Is there an "information lag" about Covid-19? I perceive that reliable info about the *reasons* for relaxed Covid guidelines and rules is lagging behind the announcements and adjustments. Short thread here...
For example: How many American adults know the facts about (virtually nonexistent) outdoor transmission of the virus? Are they relying on one-year-old guesses rather than the latest research? Are news outlets doing enough to amplify the newest info?
"Information lag" may explain why some public outdoor spaces in blue states are still posting "wear a mask" signs. And it may explain why some red states are lagging far behind in vaccinations. cnn.com/videos/busines…
Related: Some experts have a "bias toward extreme caution" and a belief that it doesn't carry any costs, @dleonhardt said on Sunday's Reliable. But "extreme caution DOES have costs," he said, because "we need to focus people on the true risks that they're taking." 👇
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
As you read this interview with Tucker Carlson, about how much he hates "the media," remember that he works for a major media company that employs hundreds of journalists. outkick.com/tucker-carlson…
Carlson is right that "journalism should always be upward. We should be doing the tough stories on the people with the most power." But he's clearly not reading much, because that's what journalists ARE doing. He claims "there's no scrutiny on Jeff Bezos," for example. Really?
Carlson touts his new streaming docu-series, "45 minutes or an hour on one topic," and says it's "basic journalism. That's almost groundbreaking today. It doesn't really happen anymore." Huh? Tell that to the 1000s of folks who are part of a decade-long documentary renaissance!
Well this is a mouthful: CBS is merging its national news division with its local TV stations and naming two execs -- Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon -- to jointly run it all.
The pitch for this new structure: "It speaks to our ability to scale newsgathering, production, technical and operational resources to serve both national and local, linear and digital, with the agility to deliver trusted information to every platform." businesswire.com/news/home/2021…
CBS says "Susan Zirinsky will continue as President of CBS News until the new leadership has started and will assist with the transition. The Company is in discussions with Zirinsky for a significant role at a new CBS News Content Studio to be launched later this year."
Just announced: "Former VP Mike Pence will publish his autobiography with Simon & Schuster." It's part of a two-book deal. "The first book is tentatively scheduled for publication in 2023," the publisher says.
A peek behind the curtain: We'd been working on a story about this book deal for the past day, and were waiting for Simon & Schuster to respond to requests for comment when PR pulled the trigger on the press release. Exclusive details coming shortly...
Fox led the opposition to Obama 12 years ago, but network execs fought that portrayal. Resisted it. In January 2009 Bill Shine told me they would "cover the news in a fair and balanced way and put on a very good product."
When I wrote about Fox as the "voice of the opposition" for NYT, Fox execs denied it: nyti.ms/3sNM65U
Living through history, day by day, "it feels like you're in the middle of the ocean with with waves pouring over you constantly," @RonBrownstein says. But "history will have no trouble" identifying the "big structural factor driving the politics of our era" (1/4)
The big-picture theme, he says, is demographic eclipse – the eclipse of White Christian America, the rise of a majority-minority society, and the vicious response to this change. That's what we dug into on this week's RS podcast (2/4) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id4…
"The fundamental dividing line in American politics," @RonBrownstein says, "is between those who welcome and those who fear the way America is changing." What some perceive as progress, others perceive as loss. (3/4)
He entered office with 20 million Twitter followers. He is leaving office with zero.
Trump granted 119 interviews to Fox News, per @markknoller. He granted zero to CNN. This chart reminds me of a middle finger.
Trump began his term with a 44% approval rating, according to CNN polling, and ended with a 34% approval rating. @FiveThirtyEight's data shows relative steadiness across hundreds of polls by scores of outfits.