Top News:
EU Press Room:
The European Commission has fined Google €1.49B for “abusive practices in online advertising” and breaching EU antitrust rules — The European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules. Google has abused its market dominance by imposing …
New York Times:
Facebook announces that it would stop allowing ad targeting to race, gender, and age groups in the housing, jobs, or credit categories by the end of the year — After years of criticism, Facebook announced on Tuesday that it would stop allowing advertisers in key categories to show …
Discussion:
@nytimestech, @revodavid, @karolcummins, @ddayen, Gizmodo and Mother Jones, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook settles with ACLU over allegedly discriminatory ads for employment, housing, and credit, paying ~$5M and making changes to prevent discrimination — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has reached a historic settlement with Facebook over advertising practices that allegedly discriminated against minorities.
Discussion:
Facebook, @mmasnick, TechCrunch, Ad Age, Financial Times, @byrosenberg, MediaPost, ProPublica, @facebook, @sencortezmasto, @cmcilwain, @metrosolomon, @raju, @senblumenthal, @zackwhittaker, @cristianafarias, @reprokhanna, @digiphile, @lwmurphy, @emilybell, @profcarroll, @civilrightsorg, @alixtrot, @propublica, @ktbenner, @leslieproll, @profcarroll, @lizzadwoskin, ACLU, The Real Deal New York, The Register, ABC News and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Emma Sandler / Digiday:
Instagram adds in-app shopping to let users buy from 20 beauty and fashion brands including Kylie Cosmetics, Nike, and Huda Beauty — Shopping on Instagram is about to change forever. — On March 19, the social platform announced in a blog post it was launching a beta shopping program …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Recode, Instagram, @bmorrissey, @charlie_boss, @travelsofadam, @mosheisaacian, @sheeraf, @warjesseagle, MediaNama, @diontweetz, @amrishrau and Android Police, more at Techmeme »
Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:
David Sirota, hired March 11 by Bernie Sanders, informally advised Sanders for months while attacking opponents on Twitter and in The Guardian through December — Shortly before he gave speeches launching his 2020 campaign earlier this month, Bernie Sanders emailed his supporters …
Discussion:
@isaacdovere, @jnmulholland, @erikwemple, @aaronblake, Politico, Denver Westword, @isaacdovere, @lachlan, @laurarbelin, @isaacdovere, @colinkalmbacher, @mattyglesias, @scottbix, @blanarph, @coreypein, @isaacdovere, @micahuetricht, @mattbinder, @jillfilipovic, @erikwemple, @mattyglesias, @tripgabriel, @regwag2003, @davidsirota, @mattbors, @davidsirota, @hotlinejosh, @wccubbison, @mattbors, @adamparkhomenko, @erikwemple, @willmcavoyacn, @coreypein, @jonmurray, @zackstanton, Contemptor and The Week
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Apple says it will support three media literacy programs in the US and Europe that aim to combat fake news and train young people to seek reliable news sources — Just days before Apple's big March 25th event where it will unveil a new subscription news service, the company has revealed plans …
Charlie Warzel / New York Times:
Instead of focusing only on moderation, the debate around New Zealand massacre should look at how platforms incentivize and provide infrastructure for extremism — It's time for a real conversation about the infrastructure and incentives that Big Tech provides far-right extremists.
Discussion:
@cwarzel, Washington Post, Business Insider, @jason_kint, @digitalshields, MediaNama, @ysabelgerrard, @blackamazon, @blackamazon, @kurtwagner8, @alexkoppelman, CNET, @okobojidan, @nickstatt, @fabiochiusi, @itsneal, @bostonjoan, @lucas_shaw, @alanmillernlp, @cwarzel and Recode, more at Techmeme »
Jacca / RouteNote Blog:
Anghami, a music streaming service in the MENA region with ~70M registered users, 2M+ artists, and 1B streams/month, announces it will begin offering podcasts — Music streaming is becoming bigger in the MENA region and native streamers Anghami are betting on podcasts being the next big thing.
Discussion:
ZAWYA, ArabianBusiness.com, Startup MGZN, Music Business Worldwide and RAIN News
Allison Braden / Columbia Journalism Review:
In Baltimore, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, ex-writers of alt-weeklies are starting publications, focusing on advocacy reporting and overlooked topics — Just 35 days after the publisher of Creative Loafing Charlotte laid off the alt-weekly's seven full-time employees …
Discussion:
@lafrancois_j, @pitkin_ryan, @allisonbraden and @baltbeat
RELATED:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Deloitte Digital Media Trends: 47% US consumers are frustrated by subscriptions, 75% prefer pay TV with fewer ads, 82% say companies don't protect user data — - ‘Subscription Fatigue’: Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Frustrated by Streaming Explosion, Study Finds
Discussion:
USA Today, Los Angeles Times, @macemoneta, BGR, Dark Horizons, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and RAIN News
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Disney and Fox announce the per-share value of 21st Century Fox at the merger is $51.572626 as the deal becomes official — UPDATE: At 12:02AM ET, one of the most consequential mergers in Hollywood history became official. The Walt Disney Co. has acquired about two-thirds of 21st Century Fox …
Discussion:
The Walt Disney Company and TVWeek.com
RELATED:
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC's Tony Hall is proposing to launch a charity, the Local Democracy Foundation, to fund local news reporting in conjunction with tech companies — Local Democracy Foundation will bring ‘sea change in local public interest journalism’ — The BBC is proposing to launch a new charity …
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @willperrin, @charliebeckett, @rasmus_kleis, @pollycurtis, @aidanpwhite, @853london and @jimwaterson
Dani Deahl / The Verge:
Some music publishers sue fitness startup Peloton, seeking $150M+ in damages, saying Peloton has used music in workout videos since 2014 without proper licenses — Several members of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) have collectively filed a lawsuit against fitness startup Peloton today …
Discussion:
Fortune, RouteNote Blog, Music Ally, @chriscollie, @reckless, Reuters, @gigibsohn, Engadget, CNBC and The Wrap
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Meet The Press host Chuck Todd said Trump teamed up with Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro to attack the free press during their joint press conference — Chuck Todd said on Tuesday's MTP Daily that the joint press conference with President Donald Trump and Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro “left me a bit speechless.”
Norberto Santana Jr / Voice of OC:
Around 33 newsrooms in California, including The LA Times and the Orange County Register, join forces to report on recently released police misconduct files — Voice of OC today joins nearly three dozen newsrooms across California - including outlets like the Los Angeles Times …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
Garett Sloane / Ad Age:
Snapchat has started brokering deals between influencers and brands, with a focus on those creating AR content, in a bid to retain creators using its platform — Right around Cyrene Quiamco's 30th birthday, Snapchat came through with a gift: a brand hookup.
Discussion:
Digiday
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
Diamond & Silk, who host a weekly show on Fox News streaming platform Fox Nation, appeared in a recent Trump re-election campaign video — The duo are not shy about their support for the president, but it's unusual for a cable news company's hosts to appear in a campaign video.
Discussion:
CNN
Jackie Wattles / CNN:
Filings show Tim Armstrong, who left Oath in December, received $30M in 2018 and was given an additional $6.5M severance package and ~$23.6M in stock awards — New York (CNN Business)The former head of Verizon's ailing digital media division is set to walk away with a multimillion dollar golden parachute.