 ⁌ TVTodd gone: As Semafor first reported earlier this year, Chuck Todd announced his departure this week from NBC. ⁛ NewsDeath of print: The congressional press galleries sent out an email to members this week asking whether they should cancel the print subscriptions to the New York Times, Washington Post, and some other publications. According to an email shared with Semafor, the gallery said the print subscriptions were costing the organization $11,000 annually in delivery fees to the Capitol. Amped-up Ankler: Hollywood-focused news startup The Ankler is beefing up its reporting staff by bringing on Lesley Goldberg, a veteran entertainment journalist who previously oversaw TV coverage at The Hollywood Reporter. As it marks its three year anniversary, the Ankler is also planning to bump the price of its annual subscription by $20 a year. In recent months, the publication has added staff and contributors to cover Hollywood and the creator economy. Goldberg is the latest addition to the Ankler’s Series Business newsletter team, and will contribute exclusive reporting on TV development and agency moves, plus on-record interviews with major players. “I am delighted to reunite with Lesley and welcome her to our rapidly growing team,” CEO and Editor-in-Chief Janice Min said in a statement first shared with Semafor. “In our business, along with Elaine [Low] and Manori [Ravindran], Lesley is one of the most respected journalists covering the TV beat and she will be a huge asset at The Ankler.” Letter to editor: An LA Times opinion contributor is furious that the paper edited a piece he wrote about Health and Human Services chief nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cutting lines that were critical of Kennedy’s nomination. WSJ vs. White House: The Trump White House is in a pitched battle with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page over the impacts of the president’s new tariffs on Mexico and Canada. The Journal’s editorial board dubbed the recent 25% tariff the “dumbest trade war in history,” while the White House sent out a press release on Sunday saying the op-ed was a reminder that the “WSJ is always wrong when it comes to tariffs and trade.” What are tariffs? It’s going to be an uphill battle for both parties to explain to America what Trump’s trade war with Canada and Mexico actually means. According to a survey from DKC Analytics of 1,000 consumers first shared with Semafor, 42% of Americans do not recall hearing about tariffs at all during the last election, and 36% of people could not identify the correct definition of a tariff when presented with several options. “The media and business leaders have their work cut out for them when it comes to explaining tariffs as we are seeing a perfect storm of confusion, partisan division and mistrust of big business,” DKC CEO Sean Cassidy told Semafor. Cuts: Abu Dhabi newspaper The National is cutting staff. ✦ MarketingAd biz: X appears to slowly be rehabilitating parts of its advertising business. This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon was increasing its ad spending on the platform. X also saw a rebound in political advertising last year. The platform brought in $25 million in political advertising revenue in 2024, mostly from Republicans. |