Top News:
Jonathan O'Connell / Washington Post:
Senator Chuck Schumer, troubled by Alden Capital's history, writes a letter to its president demanding it explain its plans for Gannett if a deal goes through — A firm backed by Alden Global Capital, known for sharp newsroom cuts, would acquire more than 100 daily newspapers in the deal.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and @news_guild
RELATED:
Shareen Pathak / Digiday:
Digiday Research survey of 100 ad buyers: only 14% expect the YouTube crisis to have an impact on long-term spending; ~33% said cutbacks would be temporary — As a number of major brands, including Disney, Nestle, McDonald's, AT&T and Epic Games, are pulling their ads from YouTube due …
Discussion:
AdExchanger, @jackneff and @aexm
RELATED:
CNBC:
AT&T says it is pulling all advertising from YouTube after reports of pedophiles openly using the platform; Nestle and Epic Games have also pulled ads
Discussion:
Fast Company, The Verge, Engadget, @rachblevins, Beyond Search, B&TB&T, @cnbc, WIRED UK, Gizmodo, @winnersusedrugs, MediaPost, CNBC, Adweek, @danielmadison78, @mattbinder, @bmorrissey, Tubefilter, The Wrap, Boing Boing, The Verge, The Verge, Gizmodo, 9to5Google, The Verge, Fortune, Tubefilter, TechCrunch, Engadget, Variety and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Twitter co-founder and former CEO Ev Williams is stepping down from the company's board — Twitter Co-founder and former CEO Ev Williams is stepping down from the company's board, according to a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. — “It's been an incredible 13 years …
Discussion:
The Wrap, TechCrunch, @ev, Business Insider and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Chuck Strouse / Miami New Times:
McClatchy CEO says ~225 employees have accepted buyout offers across the country with sources saying the Miami Herald is losing at least 10 employees — McClatchy Co. CEO Craig Forman announced Wednesday that “a bit fewer” than 225 employees had accepted buyout offers and would be leaving newspapers across the country.
Peter Georgiev / Reynolds Journalism Institute:
As increased use of algorithms in journalism raises questions of responsibility for libel, some stress the importance of transparency in code — “I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted.” — This is how Xinhua News' artificial …
Discussion:
American Press Institute
Jamie Tarabay / New York Times:
Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing awarded $200K in a defamation case over a 2015 Sydney Morning Herald story connecting him to a bribery scandal — SYDNEY, Australia — A billionaire businessman won a defamation case on Friday against a media organization that he claimed had wrongly linked …
Sahil Patel / Digiday:
Source: Barstool Sports made $15M+ in podcasting revenue in 2018; CEO says over half its ad revenue is from podcasts with average rate per spot up 30% YoY — Barstool Sports recorded more than $15 million in podcasting revenue in 2018, according to a source.
Discussion:
MediaPost
Casey Newton / The Interface:
Pinterest has stopped returning results for searches on vaccinations, differentiating between freedom of speech and freedom of reach — Programming note: The Interface will be off Thursday as I finish up a project that I will share with you next week. — Since the reckoning …
Antonia Noori Farzan / Washington Post:
An Arizona cop threatened to arrest 12-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak while she was reporting; Lysiak uploaded the exchange on YouTube and her own website — When a small-town Arizona cop stopped a 12-year-old reporter who was chasing down a story tip on Monday, he probably had no idea what he was getting himself into.
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: in editorial call, CNN head Zucker defends hiring former Trump admin official Sara Isgur, emphasizes she won't make decisions about political coverage — On an editorial call, Jeff Zucker endorses former Justice Department official Sarah Isgur, clarifying her role and title
Discussion:
@coreypein
RELATED:
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
CNN hiring Sarah Isgur is puzzling given her reported loyalty pledge to Trump's anti-press agenda and numerous critical tweets of CNN, reporters, and Democrats
Discussion:
@atrupar, @jdawsey1, @neontaster, @jayrosen_nyu, @samstein, @espiers, @ericschultz, @parkermolloy, @becketadams, @juddlegum, @parkermolloy, @nytimes, @ewerickson, @simonmaloy, @matthewwolfff, @irin, @maxwelltani, @matthewwolfff, @erikwemple, @ericschultz, @blackamazon, @atrupar, @simonmaloy, Media Matters for America, @ericschultz, @mikiebarb, Vox and @kortizart
Tim Ingham / Rolling Stone:
DJ Marshmello's concert on Fortnite drew a peak crowd of 10.7M and led to 100M rise in his YouTube views; the DJ was equipped with a body-motion suit to perform — Ten million virtual souls showed up for two epic DJ sets. It was a masterstroke in global music marketing
Gizmodo:
Investigation shows how CQ Roll Call, a DC media firm, may be responsible for hundreds of thousands of fake anti-net-neutrality comments on FCC's site in 2017 — Millions of records that the FCC's top lawyer once fought to hold back from state law enforcement officials now serve as key evidence …
Discussion:
Boing Boing, @lam_barrett, @jrosenworcel and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »
Recode:
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson discusses the rise of sports betting, being inspired by Bleacher Report's extreme a la carte offers, and nonexclusive content deals — Stephenson talks about sports gambling, the potential of 5G, and buying Time Warner. — On the latest episode of Recode Media …
Energy & Commodities Editor, Tokyo — 
Politics Reporter, TX — 
Consumer Brands Reporter, GA — 
Deputy Editor - Health Care, VA — 
Product Editor, CA — 
Indigenous Affairs Editor, Sydney — 
China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — 
Bangor Reporter, ME — 
Commerce Editor - Health, Remote US — 
Sports Editor, MI — 
Managing Editor, Remote US — 
Lex Writer, London — 
Trending News Reporter, NY — 
Weekend Editor, CA — 
Part-Time Reporter, AZ — 
Political Correspondent, NV — 
Sr. Reporter, Singapore — 
Evening Dep. Breaking News Ed., CA — 
Copy Editor - Miami HQ, FL — 
Police & Courts Reporter, OH — 
Senior Science & Health Writer, NY — 
Data Journalist, MN — 
Tech Correspondent, CA — 
City Government Reporter, OR — 
Healthcare Business Reporter, MA — 
Senior Consumer Tech Reporter, NY — 
Washington Correspondent, DC — 
Editorial Director - Audio & Video, NY — 
Local Editor - Morris County, Remote NJ — 
Deputy Managing Editor, IA — 
Senior Editor - NBA, Remote US — 
Immigration Reporter, CA — 
Breaking News Editor - Weekend, HK — 
Reporter - National, Remote NY — 
