Top News:


Profile of Snopes and how co-founder David Mikkelson's divorce led to the lawsuit about the ownership of the site and recent “Save Snopes” crowdfunding campaign — IT WAS EARLY March, not yet two months into the Trump administration, and the new Not-Normal was setting in …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab and Longreads


Inside the history of the Freedom of Information Act, funding and volume problems that lead to request backlogs, and bureaucratic maze of requests and appeals — On July 2, 1972, Angela Davis was sitting in the Plateau Seven restaurant in Santa Clara County, California …


How shady exchange and ICO practices, conflicts of interest in journalism, and other serious issues in cryptocurrencies are largely ignored by the media — [Note: I neither own nor have any trading position on any cryptocurrency. I was not compensated by any party to write this.


Facebook's efforts to overhaul political ads on its platform are crucial first steps, but vulnerabilities remain — FACEBOOK HAS AGREED to give Congressional investigators roughly 3,000 political ads it found linked to Russian accounts that ran during the 2016 election.
Discussion:
New York Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, @nitashatiku, @antoniogm, The Wrap, TechCrunch, Mathew Ingram and @abc, more at Techmeme »


Analysis of 25 top newspapers shows diversity in paywall strategy as owners seek balance between subscriptions and ad revenue; none adopt hard paywall — The majority of America's largest newspapers continue to employ digital subscription strategies that prioritize traffic, ad revenues …


How USA Today Network, with newsrooms across the US-Mexico border, reported its “The Wall” feature: a helicopter with LIDAR camera, teams of journalists, more — Last October, the editor of the Arizona Republic/azcentral stood in the press pit at a presidential rally for the Republican candidate.


Nielsen partners with ad tech company Clypd to offer ad buyers audience segments that are more nuanced than just age and gender — Nielsen, which for years has backed a system under which advertisers paid for TV commercials based on the number of people of a particular age or gender who saw them …


Profile of John Ruskin, also known as Nardwuar, a Canadian music journalist who has spent 30 years in radio and is now reaching a larger audience on YouTube — The Canadian man who has spent 30 years keeping interviews interesting. — Ann-Derrick Gaillot — Pharrell looks like he's about to scream.


BuzzFeed launches AM to DM show on Twitter on Monday, echoing traditional morning TV shows, with 60 episodes planned through the end of the year — Megyn Kelly isn't the only one moving to mornings next week. BuzzFeed debuts its Twitter morning show on Monday—and it will all look a whole lot like TV, including the ads.
Discussion:
@jenbenka, @am2dm, Vanity Fair and Hollywood Reporter


WAN-IFRA survey of 235 media executives and managers in 68 countries finds nearly 2/3 say revenues declined in past year, top area for investment is video — Worry is universal — but a quarter of publishers surveyed said their revenues are going up, not down.
Discussion:
World News Publishing Focus …


New York Times names Jim Windolf as media editor beginning September 26 — Jim Windolf, who has led Men's Style since it was founded in 2015, will join Business Day on Sept. 26. Read more in this note from Ellen Pollock: — I'm thrilled to announce that Jim Windolf will be our new media editor.
Discussion:
@choire


New York Times insiders question whether copy desk cutbacks and digital first strategies led to a mistake laden book review — A deeply inaccurate book review has set off much consternation, and soul-searching, at 620 Eighth Avenue. — Last weekend, The New York Times's normally stately …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and The Week