Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Private equity firm Great Hill Partners has agreed to acquire Gizmodo Media Group from Univision, forming a new company led by digital media exec Jim Spanfeller — New link at Wall Street Journal
Discussion:
Variety, @wsj, @benmullin, @mlcalderone, @jeremymbarr, @danreilly11, @benmullin and @jbenton, Thanks:@steverubel
Emily Bell / The Guardian:
Facebook and Google have placed op-eds and dozens of paid “native ad” articles across major publications, amid other media efforts, to steer future regulations — Three years on from the US election, tech firms are seeking rules that won't hit their profits
Discussion:
Fortune, @stedavies, @janebsinger, @mediaguardian, Beyond Search and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Mark Murray / NBC News:
Poll: 69% of Americans use social media at least once a day, 82% believe it wastes their time, 55% think it spreads lies and falsehoods, 57% say “it divides us” — A sizable majority say social media does more to divide the country than unite it, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Gabe Bullard / Nieman Reports:
As more people use voice-activated smart speakers to request news, publishers are turning newscasts into conversations, challenging the foundations of radio — Smart speakers are challenging the foundations of radio, and news outlets are racing to find a place on the platform
Discussion:
@isalara, @niemanlab, @gnelsoncenter, @kelseyproud, @jypyk, @niemanlab, @niemanlab, @gbullard and NPR
BBC:
UK whitepaper proposes “code of best practice” for how internet platforms should deal with harmful content, suggests expanding liability to tech company execs — Internet sites could be fined or blocked if they fail to tackle “online harms” such as terrorist propaganda and child abuse, under government plans.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Wall Street Journal, @vranicawsj, @parmy, Bloomberg, @jason_kint, @javedkhanceo, The Next Web, @paul_shetler, The Guardian, @cjsnowdon and @auerfeld, more at Techmeme »
John Williams / New York Times:
Interview with Erin Lee Carr about her new book, All That You Leave Behind, exploring her relationship with her father, journalist David Carr — Carr's new memoir, “All That You Leave Behind,” documents her relationship with her father, the former Times reporter and columnist David Carr …
Discussion:
@pamelapaulnyt, @raisingrippers, @raymondpsimon, @jswatz, @erinleecarr and @bryanmarquard
Laura McGann / Vox:
Mark Halperin apologized for his conduct towards women in an interview Thursday yet his punditry on political candidates remained sexist — His first interview post-#MeToo included a pretty sexist assessment of the 2020 field. — Mark Halperin swears he's changed his personal conduct since …
Discussion:
@lkmcgann, @nishachittal and Washington Post
Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
Sources: Megyn Kelly is planning a comeback following her departure from NBC News and is currently considering her options, including podcasts — Megyn Kelly's antipathy towards Donald Trump may torpedo a return to right wing media—while the NBC ‘blackface’ controversy may prevent her from rejoining the media mainstream.
Discussion:
@thedailybeast, @monaheart1229, @johnnydollar01, @stevendupler and @tvietor08
Paul Caruana Galizia / Tortoise:
Paul Caruana Galizia, son of murdered investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, says the Maltese government is blocking a public inquiry into her death — What was your mother like? It's the hardest question I'm ever asked. And since she was murdered, I've been asked it again and again
Discussion:
@friggieri_david, @soficorreia, @seculant, @acaruanagalizia, @mayatcontreras, @tortoise, @camanpour, @elif_safak, @f_obermaier, @camanpour, @willjordan and @laurentrichard0
Nico Lang / Columbia Journalism Review:
Interview with Andy Towle, founder and EIC of LGBTQ news site Towleroad, on its origins before social media, how it has survived, and its evolving news approach — Towleroad began as a hobby. An LGBTQ news site, it was started in 2003 after its founder and editor-in-chief, Andy Towle, left Genre, a gay lifestyle magazine.
Discussion:
@sarphanuzunoglu, @cjr, @msignorile and @hemantmehta
Kytja Weir / @kytja:
[Thread] How Publici and Gannett partnered on tech to analyze state-level legislation, revealing the extensive role special interests had in writing bills — A tale of journalism innovation and collaboration: Several years ago, the @Publici state politics team started to realize there were a lot of special interests pushing copycat bills state-by-state.
Discussion:
@jsmithhopkins, @twallack and @abalcerzak
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
As Cosmo's EIC Jessica Pels has focused on the magazine's online presence, growing digital subscriptions, affiliate revenue, and using Instagram as inspiration — Jessica Pels, the editor, is trying to save the magazine from the jaws of Instagram. — “Bad ideas first!” …
Discussion:
@nytimes, @laurenmechling, @melissablake, @juliaccarpenter, @eholmes, @ekingc, @michellemanafy, @katierosman, @sarahccaldwell and @racheld