On Tuesday, Page Six published photos of The Athletic’s NFL reporter Dianna Russini and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel embracing and spending time in a hot tub together at a luxury Arizona resort. The images of the seemingly cozy pair ricocheted across sports media circles, raising immediate questions about the boundaries between journalists and the figures they cover.
What looked like a problem for Russini, however, quickly became a broader issue for The Athletic’s top editor, Steven Ginsberg, who provided a statement to Page Six before publication dismissing the photos as “misleading” and lacking “essential context” and defending Russini as “a premier journalist covering the NFL.” For her part, Russini told Page Six that the images didn’t show “the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” alongside her and Vrabel.
As the week progressed, Ginsberg’s knee-jerk defense of Russini began to look shakier, and far more complicated. Staffers who spoke to Status fear the subsequent backtracking from leadership has only exacerbated a potentially embarrassing situation, while turning what should have been an isolated matter into broader questions about standards and judgment in a crisis.
By Friday, Status had learned that The New York Times-owned sports vertical had opened an internal investigation immediately after first learning of the photographs. While the probe remains ongoing, Russini has been pulled from reporting duties as her coverage is reviewed. On Saturday, The Times itself finally reported on the developing investigation into her conduct, noting that editorial guidelines require “journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility.”
The timeline has raised uncomfortable questions for leadership at The Athletic, starting with a basic one: if the matter was serious enough to warrant an immediate internal review—and sideline a top reporter—why did Ginsberg rush out such an aggressive public defense before all the facts had been fully established?
Staffers inside both The Times and The Athletic expressed concern over the paper’s judgment on the matter, with one telling Status their handling of the situation was “unnecessarily messy.” Another questioned how Ginsberg could omit any mention of the investigation in his initial statement if the probe had indeed started immediately, calling it “reckless” and “premature,” or worse, “intentionally sneaky.”
Disparaging Page Six’s reporting before the details were known, only for the organization to later confirm an active probe, has created the appearance of leadership jumping the gun on its own due diligence. Whether the statement stemmed from an internal misunderstanding or an eagerness to defend a star reporter, Ginsberg’s handling of the episode has become a larger reputational headache for The Times than the initial tabloid story itself.
A spokesperson for The Times and The Athletic declined to comment on the ongoing probe. Ginsberg and Russini did not respond to requests for comment. But a person familiar with the matter said an initial review suggested the images lacked context about the larger group at the hotel, before new details emerged in the Page Six story itself that were deemed to warrant further investigation.
The Times is hardly alone in dealing with concerns about the relationships between reporters and the figures they cover, but the paper seeks to uphold the highest standards in that regard, which has made the allegations, and its response, particularly awkward.
However The Times and The Athletic seek to parse it, the sequence of events underscores the perils of seeking to slap down a potentially damaging story before having a clear picture of what transpired—and in this case, trying to mount a defense before knowing exactly what it is you’re defending.
Maria Bartiromo hosts "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News. (Screen grab via SnapStream/Fox News)
Donald Trump called in to Fox News supporter Maria Bartiromo’s show Sunday, with the host visibly reacting when he said gas and oil prices “could be the same, or maybe a little bit higher” by the midterm elections. [USA Today]
👀 Bartiromo didn’t challenge Trump when he repeated his oft-stated lie, “The election was rigged,” appearing to mouth “Yup.” Asked about that moment, Fox—which paid millions to Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 over such claims—declined comment.
Tucker Carlson called Trump’s Iran war “the single biggest mistake” by an American president in his lifetime during an interview with the BBC, which drew some criticism from viewers for platforming him. [BBC]
As talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down, Trump spent Saturday night at a UFC event, where he received a mixed reaction from the crowd. [Raw Story]
Viktor Orbán—the Hungarian strongman who clamped down on the press and won praise from the U.S. right, including Trump, J.D. Vance, Carlson, and other MAGA voices—experienced a stunning defeat in Sunday’s election, ending his 16 years in power. [AP]
Status Scoop | Axios had its best performing Q1 and second-best quarter overall in its traffic history, with total page views up 30% year-over-year despite output declining 22%, chief Jim VandeHei told staff, Status has learned.
Foreign policy reporter Barak Ravid's March page views marked the highest monthly total for a reporter in Axios history as the Iran conflict raged. Chief revenue officer Jacquelyn Cameron has also told staff that both revenue and event demand are growing.
Michael Gold compared Congress to reality TV, with lawmakers constantly chasing the next viral moment, after a Capitol Hill visit from “Real Housewives” stars exposed the similarities. [NYT]
“Saturday Night Live” was quick on its feet with a cold open mocking the failed Iran negotiations, showing Trump talking to Pete Hegseth, Tiger Woods, and Melania Trump. [YouTube]
“SNL” awkwardly cut off host Colman Domingo’s closing remarks, which he dedicated to “all the little boys in inner cities.” The full clip was posted online. [Yahoo]
Sketches included Domingo helping spoof the Artemis II astronauts giving updates from space. [YouTube]
Melania was also parodied across the pond on “SNL UK” for her oddly timed attempt to distance herself from Jeffrey Epstein. [Deadline]
Sabrina Carpenter apologized after dismissing a traditional Arabic ululation as "weird" during her Coachella set, saying she "could have handled it better" following the backlash. [NYT]
Justin Bieber drew considerable criticism for his Coachella set, which included scrolling YouTube. [Rolling Stone]
Coachella had a “KPop Demon Hunters” moment when the voices behind Huntr/x joined Katseye to perform the Oscar-winning hit “Golden.” [Variety]
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended a party for "Beef” Season 2 at Netflix co-chief Ted Sarandos’ Montecito home, after recent questions about the couple’s ties to the streamer. [People]
Scarlett Johansson told “CBS Sunday Morning” there are “more empowering roles” for young women now than when she started her career. [CBS News]
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." (Photo by Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures)
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” rang up another $69 million in North America to again top the box office, with more than $300 million domestic and nearly $630 million worldwide.
The Universal animated hit already ranks as the year’s top U.S. release.
“Project Hail Mary” maintained its stellar orbit, falling a mere 23% in its fourth domestic weekend for another $25 million and $257 million overall.
The rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany” starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, settled for fourth place with an $8 million opening, just behind the anti-rom-com “The Drama.” Its audience skewed 80% female, Deadline noted.
Box office is running 23% ahead of 2025 at this point, per Comscore.
The latest episode of our podcast Power Lines just dropped.
In this week’s episode: We discuss how news organizations are (shamefully) inviting anti-press administration officials to their White House Correspondents’ Dinner events—including CBS News welcoming Pete Hegseth to its dinner table.
Plus, we unpack our latest reporting on how Bari Weiss might seek to reshape “60 Minutes” and look at how MAGA Media figures have joined the #Resistance. We also take questions from viewers on the biggest issues shaping the media.
You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!
