Mediagazer: The Wall Street Journal has revamped its newsletters, whittling from 126 to about 40, trimming length, adding subscription requests, and improving interactivity (Christine Schmidt/Nieman Lab)

5:25 PM ET, August 9, 2018

Top News:

Richard Allan / Facebook:

VP of policy details Facebook's limits to free speech: physically or financially endangering people, intimidating via hateful words, tricking people for profit — Hard Questions is a series from Facebook that addresses the impact of our products on society.

Discussion: TechCrunch, @cwarzel, @max_read, @mekosoff and @jfruh, more at Techmeme »

Max Fisher / New York Times:

After treating Facebook-fueled violence as occurring only in developing countries, the company now finds wealthier places aren't immune from hate speech issues — To Americans, Facebook's Alex Jones problem might seem novel, even unprecedented. — When does speech become unsafe? When can it be limited?

Discussion: @splcenter, @sharonwaxman, @amelia_acker, @max_fisher, @rasmus_kleis, @jjvincent, @raeuberhose, @samarajiva, @rajit_h, @ericeweir, @kellyriess, The Verge and New York Times, more at Techmeme »

BuzzFeed News:

Apple says Infowars podcast violated company's hate speech guidelines but implies its app doesn't violate App Store guidelines — Apple will continue to allow the Infowars mobile application in its App Store, the company confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday, just days …

Discussion: New York Times, Poynter, Fast Company, The Hill, @lizwahl, @dpfunke, infowars.com, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Fortune, New York Times, 9to5Mac and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Kara Swisher / New York Times:

Twitter needs a code of values requiring it to make tough calls on high-profile and malevolent figures like Alex Jones — The platform won't ban the dangerous liar Alex Jones because he “hasn't violated our rules.” Then what's the point of these rules? — This week, Alex Jones …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, Quartz, @shannonvallor, Marketing Land, @b52malmet, @page88, Beyond Search, The Conversation, Contemptor, infowars.com and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »

Axios:
Sources: Jack Dorsey to continue media tour with interviews with NBC's Lester Holt next week and CNN's Brian Stelter next Sunday to discuss Alex Jones

Discussion: @hunterwalk, The Daily Caller and The Hill

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey calls in to Fox News host Sean Hannity's radio show to defend his company, says Twitter does not shadow ban users based on politics

Discussion: CNNMoney, Techdirt, @miasteinberg, @delbius, @sulomeanderson, @vivian, @damemagazine, @cwarzel, @oneunderscore__, @rob_sheridan, @slpng_giants, @shannoncoulter, @danpfeiffer, Fast Company and @cwarzel

Charles Riley / CNNMoney:

Tribune calls off its $3.9B merger with Sinclair, sues Sinclair for breach of contract, seeking $1B in damages — Trump angry with FCC chair over Sinclair deal — The Sinclair Broadcast Group acquisition of Tribune Media is dead. — Tribune said in a statement Thursday that it has terminated …

Tribune Media Investor Relations:

Tribune Q2 results: revenue rose 4% YoY to $489.4M, net income rose to $84.4M, up from a net loss of $30.4M in Q2 2017 — Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) (the “Company") today announced that it has terminated its merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement") with Sinclair Broadcast Group …

Discussion: Gothamist, TechCrunch, New York Times, Fortune, Associated Press and NPR

Elizabeth Spiers / Washington Post:

The former EIC of NY Observer says Jared Kushner's demand that an IT worker delete several stories fits with the Trump family's hostility to journalism — I was editor in chief of the New York Observer when he allegedly had stories removed from the digital archive in secret.

Discussion: @netaustin, @davidpriess and @espiers

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:

Samsung and Spotify partner to build Spotify's services into smartphones, Bixby, and other Samsung devices — Samsung has announced that it's entering a long-term partnership with Spotify, including support for the just-announced Galaxy Home smart speaker.

Discussion: newsroom.spotify.com, RAIN News, Variety, TechCrunch, CNBC and @spotify, more at Techmeme »

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

The Wall Street Journal has revamped its newsletters, whittling from 126 to about 40, trimming length, adding subscription requests, and improving interactivity — “The newsletter itself in your inbox is simply not enough. What is it like to speak to the editor if you reply?

Discussion: @fpmarconi, @rwhelanwsj, @anotherhelen, @whatthebit and @steverubel

Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:

Interview with Karin Pettersson, Schibsted's director of public policy, on her new role and the publication's relationship with Google and Facebook — “We can't say that Facebook is destroying democracy, but then have our newspapers collaborate with them very, very closely …

Discussion: @ab_karin, @georgdiez1, @niemanlab, @jayrosen_nyu and @rasmus_kleis

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:

Anchor announces Listener Support, a Patreon-style service that lets listeners pledge $0.99, $4.99, or $9.99 a month to podcasters — Anchor's app makes it really easy to throw together a podcast. But if you keep doing that and manage to build an audience, there hasn't been an easy way to get paid for it.

Discussion: VentureBeat, Anchor, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme », Thanks:@steverubel

Ali Breland / The Hill:

Microsoft Azure threatened to block microblogging site Gab.ai if two posts from a neo-Nazi were not removed within 48 hours; the author then removed the posts — A neo-Nazi deleted two posts on Gab, a social media company popular with the alt-right and white supremacists …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Archived Page Info:

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Energy & Commodities Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Politics Reporter, TX — Texas Tribune

Consumer Brands Reporter, GA — AJC

Deputy Editor - Health Care, VA — Politico

Product Editor, CA — CalMatters

Indigenous Affairs Editor, Sydney — Guardian US

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Bangor Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Commerce Editor - Health, Remote US — Yahoo

Sports Editor, MI — Detroit News

Managing Editor, Remote US — Velo

Lex Writer, London — FT

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More News:

Lincoln Pigman / New York Times:
Authorities in Belarus detained at least 18 journalists, accusing them of illegally obtaining information from a state news agency; six have been released

Discussion: Washington Post, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Reuters, The Irish Times, Associated Press, @article19europe, @europeangreens, @pressfreedom, @pressfreedom, @solidaritycntr, @franksesno, @pressfreedom, Politico and Committee to Protect …

Ken Bensinger / BuzzFeed News:
Shareholders sue Televisa, alleging the media giant used a subsidiary to pay FIFA bribes to win broadcast rights to the World Cup in 2018, 2022, 2026, and 2030

Discussion: @kenbensinger and @kenbensinger

Arjun Panchadar / Reuters:
Viacom Q3 earnings: revenue fell 4% YoY from $3.36B to $3.24B, net income fell 25% YoY to $511M, media network revenue decreased 2% YoY to $2.5B

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, Billboard and Press Release

Tom Lasseter / Reuters:
How Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Myanmar landed in jail and what it signals for Myanmar's press freedom

Casey Newton / The Verge:
CEO says Pandora plans to launch its podcast genome project, a personalization feature announced in January and similar to its music recommendations, this year

Discussion: Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Jon Levine / The Wrap:
Adam Weinstein resigns as acting EIC of military-focused site Task & Purpose after a clash about a headline on a VA story, says he was told to be less liberal

Discussion: New York Daily News, @zachiscol, Washington Post, @peterlucier, @dedwardbeck, @alexandermccoy4, Slate, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein and @derekgannoncm6

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
WH Communications Director Bill Shine has settled a suit that claimed he leaked information to “sock puppet” media outlets to out a show's host as homosexual

Discussion: The Hill and @eriqgardner

Brent Lang / Variety:
21st Century Fox beats Q4 estimates with $7.94B in revenue, says it does not expect to host earnings call next quarter, hinting Disney merger may close by then

Discussion: FierceVideo, Ad Age, @edmundlee, MediaPost, The Wrap, 21st Century Fox, Hollywood Reporter and CNBC

Jason Guerrasio / Business Insider:
The Oscars reduces annual four-hour telecast to three to make it more “globally accessible” and introduces category for “popular” films, in bid to boost ratings

Discussion: Variety, TVWeek.com, Vanity Fair and @aherman2006

From Techmeme:

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Meta adds Dina Powell McCormick, who served as deputy national security adviser to Trump in his first term, and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison to its board

Tripp Mickle / New York Times:
Sources: Tim Cook approved a plan to double the AI chip budget for John Giannandrea's team in 2023, but CFO Luca Maestri cut the increase to less than half that

Ellen O'Regan / Politico:
Ireland's DPC opens an investigation into how personal data in public X posts was used to train xAI's Grok, which could stoke tensions between the EU and the US

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