Sunday stories

Happy Sunday!

My new book “Network of Lies” comes out in three weeks. I’d be remiss not to ask you to preorder a copy. Preorders are crucial for authors and publishers. Reserve a book via Amazon, B&N, Bookshop or your favorite store. For a signed and personalized copy, please preorder through Words, one of my local indie bookstores in New Jersey.

I’m writing for a few other reasons. I'm working on a column following up on my recent comments to Dan Abrams about media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Is the public being well served by the reporting from the region? Hit reply to tell me what you’ve noticed about the news coverage and what you’d like to know.

On a recent episode of Vanity Fair’s “Inside the Hive,” I interviewed journalists in both Jerusalem and Gaza City.

Another recent “Hive” episode examined how right-wing media in the U.S. has caused congressional commotion and chaos. “Why is it so hard for the GOP to pick and keep a speaker?” Because, guest Brian Rosenwald said, "It's really all about conservative media and how they've inverted the power structure on Capitol Hill." Hear from Rosenwald and Abigail Tracy here.

Last week I hosted a PaleyFest event all about The Onion. On Monday in NYC I’m moderating a Center for Communication event on media literacy, AI and journalism. Sign up here.

And speaking of AI: For Esquire’s 90th anniversary issue, the editors asked me to assess what the next 90 years in media might look like. I began by reflecting on the 1930s and the transition from silent film to "talkies." We’re living through a period that is equally revolutionary.

There is no stopping what’s coming: 24/7 streams of customized AI-generated audio and video. A truly infinite amount of content. I believe many of us will still seek out communal experiences and stories made by humans and will pay a premium for it. But the future of media is all of the above: trash and treasure, pro and am, human and robotic, cheap and costly, streaming side by side. Here’s the essay.

In the Stelter household, Sunny and Story are asking to see the Taylor Swift concert movie a second time…

Time to work on my possibly-related Halloween costume.

‘Til then,

–Brian