Mediagazer: Q&A with Vivek Shah, CEO of J2 Global, which owns a portfolio of 40+ brands like Mashable, Ziff Davis, Speedtest, and IGN and which almost bought Gawker Media (Recode)

3:55 AM ET, March 4, 2019

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Q&A with Vivek Shah, CEO of J2 Global, which owns a portfolio of 40+ brands like Mashable, Ziff Davis, Speedtest, and IGN and which almost bought Gawker Media — J2 Global owns a portfolio of media and internet service companies that includes PCMag, Mashable, and Speedtest by Ookla.

Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:

Writer and editor Emily Sheffield to launch #ThisMuchIKnow, a media startup backed by Guardian that will deliver news through Instagram posts and stories — Emily Sheffield told potential reporters and editors she had the backing of the Guardian's £42 million venture capital fund.

Luke Ottenhof / Observer:

A look at how freelancers are affected by media layoffs and at their efforts to organize to ensure better working conditions, including timely payment — It's been a tough year for workers in the media industry. Though we're less than two months removed from 2018, the first stretch …

Discussion: @freelancersu, @rl_bynum and @michellemanafy

Isaac Lee / Columbia Journalism Review:

A look at the tactics used by the Venezuelan government to eliminate most independent media, from censorship to having government sympathizers buy outlets — Earlier this week, the Nicolás Maduro regime detained and expelled journalist Jorge Ramos, one of the most famous news anchors in the world …

Discussion: @samuelcnn

Max Willens / Digiday:

VC investors see growth in sports digital media like Overtime and Chernin Group's Action Network because their loyal fan bases offer revenue sources beyond ads — Venture capital firms might have soured on digital media companies over the past few years, but many sports media companies continue to draw backing.

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:

Former White House staffer Seb Gorka says he is no longer a contributor to Fox News: “I decided not to renew my contract” — Gorka, who hosts a daily radio show for Salem Radio Network, said he decided not to renew his contract. — Sebastian Gorka is no longer a Fox News contributor …

Discussion: MarketWatch, Mediaite, @alexnazaryan, @rosiegray, @jeremymbarr and @sebgorka

Paul Mozur / New York Times:

Interview with NYT's Paul Mozur, a tech reporter in Shanghai, about his most important tools, especially in a country with a government known for surveillance — To protect himself and his sources from prying eyes in China, Paul Mozur, a technology reporter in Shanghai, leaves just an “innocent trace” of digital exhaust.

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

Q&A with the NYT Opinion Video director and senior editor on their first year, lessons learned, and how they're trying to appeal to a YouTube-native audience — “Hi. I'm Niecy Nash, actress, inventor, and advocate for not calling 911 on black people for no goddamn reason."

Discussion: @laurahazardowen, @nytimespr, @niemanlab, @jayrosen_nyu and @niemanlab

Adi Robertson / The Verge:

Fortnite dance emote lawsuits set a precedent for media companies to abuse copyright law further and turn shared culture of dance moves into private property — Fortnite is one of the most popular and profitable video games in history, and its publisher Epic is copying creative work …

Discussion: @reckless, @joshconstine, @reckless, @johnkwhite and @terrencehart

Sahil Patel / Digiday:

To increase its media rights value, Spain's soccer league La Liga is creating a media business that includes long-form productions for streamers and TV networks — The European soccer league that's home to Real Madrid and Barcelona is making a bigger media play in the U.S. …

Discussion: @digiday, @borisgartner, @luseesworld and @rebsdg

Amanda Kooser / CNET:

Reddit is testing tipping users starting with a single user, shittymorph; the user, Reddit, and card processor Stripe receive 78.5%, 18.5%, and 3%, respectively — Enlarge Image — Reddit has several ways you can express your appreciation of a good post or comment.

Discussion: @dries and @cnetnews

The Guardian:

Uganda says the number of subscriptions to ~60 apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, declined by 2.5M in the three months after social media tax was introduced — Economic fears raised as online subscriptions plummet in months following launch of levy created to curb ‘gossip’