The ransomware threat; Facebook suspends Trump; Tapper fires back at Wallace; NYTers push back against union hikes; weekend reads

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Oliver Darcy here at 9:40pm ET. In this edition: Facebook doles out its punishment to Trump, Jake Tapper exchanges barbs with Chris Wallace, and NYTers push back against union dues hikes. Plus, your weekend planner and Sunday's "Reliable Sources" lineup. But first...

The ransomware threat

America is under attack. Critical infrastructure is being targeted by ransomware hackers who lock US companies out of their computer networks unless a fee is paid. First it was Colonial Pipeline. Then it was JBS Foods. And now it appears the latest might be Cox Media Group.

As we have seen, these hacks can cause widespread disruption, such as gas shortages. And FBI Director Christopher Wray is now likening the challenge they pose to the September 11 terrorist attacks. "There are a lot of parallels, there's a lot of importance, and a lot of focus by us on disruption and prevention," Wray told WSJ.

But is that urgency being conveyed effectively by news orgs to the public? There are challenges in doing so. For example, news orgs prioritize stories with visuals. But unlike a physical attack, cyberattacks don't generate the same imagery. So how can newsrooms communicate the threat to readers and viewers?

"We need to view these as physical attacks as well"

I reached out to Juliette Kayyem, a CNN national security analyst who worked at DHS during the Obama admin. Kayyem's point to me: "We need to view these as physical attacks as well, attacks on civilians as customers." Kayyem added, "The story isn't about wires or ransom. It is about how vulnerable our physical systems are and how little thought appears to have gone into what a company should do if breaches. Colonial appears, for example, to have only had two options: pay up or shut down. That isn't a lot of options. So we really need to focus on stories about what we call 'right of boom' planning (after the attack) for cyber events and their physical consequences."

Clapper's view

James Clapper said on CNN that he believes what we are seeing could just be "previews of coming attractions." Clapper said the public needs to be "a lot more alarmed" by these cyberattacks "and there needs to be a greater sense of urgency." Clapper added that is why he believes "likening it to terrorist attacks is a good one..."

TV stations under attack?

NBC's Kevin Collier offered new reporting Friday on what appears to be a ransomware attack on Cox Media Group, reporting that "at least two TV news stations have been completely offline since Thursday." Collier reported that at Orlando's WFTV "managers asked employees not to come into the station on Thursday and again Friday, but said little about what was wrong with the company's computer networks." And at Pittsburgh's WPXI "the IT network staff began shutting down company servers as a precaution Thursday morning." A source at that network told Collier, "Since then we've been locked out. It's pretty crippling at the moment..."

WEEKEND PLANNER

The Belmont Stakes air on NBC. Post time: 6:49pm ET.

Two Fox News premieres: Dan Bongino's show starts Saturday at 10pm and Trey Gowdy debuts his program Sunday at 7pm...

The women's second session of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships will air Sunday on NBC at 7pm. Simone Biles will compete before heading to the Tokyo Olympics...

The final episode of "The Story of Late Night" airs Sunday at 9pm on CNN...

The "Pose" series finale on FX airs Sunday at 10pm...

Jen Psaki on Sunday's "Reliable Sources"

Brian Stelter writes: "The White House press secretary joins me for an in-depth interview on Sunday. It's her first time on 'Reliable' since taking the job. Other guests on Sunday morning will include Adam Goldman, Dan Abrams, Steven Waldman, and a surprise or two. See you at 11am ET on CNN..."

Facebook doles out two-year suspension to Trump

What is the punishment for encouraging a riot on Capitol Hill? On Facebook, it's a two-year suspension. The social giant announced Friday that it had suspended Trump until at least January 7, 2023. At that time, Facebook said it will reinstate Trump's account if "conditions permit." As Donie O'Sullivan wrote, "The move guarantees Trump won't be able to post from his Facebook account, which had tens of millions of followers, prior to the 2022 midterm elections. But Facebook's announcement does leave open the possibility his suspension could lift ahead of the 2024 presidential election..."

Tapper grills Clegg

Jake Tapper grilled Facebook VP Nick Clegg, asking why the company would even consider offering up their platform to Trump in the future. "What kind of clues are you looking for?" Tapper asked. "I mean there's no indication that he's getting any better. His lies are getting worse." Clegg didn't have a great answer, saying that the "key thing is incitement..."

It's about the fundraising, too

Donie O'Sullivan writes: "Trump hasn't just lost a way to talk to supporters with Facebook's decision. Perhaps more importantly, he has lost a powerful fundraising tool. Remember, Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale often boasted about how effectively they had used the platform to raise cash. But with his account suspended for the next two years, neither Trump nor other Republicans will be able to use this to their advantage..."

"Admit it: The Facebook Oversight Board is kind of working"

That was the headline on this piece from Wired's Gilad Edelman. "The Oversight Board is performing a valuable, though very limited, function, and the Trump situation illustrates why," he wrote. Here's Edelman's argument: "Facebook took detailed feedback from a group of thoughtful critics, and Mark Zuckerberg signed off on a concrete policy change, plus some increased transparency. This is progress!" That said, Edelman cautioned that one should not "confuse this for a complete endorsement..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- The Oversight Board said it is "encouraged" by Facebook's announcement. "The Board believes the steps Facebook has committed to today will contribute to greater clarity, consistency and transparency..." (Oversight Board)

-- "150 days since the worst single act of political violence since the Civil War, and the man who incited it is crying about being kept off social media," Anderson Cooper said... (CNN)

-- "Facebook has spent years inventing ways to dodge making judgments on posts by global leaders, with former President Donald Trump chief among them. Now that strategy is in peril," writes Cristiano Lima... (Politico)

-- Kaitlyn Tiffany writes about how Facebook "won't talk about the insurrection," but will suggest it "was not its fault..." (The Atlantic)

-- In other Facebook news: Peter Kafka has all the details on Bulletin, Facebook's forthcoming newsletter product... (Recode)

How far will Trump go?

That's the question heading into the former president's Saturday night speech at the North Carolina GOP's state convention. The speech marks Trump's first public event since the crazy "reinstatement" fantasy was reported. He's clearly growing more delusional about his 2020 election loss. How much coverage will Trump's speech receive from the reality-based media? Probably relatively little, but Trump fans will have plenty of places to watch – Newsmax is already promising special live coverage...

>> Stelter's point on "CNN Newsroom" Friday afternoon: The "reinstatement" lunacy is how sane people end up feeling crazy...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Trump has "been constantly watching the conspiracy-laden TV channel One America News," Gabby Orr, Dana Bash, and Michael Warren report... (CNN)

-- "If attention is currency, former president Donald Trump is going broke," Brittany Bernstein writes. "Trump has largely lost his status as one of the nation's top newsmakers since leaving office and being deplatformed by the major social media platforms, according to a new analysis..." (National Review)

-- The Arizona Senate on Friday "released to American Oversight more than 500 pages of records related to the sham 'audit' of ballots cast in Maricopa County..." (American Oversight)

Tapper fires back at Wallace over booking promoters of Big Lie

Chris Wallace and Jake Tapper traded barbs in Friday's edition of Playbook over whether or not to book those who have promoted the Big Lie. Tapper has been public about his reasoning for not booking such politicians. But Chris Wallace expressed disagreement with Tapper to Playbook, though he did so without mentioning Tapper's name. Wallace asserted that avoiding booking politicians who lied about the November election amounted to "moral posturing" and suggested doing so was incompatible with covering the news. When Playbook asked him for comment, Tapper fired back: "This isn't an easy conversation for some folks — especially for journalists who work for organizations where the Big Lie was platformed — but that's all the more reason to have this conversation..."

>> After Playbook ran its story, Sen. Josh Hawley's press secretary and Rep. Elise Stefanik posted screen grabs of emails in which Tapper's booker asked if they'd be interested in appearing on his show. But as The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona tweeted, "1. Weird flex to dunk on [Tapper] by admitting you are a known liar and insurrection apologist. 2.Tapper told [Kara Swisher] last month that he would welcome on GOP leadership if they would discuss Trump's election lies...."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Erik Wemple's latest: Chris Wallace "must not watch much Fox News, or he wouldn't have attacked anyone for 'moral posturing…'" (WaPo)

-- Speaking of Wallace: The "Fox News Sunday" anchor said he sees no "smoking gun" in the Fauci emails that his own network has hyped for days... (Mediaite)

-- "As traditional local newsrooms have shrunk or shuttered, a sprawling new landscape of online news outlets has emerged," Elahe Izadi writes, reporting on how in some cases such outfits are funded by PR companies... (WaPo)

-- "USA TODAY is fighting a subpoena from the FBI demanding records that would identify readers of a February story about a Southern Florida shooting that killed two agents and wounded three others." Gannett "said the effort is not only unconstitutional but also violates the Justice Department's own rules..." (USA Today)

Prominent NYTers sign letter against union dues hikes

Kerry Flynn writes: "The Daily Beast's Max Tani and Lachlan Cartwright provided more details on the NewsGuild's proposal to hike dues and the dissent that it has created inside NYT. Tani and Cartwright identified in their story a multitude of prominent NYT reporters who have signed an opposition letter to the union voicing skepticism over the plan. 'Rather than give the Guild a blank check to spend more of our money, we need to consider a proposal for higher dues in a careful accounting of likely costs and revenues,' the letter said..."

>> Flynn adds: "As Tani and Cartwright noted, 'The battle pits Times reporters and editors skeptical of the NewsGuild's spending against other Guild members frustrated by the unwillingness of largely well-paid journalists to sacrifice a small amount for their colleagues in the industry.' TNR's Alex Shephard got at that in a tweet, writing, 'The NewsGuild has done so much to make this industry fairer and more equitable. It's really sad to watch people who have so much—job security, high salaries, book deals—work so hard to undermine efforts that help people who don't...'"

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Kerry Flynn:

-- Katie Robertson profiled Reuters exec editor Gina Chua. "It's good to just have people be able to say, 'Here is an example of somebody who can transition and not get fired,'" Chua said... (NYT)

-- Vice Media is exploring more subscription offerings. WayPoint+ offers extra gaming coverage for $5 per month... (Vice)

-- Sally Shin is leaving NBC after more than 11 years. "What's next for me? I'm first giving myself a gift of a break. Expect a bit more puppy photos..." (Twitter)

Weekend reads

By Katie Pellico:

-- A great read from Austin Bogues, a reporter at the Asbury Park Press: "In polarized times, local papers need to lean even harder into tough issues…" (NiemanReports)

-- University of Wisconsin-Madison Magazine profiled graduate and CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju... (OnWisconsin)

-- Charlie Warzel warns that "the internet is flat." It's been said before, but this is "a different internet flattening, namely the way that social platforms collapse time and space and context into one big pancake of conflict..." (Galaxy Brain)

-- Dr. Leana Wen writes about "how to investigate the lab-leak theory without inflaming anti-Asian hate..." (WaPo)

-- Tom Hanks writes a guest essay for the NYT: People "should learn the truth about the Tulsa Race Massacre..." (NYT)

-- "Latinx, POC and BIPOC are words trying to solve a bigger problem in journalism." Hear from Amaris Castillo and Kayla Randall about why "specificity will always win..." (Poynter)

-- "TikTok bee-f?" A TikToker's "critique of a beekeeping influencer" has gone viral, but the stinging critique may not be fair, Kalhan Rosenblatt writes... (NBC)

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Alisyn Camerota spoke to four people about why they do not plan to get the Covid vaccine for her latest "Pulse of the People" segment... (CNN)

-- After Camerota spoke with the group, Dr. Jospeh Varon "attempted to resolve the doubts of several people who CNN had invited to discuss their reasons for being hesitant about the Covid-19 vaccines..." (Mediaite)

-- Darcy Jimenez writes about how "it's not just misinformed members of the public peddling false or distorted information online," but organized campaigns "actively working to undermine confidence" in Covid vaccines... (Pharmaceutical Technology)

-- "The Trump book boom is about to enter its next phase: the pandemic memoir," Myah Ward writes.. (Politico)

-- Lawrence Wright's "The Plague Year" is coming out on Tuesday. Carlos Lozada says it reminded him of Wright's masterful post-9/11 book "The Looming Tower." There, too, "a gathering menace was ignored, experts were sidelined, and action was deferred..." (WaPo)

"Politics is now a branch of the entertainment industry"

Brian Lowry emails: "Michael Kruse's exhaustive Politico profile of Caitlyn Jenner in the context of her bid in California's gubernatorial recall election really boils down to this quote from USC's Marty Kaplan about leveraging fame in the political arena, and vice versa: 'Caitlyn Jenner is clickbait. She, like Trump, illustrates the way in which we live in an attention economy, which drives every other domain of our lives. Politics is now a branch of the entertainment industry.' Read the full piece here..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- ESPN has fired recently hired betting analyst Kelly Stewart over old tweets, "including six from 2012 where she used an anti-gay slur," A.J. Perez and Michael McCarthy report... (Front Office Sports)

-- In a statement, Stewart said: "I know the words I used are unacceptable and hurtful and I am terribly sorry for this lapse in judgment..." (Twitter)

-- The NFL is "expected to keep locker rooms closed as sports reporters push for a return to access," Ben Strauss and Mark Maske report... (WaPo)

-- The MLB is doing it differently: "Vaccinated media members will be able to talk to players on the field one-on-one starting Monday for pre-game," per Maury Brown... (Twitter)

-- Crooked Media is working with Team Whistle to distribute its YouTube show "ALL CAPS NBA" on Snapchat and Whistle's other social platforms... (Digiday)

Lowry reviews "The Kings"

Brian Lowry emails: "'The Kings' works a little too hard at connecting the four great fighters of the 1980s – Sugar Ray Leonard, Robert Duran, Thomas Hearns and the late Marvin Hagler – to the political mood of those times and the Reagan years. But this four-part Showtime docuseries is still a kick to watch for the quartet's exploits in the ring, which one analyst describes as the greatest period in boxing history..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

-- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar asks: "Just what are awards shows awarding?" (THR)

-- HBO chief Casey Bloys talks with Cynthia Littleton. The two touch on a number of topics, including the WarnerMedia-Discovery deal: "We just keep doing our thing trying to deliver on that brand promise for HBO..." (Variety)

-- Justin Kroll reports that 20th Century is "developing a new 'Master and Commander' pic with 'Monster Calls' scribe Patrick Ness adapting the script..." (Deadline)

-- Lisa Respers France writes: "Kim Kardashian feels like a 'failure' because of the split with Kanye West..." (CNN)

-- One more from Lisa: "'Mission: Impossible 7' halted production because of positive Covid test..." (CNN)

"SNL" finishes No. 1

Brian Lowry writes: "This is perhaps as much a comment on declining primetime ratings as 'Saturday Night Live's' performance, but fueled by the election year, per NBC, the late-night program 'finished its 46th season as the #1 entertainment show across the entire ad-supported TV landscape in the 18-49 demo. The is the first time in the show's illustrious history that it has been #1...'"

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST....

Pet of the day!

G/O Media's chief revenue officer David Spiegel emails: "This is Ozzie, he's an eight-month old mini sheepadoodle hanging on the UWS. The pandemic has definitely made him attached to his people, so one of the hardest parts of his day is when I'm glued to my phone when Reliable Sources hits my inbox. Black tie, fluff optional..."