Oliver Darcy

Scott Pelley has provided @status.news a statement blasting current CBS News management and even accusing them of having tried (and failed) to "inject falsehoods and bias" into his stories. www.status.news/p/scott-pell...

Scoop: Status has obtained the termination letter The Washington Post sent to @karenattiah.bsky.social, in which it informed her that she was being fired for social media posts "about white men."

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/karen-atti...

Fired By The Post

The Washington Post said it fired Karen Attiah over comments she made about white men in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, Status has learned.

Jeff Bezos once grieved Jamal Khashoggi’s killing—now he’s in business with the man who orchestrated the savage murder, in a deal that lays bare his true colors, @passantino.bsky.social writes for the Saturday edition of @status.news.

Read the piece here: www.status.news/p/jeff-bezos...

Jeff Bezos Abandons Khashoggi to Cut Deal With MBS

Jeff Bezos once mourned Jamal Khashoggi—now he's making billion-dollar deals with his executioner, revealing more about his values than any vigil ever could.

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

Anne Applebaum: "If American media can’t convey how dangerous this behavior is—for our prosperity, for our health, for our democracy—then American media will eventually cease to exist."

More from our convo in @status.news: www.status.news/p/anne-apple...

Applebaum on Autocracy

Anne Applebaum warns that Sudan’s descent into chaos shows what happens when institutions fail—and why a free press is essential to prevent America from following the same path.

Scoop: The Wall Street Journal is working on a story highlighting Donald Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein—but is said to be facing pressure from the White House, with Trump himself calling Editor-In-Chief Emma Tucker to object.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/wall-stree...

Trump's WSJ Epstein Fury

The Wall Street Journal is said to be working on a story highlighting Donald Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, prompting protest from the White House.

New: As David Ellison prepares to take control of CNN, legendary CBS News producer Mary Walsh, who is exiting, sent a goodbye note to colleagues.

In the note, Walsh writes, "We’ve been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum. Honestly, I don’t know how to do that."

Breaking: Jimmy Kimmel to return Tuesday.

News outlets are all for some reason emphasizing that Patel is a loyalist versus the more important fact that he’s an extremist and conspiracy theorist with no allegiance to the truth.

@jimacosta.bsky.social confirms he will exit CNN after nearly two decades with the network, as we first reported last night in @status.news: "It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant," Acosta said.

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"This is not Fox congressman. You can't just spin a tale and pull the wool over people's eyes. This is CNN," @jimacosta.bsky.social says. "This is the news. We are asking you to come on and tell the truth."

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SAYING BYE TO BEZOS: The Washington Post has lost star reporter Josh Dawsey, who will exit Jeff Bezos' embattled newspaper for The Wall Street Journal. WaPo brass tried to retain Dawsey, I'm told, but he had already made up his mind. All the details in @status.news: link.status.news/4gFYU7T

Scoop: Another BIG LOSS for WaPo: Phil Rucker, the newspaper's high-profile national editor, has indicated to people that he is exiting the newspaper, sources tell me.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/philip-ruc...

Leaving His Post

Phil Rucker's impending exit comes amid a larger talent exodus that has seen some of the storied newspaper's most prized journalists flee.

Back in 2020, YouTube suspended OAN's channel, demonetized it, and noted it was not an "authoritative" source.

Now, five years later, the Google-owned platform has inked a deal to put the MAGA propaganda network in millions of living rooms.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/youtube-oa...

YouTube’s Deal With the Devil

Google once declared OAN too toxic for its platform—now Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan are breathing new life into the conspiracy network as they negotiate a high-stakes agreement with Rupert Murdoch's ...

Funny how those in right-wing media spun endless conspiracy webs about Biden being “compromised” over Hunter’s business deals, yet Elon Musk — swimming in foreign ties, gov't contracts, and so much more — gets a free pass. Did they all suddenly run out of red string?

Scoop: I obtained audio of Tuesday's stunning "60 Minutes" meeting where executive producer Bill Owens, fighting back tears, said he's become "the corporation's problem."

All the details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/60-minutes...

Inside the '60 Minutes' Storm

Status obtained the audio of the stunning “60 Minutes” meeting where Bill Owens, fighting back tears, said he’s become “the corporation’s problem”—and made it clear he wasn’t leaving by choice.

Scoop: The Washington Post recently—and quietly—removed its "Democracy Dies in Darkness" slogan from the opening sequence of its app, a notable change given Jeff Bezos once insisted it always appear alongside the logo. It also no longer appears atop its mobile site. www.status.news/p/washington...

Democracy Dies in the Light

The Post’s slogan hasn’t died in darkness, but with Jeff Bezos trying to steer the newspaper in a new direction, it is taking a noticeable step back from the spotlight.

Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, who studies democracy backsliding, on Don Lemon's arrest:

“This is a new dimension. In democracies, journalists don't get arrested. In authoritarian regimes, journalists get arrested."

More in @status.news: www.status.news/p/don-lemon-...

Scoop: In a tense off-the-record meeting with reporters that went off-the rails, the Pentagon's new press chief indicated they'll do away with the travel pool. He also scolded reporters for their coverage. "It was bleak and horrible," I'm told.

Details in Status: www.status.news/p/pressed-at...

Pressed at the Pentagon

Inside a tense off-the-record meeting, the Pentagon’s new press chief confronted reporters and indicated they will do away with the regular travel pool.

Reply to @oliverdarcy.bsky.social

This is literally what we reported would happen. www.status.news/p/skydance-c...

If you have had any doubts that Musk has transformed Twitter into a far-right fever swamp, there should be none now.

The question is: Why do so many public figures, gov't officials, and brands continue to post on there? If you wouldn't open an account on Truth Social or Rumble, why remain on X?

News Eye @newseye.bsky.social

Elon Musk has changed his X profile. His avatar is now Pepe the Frog, a mascot adopted by white supremacists. His name is a Latinisation of “Kek”, a phrase used by neo-Nazis. Musk has also backed AfD in Germany, the political home for racists. The man is telling us explicitly what he’s about.

Why is this so hard for news orgs? www.status.news/p/cbs-evenin...

News: CBS is canceling Stephen Colbert. variety.com/2025/tv/news...

CBS to Cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Citing ‘Financial Decision’

CBS said it planned to cancel Stephen Colbert's Late Show after next season, citing the weakening finances of late night

Scoop: As Donald Trump gets ready to take power, CNN boss Mark Thompson has informed Jim Acosta that he would like to move his show to the graveyard hours.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/jim-acosta...

Acosta at a Midnight Crossroads

CNN chief Mark Thompson wants Jim Acosta to take up the network's graveyard shift, delivering the anchor the proposal days before Donald Trump takes office.