Top News:
Steve Coll / New Yorker:
We should be wary of celebrating any case of censorship, especially by opaque companies, because practices that marginalize the right will cut both ways — How should we challenge hate-mongering in the age of social media? — Alex Jones has drawn millions of people to his Infowars brand …
Discussion:
@saraashleyo, @landryst and @niklowski
RELATED:
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Social media pressure is here to stay as a tactic against advertisers and platforms that support shows like Infowars, because it works, as Sleeping Giants shows — Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Matt Rivitz stumbled upon the Breitbart News website, which once called itself the “home of the alt-right.”
Discussion:
@genepark, @slpng_giants, @shaunhair, @karlenegoller, @massd, @dabeard, @mikebutcher, @lzsundaypaper, @davepell, @donie and The Atlantic, more at Techmeme »
Tanya Dua / Business Insider:
Vimeo has joined YouTube and others in removing InfoWars from its platform; sources say removal came after employee dissatisfaction that it hadn't been banned — - Vimeo is the latest platform to removed InfoWars' account from its platform, following Facebook and YouTube.
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Dealing with the likes of Infowars on internet platforms is not a binary choice to keep or ban them; many other options exist, and they should all be explored
Dealing with the likes of Infowars on internet platforms is not a binary choice to keep or ban them; many other options exist, and they should all be explored
Discussion:
@drigin, @1lucabelli, @neilturkewitz, @ryandetzel, @mcbridetd, @carnage4life, @trstreu, @vivian, @morrow_nics, @granick, @jack and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Bob Salsberg / BostonGlobe.com:
Boston Globe is organizing a nationwide response on Aug. 16 to denounce Trump's attacks against media, says 70 outlets agreed to publish editorials as of Friday — BOSTON (AP) — A Boston newspaper is proposing a coordinated editorial response from publications across the U.S …
Discussion:
The Hill, Poynter, CNNMoney, Newser, @chrizap, @mcaruanagalizia, @pressfreedom, @raju, @albertocairo, National Society …, @rasmus_kleis, HuffPost, @spj_tweets, @connieschultz, @karolcummins, The Wrap and Mediaite
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix says its CFO David Wells, who led the service's international expansion to 190 countries, is leaving the company after 14 years — Exec says he plans to focus on philanthropy after exiting streaming-video company — David Wells, a 14-year veteran of Netflix who has guided …
Discussion:
VentureBeat, The Wrap and @alexweprin
Kaitor Kay / WANE-TV:
Fort Wayne newspaper News-Sentinel lays 7 of its 8 remaining staff off, almost a year after going digital — FORT WAYNE - Almost a year after the News Sentinel announced it would halt newspaper production for an all-digital product, the paper is laying off almost all of its staff.
Discussion:
@manvstweets, @colbyklaus, @dabeard, @gwenmoritz, @wane15, @will_bunch, @linglestown, @myantkinney and @kaitarford
Washington Post:
Sources: when Trump expressed worries that Bill Shine could be at risk because of investigation into Ailes conduct, Rupert Murdoch rang Trump to reassure him — The revolving door between Fox News and Republican political figures has turned steadily for years, with failed GOP candidates finding a home at the network.
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Associated Press and CNN
Michael H. Keller / New York Times:
A look at the fake YouTube views ecosystem where sites like Devumi.com and 500Views.com sell millions of bot-generated views and how YouTube is fighting it — Plays can be bought for pennies and delivered in bulk, inflating videos' popularity and creating an environment ripe for manipulation.
Discussion:
@revodavid, @rasmus_kleis, @reallygraceful, @samueljscott, @ilvestoomas, @politicalshort, @gabrieldance, @nytimes and @nytimes, more at Techmeme »
Teghan Simonton / Chronicle of Higher Education:
Journalism professors reframe courses to focus on theory of journalism and its role in democracies, wary of partisan debate as the field gets more politicized — Fred Reeder Jr. likes to open conversations with, “I teach journalism, or as some people would say, fiction.”
Discussion:
@chronicle, @clairemuu, @chronicle and @lisalyonpayne
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Analysis of 16K stories from news outlets in 100 communities with 20K-300K residents finds only 17% of stories were local, or about news in the communities — “Sometimes a story was literally just a YouTube video that they were linking to.” — We know that local journalism is suffering.
Discussion:
The Rural Blog
J.R. Hennessy / The Outline:
As the New York Times sends Bari Weiss to Australia, a look at the country's reactionary media discourse and at the paper's approach to expanding there — The news that derided New York Times opinion columnist and “intellectual dark web” cheerleader Bari Weiss is to be shipped off to Australia …
Discussion:
@_lauban, @davidklion, @cd_hooks and @raju
Maureen Ryan / Hollywood Reporter:
HBO says 57% of its show directors are women or men of color or white women, up from 23% in 2014-2015 season; six of 11 of 2018 pilots were directed by women — HBO programming president Casey Bloys talks with THR about his network's “Because of Her” campaign, which highlights female talent …