Top News:
Daniel Funke / Poynter:
Vocativ lays off editorial staff and says in a statement it will focus exclusively on video distributed via social media and other platforms — “RIP fake deep web data reporting.” — That was one reaction Wednesday morning after Vocativ announced it was cutting its entire newsroom focused …
Discussion:
@adrjeffries, Vocativ, @ryanbeckler, Talking New Media, @lemirejoe, @zenalbatross, Fast Company, @parkermolloy, Adweek, @benmullin, @poynter, @clarajeffery, @erik_hayden, @jbenton, @rafat, @s_m_i, @emilybell, Folio, @rafat, @johnjcook, @jonlemire, @meena_thiru, @mathewi and @caleweissman
Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Fox News has dropped the marketing slogan “Fair & Balanced”, invented by Roger Ailes in 1996, to be replaced by “Most Watched. Most Trusted.” — As Fox News moves further into the post-Roger Ailes era, the network is shedding one of its most iconic elements.
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Mashable, TVNewser, Talking New Media, @jbflint, Politicus USA, Business Insider, Fortune and The Week
Allan Smith / Business Insider:
US Office of Government Ethics calls retroactive, unsigned ethics waiver that applies to Steve Bannon “problematic”, in reply to Democratic senators — The Office of Government Ethics said in a letter to Democratic senators this week that the Trump administration's blanket ethics …
Discussion:
United States Office …, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, @bystevereilly and The Week
Michael Calderone / HuffPost:
HuffPost layoffs affecting 39 people include one winner of a Pulitzer as DC bureau is hit hard by cuts — HuffPost laid off over three-dozen employees Wednesday, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, as part of broader corporate cutbacks. — The creation of a new Verizon digital …
Discussion:
CNBC, @bendwalsh, The Wrap, @mlcalderone, @mlcalderone, Adweek, USA Today, @xokasia, CNNMoney, @ethanklapper, Deadline, @jessicaschulb, @caitlin__kelly, @screenslaver, @sfiegerman, @mlcalderone, @edgeofsports, @timothynoah1, @tomzellerjr, @samsteinhp, @gsparks94, @tomkludt, @dceiver, @christinawilkie, @juliacraven, @alexkotch, AdExchanger, Softpedia News and BuzzFeed
Kelsey Sutton / Mic:
The Intercept is conducting an internal review after the publication of an NSA doc may have led to the government contractor who leaked it being identified — The investigative news site the Intercept has launched an internal investigation into the publication of a classified NSA document, the site's co-founders said Tuesday.
Discussion:
@jeremyscahill, @micahflee, @auerbachkeller, @ggreenwald, @markamesexiled and @jackmurphyrgr
Sapna Maheshwari / New York Times:
As JPMorgan becomes one of the latest brands to pull ads from news shows or events, questions arise about whether sponsors are becoming too involved in content — A production of Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” in Central Park featuring a look-alike of President Trump as Caesar.
Discussion:
@profcarroll, @davidsable, @nytimesbusiness, Digiday, Boing Boing, Washington Post and The Guardian
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Carlos Greer / Page Six:
Source: NBC needs controversies like the Alex Jones scandal to shake up Sunday night ratings; they hired Megyn Kelly to create such buzz
Source: NBC needs controversies like the Alex Jones scandal to shake up Sunday night ratings; they hired Megyn Kelly to create such buzz
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, @jjohnsonlaw, @ericboehlert, @owillis, @marksimoneny and The Week
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Multiple brands suspend ads from Megyn Kelly's new show, Sunday Night, due to Alex Jones interview, but NBC News chairman Andy Lack says they'll return
Multiple brands suspend ads from Megyn Kelly's new show, Sunday Night, due to Alex Jones interview, but NBC News chairman Andy Lack says they'll return
Discussion:
Forbes, The Wrap, Variety, The Drum, BBC, @asharma, Media Matters for America, @trentlmoore, @katierosman and @reignofapril
Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
The NYT is overhauling its digital publishing system as it pivots from a platform-based approach to a reader-centric strategy in order to entice subscribers — With its business model squarely built around reader revenue, getting users logged in is a critical step toward payment.
Discussion:
@wonderboymusic, @cliffordlevy, MediaShift and Poynter, more at Techmeme »
Allison Schiff / AdExchanger:
Facebook begins testing a tool for reviewing where on- and off-platform ads run, with option to opt-out of some publishers, rolling out over the year — Facebook made several overtures to openness on Wednesday with tools designed to give advertisers more control over where and how their ads …
Discussion:
Ad Age, The Times & The Sunday Times, Adweek and The Drum, more at Techmeme »
Ars Technica:
Profile of Shiva Ayyadurai, who says he invented email and is running as a Republican in 2018 senatorial election, amid his libel lawsuit against Techdirt — “I defined e-mail! And you guys have got to give me that credit.” — History is not fixed; like memory itself, it is an act of reconstruction.
Discussion:
@timfernholz, @thorsprovoni, @krelnik, @cfarivar, @vranieri and @dangillmor
Graham Ruddick / The Guardian:
UK judge rules News Corp unit must disclose invoices and let laptops used by James Murdoch be searched ahead of October phone hacking trial — Judge orders News Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, to disclose documents relating to private investigators
Discussion:
Ad Age
Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
IJR asks all staffers to sign noncompete clause barring work at any news organization for six months after leaving — Executives at the Independent Journal Review, the conservative millennial-focused news website, have asked employees to sign a new noncompete agreement as the upstart website continues …
Discussion:
@cernovich, @rolandsmartin, @mckaycoppins, @mlcalderone, @oliverdarcy and @pbump
Sam Levin / The Guardian:
Report: political campaigns could manipulate elections by spending just $400K on fake news and propaganda, while discrediting a journalist costs just $55K — Fake News Machine research comes amid increasing concern about hacking elections and the ways that fake news on social media has manipulated voters