We start today with the grim news that Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich might be detained in Russia for quite some time.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Russia might consider a prisoner swap for Gershkovich, but only after his trial on espionage charges.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state news agency Tass, “The issue of exchanging anyone could only be considered after a court delivers its verdict.”
A couple of concerns about that. For starters, if they’re talking about a swap only after a verdict, it makes you wonder just how fair the trial and verdict would be. Also, the AP points out that it’s not known how long an investigation and trial could take, but other espionage cases in Russia have been known to last a year or more.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently denied Gershkovich is a spy.
The AP wrote, “Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Russian lawyers have said past investigations into espionage cases took a year to 18 months, during which time he could have little contact with the outside world. A Moscow court has received a defense appeal of his arrest and it’s scheduled to be considered on April 18.”
One day after saying it would no longer post tweets on Twitter, NPR sent out an email from chief executive John Lansing to its donors that said:
As you may have seen, NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter. The platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent.
After great consideration, we will not put our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of editorial independence.
Millions of Americans depend on NPR and local NPR Member stations for the factual, independent journalism they need to stay informed. I want to reassure you that while we are turning away from Twitter, we will never turn away from you.
A vital part of what makes it possible for us to uphold the non-negotiable values of independent journalism are donations from people like you.
It then provided a link to where recipients could donate to NPR, as well as other platforms where NPR’s work is available.
Now for more media tidbits, news and notable links for your weekend review …
- Speaking of the Gershkovich case, Politico senior media writer Jack Shafer with “Send Tucker Carlson to Moscow.” Shafer writes, “Carlson has every right to his opinions on Putin and Russia, even if they’re daft. But as long as we’re stuck with Carlson, perhaps we could put his naïve Russophilia to good work by dispatching him to Moscow to negotiate the Gershkovich case. Surely the Russian government would not oppose a visit from Carlson, whose views align so perfectly with theirs and whose standing in the country amounts to an ad hoc fan club.”
- Former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter has announced plans for a new book. “Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy” is due out in November and is a sequel of sorts to his first book about Fox News — “Hoax” — which came out in 2020. The book is likely to include much about the impending trial between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. Stelter tells Variety’s Brian Steinberg, “‘Network of Lies’ will begin where ‘Hoax’ ended — on the precipice of the 2020 presidential election. The recent revelations about Fox News and Donald Trump are nothing short of astonishing, with direct impacts on the next election, the First Amendment and our democratic values. This scandal cries out for a nonfiction examination.”
- A couple of notable stories about the upcoming Fox News-Dominion Voting Systems trial. First, it’s The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple with “Dominion lawsuit pretrial hearings foreshadow a brutal ride for Fox News.” Also, The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum with “Landmark Trial Against Fox News Could Affect the Future of Libel Law.”
- By the way, the jury in the Dominion-Fox case was supposed to be selected Thursday, but now that won’t happen until Monday, followed by opening arguments. And as far as a settlement before then? Don’t count on it. Looks like Dominion wants to go to trial. Brian Stelter has details for Vanity Fair in “Fox News Heads to Trial in Peril: ‘No Advantage for Dominion to Settle Now.’”
- ProPublica has more on the seemingly problematic relationship between Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. It’s Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski with “Billionaire Harlan Crow Bought Property From Clarence Thomas. The Justice Didn’t Disclose the Deal.”
- Also for ProPublica in partnership with the Idaho Statesman, Becca Savransky (with photos from Sarah A. Miller) with “Collapsing Roofs, Broken Toilets, Flooded Classrooms: Inside the Worst-Funded Schools in the Nation.”
- The New York Times’ David Streitfeld with “A VHS Tape of ‘Rocky’ Just Sold for $27,500, Because Why Not.”
- Saturday is the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. Here’s The Boston Globe’s Elizabeth Koh with “The Boston Marathon bombing’s 12-hour suspect.”
- For Nieman Lab, Kendra Pierre-Louis with “Three Years Later, COVID-19 Is Still a Health Threat. Journalism Needs to Reflect That.”
- The Washington Post’s Scott Dance with “Twitter’s new limits may block your next tornado warning.”
- Also in the Post, Emily Langer with “Alicia Shepard, media writer and Watergate biographer, dies at 69.”
- Remember how Donald Trump went on Tucker Carlson’s show and said people at the New York City courthouse for his arraignment were crying and apologizing? Yahoo News chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff did a little digging and a source told him that Trump’s claims were “absolute BS. … There were zero people crying. There were zero people saying ‘I’m sorry.’”
- The Guardian’s Philip Oltermann with “‘I’m all for climate change’: Axel Springer CEO faces heat over leaked messages.”
- Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand with “Twitter’s top sports exec TJ Adeshola steps down.” Ourand writes, “Adeshola spent ten years at Twitter and is the main reason why the social media company has maintained such good relationships with sports leagues.”
- It appears that Daniel Snyder is selling the NFL Washington Commanders. ESPN’s Mina Kimes has some harsh words for Snyder on his way out the door.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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