Morse Code

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Good evening, I’m Dylan Byers.

Welcome back to In The Room, my biweekly private email on the inner workings of the American media industry. Tonight, some informed observations on the year’s early developments and emerging storylines, from ABC News and ESPN to Axios and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Morse Code

News and notes on the biggest media stories of the year thus far—Barbara Walters’ underwhelming tribute, ‘GMA3’ questions, The ‘MNF’ tragedy, and a talmudic reading of Andrew Morse’s new gig.

DYLAN BYERS

Barbara Walters would not have been pleased. The legendary newswoman, who passed away last week at the age of 93, cared deeply about every detail of her work—“every single video edit, soundbite, graphic, and music cue,” as one veteran media executive put it—and of her reputation, too, obviously. Her career was brilliantly choreographed—the Castro interview; Gaddafi; Lewinsky; Christopher Reeves after his tragic accident; Donald Trump, while airborne, grilling him on his finances; the 20/20 years shouldering the burden for Hugh Downs; The World’s Most Interesting People; The View; etcetera—and she became that rare broadcaster who transcended to a level of fame beyond most she interviewed...

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FOUR STORIES WE’RE TALKING ABOUT