Media
“The Worst That It’s Ever Been”: Inside Sports Illustrated’s Winter of Discontent
Staffers are eyeing the exits after a year that began with layoffs and is closing with an AI scandal and the firing of top executives. Can the iconic magazine regain its footing?
Media
The Year in Media: 7 Cliff-Hangers as We Close out 2023
What will the New Year bring for CNN, Fox, The Washington Post, Paramount, The Telegraph, and more?
On The Scene
Walter Isaacson: Elon Musk Is a Genius When It Comes to Engineering, Not Human Emotion
The storied biographer sat down with Richard Stengel at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York to discuss his time with one of the most divisive people for his latest book, Elon Musk.
Media
“People Are Disgusted”: Why Washington Post Staff Walked Out
With contract negotiations stalled and layoffs looming, employees took to the streets Thursday to voice their grievances and urge owner Jeff Bezos to send management back to the bargaining table.
Media
How Jessica Lessin’s The Information Has Survived a Decade of Media Tumult
As the tech website turns 10 this week, its editor in chief reflects on building a sustainable subscription business off Silicon Valley scoops and rigorous reporting aimed at a niche class of readers. “I read it all the time,” gushes Jeff Bezos.
Sports
Creed Revels in Becoming 2023’s Sports Soundtrack: “The Fans Have Spoken”
Vanity Fair catches up with front man Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti about the World Series champion Texas Rangers and surging Minnesota Vikings seizing on their songs, next year’s reunion tour, and that iconic Thanksgiving Day halftime performance.
Tech
The Sam Altman Soap Opera Reflects Silicon Valley at Its Worst
Silicon Valley’s court of public opinion found the ousted OpenAI chief innocent until proven innocent, exposing the cult of personality that surrounds the tech world’s star CEOs.
Power Breakfast Club
Obama, Bezos, and Mr. Wonderful: Inside the Hash House of Harvard’s Elite
Henrietta’s Table might not look like a three-star restaurant—but its clientele would have you guessing otherwise. “There’s no telling who you’re going to see,” says one patron, while another dubs it “a global nexus.”
Sports Media
Are YouTube TV and the NFL Back on Track?
The streaming giant got off to a strong start with Sunday Ticket, before some midseason glitches left star athletes grumbling. The NFL has expressed confidence in YouTube, which says its “working to future-proof our systems.”
Media
“There Has Never Been Less Tolerance for This”: Inside a New York Times Magazine Writer’s Exit Over Gaza Letter
The paper’s guild has objected to the handling of award-winning journalist Jazmine Hughes’s resignation, an episode that comes as newsrooms contend with staff speaking out on the Israel-Hamas war.
Two Sides of the Same Con
Donald Trump and Sam Bankman-Fried Pulled the Same Trial Tricks
They may not be dead ringers. But from watching SBF’s courtroom shenanigans up close, they looked awfully similar.
Media
Will Lewis Introduces Himself to The Washington Post: “We’re Not in a Place That We Want to Be”
The incoming publisher charmed the newsroom with his candor and British wit, though stopped short of unveiling a detailed turnaround plan and backed the buyouts underway. “They are painful,” he said, “but I’m supportive of it.”
Sports
Dawn Staley on Women’s Basketball’s Rise: “It Is a Long Time Coming”
Ahead of a highly anticipated season opener in Paris, the Gamecocks coach talks to Vanity Fair about her career, the sport's soaring popularity, and whether the NBA is ready for a woman head coach.
Excerpt
Inside James Comey’s Bizarre $7M Job as a Top Hedge Fund’s In-House Inquisitor
A few years before his unforgettable cameo in the 2016 presidential election, the future FBI director worked at Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates, where he pursued the firm’s goal of “radical transparency” with prosecutorial zeal.
Media Moves
“What Do We Want to Be?”: The Washington Post at a Crossroads
Staffers are seeking clarity about long-term strategy, with the paper set to lose $100 million this year, offering buyouts, and hiring a new CEO—all while the newsroom gears up for a consequential election. Owner Jeff Bezos, says one employee, “took his eye off the ball.”
Paper Chase
Why a Murderers’ Row of Media Barons Want to Buy The Telegraph: “Imagine a Sort of Broadsheet Version of the New York Post”
Everyone from Rupert Murdoch to Mathias Döpfner to Lord Rothermere is eyeing the historic broadsheet, which is on the block for the first time in two decades. Can Britain's crown jewel of conservative media go global?
Man vs. Machine
Inside the Legal Tussle Between Authors and AI: “We’ve Got to Attack This From All Directions”
As pressure mounts in the AI wars, heavy-hitting authors are headed to court over what one observer describes as “mass theft” of their work. But when it comes to ChatGPT and its ilk, copyright law isn’t so cut-and-dried.
Sports Media
Wayne Gretzky, Hockey’s GOAT, Is Still the Sport’s Biggest Booster: “Everybody Has to Be an Ambassador”
As he kicks off a new season from the TNT studio, the Great One gabs with Vanity Fair about getting encouragement from Charles Barkley, comparisons to Lionel Messi, and working alongside Spittin‘ Chiclets cohost Paul Bissonnette.
Media Dynasty
How Rupert Murdoch’s Retirement Protected Lachlan’s Perch
Sources say father and son discussed the move as a way to avoid a messy transfer of power, not unlike the scenario that played out on Succession’s final season. As one notes, “Truth is stranger than fiction.”
“The Met Gala! For Ideas!”
Bari Weiss’s Salon for the Disenfranchised Is Just the Beginning for the Free Press
The ambitions of the Free Press, her indie media outfit, were on full display at a debate about the sexual revolution.
Hail to the Chief
Travis Kelce Wanted His “Face Out From Under the Helmet.” With Taylor Swift, He’s Done It
When I caught up with the Super Bowl champ last spring, fresh off his stint hosting SNL, I saw a football star approaching next-level celebrity status. Who knew he’d rocket into the stratosphere.