Category: media

Martin Di Caro, an award-winning transportation correspondent at Washington’s public radio news station from 2012 to 2017, was outrageous enough in hitting on junior employees at WAMU, local transportation advocates, and even staffers at the City Council and Metro that seemingly every woman in DC’s transport community had “a Martin story.” Many of those women are now speaking out. (And there are now calls at WAMU for the resignation of general manager JJ Yore for having kept Di Caro on staff for so long.) – DCist

“Making waves is what Hunan Broadcasting System does best. … That is striking for an outfit run by the government of a province that is better known as China’s largest producer of rice and the birthplace of Mao Zedong — ‘red tourism’ centred on Mao’s formative haunts draws devotees of the chairman from around the country. But Changsha, the provincial capital, has become a font of China’s popular culture. It is home to over 12,000 companies involved in creating it. … At their heart in Hunan is a broadcaster with a knack for cranking out programmes that are watched throughout China.” – The Economist

“To find out, we chose one reality dating show that debuted every year from 2000 through 2020 — shows that were particularly popular, controversial, influential or taught us something unexpected. … [And] we talked to dozens of people [involved with them]. … Sometimes, these series are surprisingly hopeful. But mostly, they are disturbing. Deeply disturbing. But no matter how many people decry that the shows are fake and/or feel like the downfall of society, the impact has been extremely real.” – The Washington Post

The Burbank entertainment giant posted a net loss of $4.72 billion for the three months that ended in June, Disney said Tuesday. That’s compared with the $1.43 billion in net income the company reported for the same period in 2019. – Los Angeles Times

“Beijing has sent a clear message to the filmmaking world, that filmmakers who criticize China will be punished, but that those who play ball with its censorship strictures will be rewarded,” proclaims the hard hitting “Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing” report. – Deadline

What remains powerful, writes Naomi Fry, is “the movie’s suggestion that no struggle can take place alone. Norma Rae is heroic, but she comes into her own, as a woman, because she is fighting for class solidarity — a struggle that, in turn, could not happen without a breaking down of long-standing ethnic and racial barriers.” – The New Yorker

David Mandel: “At the end of the day, this is why we ended the show. … Sometimes I have the horrible thought of if we had filmed a show last fall that was supposed to be on right now, and between when we were done filming and began editing, the pandemic and all of this stuff happened. I think you’d have to throw the show in the garbage.” – The Washington Post

Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian journalist living in Los Angeles, filed a complaint Monday in California federal court alleging that the HFPA has adopted membership rules that exclude qualified applicants who compete with existing members. The suit alleges that applicants must pledge not to write for any rival publication claimed by an HFPA member and that foreign markets are allocated among the membership. – Los Angeles Times

Never mind the enormous catalogue of their incompatibilities and the exhausting ups-and-downs of their relationship. “The Muppeteers’ obsession with Piggy and Kermit has come at the expense of nearly every other character. Sure, Fozzie briefly dated a human. But we know so little about, say, the long-term love of Gonzo and Camilla the chicken, or Janice’s romances with various members of Electric Mayhem, or what is actually the deal with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker. Share the spotlight a little, you attention hog (and attention frog)!” – Slate