By David Farrell
What Was Said: The most prevalent media bias is the bias in favour of news
“…the most prevalent media bias is the bias in favour of news. Something new must be happening. Restrictions should be tightened. Or…relaxed. They certainly shouldn’t just stay the same, because that wouldn’t be news. And the nation demands news.”
”Except, that it probably doesn’t. Or, I should say, it doesn’t right now. One of my older kids is a nurse who (unlike her old da) has very little time for politics or the media, now listens (unlike her old da) religiously to the government press briefings.
"Each day she hears desperate journalists for clear answers to the same questions spokesmen couldn’t answer the day before. This is stenography as journalism, which is not intended to inform but to enrage by selling our own stereotypes back to us..." – Mick Fealty, Slugger O’Toole
NBC books CTV’s ‘Transplant’ for Prime Time scheduling
NBC has acquired the Canadian medical drama to help shore up its primetime schedule in a time when its own series have uncertain futures.
Joseph Kay created the show and executive produces with Jocelyn Deschênes, Bruno Dube, Randy Lennox, Virginia Rankin, Jeremy Spry and Tara Woodbury. It's produced by Sphère Média Plus in association with CTV and NBCUniversal International Studios.
The show, which debuted Feb. 26, is the most-watched Canadian show in the country in the current broadcast year. – Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter
How an Indian magazine achieved 30% growth in circulation during lockdown
Although publishers worldwide have seen a spike in interest for content from respected and trusted brands during isolating times, Manorama Weekly editor-in-charge K. A. Francis believes the 30 percent increase in circulation the family magazine has seen can be in part attributed to the free vegetable seeds that now come with each copy. – WNIP
Politico’s hidden revenue: High ticket B2B intelligence reports
While Politico is probably best known for its in-depth political news coverage, a large part of its operation is focused on business-to-business publishing. Subscriptions to Politico Pro –a policy intelligence platform that specialises in numerous areas including, as examples, healthcare and agriculture – are sold to businesses, with prices starting at $10,000 and going up to six figures depending on the package. – William Turvill, Press Gazette
UFO monitors coronavirus situation over Madrid
Spain has been one of the worst affected countries hit by coronavirus, with more than 250,000 confirmed cases resulting in more than 25,000 deaths. While those figures are nowhere near the numbers the USA is recording in terms of COVID-19, they are the second-highest in the world. A conspiracy theorist now believes aliens are monitoring the situation in the European country. – Sean Martin, Daily Express
New book explores presidential satire
A new book exploring satire surrounding America’s presidents, “Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency,” published by Routledge, has been launched via Facebook Live.
Exploring how sketch comedy has shaped the way Americans view the nation’s president, the book focuses on performance-based satire, most often seen in sketch comedy, from 1960 to the present. The book explores comedic portrayals of presidents such as Nixon, Reagan, the Bushes Clintons, Obama and Trump.
From the publisher’s blurb: “At its best, satire aimed at the presidency can work as a populist check on executive power, becoming one of the most important weapons for everyday Americans against tyranny and political corruption. At its worst, satire can reflect and promote racism, misogyny, and homophobia in America.”
Eat It, Don’t Beat It
Arrested development star David Cross teamed up with comedians Bob Odenkirk, Bryan Cranston, Sarah Silverman, Al Franken, Jack Black, Rachel Bloom, and Rhea Seehorn remotely sing their take on the Weird Al classic, Eat It. And Weird Al takes his spot at the end of this untuneful parody of a parody.
