THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Donie O'Sullivan

During an appearance on Thursday on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN correspondent Donie O’Sullivan discussed his reporting that found multiple examples of Facebook selling anti-vaccine ads, including some comparing the vaccine to the Holocaust.

One ad from a group called “Ride the Red Wave” features a sweater that reads “I’m officially from America but currently reside in 1941 Germany.” The Holocaust started that year. Another pic from the group shows a t-shirt with a picture of an injection needle that reads “Slowly and quietly” above the needle and “But it’s a Holocaust” below it.

O’Sullivan told host Anderson Cooper that Facebook was unaware of the ads until CNN flagged them for the social media network. However, CNN “found these ads very, very easily," and, O'Sullivan argued, "a trillion-dollar company" like Facebook, with their resources "should be able to find the stuff themselves.” 

Facebook has been under increasing scrutiny not just for the content they allow on their platform, but for the way they often derive higher profits from some of the most objectionable and inciting content. O'Sullivan's report shined a light on that exact problem, describing hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad buys from these groups promoting vaccine misinformation and propaganda. 

MEDIA LOSER:
Gateway Pundit

Two women who were Fulton County, Georgia election workers during the 2020 election have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing website The Gateway Pundit, the site’s founder and publisher Jim Hoft, and his twin brother who contributes articles, Joe Hoft

The complaint, filed by Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, says the defendants targeted the women in a “campaign of lies” with dozens of posts falsely accusing them of committing ballot fraud to steal the presidential election in Georgia from former President Donald Trump

Gateway Pundit didn't just publish articles with these false accusations; they also posted the women's names and photos, contributing to the “violent, racist threats and harassment" both women received. 

"The allegations are incredibly damning," tweeted David French about the lawsuit, noting that this "tsunami of falsehood has real consequences for real people."

Freeman and Moss suffered severe, documented harm from Gateway Pundit's posts, and their legal case is bolstered by the defendants' refusal to correct their articles when given notice by the women's attorneys. Gateway Pundit may soon find itself following in Gawker's footsteps, filing bankruptcy after losing a legal battle.

The A-Block

Genuine or crocodile tears?

Alec Baldwin sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for his first interview since Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on set, and his tearful recounting of the tragic incident drew sharp reactions. 

Baldwin has also said that he did not actually pull the gun's trigger

He has been cooperating with authorities, and while he insisted to Stephanopoulos that he did not believe he was legally responsible, the shooting had greatly affected him. “I can’t imagine doing a movie that has a gun in it ever again, I can't," Baldwin said.

The Fox & Friends panel debated the authenticity of his interview Friday morning, with Peter Doocy commenting that Baldwin was a "professional actor" and Brian Kilmeade responding that while he might be an actor, the emotion seemed genuine. “I don’t think that’s acting. I just don’t.

Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski criticized ABC's "cringeworthy" production of the interview, including the "dramatic music" that she said caused her "extreme discomfort." 

The View co-hosts struck a sympathetic tone for Baldwin, with Sunny Hostin saying she saw "empathy" and "remorse" in the interview, and Sara Haines saying, “People need to leave Alec Baldwin and his family alone.”


In Other News...

JUST IN: Prosecutors Charge Parents of 15-Year-Old Suspect in Michigan School Shooting With Involuntary Manslaughter

'Are You OK?' Fox's Peter Doocy Asks Biden About His Health After Noting That His Voice Sounds 'A Little Different'

Rachel Maddow Asks Stacey Abrams About Not Conceding to Kemp: 'You Famously Were Contentious About The Loss'

Dr. Fauci Lashes Out at Fox News, Says He's 'Astounded' They Haven't Disciplined Lara Logan Over 'Slanderous' Mengele Remarks

Must See Clip

'They've given me a new life'

A nine-year-old Afghan girl sold into marriage to a 55-year-old man has been rescued after a CNN report last month highlighted her plight.

The buyer returned the girl, Parwana Malik, to her family after the report provoked community backlash against both the buyer and the father, CNN’s Anna Coren said in a segment with Jake Tapper.

An American charity group, Too Young to Wed, led the effort to save Malik, who has now been taken to a safe house along with her mother and siblings.

"They've rescued me," she told CNN through an interpreter. "They've given me a new life." 

Watch Malik's emotional story here.

Links We Like

Omicron Won’t Ruin Your Booster
- Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic
COVID Time Warp
- Alison Snyder, Axios
Twitter's New 'Privacy' Policy Could Destroy Its Value for Decentralized Citizen Journalism
- Brian Doherty, Reason
The escalating costs of being single in America
Anne Helen Petersen, Vox
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