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News Nation: A Newcomer to Cable News, Journalists Rebel

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NewsNation

A staff of over 150 started “NewsNation” last summer. It was a three-hour cable news program that featured just-the-facts news programs. “NewsNation” will provide objective news reports in a simple manner, unlike the other prime-time programs on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC that are filled with heated discussions and partisan monologues.

WGN America, a Chicago cable network that is available in approximately 75 million homes across the country, premiered the show in September. Sean Compton, an executive at Nexstar Media Group and WGN America, was responsible for the show’s development.

2020 statement

NewsNation

In a January 2020 statement, Compton stated that the show’s mission was laid out: “We consistently hear viewers who want straight-ahead news reporting that is grounded not in opinion.” “News Nation” will provide exactly that.

Many of the eager journalists signed up from all over the country, many moving with their families far away. Six months after its launch, “NewsNation,” which has received poor ratings and disillusioned staff members, says it has not lived up the expectations of Mr. Compton.

Recent weeks have seen resignations of the managing editor and news director. Six employees of the network spoke anonymously to discuss internal discussions. They said that “NewsNation”, has become more of a platform for right-wing views.

The Nexstar spokesperson did not comment on the resignations but stated that NewsNation had made “a commitment to provide unbiased news to viewers”.

“NewsNation’ was only one phase of a larger Nexstar plan that would transform WGN America into an all news channel. WGN America changed its name to NewsNation in March 1st to mark the transition.

An industry publication published a report last month that Bill Shine (a former Fox News president and Trump administration official) had been working as a “NewsNation consultant” since June. According to six sources, staff didn’t know of his involvement until the article was published.

Staff members claimed that the secrecy surrounding the hiring of Mr. Shine caused “NewsNation’ staff to wonder if Mr. Compton was sincere in his promise to provide “straight-ahead coverage” or if he had intended to create what one show host called “a mini Fox News.” Mr. Compton declined comment.

Fox News: More

Dominion Voting Systems has filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News. It is asking for evidence in the Defamation case. This could be the most important First Amendment case in a generation.

Investigating a Merger: Fox News and News Corp, Rupert Murdoch’s media business, are considering a merger that would bring Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the Fox broadcasting network together under one corporate umbrella.

Empire of Influence: A Times investigation examined how the Murdochs (the family that runs Fox News) have destabilized democracy across three continents.

Code Name: ‘Project Neutral’

Nexstar, a publicly traded company, was the nation’s largest TV operator when it purchased Tribune Media, the television arm, of the Tribune Company for $4.1 billion in 2018.

Nexstar also acquired an executive as part of the deal: Mr. Compton is the former head for Tribune Media’s programming division and now president of Nexstar’s networks division.

After spending 18 years at Clear Channel Radio and Premiere Radio Networks, Mr. Compton, now 47, was able to make his radio debut. He helped to transform Sean Hannity, an Atlanta radio personality, into a national superstar. Donald J. Trump was signed to a deal by Mr. Compton in 2004. This gave him the role of commentator on radio stations across the country.

According to Nielsen, 130,000 people watched the premiere of “NewsNation” on Sept. 1. The ratings have been steadily dropping since then. The average audience for episodes in week February 8 was 58,000. This dropped to 37,000 in March 1.

WGN TV

During its planning phase, the show was codenamed “Project Neutral”. Sandy Pudar and Jennifer Lyons, both well-known Chicago station WGN TV veterans, were hired by Mr. Compton to lead the newsroom.

Many people on the show were alerted when the broadcast of a one-on-1 interview with President Trump was made Sept. 22. The interview was conducted outside the White House by Joe Donlon, a “NewsNation” anchor.

As “NewsNation’ noted on their website, Mr. Compton had assisted in the arrangement of the interview and he was there to accompany the anchor to the White House.

Four staff members of “NewsNation,” stated that they believed Mr. Trump had not adequately challenged Mr. Donlon’s false claims.

They also felt that some of the questions posed by the anchor — asking the president to name his greatest accomplishments and what he enjoys about his rallies — were too soft.

The Chicago Tribune’s TV critic Steve Johnson agreed with them, calling the segment “a 15-minute prime time opportunity for the president repeat campaign talking points without having any to answer on logic or fact.”

FTV Live

Ms. Pudar was the news director and abruptly resigned on February 2. Six people from the show said that the next day, FTV Live broke the news about Mr. Shine’s involvement with “NewsNation.”

Mr. Shine was once a lieutenant to Roger E. Ailes (Fox News’s former chairman), who was fired in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment. Mr. Shine was fired from Fox News in 2017 after being accused of supporting Mr. Ailes’s conduct in lawsuits.

He joined the Trump administration in 2017 as its communications chief. He didn’t respond to our requests for comment.

According to six people, Compton led a meeting on Feb. 5 of key staff members at “NewsNation”, which included about 40 people. Compton shared his opinion about the show at the meeting, saying that it offered “friendly vanilla news.

” Two people who were present said that he was not satisfied with the approach. When asked about Mr. Shine, Mr. Compton replied that he was “just an advisor” and encouraged staff members to remain open-minded about him.

Staff were also critical about Bo Dietl’s February 3 appearance on “NewsNation”, a former detective from the New York Police Department and conservative pundit.

Mr. Donlon asked Mr. Dietl

To comment on the death of two F.B.I. agents, Mr. Dietl appeared live on “NewsNation”. Agents in Florida. After the discussion, Mr. Donlon asked Mr. Dietl about why some American cities had seen an increase in the murder rate.

It’s quite simple,” said Mr. Dietl. “It’s the liberal political Democratic values that are being forced on us.”

March saw the turmoil at NewsNation continue into March when Richard Maginn, managing editor, resigned.

Broadcasting a Debunked Claim

Perry A. Sook was Nexstar’s chief executive and spoke to investors last month. He said that “NewsNation’s focus is being down-themiddle, impartial, presenting both sides, balanced coverage” and cited Ad Fontes Media’s January neutral rating.

WGN America became NewsNation on March 1. On this day, the show was renamed NewsNationPrime. Mr. Donlon was appointed host of “The Donlon Report,” allowing him to comment on the news.

A segment on “The Donlon Report” last Tuesday focused on election fraud. Jenna Ellis was the guest, who is a lawyer who regularly appeared on behalf of Donald Trump to promote his false claims about a rigged election.

She stated that President Trump was absolutely right in stating that the election results were uncertain. Ms. Ellis kept going in this vein, the host only interrupting her occasionally or disputing her claims.

Mr. Trump was mentioned by Mr. Donlon at the end. Mr. Donlon then asked: “Wouldn’t it help? He came out and conceded?”

Ms. Ellis responded, “That’s not what it should be doing.” He did exactly what he was supposed to do.

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Deadline Extended: Link PAN with Aadhaar by March 31, 2023 or face penalties

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How to Link PAN with Aadhaar

The deadline to link your Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar has been extended until March 31, 2023. Please be aware that there is now a penalty associated with linking PANs with Aadhaar; if you link them now, there will be an additional fee of Rs 1,000 as the last date without penalty was June 30th 2022 which has passed already.

Prior to the March 31st deadline for linking your PAN and Aadhaar, all non-exempt PAN holders who do not fall under an exemption category must link their PANs with Aadhaar. Without this link, inoperative status of your PAN will take effect as of January 1, 2023; thus, don’t wait – link it now!

Please be advised!According to the Income-tax Act of 1961, all persons holding a PAN who do not fall within an exempt category are required to file returns… https://t.co/qvF4FWKsQz

Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) 1677558673000

According to a Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) circular dated March 30, 2022, “Rule 114AAA of the Income-tax Rules provides that if someone’s PAN becomes inoperative, they cannot furnish, intimate or quote it and shall face all consequences under the Act as a result.”

According to an advisory published in The Times of India on March 6, 2023 by the income tax department, here are six consequences of not linking your PAN with Aadhaar.

Your PAN card will no longer function.

Filing an ITR will not be possible.

Pending returns will not be processed.

No refunds can be issued once an order has been placed.

Pending proceedings, such as those related to defective returns, cannot be completed.

Tax will be deducted at a higher rate.

If you have not linked your PAN with Aadhaar yet, here is how to do so according to the Income Tax Department website.

How to Link PAN with Aadhaar

How to Link PAN with Aadhaar

How to Link PAN with Aadhaar

Step 1: Navigate to the Income Tax website (https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/) for assistance with filing an income tax return.

Step 2: Navigate to the Quick Link section and click on ‘Link Aadhaar‘.

Step 3: Enter Aadhaar number and Permanent Account Number, then pay late fee of Rs 1000 using ePay tax functionality after following onscreen instructions.

Step 4: Once payment is complete, visit ‘Link Aadhaar’ section again and enter your name, mobile number, Aadhaar number and Permanent Account Number (PAN).

Step 5: Confirm the information by selecting ‘I agree to validate my Aadhaar details’ and clicking on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option.

Step 6: Enter the OTP received on your mobile number and click ‘Validate’ to complete linking.

How to Verify Aadhaar-PAN Link Status

Are you uncertain if your Aadhaar and PAN numbers are connected or not? Here’s an easy way to verify.

Step 1: Navigate to the Income Tax e-filing website at www.incometax.gov.in to begin filing your taxes electronically.

Step 2: Under Quick Links, you will locate the ‘Link Aadhaar Status’ option.

Step 3: Enter your PAN and Aadhaar numbers, then click ‘View Link Aadhaar Status’.

Step 4: If your PAN is linked with your Aadhaar, a message will appear on your screen.

Here are essential FAQs regarding PAN (Pay As You Earn) and Aadhaar linking, according to the Income Tax website through March 31st 2023.

Who Needs to Link Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number (PAN)?

According to the Income tax website, Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act requires every individual who has been allotted a permanent account number (PAN) as of July 1st, 2017, and who is eligible for an Aadhaar number, to inform it in the prescribed form and manner before the prescribed date (31st March 2022 without fee payment or 31.03.2023). For further details regarding this requirement, refer to CBDT circular No.7/2022 dated 30.03.2022.”

Who does not require Aadhaar-PAN linkage?

The Aadhaar-PAN linkage requirement does not apply to anyone who is:

I) Living in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, or Meghalaya.

II) A non-resident as defined in the Income-tax Act, 1961, if they reached eighty years or older at any point during the prior year;

III) Not a citizen of India as per the Income Tax website

(Originally Published March 06, 2023)

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Motilal Oswal Financial Services: Buy Tech Mahindra Targeted Price RS 1180 Lets Explain In Details

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Motilal Oswal Financial Services

Motilal Oswal Financial Services has issued a buy call on Tech Mahindra with an objective price target of Rs 1180. At present, the stock’s market value stands at Rs 1106.95. Motilal Oswal Financial Services advises investors to maintain their stop loss at Rs 1100.

Tech Mahindra, established in 1986, is a large-cap company (with a market cap of Rs 107651.26 Crore) operating within the IT Software sector.

Tech Mahindra’s key products/revenue segments for the year ending 31 March 2022 include Software Services.

Motilal Oswal Reports

Financials

For the quarter ended 31-12-2022, the company reported a Consolidated Total Income of Rs 13981.70 Crore, up 4.19 % from last quarter’s Total Income of Rs 13419.65 Crore and 19.77% higher than last year’s same quarter Total Income of Rs 11673.90 Crore. Net profit after tax for this latest quarter came to Rs 1294.30 Crore.

The company’s top management consists of Mr. Anand G Mahindra, Ms. Shikha Sharma, Mr. Haigreve Khaitan, Dr.Mukti Khaire, Mrs.M Rajyalakshmi Rao, Penelope Fowler, Manoj Bhat, Dr.Anish Shah, C P Gurnani and T N Manoharan; B S R & Co LLP is its auditors; as of 31-12-2022 the company had 97 Crore shares outstanding.

Investment Rationale

The stock has reversed its lower highs on both daily and weekly time frames, suggesting it may have broken out of consolidation mode on a monthly basis.

Promoters/FII Holdings

On 31 December 2022, promoters owned 35.19 percent of the company; FIIs held 27.95 percent and DIIs 23.54 percent stake respectively.

(Disclaimer: Any recommendations given in this section or reports attached herein have been authored by an external party and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, endorse, or support any of their contents and expressly disclaims all warranties, express or implied, related thereto. We advise you to consult your financial adviser for independent advice before making any decisions.

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CEO faces backlash for crying selfie after layoffs announcement on LinkedIn

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CEO Crying Selfie Layoffs

CEO Crying Selfie Layoffs: A CEO of a US company is facing flak for the way he announced the firing of his employees on LinkedIn, with people deeming it reprehensible.

Braden Wallake, the CEO of HyperSocial, posted a photo of himself crying while trying to explain why few employees had to be laid off from his company.

CEO Crying Selfie Layoffs | Jump Two

CEO posts crying selfie on LinkedIn after firing employees

CEO criticised for his crying selfie after firing employees

CEO posts crying selfie on LinkedIn after firing employees

“I’ve gone back and forth whether to post this or not. We just had to layoff a few of our employees. I’ve seen a lot of layoffs over the last few weeks on LinkedIn. Most of those are due to the economy, or whatever other reason. Ours? My fault,” Wallake wrote.

LinkedIn/Braden Wallake

“I made a decision in February to stop selling our main services and focus on a new service. A higher priced service. It’s a great service, and something we will continue to offer, but it’s for the right kinds of companies,” he added.

“Now, I know my team will say that ‘we made that decision together’, but I lead us into it. And because of those failings, I had to do today, the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Wallake said despite the layoffs, the company has always been a people first business. “We’ve always been a people first business. And we always will be. Days like today, I wish I was a business owner that was only money driven and didn’t care about who he hurt along the way.”

“So, I just want people to see, that not every CEO out there is cold-hearted and doesn’t care when he/she have to lay people off. I’m sure there are hundreds and thousands of others like me. The ones you don’t see talked about. Because they didn’t lay off 50 or 500 or 5000 employees,” he said.

He further went on add that hoped his employees realised how much he loved them. “I know it isn’t professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do. Every single one. Every single story. Every single thing that makes them smile and every single thing that makes them cry. Their families. Their friends. Their hobbies,” he wrote.

CEO criticised for his crying selfie after firing employees

The post has gone viral and people have laid into Wallake for the crying selfie he posted.

Screengrab/LinkedIn

“Don’t worry everyone. Not every CEO is cold hearted. Some are attention seeking narcissists. it’s fine. Stop worrying,” one user commented.

“Taking a selfie while crying. I applaud your ability to multitask under distress,” another user said.

“Three things that disturb me about this post – one, this strikes as “how hard this is for me, pity the poor CEO” when people have just lost their jobs. A bit insensitive. Two, the authors replies to peoples comments seem in a tone that suggests he’s not exactly heart broken. And three, if you’ve laid people off and you are taking to LinkedIn to post about it, maybe link them, sing their praises and skills and let other companies know they would be amazing people to hire. This post just comes off as attention seeking,” a third user added.

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