Memorable stories from 2017

I went through the list of 271 stories I wrote in 2017, and these are the ones that stood out:

Columns and essays:

  • From January: ‘Alternative facts:’ Why the Trump team is ‘planting a flag’ in war on media
  • How Fox News and President Trump create an anti-Mueller ‘feedback loop’
  • October: Trump has a fog machine. Journalists have to see through it
  • From November: Why Trump’s media attacks are still shocking
  • Column for CNN’s Free Press series: Press freedom is YOUR freedom
  • Why you should care about increasing secrecy in White House and Senate
  • Trump team decries leaks, but without them, we wouldn’t know about the lies
  • Will Trump give Kellyanne Conway the leniency he won’t give to the media?
  • From September: Why newsrooms must keep fact-checking Trump
  • Trump’s ‘fake news’ boast is backward and irresponsible
  • From October: Trump hits a new low in attacks on the free press
  • From December: Is the Roy Moore race a referendum on the media?
  • Fighting the ‘we’ve been here before’ feeling when covering mass murder
  • Why it’s so hard to trust Facebook
  • Murder raises uncomfortable issues for Facebook, other social networks
  • Turning points:

  • Roger Ailes, who built Fox News into a powerhouse, dies at 77
  • Bill O’Reilly out at Fox News
  • NBC fires Matt Lauer after complaint about ‘inappropriate sexual behavior’
  • CBS News and PBS fire Charlie Rose
  • New York Times names A.G. Sulzberger as new publisher
  • Mid-May: Journalism’s epic week: surprises, scoops and a newspaper war
  • September: Why the exodus of four top editors marks the end of an era for the magazine industry
  • Stelter’s guide to an action-packed fall media lineup
  • February: Historic Oscar victories for ESPN, Netflix and Amazon
  • September: And the top award goes to … Hulu?
  • The story behind the story:

  • In their own words: The story of covering Election Night 2016
  • Trump says this is all a hoax. Mueller, Congress and Facebook disagree.
  • Birth of a conspiracy theory: How Trump’s wiretap claim got started
  • How NBC gave up Ronan Farrow’s explosive Harvey Weinstein scoop
  • How the Trump administration sidesteps tough questions
  • NYT’s Trump interview ‘was an ongoing negotiation’
  • How leaks and investigative journalists led to Flynn’s resignation
  • Feeling the heat: Reporters worry about aggressive leak investigations in Trump era
  • Why news outlets are being criticized for reporting ISIS claim about Las Vegas
  • Why did the Emmys help Sean Spicer rebrand?
  • ‘A stunning result:’ Investigative reporting led drug czar nominee to withdraw
  • While other outlets fact-check Trump, Infowars provides alternative facts
  • Reporting or commentary? Napolitano claim shows Fox’s blurry line
  • James O’Keefe on the defensive after failed anti-Post plot
  • Memorable stories about Trump and the media:

  • Is Trump White House preparing to treat press as ‘opposition party’?
  • Donald Trump: A Fox News president
  • Behind the scenes at a Trump photo shoot
  • How a YouTube video about Sweden ignited the latest Trump furor
  • Is Trump’s behavior authoritarian? Columnists are asking the question
  • Andrew Sullivan says journalists should be talking about Trump’s mental health
  • Trump abruptly ends interview with CBS’ Dickerson after wiretapping questions
  • CNN calls Trump’s latest attacks ‘beneath the dignity of the office of the President’
  • With cameras banned, CNN sends sketch artist to White House briefing
  • Three journalists leaving CNN after retracted article
  • Trump tweets shocking assault on Brzezinski, Scarborough
  • Scarborough, Brzezinski say White House used National Enquirer as threat
  • Trump punches CNN in a juvenile tweet
  • With ‘son of a bitch’ comments, Trump tried to divide NFL and its players
  • President Trump focuses anti-media ire on NBC after Tillerson ‘moron’ report
  • Trump continues NBC threats, says ‘licenses must be challenged’
  • Trump has granted Fox News 19 interviews since inauguration
  • Trump slams CNN International — and journalists fire back
  • Kennedy Center Honors: The show goes on without Trump
  • Trump bucks White House tradition by skipping end-of-year presser
  • Has President Trump changed late night TV permanently?
  • Fact-checks:

  • No, President Trump, negative polls are not ‘fake news’
  • A story Trump might call “fake news” — if it weren’t his Facebook page sharing it
  • Trump faults media while lying about murder rate
  • Trump gets facts wrong in attacks against NBC’s “Today” show
  • Trump says he has “running war” with media, gets facts wrong, in CIA speech
  • White House press secretary attacks media for accurately reporting inauguration crowds
  • Kellyanne Conway’s “Bowling Green Massacre” wasn’t a one-time slip-up
  • In interview about his falsehoods, President Trump offers new ones
  • The facts about Trump’s faulty attack on media’s sources
  • For Trump White House, Seth Rich is yet another conspiracy theory
  • Fact-checking of Trump falling on deaf ears? Far from it
  • Big changes in the media biz:

  • Why there’s so much anxiety in the media business right now
  • Megyn Kelly leaving Fox News for NBC News
  • Fox News picks Tucker Carlson to take over for Megyn Kelly
  • CBS, Josh Elliott part ways in bizarre fashion
  • Scott Pelley says goodbye to ‘CBS Evening News’
  • Sinclair close to Tribune Media deal
  • Discovery agrees to buy parent of HGTV, Food Network
  • 21st Century Fox on the block
  • Disney-21st Century Fox and the war with Netflix over streaming
  • DOJ v. AT&T:

  • Time Warner shares drop on report DOJ may sue to block AT&T deal
  • New questions about Trump administration’s review of AT&T-Time Warner deal
  • AT&T takeover of Time Warner hits snag with DOJ as dispute goes public
  • AT&T chief says he’s ready to go to court to get Time Warner deal done
  • Who is Makan Delrahim, the Trump antitrust chief?
  • People have called AT&T about buying CNN; was Rupert Murdoch one of them?
  • Some states reluctant to join DOJ against AT&T-Time Warner deal
  • Justice Department sues to block AT&T-Time Warner deal
  • “Fake news” plague:

  • Facebook to begin warning users of fake news before German election
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook calls for “massive campaign” against fake news
  • Facebook adding ‘educational tool’ to help users spot fake news
  • Hillary Clinton rails on Facebook for its role in spreading Russian propaganda
  • Facebook is planning big changes to political ads on its site. Are they enough?
  • Scoops and shocks:

  • Source: Fox News and Bill O’Reilly are talking exit
  • Laura Ingraham is in line for a talk show on Fox News
  • Amazon Studios head Roy Price resigns amid harassment allegations, company says
  • NBC News source says Matt Lauer will not receive a payout
  • Vice fires three employees amid investigations into sexual harassment
  • ABC News president excoriates staff over Brian Ross’ Michael Flynn error
  • NFL to air unity ad in prime time
  • Rupert Murdoch and President Trump met after Scaramucci exit
  • 14 ‘What just happened?’ White House media moments that shocked us in 2017
  • Harvey Weinstein scandal:

  • October 7: Lisa Bloom and Lanny Davis leave Harvey Weinstein’s legal team
  • October 8: Harvey Weinstein fired
  • October 9: Harvey Weinstein has been fired. So what’s next?
  • October 9: Harvey Weinstein believes his brother Bob betrayed him
  • October 10: Harvey Weinstein accused of rape in New Yorker story
  • October 11: Weinstein scandal grows as more women come forward
  • October 12: Can the company Harvey Weinstein founded survive his scandal?
  • October 12: Rose McGowan accuses Harvey Weinstein of rape
  • October 13: Chaos inside scandal-wracked Weinstein Co.
  • October 13: Motion Picture Academy board to consider kicking out Harvey Weinstein
  • October 14: In interviews, remaining Weinstein Co. execs deny they knew
  • October 15: Harvey Weinstein scandal: Another legal team shakeup, more fallout ahead
  • October 16: Weinstein Co. in talks to sell to Trump friend’s company
  • The “tipping point” continues:

  • The Weinstein Effect: Harvey Weinstein scandal sparks movements in Hollywood and beyond
  • A month after accusations surfaced, the ‘Weinstein effect’ ripples around the world
  • Top NPR editor resigns amid allegations of harassment
  • At NPR, Oreskes harassment scandal leaves deep wounds
  • NPR boss under pressure over Oreskes sexual harassment scandal
  • ‘United together’: Mark Halperin, Charlie Rose accusers form advocacy group
  • WNYC hosts Leonard Lopate, Jonathan Schwartz put on leave amid investigation
  • More moments that defined the year:

  • Amazon’s best-seller list takes a dystopian turn in Trump era
  • Media talks, loudly, about Steve Bannon’s call to “shut up”
  • Oscar nominee Asghar Farhadi says he’ll skip ceremony due to Trump ban
  • Trump Supreme Court announcement was Tuesday evening’s most-watched TV show
  • White House press secretary hasn’t held an on-camera briefing in a week
  • PBS and NPR are ready to fight budget cuts — again
  • 19.5 million people tuned in to watch James Comey’s testimony on TV
  • CNN severs ties with Jeffrey Lord
  • Were President Trump’s retweets accidental, or was he sending a message?
  • ‘Vice News Tonight’ has breakout moment with Charlottesville coverage
  • Journalists show range of emotions after Trump presser about Charlottesville
  • Robert Lee: ESPN under fire for taking announcer off UVA game
  • Fox’s pro-Trump hosts are working overtime to discredit Robert Mueller