelter that it is important for President Donald Trump (or his appointed spokesperson) to face questions about what’s going on in the country and the White House.
Lockhart pointed out, for example, the president and Sanders still haven’t publicly talked about the Mueller report.
“No one’s asked the president’s press secretary if the president has read the report and been able to go into questions (like), ‘What does he think about page 123?’” Lockhart said. “So the questions do matter.”
Then again, the Mueller report proved that Sanders lied to the media during official press briefings. What’s the point of the press briefings if she is only going to lie?
“Even if she just lies, she would lie on camera and she would lie on tape,” Lockhart said, “and you will have it for history and posterity.”
End of an era
Steve Kroft, the current longest-tenured “60 Minutes” correspondent, announced his retirement at the conclusion of Sunday night’s season finale.
In his on-air announcement, Kroft said it was a “difficult decision” that he has been considering for the past four years. Kroft, 73, joined the show in 1989. The network plans a retrospective of Kroft’s 50-year career in journalism next September.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kroft filed nearly 500 pieces for “60 Minutes,” including his 1992 interview with presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, following the Super Bowl, which addressed Bill Clinton’s affair with Gennifer Flowers.
Kroft told THR, “It was by far the biggest interview I’d ever done and I remember being nervous.”
Other famous interviews included Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, serial killer Charles Cullen and 16 sit-downs with President Barack Obama. He said the story that had the most impact on him was when he reported on the financial firm Sandler O’Neill, which lost 70 people in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
With Kroft’s retirement, Lesley Stahl, 77, will become the longest-tenured “60 Minutes” correspondent. She joined the program in 1991. The show’s newest member is John Dickerson. He joins the show after signing off Friday from “CBS This Morning.”
Condemning the actions of police
The National Press Photographers Association has joined the list of media organizations who are condemning San Francisco police for raiding the home and office of a freelance journalist and seizing material from his reporting.
The police raided Bryan Carmody’s home and office looking for a confidential police report that contained information about the death of a public defender. Carmody had obtained the report and sold the information to local media. The police raided Carmody’s home and office after he refused to give up his source.
Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, sent a letter to San Francisco police that said, “While other First Amendment organizations have already condemned that raid, we also wish to express our disagreement with your reported comments defending that search and seizure.”
Reporter murdered
Francisco Romero Diaz, a freelance crime reporter who was under the protection of the Mexican government, was murdered last Thursday, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RSF reports that Romero received a phone call around 5 a.m. Thursday telling him to go to a bar in Playa del Carmen to cover an important event. His body was found an hour later. He has been beaten and shot in the head. Romero received protection from federal authorities when he requested, but he apparently did not request protection in this instance.
RSF said that Romero was a freelance crime and court reporter and a correspondent for a regional daily called Quintana Roo Hoy and was often the subject of death threats because of his reporting. Mexico is now considered the deadliest place for journalists with Romero being the fifth Mexican journalist murdered this year.
Best quote of the weekend
“If the ‘Sopranos’ and ‘Star Wars’ had a baby, it would be ‘Game of Thrones.’”
— CNN media critic Brian Lowry on Sunday’s “Reliable Sources.”
Hot type
How did Fox News become America’s No. 1 cable news network? Its fans tell The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple.
In 2018, Sarah Zorn became the Citadel’s first female regimental commander, leading some 2,400 cadets. Photojournalist Alyssa Schukar follows Zorn through her senior year in this unique photo project for The New York Times.
Deadspin’s Drew Magary writes about his freakish brain hemorrhage, near death and grueling rehabilitation in a frightening account called “The Night The Lights Went Out.”
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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