Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

James Poniewozik

@poniewozik.bsky.social

23K followers 260 following 2.2K posts

Quick judger, long-time begrudger

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 19d

"America may not be an actual autocracy. But it increasingly seems to be playing one on TV." [giftie]
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...

The F.C.C. Threatened to Punish Kimmel ‘the Hard Way.’ ABC Made It Easy.

www.nytimes.com

1 82 370

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8h

Before I scroll I'm putting the over/under at 2 replies scolding you for owning a car in NYC

2 19

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 13h

Ugh, I don't even want to imagine myself taking Will's side in that argument

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 13h

This is not just savagely well written but also just a freaking good point about managing declining media

Also I am already pre-dreading the Morning Show season about this

Elizabeth Lopatto @lopatto.bsky.social · 19h

please read my memo www.theverge.com/business/793...

Memo to Bari Weiss Re: CBS News: You’re doomed

Bari Weiss has sold her company, The Free Press, to manage the decline of broadcast news at CBS. How many ways can it go wrong?

www.theverge.com

2 27 130

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 15h

I still wish Mr Robot had done this before it ended

1 7

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 16h

One thing about the current moment is that a lot of people who would probably call you hysterical if you said you didn't believe there would be a 2028 election are acting the way they might if they didn't believe there was going to be a 2028 election

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

Do CBS News executives understand that MAGA will not be in power forever? I genuinely think this is lost on a lot of people. They've gotten scammed by bad actors into believing Trump's 2024 win represented something seismic and even permanent. I predict they'll look back on this as a serious error.

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 19h

CBS News current president Tom Cibroski praised Weiss on the call, saying "Bari's energy and passion is infectious and you will feel it, big time." He also added that the Free Press and CBS News "are going to learn a lot from each other...that's what this is all about."

26 110

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 17h

Started reading this post and thought that title was your nickname for "Mr. Scorsese"

1 8

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 17h

I wrote about two Israeli Oct. 7 series, and whether it's possible for works on this subject at this moment to be, as their makers have been saying, "not political." [giftie] www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/a...

Two Oct. 7 Series Show the Power, and Limits, of Memory

www.nytimes.com

3 28

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 4d

If you are the type of person to comment, "With everything that's going on in the world, how dare the music critic write a music review," today is a terrific day for you to unfollow this account

1 1 63

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 5d

There is a kind of "Name That Tune" element to logging on to Bluesky for the first time all day and deducing, in like two or three posts, the thing everybody is mad about

4 9 110

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 6d

What? No! BOO! BOOOOOO!

Booing the layoff, your hair looks great

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 6d

What if they hurl it into the unquenchable fires of Orodruin

Lesley Goldberg @snoodit.bsky.social · 6d

This week for @theankler.com: A Day 1 cheat sheet for Netflix-turned-Amazon TV chief Peter Friedlander. Will he kill Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? If so, it'll cost him $20M per season.

Read on for much more: theankler.com/p/amazon-tvs...

Amazon TV’s Brutal Keeper Test Begins: Palladino Exit, ‘LOTR’ Nightmare, Execs

Peter Friedlander steps in to a ‘battered’ team, a star showrunner departure and an insanely high kill fee to the Tolkien estate

theankler.com

1 1 7

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 6d

MOUNTAINHEAD (2025), dir. Jesse Armstrong

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 6d

I spent some time with OpenAI's new AI video app Sora. Not just slop but ragebait, fake crimes and women splattered with white goo. The implications of all of this are horrifying.

3 16

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 7d

Amazing! Great job James!

Reposted by James Poniewozik

Bill Goodykoontz @goodyk.bsky.social · 7d

I wrote about Trump and Hegseth's speeches to top military brass. It was nuts. And anyone who reports on it as normal is just not doing their job.
www.azcentral.com/story/entert...

Trump, Hegseth fat shame generals, test loyalties in manic military rant | Opinion

Donald Trump said the military should use U.S. cities as training grounds in a bizarre speech to top-ranking military brass called by Pete Hegseth.

www.azcentral.com

1 21 48

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 7d

Not that this exactly requires Benoit Blanc to sleuth out but Trump has pretty consistently used "the enemy from within" to describe his political opponents rollcall.com/factbase/tru...

1 8

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 7d

I feel like I am justified using this occasion to do my one book plug of the month. wwnorton.com/books/978163...

Audience of One

New York Times Book Review • Notable Book of the Year Washington Post • 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2019 NPR.org • NPR 2019 Concierge Slate • 10 B...

wwnorton.com

2 21

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 7d

The president of the United States is considering changing American naval policy based on an NBC WWII doc series, scored by Richard Rodgers, that aired when he was 6 years old.

1 9 39

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

*puts down my issue of the Costco Connection* HOW DARE YOU

Reposted by James Poniewozik

Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 8d

I was in the midst of writing a nice, fluffy rave about s2 of PLATONIC for my Sept column when I decided I really wanted to write this instead — so, thanks to @lauramarsh.bsky.social for enabling a last-minute pivot.

Quick thread of the great journos and critics upon which this essay is built 1/x

Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 8d

I wrote about how our weak, screen-addicted president is bullying the weak, Trump-addicted medium of television.

For @newrepublic.com, on the TV beat:
newrepublic.com/article/2000...

How Late-Night Became a Free Speech Battleground

Trump has always cared about traditional talk shows, even if they are a waning genre.

newrepublic.com

2 5 20

Reposted by James Poniewozik

Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 8d

weird how every potential breadcrumb of a shooter's online history is extremely relevant sometimes and then other times not so much!

1 14 160

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

*as to pretend ratings are irrelevent to art (got tripped up in my negatives)

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

Right. Best ratings not = best show (that's what the money's for!). Conversely, I can't be so cosseted as to pretend ratings are not irrelevant to art, because it is better for the art form I want to see if good art can commercially survive. But that part's not my job!

1 1

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

I do think EK’s argument (which again I neither endorse nor deny!) was that he wanted to make the case for persuasion. Whether CK’s tactics are the ones he wants (or whether CK was in fact mainly trying to persuade)=another issue

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

I’m not sure Ezra was advocating that it would be effective for the left (tho I may have missed that). But I do think (again w/o putting words in his mouth) that he sees his role as figuring out how his side can win elections in a way TNC doesn’t (tho both do care about both power and ideals)

1 1

James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 8d

I think that’s close but not quite the analogy. Maybe analogy would be how much do I regard my job as telling producers how to get good ratings, versus advocating for what I think is good art, regardless of the ratings

1 3