The Media Front
Michael Calderone On Media and Politics
Michael Calderone is Media Editor at TheWrap, overseeing coverage of the industry, and with an emphasis on the intersection of media and politics. He was most recently an editor at Vanity Fair and has reported on the media for Politico, HuffPost, and The New York Observer. He has also taught journalism courses at Princeton University and New York University.
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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Became a Symbol. That Took Its Toll as a TV Show
The Hulu series struck a cultural nerve when it premiered in 2017, but the intrusion of reality added degrees of difficulty to the drama
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‘The Studio’ Takes Another Whack at Hollywood, but With Rare Sympathy for the Suits
Seth Rogen’s Apple series focuses on showbiz absurdities, but it’s also uncharacteristically generous to executives who call the shots
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Less ‘West Wing,’ More TikTok: How Democrats Are Losing the Messaging Wars
Liberals have Hollywood talent in their corner. But that reflects a long-form mentality in what’s increasingly a bite-sized media landscape
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The Signalgate Group Chat: Team Trump Tests the Limits of Shooting the Messenger
Demonizing the press remains a strategy, but Trump officials can’t effectively blame Jeffrey Goldberg for what’s clearly their screw-up
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Why ‘Severance’ Speaks to the Current Moment of Distrust of Corporations and Technology
In Hollywood, Apple’s mysterious drama taps into fears that followed the WGA/SAG strikes
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Faced With Trump’s Attacks, Public Figures Are Clapping Back Less and Less
Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Seth Meyers are among those who stayed mum after Trump lashed out. Think of it as a new PR strategy
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Amid Trump-Induced Chaos, Business News Networks Enter the Eye of the Storm
Market volatility brought about by the Trump administration has roiled Wall Street, while putting CNBC and Fox Business squarely in the spotlight
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Donald Trump Is Weirdly Starstruck, and Mel Gibson Looks Like the Latest Beneficiary
A reported Justice Department attempt to restore the actor’s gun rights reflects how the president views his celebrity friends and foes
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‘The American People’ Are Sharply Divided. What They Can Learn From ‘Star Wars’ Fans
The rifts within Lucasfilm’s far-away galaxy reveal myths of unity that permeate everything from our politics to our pastimes
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Before the Murdochs, the Chandler Dynasty Previewed a ‘Succession’-Worthy Political Divide
Otis Chandler steered the Los Angeles Times in a new direction, achieving success that helped silence conservative relatives
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Donald Trump Gives Away the Game on His Made-for-TV Presidency
Unlike “The Truman Show,” the star of “The Trump Show” is keenly aware of the cameras at all times
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Memo to Hollywood: There’s No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars
Today’s world means you have to choose a side, whether you want to or not
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The Oscars and Politics: Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t
A mostly apolitical Academy Awards has drawn some criticism, but that overlooks the central mission to celebrate the movies
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Billionaire Media Owners Aren’t the White Knights Journalists Dreamed Of
Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong’s recent actions reek of self-interest, not the enlightened ownership for which employees at their newspapers hoped
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Comcast Becomes the Latest Target of Trump’s Top-Down Attacks | Analysis
The president’s late-night rants might be bluster, but they have also exposed the soft underbellies of big media players
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