Mediagazer: Compass News app, with a twice-a-day news digest, has drawn 50K users over 10 months in the UK and is training an AI editor to mimic human editors' decisions (Ricardo Bilton/Nieman Lab)

8:30 PM ET, March 2, 2018

Top News:

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

The Weinstein Company avoids bankruptcy through a $500M takeover led by Maria Contreras-Sweet; deal includes up to $90M in compensation for Weinstein accusers — Weinstein empire unravels amid scandal — The Weinstein Company's bankruptcy talk has been replaced by deal talk.

Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed:

Some sites change domain names, a practice known as domain hopping, to avoid ad agency blacklists and losing traffic as a result of Facebook's algorithm changes — Domain hopping is one way publishers are combatting declining traffic from Facebook while also staying one step ahead of advertising blacklists.

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

With Smarticles, The Guardian tests a format where algorithms provide new information based on the reader's last visit and the importance of new developments — Like Circa before it, The Guardian aims to atomize a big breaking story into its individual parts — and then be smart about showing you the right ones at the right time.

Discussion: @bmorrissey

American Press Institute:

Survey of 4,113 subscribers to 90 local newspapers: subscriptions are triggered by promotions, quality and accuracy matter, print and digital subscribers differ — This research was conducted by the Media Insight Project — an initiative of the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

Ricardo Bilton / Nieman Lab:

Compass News app, with a twice-a-day news digest, has drawn 50K users over 10 months in the UK and is training an AI editor to mimic human editors' decisions — “If you go to any news site, at least half the headlines require a huge amount of assumed knowledge.

Sarah Frier / Bloomberg:

Sources detail what some describe as an unhappy work environment at Snap, where CEO Evan Spiegel retains tight control but has been empowering some executives — Employees won't get cash bonuses after missing internal goals — Spiegel said to be working to spread decision-making authority

Discussion: Cheddar, Slate, BloombergQuint, @sarahfrier, @jank0, @alexeheath, @shiraovide, @sarahfrier and @adamsinger, more at Techmeme »

Tony Romm / Washington Post:

State lawmakers in Maryland, New York, and Washington weigh bills regulating political ads on Facebook, Google, and Twitter — Alonzo Washington delivered a dire warning to his fellow delegates in Maryland's legislature last month: Russia might try to influence their elections, too.

Discussion: @russellbrandom, @cpassariello and @sunfoundation

Peter Kafka / Recode:

BuzzFeed to start selling Tasty-branded cookware in Walmart stores and online; sales projected to make up ~25% of BuzzFeed's commerce group revenue this year — Tasty spatulas and other gadgets are coming to 4,000 stores. — BuzzFeed is looking for money wherever it can find it.

Discussion: HomeWorld Business, CNET, StockNews.com, Business Wire, VideoInk, @bunch, Fast Company and Co.Design

Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:

A look at parallels between Internet Research Agency's tactics and Mic.com's: using emotional, divisive content that increases clicks on social media — What Russia's dirty tricks campaign had in common with online media. — The troll operation liked divisive, emotionally charged content …

Discussion: @mathewi and @akbarsahmed

Max Willens / Digiday:

For publishers, new revenue lines like events don't make up for advertising losses; Reuters survey finds that the average publisher lists six revenue streams — Many publishers are faced with a math problem. All the new “incremental” revenue lines — commerce, licensing, micropayments …

Discussion: @lmoses and @digiday

Politico:

Ken Kurson, former editor of NY Observer, says he's working with blogger David Wildstein, who was involved in Bridgegate, to relaunch a news site on NJ politics — Ken Kurson, the former editor of Jared Kushner's Observer who helped draft Donald Trump's 2016 AIPAC speech …

Discussion: news.sys-con.com, The New York Observer and @shanegoldmacher

Tim Johnson / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Spokesman for FL Senator Bill Nelson says Twitter representatives will provide briefing Monday on how Twitter was used to share hoaxes after Parkland shooting — WASHINGTON — Officials from Twitter Inc. are going to Capitol Hill to explain how impostors could carry off a hoax to undermine …

Discussion: @juliawb, @justinhendrix, @cwarzel, @stevemullis, @cforman and @dpfunke