Mediagazer: Penguin Random House imprint Dutton is issuing four novels by John Green as “mini books”, cellphone-sized editions aimed at young people (Alexandra Alter/New York Times)

3:30 PM ET, October 30, 2018

Top News:

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:

As Google rolls out a news feed under the search box on its mobile homepage, questions remain about the effects it could have on society — This is exhausting; I'm exhausted — I woke up this morning to two pieces of news that I couldn't help but see as two sides of the same coin …

Discussion: Nieman Lab and Digital Content Next

VICE News:

Reporters tried to buy fake Facebook ads on behalf of all 100 US senators and Facebook approved all of them, following other high profile fake ad approvals — One of Facebook's major efforts to add transparency to political advertisements is a required “Paid for by” disclosure at the top …

Discussion: @violetblue, @brandonlisy, @mollywood, @kevinroose and @stevekovach, more at Techmeme »

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Subscription-based sports site The Athletic has raised $40M Series C led by Founders Fund and Bedrock Capital, sources say at a $200M valuation — The Athletic, a subscription-based digital sports media company, raised $40 million in a series C funding round.

The Daily Beast:

Sources: Fox News' ruthless PR team, led by Irena Briganti, tried to plant negative stories about Megyn Kelly right up until her exit from NBC — For 18 turbulent months at NBC, when Megyn Kelly stumbled, her former employer was lurking in the shadows. — For 18 turbulent months at NBC …

Discussion: Variety, @tvietor08, @willsommer, @miekeeoyang, SPLICETODAY.com and @swin24

Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Source: exit talks between NBC News and Megyn Kelly have hit a snag, over non-disclosure and non-compete stipulations

Discussion: The Daily Caller

David Bauder / Associated Press:

Journalists working the local news beat in the US say they're regularly being verbally abused or physically assaulted, driven by attacks from Trump — NEW YORK (AP) — The hostility she's felt from the public recently wasn't necessarily the last straw in television news photographer Lori …

Discussion: @uspresstracker, @chrismegerian, @raju, Heidi Przybyla, @kronayne, @apentertainment and @heidiprzybyla

BuzzFeed News:

Twitter's new dedicated page for the US midterms, meant to provide commentary and analysis, quickly surfaced tweets from conspiracy theorists, bots, and others — Twitter launched an events page for the upcoming US midterm elections on Tuesday. And already it is surfacing tweets …

Discussion: @rmac18, @redcrew, @rmac18 and @jack, more at Techmeme »

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

David Poltrack, CBS chief research officer who helped greenlight some of the network's biggest shows, is retiring in June after 50 years at the company — Dr. Poltrack had some interesting news for a group of CBS executives trying to sort out the network's primetime schedule in 1992.

Discussion: Ad Age, Multichannel News, MediaPost, Broadcasting & Cable, @jbflint and @variety_cynthia

Deadline:

Acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay is making a documentary on Prince for Netflix and has been granted access to the singer's archives and unreleased material — EXCLUSIVE: Ava DuVernay directed the film that opened the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington …

Discussion: Variety, Slate, @deadlinedominic, @anildash, @mattgallowaycbc, Fast Company, The Verge, Vanity Fair, Engadget, The Playlist, The Root, The Guardian, The Wrap, UPROXX and The A.V. Club

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:

THR/Morning Consult poll: 56% of Americans say cable is unaffordable; 18-29 year olds spend more time with video games, social media, and YouTube than TV — Meanwhile, 47 percent say the same about satellite, while just 17 percent deem streaming unaffordable, a new Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll finds.

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Snapchat expands Snapchat Shows by adding 25 new series out of the UK, from partners including Sky News, Vice, and Sky Sports — Snapchat, in hot competition with the likes of YouTube and Instagram's IGTV to capture a growing audience that is replacing traditional TV with online and mobile video programs …

Discussion: Press Gazette and @mattnavarra

Taylor Lorenz / The Atlantic:

Twitter should kill the retweet if it wants to foster healthy conversation, instead of the Like, as RTs are what really reward and drive outlandish comments — The feature derails healthy conversation and preys on users' worst instincts. — On Monday, Twitter was briefly ablaze …

Discussion: @twittercomms, Telegraph, Nieman Lab, @oneunderscore__, @thedweck, @brendannyhan, @sheeraf, @brianmanzullo, @shansquared, @mekosoff, @patrickruffini, @tvietor08, @thegarance, @mathewi, @kelseymsutton, Forbes, Vox, Fast Company, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Week, USA Today, The A.V. Club, The Wrap, MacRumors, TechCrunch and UPROXX

Alexandra Alter / New York Times:

Penguin Random House imprint Dutton is issuing four novels by John Green as “mini books”, cellphone-sized editions aimed at young people — Dutton, a Penguin Random House imprint, has just released its first batch of mini books, with a box set of novels by the best-selling author John Green.

Discussion: @trophyuncle, @dunstewart, @algonquinbooks, @publisherslunch, @johnny_suputama, @nbsalert and @craigmod

Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:

How Instagram has become a refuge for far-right figures who have somehow managed to avoid being banned from the site, including Alex Jones — Instagram hosts accounts from prominent right-wingers who have already been banned from Twitter and Facebook. — Alt-right social network Gab shuttered itself …

Discussion: @meemstd and @mccarthyryanj

Joel Mathis / The Week:

Journalists of color, who predicted Trump's rise and the forces behind it long before their white peers did, are needed in our newsrooms — Jamelle Bouie tried to tell us. So did Nikole Hannah-Jones. Jelani Cobb spoke up, as did Vann Newkirk II, Adam Serwer, and Jenée Desmond-Harris.

Discussion: @ethiopienne, @ethiopienne, @damemagazine, @rolandsmartin, @ethiopienne, @britnidlc, @natsecheather and Roland Martin

Patrick Shanley / Hollywood Reporter:

The NYPD is investigating a suspicious paper envelope sent to The New York Times headquarters; the building was not evacuated and has been given the all-clear — An official for the NYPD said that an envelope with paper in it was delivered to the building and that an investigation is ongoing.

Discussion: New York Post, CNN, The Daily Caller and Boing Boing

Brian Stelter / CNN:
Suspicious package sent to CNN looks similar to pipe bombs mailed last week; Jeff Zucker says the network's mail is now being screened at an off-site facility