One of the more newsworthy moments of the war between Israel and Hamas was the explosion at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on Oct. 17.

The shocking news generated many knee-jerk reactions, headlines and tweets — all pointing fingers at who was to blame well before we had the details. That included plenty of finger-pointing, or more like wagged fingers, at media organizations and journalists who might have been too quick in assuming who was responsible for the explosion.

Among the news outlets doing some serious self-examination was and is The New York Times. As my colleague, Ren LaForme, wrote, the Times even put out an extended editor’s note trying to explain its coverage, including an early headline that read, “Israeli Airstrike Hits Gaza Hospital, Killing 500, Palestinian Health Ministry Says.”

In the time since the blast, the U.S., U.K. and French military intelligence have all said they believe the missile likely was fired from within Gaza.

In its note, the Times admitted its coverage “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified.” Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein wrote that Slack messages at the Times immediately following the explosion showed there were internal debates about the paper’s coverage.

Now add another to the list of detractors of the Times’ early coverage: President Joe Biden.

Semafor’s Max Tani and Liz Hoffman reported that Biden blasted the Times, in particular its initial headline, following the attack. Tani and Hoffman wrote, “The president told a small group of Wall Street executives in the White House’s Roosevelt Room early last week that he thought the headline was irresponsible and could have triggered military escalation in the Middle East, two people briefed on the conversation told Semafor. He fumed in particular that the headline had appeared ‘in an American newspaper.’”

Also interesting is this passage from Tani and Hoffman: “Democratic leaders have perpetual love-hate relationships with the Times, the most powerful media outlet by far in setting their party’s agenda — and one they typically see as insufficiently loyal. Biden’s relationship with the news organization soured during his presidential campaign over what his team saw as unfavorable coverage that underestimated his electoral chances and political instincts. Biden has continued to rebuff interview requests with the paper’s news reporters, opting instead to speak with its friendlier opinion columnists.”

Why was Tucker Carlson fired?

When Fox News stunningly fired star personality Tucker Carlson back in April, many assumed it was related to Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement in the Dominion Voting Systems case. But, according to an upcoming book about Fox News by veteran media journalist and former CNN host Brian Stelter, it wasn’t one thing that pushed Carlson out the door. It was, well, “everything.”

Stelter’s book, “Network of Lies,” comes out Nov. 14. This morning, Vanity Fair ran an adaptation of some of the book, this one concentrating on Carlson’s dismissal on April 24 when he was abruptly pulled off the air.

Stelter writes that Fox News didn’t have a plan in place on the night Carlson was fired, proving how hastily and sloppily it all went down. Even those who worked on his show weren’t sure what happened. Some thought it had to do with the Dominion suit. Some thought it was because an ex-producer claimed the show had a toxic workplace. Some thought it related to Jan. 6 protester Ray Epps’ interview on “60 Minutes” the night before.

Stelter wrote, “The reason Carlson’s team couldn’t immediately settle on one simple explanation is because there wasn’t one. Though Carlson would later suggest his ouster was a ‘condition’ of the Dominion suit, there’s no evidence to support that theory, and both parties deny it. According to my reporting, many factors contributed to the defenestration of Carlson, which ranks among the biggest bombshells in cable news history, not only because of what his exit meant for Fox, but also what it meant for the Republican Party.”

Stelter goes into some of the background of Carlson’s time at Fox, including his relationship with the Murdochs, his staff and other issues that could have led to his firing.

Stelter wrote, “Think, for just a moment, about the worst relationship in your past — and why it ended. Odds are, there wasn’t just one reason, it wasn’t one thing, it was everything: a book’s worth of fights and slights and resentments and grievances. Maybe there was a final indignity — an affair, a betrayal, the discovery of a derogatory text — but even if one party was blindsided, the other could list a dozen long-gestating reasons for the breakup. That’s why Fox dropped Carlson. It wasn’t one thing. It was everything.”

Check out the Vanity Fair adaptation to keep you interested until Stelter’s book is available. It’s a juicy read.

Times tech workers walk out

(AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Tech workers at The New York Times staged a walkout Monday afternoon to protest the company’s return-to-office policy. The Times’ Tech Guild represents more than 600 staffers. The Guild says that the Times’ remote-work policies violate the terms set when their union was ratified in 2022. But a Times spokesperson told Axios’ Sara Fischer that the company’s return-to-office policies were introduced before the Tech Guild was recognized.

While the union has been recognized by the Times, the two sides have not agreed to a contract.

Kathy Zhang, unit chair for the Tech Guild, said in a statement, “The Times is now not only refusing to recognize our rights to bargain on return to office but is now going a step further and using it as a tactic to intimidate us. (Monday’s) work stoppage is to send The Times’ senior leadership a strong, unmistakable message: We will not stand by and allow you to trample on our rights.”

A Times spokesperson told Fischer, “We believe that allowing people the flexibility to work together in the office at times and remotely at other times benefits everyone by ensuring that we maintain the strong, collaborative environment that has come to define our culture and drive our success. We want to ensure that The Times remains an attractive destination for tech talent for years to come and are committed to working with the TechGuild to quickly reach a contract that we can all be proud of.”

Fortune’s Josh Eidelson wrote, “Workers have been in contract talks with Times management for 15 months, and said the company has been dragging its feet in negotiations while trying to curb their ability to work from home. US National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have concluded that the company violated federal law by unilaterally implementing a return-to-office plan and failing to negotiate with the union over it, according to Kayla Blado, a spokesperson for the board.”

But, Eidelson added, “Danielle Rhoades Ha, a New York Times spokesperson, denied wrongdoing and said the company had been following government guidance on Covid-19 protocol, adding that no NLRB members or judges have ruled against the company’s approach. She said Times management has been meeting regularly for contract talks with the guild, and has offered to meet more frequently in smaller groups, rather than the guild issuing invitations to the entire membership to attend.”

Readers: ‘Say the word’

In Monday’s newsletter, I wrote how CNN’s Jake Tapper delivered a scathing on-air commentary on Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for filing a resolution that would censure Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Greene accused Tlaib of “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex.”

Tapper’s smart and passionate commentary pointed out the hypocrisy of someone such as Greene suggesting that Tlaib’s actions were leading an insurrection.

Tapper finished his commentary by talking about how “antisemitism is not a cudgel to be used against people for political points.” Then he talked about what is going on in Gaza and Israel and cursed, saying, “This (expletive) is not a game.”

I received a handful of emails on Monday from readers questioning and, well, complaining about me writing “expletive” instead of the word Tapper actually used. The gist of the complaints: We’re all grown-ups here. It’s highly unlikely that any kids are reading this media newsletter. Why not tell us exactly what Tapper said?

I understand the sentiment. Maybe the old newspaperman in me tends to lean conservative when it comes to salty language in my column. My response on Monday was that everyone knew exactly what word Tapper used without me saying it, so the reader wasn’t missing anything. In addition, I provided a link to the actual video, so readers could have actually heard exactly what Tapper said.

I’ll also add this: Tapper used the word for effect — an exclamation point to his critical comments. But there’s a danger in this. Purposely cursing on air is kind of a big deal for a journalist. You never want it to become performative. You only have so many times you can do something like that. I can’t help but wonder if Tapper wasted one of those few times on someone like Greene.

His commentary was so well thought out and he didn’t need the extra impact of a curse word. His smart take, and not his use of a curse, is why I wrote about what he said in the first place.

I’m a fan of Tapper. I think he is a really intelligent anchor who isn’t afraid to dip his toes into punditry and opinion that is backed by facts and reasoning. You’d just hate to think that the full impact of what he said for the first three minutes of his commentary was at all lessened in the final sentence.

This brings me back to my newsletter and curse words. My belief is that if you are going to curse in places where those words are typically frowned upon or rarely seen, then you need to pick your spots. And speaking only for myself and this newsletter, Monday wasn’t one of those moments.

Trump throwing rocks

Former President Donald Trump likes to make fun of current President Joe Biden, mocking him for his age and what he says is Biden’s slipping mental capabilities.

The New York Times’ Michael C. Bender and Michael Gold write that Trump does imitations of Biden: “With droopy eyelids and mouth agape, Mr. Trump stammers and mumbles. He squints. His arms flap. He shuffles his feet and wanders laggardly across the stage. A burst of laughter and applause erupts from the crowd as he feigns confusion by turning and pointing to invisible supporters, as if he does not realize his back is to them.”

But something else has happened in recent weeks on the campaign trail. It’s Trump who often fouls up facts while speaking. He thanked the folks of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, even though he was in Sioux City, Iowa. He has slurred and mumbled words at times, seemed to have trouble reading the teleprompter and has bizarrely said he defeated Barack Obama in an election.

Bender and Gold write, “​​It is unclear if Mr. Trump’s recent slips are connected to his age. He has long relied on an unorthodox speaking style that has served as one of his chief political assets, establishing him, improbably, among the most effective communicators in American politics. But as the 2024 race for the White House heats up, Mr. Trump’s increased verbal blunders threaten to undermine one of Republicans’ most potent avenues of attack, and the entire point of his onstage pantomime: the argument that Mr. Biden is too old to be president.”

For the record, Trump turned 77 in June. Biden turns 81 in November.

The Times points out that recent polls show that two out of three voters think Biden is too old to serve another term, while only half say the same about Trump. But, they added, “If that gap starts to narrow, it’s Mr. Trump who has far more to lose in a general-election matchup.”

Certainly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a stake in all this, running against Trump to be the Republican nominee for president, but he told reporters last week, “This is a different Donald Trump than 2015 and ’16 — lost the zip on his fastball. In 2016, he was freewheeling, he’s out there barnstorming the country. Now, it’s just a different guy. And it’s sad to see.”

Media tidbits

New NBC News’ senior business correspondent Christine Romans. (Courtesy: NBC News)

• Christine Romans is joining NBC News as a senior business correspondent based in New York. She will report on business and technology for NBC News and MSNBC. She left CNN over the summer after 24 years there. She had been co-anchor of CNN’s “Early Start.”
• A year ago, Elon Musk bought X, then called Twitter, for $44 billion. What’s it worth today? Maybe only $19 billion. The New York Times’ Ryan Mac reports that, according to internal documents, X handed out stock grants to employees on Monday that showed it was worth about $19 billion.
• The sale of Simon & Schuster, one of the biggest and most successful publishing houses in the U.S., is now complete. The private equity firm KKR completed its acquisition of Simon & Schuster on Monday. The New York Times’ Elizabeth A. Harris and Alexandra Alter have more.
• Vanity Fair’s Joe Pompeo with “Why a Murderers’ Row of Media Barons Want to Buy The Telegraph: ‘Imagine a Sort of Broadsheet Version of the New York Post.’”
• In a piece for Poynter, Dan Kennedy — professor of journalism at Northeastern University and the author of the blog Media Nation — with “How a journalism professor helps students understand harassment — and how to protect themselves.”
• Monday was a rare sports equinox. All four of the major North American professional sports leagues — the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League — were in action. It’s the only time that will happen in 2023 and it’s just the 29th time it has ever happened. TV ratings will be out today, but one would assume that the “Monday Night Football” game between the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders will have dominated the ratings, even up against Game 3 of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.
• Speaking of sports, ESPN has signed lead NBA play-by-play announcer Mike Breen to a lucrative contract extension, according to New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand. Breen was the lone announcer left standing from the lead announcing team after analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were let go during the offseason, much to the chagrin of most NBA fans who very much liked Van Gundy and Jackson. They were replaced by Doc Rivers and Doris Burke.

Hot type

• Back in April, a man walked into a Louisville bank. He shot and killed eight people and wounded eight. As part of The Washington Post’s “American Icon” series about AR-15s, Robert Klemko writes, “Co-workers knew he was struggling. They didn’t expect he’d buy an AR-15.”
• ProPublica’s Ken Armstrong with “In 2018, We Reported on an Abusive Cop. He Was Just Sentenced to a Year in Prison.”

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