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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 25 July 2017
Bombshell stories spur news war with a twist

By DAVID BAUDER Denis Horgan, executive to speak from the White
AP Television Writer producer of MSNBC’s “All House lawn, but he wound
NEW YORK (AP) — Print out- In with Chris Hayes,” had up reporting on a different
lets like The New York Times spent hours preparing. story than the one he was
and Washington Post have “It’s hitting like waves originally booked for.
developed a mutually crashing over you,” Horgan Producing in this atmo-
beneficial relationship with said. “You’re just trying to sphere is frantic and ex-
cable television news over catch up.” hausting, “but it’s why we
a string of bombshell stories With old rivals the Times signed up for this,” Horgan
about the Trump adminis- and Post competing furi- said.
tration. It’s a news war with ously to break exclusives, it “You’ve got a whole lot of
a twist. feels like there’s something news organizations, par-
Prime-time lineups on CNN new every few hours. The ticularly the Times and the
and MSNBC are repeat- exposure these stories get Post, who are clicking on all
edly thrown into chaos by on television amplifies their cylinders and doing work
late-breaking stories that, impact, said Rick Edmonds, that blows your mind,” Hor-
while nerve-wracking, a veteran newspaperman gan said. “It feels like an
nonetheless provide the and media business ana- exciting time to be a jour-
sort of compelling, can’t- lyst at The Poynter Institute. nalist.”
turn-away programming Spokeswomen for the The late-breaking devel-
that producers dream Times and Post said stories opments don’t get nearly
about. are released online when White House press secretary Sean Spicer walks down the hall- the attention on Fox News
“It’s hyper-unpredictable,” they’re ready, and cable way during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Pentagon, Channel, still the top-
said Charles Moore, execu- television schedules aren’t Thursday, July 20, 2017. Associated Press rated network on cable.
tive producer of “Anderson taken into consideration. The news frequently casts
Cooper 360” on CNN. “The But it certainly doesn’t hurt Attention given to these that CNN checks with its Trump in a negative light,
unpredictability has be- that these networks reach stories help the bottom line, own reporters before rush- and Fox is the venue most
come the norm and that is their biggest audiences in Edmonds said, and is par- ing another organization’s Trump supporters prefer.
very unique.” the evening, and have po- ticularly helpful at a time story to air. A day after cable rivals
Last Wednesday saw a suc- litically oriented programs the news companies are In years past, the shows chewed over Trump’s pre-
cession of stories breaking eager for the latest devel- shifting emphasis to digital were usually able to set viously unreported discus-
after 6:30 p.m.: News about opments. operations. The Times add- their evening lineups by 5 sion with Russian President
another effort to repeal The newspapers, and news ed 308,000 new digital-only or 5:30 p.m., the producers Vladimir Putin, Fox’s Sean
President Barack Obama’s organizations like The Asso- subscriptions during the first said. If there was breaking Hannity — who usually
health care law, President ciated Press, aggressively three months of 2017, its news, it tended not to be tapes his show in the late
Trump’s son and son-in-law make their reporters avail- best-ever quarterly perfor- political. afternoon — admonished
compelled to testify before able to talk about their mance. A similar measure- Now, Moore said, “the the “destroy-Trump” media
Congress and Sen. John stories on the programs. ment from the Post wasn’t rhythms of the day are non- for how it handled the story.
McCain diagnosed with Networks also have con- immediately available. existent.” With the bad news about
cancer. Into this, the Times tributor agreements where The TV producers don’t The shows keep experts on Trump, Fox has turned at-
dropped its startling inter- some reporters are regular get any advance warning call to prepare for the un- tention to an old target:
view with the president ex- guests, as CNN has with about a story. “We see it predictable, and favor ver- defeated Democrat Hillary
pressing regret at appoint- Maggie Haberman of the whenever anyone else sees satile guests able to pivot. Clinton, now a private citi-
ing his attorney general. Times and Adam Entous of it in their email alerts or over One day last week, Moore zen living in Chappaqua,
So much for the show that the Post. Twitter,” Moore said, noting had CNN’s Jeff Zeleny on New York.q

Review: “Paradise Valley” by C.J. Box is taut, suspenseful

By OLINE H. COGDILL In “Paradise Valley,” Cassie One of those missing is Kyle nor empathy for Pergram,
Associated Press Dewell, chief investigator in Westergaard, a troubled Box does show a glimmer
“Paradise Valley” reaches the Bakken County, North child for whom Cassie feels of humanity that remains in
the same level of frighten- Dakota, sheriff’s depart- responsible. Working on her this killer.
ing realism that made C.J. ment, is obsessed with find- own, Cassie follows her in- Box, best known for his
Box’s “The Highway” so ing killer Ronald Pergram, stincts to track down Per- long-running series about
terrifying. A sequel to that an independent trucker gram. Wyoming game warden
novel, “Paradise Valley,” who preys on truck stop Box keeps “Paradise Valley” Joe Pickett, has become
makes an excellent con- prostitutes. When a sting taut, with twists that are as one of the best purveyors
clusion to Box’s gripping operation to entrap Per- suspenseful as they are be- of stories about the new
The Highway Quartet nov- gram goes horribly wrong, lievable. Terrifying scenes American West. He vividly
els that have evolved into Cassie is forced to resign. at a truck stop, at a remote recounts how this part of
a hunt for a serial killer who But Cassie holds firm to her cabin and on a hilltop are North Dakota has gone
works as a long-haul truck- mission of arresting Per- not easily forgotten. The in- from a boomtown to a
er. gram, who is nicknamed tuitive Cassie continues to near bust with unfinished
The realistic fright factor The Lizard King. display her acumen, and subdivisions littering the
soars because Box uses the The disappearance of we hope Box will find new landscape. As “Paradise
FBI’s Highway Serial Killer three people where Per- stories for her and for Kyle, Valley” moves to Montana, “Paradise Valley: a Novel”
Task Force as a base for gram has been seen leads who suffers from fetal al- Box shows that the best (Minotaur), by C.J. Box
“Paradise Valley” and “The Cassie to believe that Per- cohol syndrome. Although travel writing delves into a Associated Press
Highway.” gram has kidnapped them. Box never allows sympathy region’s environs.q