Top News:
Madison Malone Kircher / New York Magazine:
Q&A with a Michigan college student who has made 692 quizzes for BuzzFeed as a hobby, becoming the 2nd-highest traffic driver for the site's quizzes worldwide — Rachel McMahon is a teen from Michigan you almost certainly haven't heard of before this week.
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Will Oremus / Slate:
The global layoffs at BuzzFeed, once a successful beacon in a shrinking industry, mark an end of innocence for the outlet and for staffers with big social reach — BuzzFeed's layoffs were painful for its staffers—and fatal to its self-mythology. — There's a phenomenon familiar …
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 proposes cutting 17 of BuzzFeed UK's 37 editorial staff, with most losses to the Buzz section covering pop culture
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, @markdistef, New York Magazine, @mattdpearce, @dylanmatt, @rachelysanders, @maggyvaneijk, @kimberleydadds, @mjs_dc, @patblanchfield, @sunapology, @charles_kinbote, @williamsjon, @tolly_t, @maggyvaneijk, @rossalynwarren, @jamesrbuk, @maxseddon, @danieldrepper, @simonchilds13, PerthNow and Sydney Morning Herald
Anthony Crupi / Ad Age:
Nielsen C3 primetime ratings for ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox dropped 11% YoY for Q4 2018 in the 18-49 age group, with a 27% drop in the same period since 2016 — The big four networks have seen many of their demographically desirable viewers disappear — As younger viewers continue …
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Report: Apple told studios and networks to be ready for a launch of Apple's streaming service by mid-April, the same month investors see a Disney+ preview — Studios were reportedly told to be ready by mid-April — Little is known about Apple's standalone streaming service, aside from the mountain of original content that's coming.
Discussion:
The Information, Recode, The Wrap, @pkafka, @shiraovide, @jtoonkel, @shiraovide, @mcwm, TechCrunch, /Film and Observer, more at Techmeme »
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
As Disney completes merger with Fox and prepares for Disney+, uncertainty remains about integration, programming, and the executives who will lead the shift — Bob Iger has repeatedly called it the “highest priority” of the Walt Disney Co. — The launch of Disney Plus has become the talk …
Discussion:
The Information, Business Insider, /Film, The Playlist, The A.V. Club and @cityofthetown
Adam Becker / Undark:
Inference, a “quarterly review of science” started in 2014 and funded entirely by Peter Thiel, publishes scientific articles alongside junk science — The newish ‘quarterly review of science’ sometimes muddies the waters between science and political ideology. It is funded by Peter Thiel.
Discussion:
@cshperspectives, @bobbierman and Boing Boing
Jennifer Creery / Hong Kong Free Press HKFP:
FCCC report on press freedom in China: 55% believe government interference has risen, with notable crackdowns in Xinjiang and visa denials for negative coverage — Over half of foreign correspondents say reporting conditions in China deteriorated last year, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club …
Discussion:
Reuters and @nvanderklippe
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Study finds major US newspapers hiked home delivery prices more than 2x between 2008 and 2016, but about two-thirds of print readers remained loyal — Once print advertising collapsed, newspapers hiked prices to get more money from readers. If they hadn't, they'd employ even fewer journalists and be in even worse shape today.
Discussion:
@emilybell, @kenherts, @gerryfsmith, @irischyi, @irischyi, @irischyi, Journalism Studies and Editor & Publisher
Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac:
Apple says Apple News has 85M monthly active users and Apple Music has 50M paid subscribers, a growth of around 10M for Music since April 2018 — During Apple's Q1 2019 earnings call today, Tim Cook shared an update on how some of the company's Services have been growing including details on Apple News …
Discussion:
One Man & His Blog
Kim Masters / Hollywood Reporter:
Lawmakers are asking Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about his ties to media investor Len Blavatnik, whose Access Industries owns Warner Music Group — After the Treasury Secretary lifts sanctions on companies linked to an oligarch, Democrats seek information over Mnuchin's sale of a stake …
Discussion:
ABC News, @kenvogel, @kenvogel, Vanity Fair and New York Times
Radio & Television Business Report:
Pandora shareholders approve Sirius XM's purchase of the company; Sirius CEO Jim Meyer will lead Pandora and Sirius XM combined, Pandora's Roger Lynch to leave — The shareholders of Pandora Media have spoken, and they are OK with a purchase of the streaming audio pioneer …
Christoph Droesser / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at Germany's BPK, a media institution that hosts government press briefings three times a week, where journalists are not at the whim of politicians — It's a familiar scene: roughly a hundred journalists cram into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House …
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:
@tonyajoriley, Facebook, The Hill and Fortune
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