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As it turns out, the newer versions of COVID apparently have an interesting wrinkle. It’s something called “Rebound COVID.” Which means you get COVID, it goes away and then in a couple of days comes back for another go.
So two weeks into this I am still battling things, and I appreciate the patience of all of you as I have wrangled with this.
The newsletter will be back in force this week, even though I am probably still working at about 40 percent efficiency. I also have a lot of PBS-related content coming this week, now that the 4th of July holiday has wrapped.
My advice for all of you: try not to get COVID.
How Klashi And Polymarket Infect The News
Back in March, I wrote about receiving a pitch from one of the predictive market companies to integrate some of the data into stories in exchange for a substantial monthly payment.
This is how I described my feelings about the offer at the time:
I won’t get into the details, but it involved a substantial amount of money (at least for me), and all I had to do was use their data to generate a couple of story ideas each week. Stuff along the lines of “Hey, this is what users think about this show so far,” or “Here are the latest predictions on who might win “Survivor,” etc.
I turned them down, because I think this is an ethically slippery slope. I’ve made it a point to only cover things here I find interesting and useful. I’ll take pitches from anyone, but I don’t promise to cover something. And I certainly don’t do it for money.
And in a larger sense, I feel as if it gamifies television and media in a way that sucks the soul right out of what makes the medium so powerful. It turns the connection you might feel to the material into just another reason to gamble on the results. Maybe that works for some viewers, but it’s not something I am comfortable encouraging.
I was reminded of that offer today, when I read this depressing piece that a special collaboration between Popular Information and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice.
They report that after CNN and CNBC signed a deal with Kalshi, a leading prediction market. Since then, both networks have promoted Kalshi to viewers extensively, frequently vouching for its accuracy. The existence of a financial relationship between the networks and Kalshi, however, is disclosed to viewers inconsistently:
Since December, CNN has featured Kalshi in a segment called “The Odds” at least 115 times. In these segments, Harry Enten, CNN’s chief data analyst, frequently suggests that Kalshi predictions are more accurate than other sources. While polling relies on volunteers, Enten repeatedly reminds CNN viewers that prediction markets are driven by people who “put their money where their mouth is.”
On January 7, Enten highlighted that, in six days, the odds on Kalshi that the United States would buy part of Greenland by the end of Trump’s first term increased from 12% to 36%. Enten said this was proof that “the people putting their money where their mouth is” are “absolutely taking this seriously.”
“Whoa… way up there now to 36%,” Enten exclaimed. “A tripling in less than a week. My goodness gracious.”
During most segments of “The Odds,” a special ticker scrolls across the bottom of the screen promoting Kalshi markets on a wide variety of topics.
This is precisely why I turned down an amount of money that would have substantially improved my life. Once you rent your journalistic credibility, what do you have left?
The Case For Non-Racist Comedy
Status has an interview with The Onion’s Ben Collins, who talks about his efforts to take over Alex Jones’ Infowars.
There are a number of interesting comments in the piece, but these comments jumped out at me:
People want a communal experience. People want comedy that isn’t a bunch of weird lookin’ white dudes roasting minorities. They are desperate for it.
We’re continuing those livestreams throughout the summer as we build out a roster of young comedians who got, frankly, fucked by the last five years of weird studio behavior. Anybody who didn’t have a pilot with a thinly veiled racial slur in it that subtly complimented how great our oligarchs are got completely boned. We’re gonna give them a little money to pay rent and build some series out of them.
Collins highlights something I’ve written a lot about in this newsletter. The growth of the smirky racist-adjacent white comic, who manages to simultaneously complain about censorship and “being canceled,” while also signing huge deals for concert tours and Netflix specials.
And on a related note, I recently reviewed the tired and kind of depressing new Netflix comedy special from Louie C.K.
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Odds & Sods
The Greatest premieres Wednesday, November 4th on Prime Video. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: “The Greatest is an intimate exploration of the incomparable life of the boxing champion, humanitarian and global icon. Executive produced by Lonnie Ali, the widow of the late luminary, The Greatest is the first authorized scripted series about the life of Muhammad Ali, offering unprecedented access and going beyond the amazing victories and defeats that made Ali a legend, both in and out of the ring.“
This Is UFC: McGregor vs. Holloway will premiere Friday, July 10th on CBS, ahead of UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 on Paramount+ the following evening.
PlayStation Is The Latest To Enter The FAST Lane
Mike Shields at Next In Media writes about Playstation’s plans to launch a series of gamer-themed FAST channels on the console:
Unlike many FAST lineups in the market today, the electronics titan is looking to create a curated list of FAST channels for its unique gamer audience, such as channels focused on animation, creators and sports content, said sources. This would be designed to stand out against existing TV apps available via PlayStation consoles, such as Tubi and the Roku Channel.
He also speculates that Netflix might be the next platform to add FAST channels. It wouldn’t surprise me, although while Netflix has danced around the move in recent years, there hasn’t seemed to be a big internal appetite for it. In part because Netflix continues to struggle selling ads on its ad-supported tiers, and adding FAST channels would increase the number of ad availabilities on the platform.
At the same time, Netflix has been thinking about it. It briefly experimented in France three years ago with a internally curated lineup of FAST channels called “Netflix Direct.” And it spent a great deal of time working on a new UI for the North American market that included FAST channels. But for whatever reason, decided not to move forward.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
MONDAY, JULY 6TH, 2026:
A Livid Lady's Guide To Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland With My Mighty Grimoires Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Attack Of The Samurai Sharks (NatGeo)
Grand Blue Dreaming Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Inspector Ellis Season Premiere (Acorn TV)
Love Unseen Beneath The Clear Night Sky Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Insipid Prince's Furtive Grab For The Throne Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
World's Biggest Mako (NatGeo)
TUESDAY, JULY 7TH, 2026:
Better Late Than Single Season Premiere (Netflix)
Dark Side Of The Ring Season Premiere (Vice)
I Want To Love You Till Your Dying Day (Crunchyroll)
Jeff Arcuri: Nice To Meet You (Netflix)
Red River Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Shark Island Showdown (NetGeo)
Shark vs. Giant Croc (NatGeo)
Summer Sparks (The Roku Channel)
The Ghost In The Shell Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Victoria Of Many Faces Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)