THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2021 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov

Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov are the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their work taking on the governments of the Philippines and Russia.

Ressa and Muratov, whose brave reporting exposed corruption under the rule of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have both faced persecution and the threat of death from their governments.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace," the committee said in a statement. "Ms Ressa and Mr Muratov are receiving the Peace Prize for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia."

Ressa serves as co-founder and CEO of the digital media company Rappler, which has documented the spread of misinformation in the Phillippines, as well as Duterte's barbaric war on drugs.

Muratov founded independent Russian newspaper Novaja Gazeta in the 90s, and has served as its EIC for 24 years, defending "freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions," the committee noted. Since the paper was founded, six of its journalists have been killed. The paper has continued to report independently despite the horrific circumstances.

Both winners will be awarded $1.1 million.

MEDIA LOSER:
Rob O'Neill

Former U.S. Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, the killer of Osama Bin Laden, served as a happy contributor to Fox News for some six years.

And despite frequent appearances on shows like Fox & Friends, at some point in the last year, the network quietly dropped him. A network spokesperson told Mediaite in August that he was no longer a contributor at the network, but declined to explain why.

Now, it appears O'Neill has turned on the network. He attacked Fox in a series of scathing tweets this week.

One rant began with a comment about Afghanistan, saying that “Generals, admirals, politicians and lawyers” misrepresented the mission there and “[t]hat’s why we lost.”

“Seriously, don’t let Fox News fool you,” O’Neill continued. “They were in on it too…They don’t care about you. It’s all about money.”

"Just a reminder: @FoxNews called Arizona for Biden with less than 1%in. Just sayin’," he wrote in another tweet.

Many of the tweets from the spurned contributor have since been deleted. The last one is straight up wrong, as Fox News anchor Bret Baier noted in a tweet responding to O'Neill: Fox News called Arizona with some 80 percent of the vote in.

On top of that: O'Neill just recorded a video wishing Fox News a happy 25th anniversary. Very odd all around.

EXCLUSIVE: Sean Hannity on His 25 Years at Fox News, the Ratings Race,
the 2020 Election, and Covid Misinformation

The A-Block

The Chappelle Show

Dave Chappelle once again sparked a conversation with a controversial stand-up show. His latest for Netflix is drawing attention, and criticism, for a lengthy bit tackling gender and trans issues.

Chappelle was predictably provocative. He defended J.K. Rowling for her comments on trans people, as well as DaBaby for his homophobic comments at the Rolling Loud music festival.

After stating that "gender is a fact" — earning him some new supporters on the right, and outrage from the left — Chappelle also declared himself “team TERF,” the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

Chappelle addressed the reaction at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Thursday night. During a screening of his documentary about the the comic summer camp he put on last year in Ohio, Chappelle received a standing ovation from the crowd.

“If this is what being canceled is like, I love it,” Chappelle said.

“Fuck Twitter. Fuck NBC News, ABC News, all these stupid ass networks,” he added. “I’m not talking to them. I’m talking to you. This is real life.”

Read a thoughtful assessment of the Chappelle story here, courtesy of Craig Jenkins.

Must See Clip

DOUBLE PUNT!

Punters often get mocked for lacking athleticism, but Michael Dickson debunked that theory after completing one of the most amazing kicking plays in NFL history for the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night.

What began as an epic disaster, ended in near punt perfection after being marred by shock, awe and confusion along the way. Deep in Seattle’s own territory, Dickson had his punt blocked by Los Angeles Rams defender Jamir Jones.

Watch what happened next.

Links We Like

Let Me Tell You What It Was Like to Work at Ozy
- Eugene Robinson, New York Times
We Came So Close to Disaster
- David French, The Dispatch
The Covid Fable
- David Leonardt, New York Times
Lesley Stahl and Her Producer Rich Bonin Say ‘Fighting’ Is What Fuels Their Legendary 60 Minutes Partnership
- AJ Katz, TVNewser
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