THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Marina Ovsyannikova

A news editor with Russian state media outlet Channel One Marina Ovsyannikova garnered international attention when she boldly crashed a live report on the propaganda channel carrying an anti-war sign and declaring "they are lying to you here!"

After seeming to be missing for several hours, Ovsyannikova appeared in court Tuesday.

Ovsyannikova walked into her studio in the middle of a broadcast and unfolded a poster saying “No war, stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here.” Before the televised protest, Ovsyannikova released a video on social media saying she was “ashamed” of “promoting Kremlin propaganda” throughout her career with Channel One.

It was an incredible moment.

The journalist was quickly detained by the Russian police after her protest, and TASS — another Russian state-owned news agency — reported on how she could be charged for “discrediting the use of Russian troops.”

Russia has been cracking down hard on journalists and political dissidents throughout the invasion of Ukraine, and Human Rights Watch warns that protesting the Kremlin’s narrative can get people sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Following Ovsyannikova’s arrest, multiple reports stated that her lawyers were trying to get in contact with her, but were unable to find her. This prompted fears Ovsyannikova had already gone missing, but Julia Davis, a columnist who has been tracking the story for The Daily Beast, tweeted that “Ovsyannikova is in court with her lawyer Anton Gashinsky. She is facing administrative charges to begin with.”

It is not just her opposition to the illegal and inhumane attack on Ukraine that makes this a win. It is that she stood against propaganda, against lying to the people, and spoke the truth - and spoke for truth - in a place where doing so is severely punished.

It's not just a media win, it's a journalism win. And a human one.

MEDIA LOSER:
Joy Reid

Mediaite's Michael Luciano makes the case:

Last Monday, MSNBC’s Joy Reid ended her show with a monologue about American news media priorities when covering international conflicts. She juxtaposed the media’s extensive coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine with the scant coverage of strife in largely non-White parts of the world.

Reid specifically homed in on the ongoing civil war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. She noted that “we haven’t witnessed the same type of solidarity for the Yemenis as we do for the Ukrainians. We don’t see historic sanctions or global campaigns, corporations like Airbnb and Netflix taking a stand.”

She added, “The coverage of Ukraine has revealed a pretty radical disparity in how human Ukrainians look and feel to Western media compared to their browner and blacker counterparts.”

Her comments, though valid to an extent, landed oddly given that until that time, The ReidOut had extensively covered Ukraine at the expense of other conflicts. Moreover, a search of transcripts indicated that prior to Monday, Reid hadn’t mentioned the war in Yemen since at least September of last year, and maybe longer. Like many primetime cable news hosts, Reid has shied away from covering international conflicts unless the U.S. is directly involved, Ukraine notwithstanding.

Last week I made the obvious point that as a cable news host, Reid would seem to be in a position to cover the sorts of conflicts she says deserve more coverage. Yet, she has declined to do so. That’s why I noted that unless The ReidOut starts covering the kinds of crises she’s talking about, her critique will continue to ring hollow.

Since that monologue, The ReidOut has aired five new episodes. A review of transcripts indicates that not only did the show not cover Yemen or some other war-torn “browner” country as Reid put it, the show has....

Read the rest of the column from Michael Luciano here.

The A-Block

Pierre Zakrzewski

Tragically, Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski was killed covering the war in Ukraine.

In the same attack correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured and hospitalized.

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced the tragic news in a note to colleagues. She said Zakrzewski and Hall were reporting in the village of Horenka when “their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.”

SCOTT: "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski. Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine.

"Pierre was with Benjamin Hall yesterday newsgathering when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.

"Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for FOX News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us. His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched. Based in London, Pierre had been working in Ukraine since February. His talents were vast and there wasn’t a role that he didn’t jump in to help with in the field – from photographer to engineer to editor to producer – and he did it all under immense pressure among journalists at every media outlet. He was wildly popular – everyone in the media industry who has covered a foreign story knew and respected Pierre.

"Last year, he played a key role in getting our Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal. In December at our annual employee Spotlight Awards, Pierre was given the 'Unsung Hero' award in recognition of his invaluable work."

Scott included in her memo comments from Fox News president Jay Wallace.

“Pierre was a constant in all of our international coverage,” he said. “I, like countless others, always felt an extra sense of reassurance when arriving on the scene and seeing him with a camera in hand. The legacy of his positive spirit, boundless energy and eye for the story will carry on.”


🇺🇦 FOR LATEST UKRAINE COVERAGE CLICK HERE


In Other News...

Psaki Asked If U.S. Is ‘Pushing’ Ukrainians ‘To Commit Suicide’ By Taking Direct Military Options Off Table

Ali Velshi Shows  Russian TV Airing Tucker Carlson Clips — Complete With Hilarious Translation

Tulsi Gabbard Hits Back at Mitt Romney’s ‘Treasonous Lies’ Accusations to Tucker Carlson

RUMPF: OAN ‘Report’ Claiming Russia Has Peaceful Intent to Rescue ‘Ukraine Regime’ from Nazis is NUTS

RATINGS: Friday March 11 - CNN Drops Below 1 Million Viewer Average Across Prime Time


Industry News...

Ben and Justin Smith Name Gina Chua as Executive Editor at News Start-Up

Must See Clip

To Blur or Not to Blur

CNN anchor John Berman mocked his network for blurring out the middle finger on a Ukrainian stamp commemorating the heroes of the Battle of “Russian warship, go f**k yourself!”

The Ukrainian postal service held a contest for a new postage stamp, and the winning design was of a Ukrainian soldier flipping off a passing Russian warship. The stamp features a representation of the now-famous response from Ukrainian forces on Snake Island to a Russian vessel: “Russian warship, go f**k yourself.”

When CNN reported on the stamp this morning, the producers blurred the middle finger, which drew mockery from Berman.

And then something changed.

Links We Like

Congress Is Fighting With Itself in Regulating Big Tech
- Kir Nuthi, The Dispatch
The Mainstream Media Is Helping Eric Adams Get Away With a Law-and-Order Crackdown
- Alex N. Press, Jacobin
Media Job Market Off To Strong Start In 2022
- Heidi Chung, Variety
Watch: Denzel Washington is the LeBron James of Acting
- Desus & Mero, Showtime (on YouTube)
Reading this online? Why not get it in your inbox? Sign up for the Mediaite Live from the Greenroom Newsletter today!
Twitter Twitter
Facebook Facebook
Instagram Instagram
Visit Mediaite Visit Mediaite
Copyright © 2021 Mediaite LLC All rights reserved.

Write to us:  tips@mediaite.com

Problems with these e-mails? Update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.