Top News:
James Walker / Press Gazette:
BuzzFeed proposes cutting 17 of BuzzFeed UK's 37 editorial staff, with most losses to the Buzz section covering pop culture — Buzzfeed UK's editorial team will be cut by nearly half, its own media reporter has claimed, down from 37 to 20 journalists based in London.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, @markdistef, The Wrap, Mediaite, @mjs_dc, @maggyvaneijk, @patblanchfield, Spectator USA, @williamsjon, @sunapology, @jamesrbuk, @maxseddon, Splinter, @simonchilds13, @tolly_t, @maggyvaneijk and @kimberleydadds
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Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
BuzzFeed laid off its Director of Quizzes because lots of people are willing to make quizzes for free — “This post has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone create a post. Learn more or post your buzz!”
Discussion:
Fluxblog, @johnastoehr and @kateotherkate
BuzzFeed News Staff Council:
In a letter to BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti and others, the BuzzFeed News Staff Council demands that BuzzFeed pay out earned paid time off to laid-off employees
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, @peretti, @jane__bradley, @dylanmatt, TechCrunch, Variety, @janelytv, @katienotopoulos, @meganpaolone, @danieldrepper, @rossalynwarren, @charles_kinbote, @jillfilipovic, Fast Company, @netw3rk, The Daily Caller, @rachelysanders, @mollyhc, The Wrap, @rosadona, @mat, @dceiver, @kateaurthur, @annehelen, @edzitron, @cwarzel, @annehelen, @cwarzel, @cwarzel, @katenocera, @lindseyadler, @buriedbybooks, Mediaite, @laura_nelson, @hshaban, @kateaurthur, @rachel, @mbvd, @weeddude, @rachelysanders, @nick_parco, @ellievhall, @juliareinstein, @chrisgeidner, @theferocity and @dominicholden
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Even as companies like Digital First Media strip-mine local newspapers for profit, their journalists continue doing important work and deserve support — Jeffrey Miller might be the ideal news consumer: He's well-informed, thoughtful and understands the role good journalism plays in American democracy.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @ehernandez, @thomas_peele, @alanmillernlp, @dangillmor, @sulliview and The Rural Blog
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Steve Cavendish / Washington Post:
How Gannett hollowed out newspapers in Tennessee over decades, leaving stories like hospital mergers and local elections now under-covered — Wednesday was a bloodbath for journalists. BuzzFeed said it would lay off 15 percent of its employees, and Verizon Media announced it would cut 7 percent …
Discussion:
@ralstonreports, @jmartnyt, @rpetty, @kensands, @carlyewisel, @jrovner, @alecmacgillis, @mattdpearce, @jayrosen_nyu and @charlesornstein
Lucinda Southern / Digiday:
Condé Nast International launches Vogue Business, a twice-weekly newsletter for professionals in the fashion and luxury industries, with 21 staffers — Condé Nast International, home to magazine brands like Vogue, GQ and Wired, is making a more direct play for professionals …
Discussion:
Folio, Financial Times, @wblau, MediaPost, @sarahmarshall, @digiday, @hugopw, @wblau, Marketing Week and Media Star
Wall Street Journal:
Bill Simmons says The Ringer, focused on its network of 28 podcasts with ~35M downloads a month is profitable; sources say it made $15M+ on podcasts in 2018 — Four years after his acrimonious split with ESPN, the sports entrepreneur is building a different kind of network
Joseph Cox / Motherboard:
Internal docs and sources describe how Facebook educates moderators about political issues and potential “PR fires” that are particular to different elections — Internal Facebook documents obtained by Motherboard show specific steps and strategies taken by the company …
Discussion:
Facebook, The Hill, @tonyajoriley and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
ProPublica:
Changes to Facebook's site break plugins created by ProPublica and others to track and report on exactly how Facebook users are being targeted by advertisers — Our tool had let the public see exactly how users were being targeted by advertisers. The social media giant urged us to shut it down last year.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Recode, The Daily Caller, TechCrunch, Fast Company and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook shares draft proposal describing how its new content review board could work, suggesting it have 40 diverse members, none of whom are Facebook staff — In November, Facebook announced a new plan that would revamp how the company makes content policy decisions on its social network …
Antonia Noori Farzan / Washington Post:
NBC veteran Tom Brokaw apologizes after saying “Hispanics should work harder at assimilation” on Sunday's Meet the Press, evoking further criticism — Tom Brokaw, the veteran NBC newsman, has apologized for saying that Hispanic immigrants need to do a better job of assimilating …
Discussion:
@tombrokaw, Politico, New York Post, New York Times, Fast Company, NAHJ, @tombrokaw, @rebel19, Fox News, CNN, @tombrokaw, @sulliview, @neidasandoval, @ananavarro, @mariasacchetti, @julito77, @walshfreedom, @jayrosen_nyu, USA Today and @lesleyhandel
Sarah Frier / Bloomberg:
Despite Facebook spending ~$1B last year on Watch, its would-be YouTube killer is a jumble of ads with no hit shows and a tiny slice of overall video revenue — Three long years ago, when the world knew little about Cambridge Analytica and laughed off the specter of fake news, Mark Zuckerberg had a very different kind of problem.
Discussion:
@shiraovide, @reckless and @simonowens, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Guardian EIC Katharine Viner says the group is on track to break even in April, talks about being Guardian's first female editor, paywalls, sexism, and more — Guardian News and Media editor-in-chief Katharine Viner has said a hard paywall “isn't really a conversation” …
Discussion:
@michellemanafy
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