Poynter is reporting that the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Friday has the potential to become an embarrassment, primarily due to President Donald Trump's expected remarks. It said Trump is likely to use the platform to criticize the press rather than offer polite jokes or celebrate the First Amendment. The initial dinner in April was shut down after a Secret Service agent was shot by a gunman attempting to enter the event. A group of 500 retired and former journalists has renewed its call for the WHCA to forcefully defend press freedom against the administration's attacks, citing instances such as the Department of Justice subpoenaing journalists and Trump threatening to revoke broadcast licenses.
Poynter also reported on President Trump's defamation lawsuit against the BBC, noting he lost a courtroom battle this week. Trump is suing for $10 billion over a documentary aired before the 2024 election, claiming it caused direct harm to his businesses despite not airing in the U.S. A federal magistrate judge in Miami ruled that Trump must turn over his financial records to prove the alleged damages, a decision CNN's Brian Stelter highlighted as potentially backfiring on Trump's litigation strategy.
Regarding media mergers, Poynter said The Wall Street Journal's editorial board supports the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal, despite a dozen Democratic-led states filing an antitrust lawsuit. The Journal board argued that the states' larger goal is to prevent Paramount CEO David Ellison from controlling Warner's CNN news channel, fearing the impact of a combined CBS and CNN due to Ellison's perceived catering to Trump. The board dismissed these concerns as overwrought, citing the many news sources available and the declining audiences for both networks.
In sports, Poynter reported that U.S. viewership for last Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina surpassed predictions, reaching a record 66.4 million combined viewers on Fox and Telemundo. Fox alone averaged 42.5 million viewers for Spain's 1-0 victory, while Telemundo added 23.9 million. Sports Media Watch's Jon Lewis noted this was the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. The Athletic's Dan Shanoff raised questions about whether this increased attention will benefit MLS, NWSL, or European soccer leagues.
Poynter also detailed the circumstances surrounding NFL analyst Ryan Clark's layoff from ESPN. It said Clark was informed of his termination during a commercial break on ESPN's "NFL Live" show after news of the layoffs leaked prematurely. Clark confirmed on social media that he was told to leave the set immediately after being informed.
In other media news, Mediaite reported that "CBS Mornings" recorded its lowest-rated week in program history, averaging 1.59 million viewers. Axios noted that Trump's Cabinet members are joining TikTok, and Awful Announcing covered the spread of fake firings and misinformation following ESPN's layoffs. The New York Times reported on a lawsuit claiming ChatGPT led to a man's near-fatal health crisis.