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--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: And I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire.
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--:-- John Bickley: Spotify is continuing to stand by Joe Rogan for now, but they've also announced some significant concessions to angry employees. Plus, new questions arise about who is behind the seemingly coordinated push to censor Rogan.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, February 8th, and this is Morning Wire. Under the shadow of communist China's human rights abuses, the Olympics are off to a rocky start. We'll examine what's driving the record low viewership and highlight some of the notable developments in the first few days of the Games. And CNN continues to be roiled in controversy after the sudden resignation of its president, Jeff Zucker, last week. We discuss Zucker's legacy, as well as what's next for CNN and the mainstream media.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. slash wire. Offer valid through March 31st. Indeed.com slash wire. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.
--:-- Georgia Howe: After growing calls for action against Joe Rogan, Spotify has announced they're sticking with the popular podcaster, a move that sparked yet more backlash. Now, as competing platforms offer Rogan massive contracts, new details call into question the origins of the campaign to have him censored.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with the latest is Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So Cabot, you've been tracking this story all week. Where do we stand?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So late Sunday night, Spotify CEO Daniel X sent an email to staff saying that despite growing outrage from the media and many on the political left, the company would not be censoring Rogan. He called Rogan's past comments and use of racial slurs incredibly hurtful, but appeared to stand his ground saying, quote, we should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. He also confirmed that the 70-plus episodes that had been removed from Spotify earlier in the week were actually taken down at Rogan's request.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So some new details there. Well, there was also some controversy around the pledge that Spotify made in response. So tell us about that.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, many Spotify employees were openly furious that the company was still paying Rogan a reported $100 million contract. So the CEO announced also they'd be investing a separate $100 million towards content from, quote, historically marginalized groups. Now, a lot of people applauded that decision, but it's worth pointing out. A lot of others called it nothing more than a shakedown and said the company was just basically caving to threats of censorship.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yesterday, we talked about how this story highlights the rise of new media outlets, and one of those platforms actually made quite the offer to Rogan. They did. The CEO of Rumble which is a newer social media platform offered Rogan million for a four contract They posted a memo online saying quote we stand with you your guests and your legion of fans and desire for real conversation. So we'd like to offer you 100 million reasons to make the world a better place. The message ended with the CEO saying the offer was, quote, totally legit.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, the odds of this happening appear low at the moment, but more broadly, it does show how influential and, more importantly, profitable alternative media personalities have become. That sort of offer is incredibly rare, even for the most successful cable hosts.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Now, one part of this that was getting a lot of attention online had to do with who was potentially behind the attacks on Rogan. So what do we know about that?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, this was an interesting wrinkle to the story. People have been speculating that the attack on Rogan seemed coordinated. Remember, two weeks ago, he was hit all of a sudden for having doctors who questioned the government's COVID narrative on a show. And then the next week, decade-old comments were all strung together and posted at once. So people were saying it felt like there may have been more to it.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Well, that first viral video compilation of Rogan using the N-word over the course of the last decade was posted by a somewhat obscure account on Twitter. And a lot of people were asking how it went viral in the first place. So if you look into that account who posted the video, you'll see that in their words, they're partnered with a Democrat super PAC. And This super PAC has taken in more than $5 million from unnamed donors since 2020 and brags openly about their ability to make content go viral. Their website refers to the group's founders as, quote, lifelong Democrats protecting American democracy, defeating Trumpism and holding Republicans accountable.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So the question from a lot of people is now who's funding this group and just how big of a role have they played in all this?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, definitely seems fair to at least ask.
--:-- John Bickley: That's Daily Wire's Cabot Phillips. Coming up, the Winter Olympics suffer record low viewership. You can get this show and all of the content you love wherever you are, all on the Daily Wire app. Even if you're not a Daily Wire member, you'll be first to know what's trending with mobile notifications for the latest news. And you'll get content from all your favorite Daily Wire shows. Download the Daily Wire app and keep up with the facts no matter where your day takes you.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are underway, though you might not have been aware of it based on the lack of coverage. Here with some updates on the Winter Olympics is Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Good morning, John. Hey, John. Morning.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So first few days of the Winter Olympics are complete. What happened?
--:-- Joe Morgan: Well, nothing all that positive. Oh, no. So, look, we've all experienced it. Heading into these games, the lack of enthusiasm was palpable. And that's just continued. whether it's because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the fans who usually accompany the events are mostly missing, also the location of the games, all the controversy around China's record of human rights abuses has swirled. The results have been a clear lack of energy around these Winter Olympics. And now the early television ratings are confirming the story.
--:-- Joe Morgan: According to NBC Sports, the opening ceremony drew just 16 million viewers, which includes people watching on NBC's streaming app, Peacock. So 16 million, how does that compare to prior Winter Olympics?
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, the 16 million total viewers for Friday's main event puts this year's opening ceremony 43% down from the opening ceremony at the 2018 Winter Games. That's per Axios. The 16 million viewers is a record low for an opening ceremony, with the previous low being 20.1 million viewers for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. So we're seeing a record level of disinterest.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Now, is there a specific reason why viewership is so down? Well, there could be a variety of reasons, John. One is the time difference. There's a 13-hour difference between Beijing and the U.S. East Coast. And one could be that there just flat Olympics fatigue You got to remember the Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place just six months ago but Olympics ratings have been dropping for years and obviously the trend is continuing However one of the main reasons for the lack of care certainly could be the location of the games itself Right.
--:-- Joe Morgan: The lead-up to the Winter Games has been fascinating, as much of the focus has been on the location of the games rather than the events in the Olympians themselves. According to a Morning Console poll, 40% of people said, quote, they don't plan to watch the Olympics this year because they are opposed to China hosting the games, and 31% cited it as a major reason.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, it certainly feels like the games being in communist China is turning people away.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, absolutely. Is there anything happening in the actual field of play that's newsworthy? Yeah, sure, John. I got a story for you. I'm good. On Sunday, the women's hockey match between Russia and Canada was delayed nearly 65 minutes due to the Canadian team refusing to leave the locker room as Russia's day before COVID-19 tests had yet to be processed. Both teams eventually reached an agreement in order to take the ice, with both hockey teams playing an N95 mask for the majority of the game.
--:-- Joe Morgan: So they actually played in the games with the masks on?
--:-- Joe Morgan: In the games, masks strapped on their faces. The Canadians ended up winning 6-1, and they wore their masks for the entirety of the game while the Russian squad removed their masks at the start of the third period after their COVID-19 test results were returned.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Oh, and the U.S. currently sits in 12th place in total medals with three, and not a single United States athlete has won a gold medal to this point.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Oh, let's hope we flip that switch soon.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Exactly.
--:-- John Bickley: Before you go, we covered the lawsuit against the NFL by Fire Dolphins coach Brian Flores last week. He's alleging systemic racism in the hiring process. What's the latest on that case?
--:-- Joe Morgan: Well, the NFL has responded and pretty forcefully, so they've adamantly denied the claims. Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, said Flores' lawsuit was completely without merit, but he also suggested over the weekend that the league did need to hire more black coaches.
--:-- Joe Morgan: All right, Joe. Well, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Joe Morgan: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, John.
--:-- John Bickley: That's Daily Wire sports reporter Joe Morgan.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The departure of CNN president Jeff Zucker took many by surprise, but inside media circles, his exit has been talked about for well over a year. Now the network faces serious questions about its future direction. Joining us from New York is David Marcus. He's been covering CNN for years.
--:-- David Marcus: So, David, what is Zucker's legacy at CNN and what kind of direction did he bring to the platform?
--:-- David Marcus: Zucker and the CNN newsroom made a decision early on in the Trump era that he could not be covered in traditional ways. It's somewhat ironic because Zucker helped make Trump with The Apprentice while he was at NBC. But basically, CNN decided an extremely adversarial approach had to be taken to his presidency. They were frankly quite blunt about being advocates, including for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, not objective journalists.
--:-- David Marcus: So a key figure in this recent story about Zucker stepping down is Alison Gullist. What is her connection between CNN and the Cuomo brothers?
--:-- David Marcus: Well, the subordinate, Zucker's subordinate, Alison Gullist, who Zucker had been not so secretly dating, had worked for both Governor Cuomo and for Chris Cuomo. Now it seems that she and Zucker were advising the governor early on in the pandemic at the same time that the network was praising him as America's leader on COVID. and holding the governor out as an alternative leader to then-President Trump.
--:-- David Marcus: I mean, it was all wildly inappropriate. So obviously that connection was somewhat behind the scenes. But I think for a lot of viewers, when they saw anchor Chris Cuomo covering his brother, that really crossed a line.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, did that raise red flags within the CNN organization? It did but both in regard to the Trump presidency and COVID there was this attitude at CNN and other outlets that everything was such an emergency The situation was so dire that the usual rules of journalism had to be ignored What scary about that is that the rules really exist for just that kind of time That such a major network said to hell with them is really cause for concern.
--:-- David Marcus: A lot of CNN viewers have dropped off in the past few years, maybe due to that perception of left-wing bias. Do you think there's anything CNN can do at this point to rehab their image and maybe earn some of those viewers back?
--:-- David Marcus: I suspect not. Their media critic, Brian Stelter, points to how many bureaus they have around the world as evidence that they're real news. But news is more than infrastructure. You look, for example, at their obsession with the Capitol riot and love affair with Liz Cheney, the unwillingness to put most Republicans on air. And, you know, not a lot seems to be changing.
--:-- David Marcus: CNN is not the only legacy news network to be accused of this kind of bias. Do you think we're seeing a larger sea change in terms of how Americans think about their news consumption?
--:-- David Marcus: I think we are. I think Americans are becoming sophisticated enough news consumers that they understand objectivity is a bit of a myth. In some ways, Zucker and CNN broke the model that they may want to return to. But I'm not convinced the pieces can ever really be put back together. Zucker might actually have broken the old ways of the industry.
--:-- David Marcus: Well, David, thank you so much for coming on.
--:-- David Marcus: Oh, thank you for having me.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Other stories we're tracking this week. New data from the CDC indicates that COVID booster shots may only provide significant added benefit to persons over the age of 50 or people with risk factors. After nearly two years of strict lockdowns, Australia will begin accepting vaccinated travelers starting February 21st. Unvaccinated travelers with a medical reason for skipping the shot will need to apply for an exemption and will also be required to quarantine if approved.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Sixteen members of the UPenn women's swim team sent a letter through an attorney arguing that their transgender teammate, Leah Thomas, should not be able to compete against female swimmers. The letter affirms their support for Thomas' lifestyle, but argues that it's unfair for male athletes to swim against female competitors. The swimmers chose to remain anonymous due to concerns about retaliation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new Reuters-Ipsos poll found President Biden's approval rating at a new low. 41% of respondents said they approve of his handling of the job, while 56% disapprove. That's a 15-point gap. Asked how they feel about the direction of the country, 67% of independents, 86% of Republicans, and 41% of Democrats say the country is on the wrong track.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And GoFundMe canceled the Freedom Convoy fundraiser over the weekend after it raised approximately 10 million Canadian dollars for the truckers. GoFundMe initially stated that it would work with the organizers to send any funds not already distributed to, quote, credible and established charities verified by GoFundMe. After backlash, including calls for investigations into the company, the donation platform announced it would simplify the process by instead refunding all of the donations.
--:-- Georgia Howe: If you like this episode and are interested in hearing more, subscribe to Morning Wire on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening. And give us a five-star review. That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know. Thank you.
