Mediagazer: Q&A with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti on fake news, recent layoffs, employees forming a union, plans to make the company profitable, and more (Wendy Lee/Los Angeles Times)

6:05 PM ET, April 27, 2019

Top News:

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

The Correspondent's first US hire, Zainab Shah, tells how messaging moved away from “building a US office” amid fundraising; she wasn't shown a current budget — “They're really good at the PR thing, and it really feels like gaslighting. They were like, 'Well …

Seth J. Frantzman / Jerusalem Post:

NYT says it published a cartoon with antisemitic tropes in its international print edition on Thursday due to “an error of judgment” — New York Times admits cartoon had antisemitic tropes and says it was an error of judgement to publish. — The New York Times International Edition ran …

Discussion: @nytopinion, The Hill, @noahpollak, @sfrantzman, Mediaite, Jerusalem Post, Splinter, @avitalleibovich, @ag_conservative, @cvaldary, @brianstelter, @sfrantzman, The Wrap, Fox News and The Daily Caller

Nathan McAlone / INSIDER:

MoviePass rival Sinemia files for bankruptcy, says it can't cover the legal costs of dealing with multiple pending lawsuits and FTC's investigation against it — - The MoviePass competitor Sinemia filed for bankruptcy in Delaware and said it was shutting down US operations.

Discussion: Business Insider and Boxoffice

Richard Lawler / Engadget:
Sinemia, a MoviePass rival that launched last year, is ending consumer subscription services in the US, citing lack of capital and legal proceedings

Discussion: The Verge, /Film, Gizmodo and Variety

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:

Sources: Trump called Rupert Murdoch to complain about Jeanine Pirro's suspension; one Fox source says execs are worried Fox & Friends may be next to lose ads — When advertisers rebelled at outrage anchors like Jeanine Pirro and Tucker Carlson, Trump called Lachlan's daddy, Rupert Murdoch, to keep them on the air.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, @atrupar, @peterjukes, @jordanuhl, @jordanuhl, @psythor, @markjacob16, FTVLive, @slpng_giants, @juddapatow, @gabrielsherman, Media Matters for America, Contemptor, Splinter and The Week

Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:

Q&A with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti on fake news, recent layoffs, employees forming a union, plans to make the company profitable, and more — “Utopia” is the name of the room that BuzzFeed Chief Executive Jonah Peretti uses as his L.A. office, but the last few months have been anything but that.

Discussion: @bill_gross, @margotroosevelt, @angelaishere, @violanorth, @mattdpearce, @bigmeaninternet, @ronlin and @thewendylee

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:

FT owner Nikkei has acquired a majority stake in Singapore-based financial news site DealStreetAsia; sources say the deal valued DealStreetAsia at $5M-$10M — It's official: Nikkei, the Japanese media firm that owns the FT, has confirmed that it has acquired Singapore-based new media startup Deal Street Asia.

Discussion: DealStreetAsia, Nikkei, The Straits Times and Talking Biz News

Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:

A look at funding of nonprofit news sites: philanthropists are giving more, some larger sites like ProPublica build cushions, and many smaller sites scrounge — Some 200 nonprofit websites are hustling to keep state and city governments honest. Many are succeeding.

Discussion: @sdp, @knightfdn, @nbj914, @ismaelnafria, @ericnewton1, @report4america, @mariekshan, American Press Institute, @penamerican, @j_quellin_b, @kat_alo, @vosdscott, @lrmongeau, @ibarguen, Editor & Publisher and @gerryfsmith

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

Luminary says it removes all links from podcast show notes, which are often used for monetization, due to “security concerns associated with links” — I know what you're thinking: Another story on Luminary? Well, they keep making news. Start here if you want some background …

Discussion: Vulture, @k3nnr, @danbenjamin, @hearluminary, @themediaisdying, @viticci, Podnews podcasting news, The Verge, @benthompson, RAIN News, Hot Pod News, @mrpaulbae and @hearluminary

Eugene Kim / CNBC:

Filing: Amazon has spent $1.7B on video and music content in Q1 2019, up 13% YoY — KEY POINTS — Amazon disclosed for the first time its total video and music expense in its quarterly filing on Friday. — In the first quarter, Amazon spent $1.7 billion on video and music content …

Discussion: Variety, @mattrosoff, @hshaban and Bloomberg

Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Sources: Amazon is readying a high fidelity music streaming service that's expected to launch before the end of 2019, will likely cost $15 per month

Discussion: Forbes, BGR, Android Police, The Week, Variety, Fox News, The Verge, Engadget, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac and MacRumors

Jason Rezaian / Washington Post:

The National Press Club partners with restaurants for “Night Out for Austin Tice” on May 2, to raise the reward for information that helps free the journalist — U.S. journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. His fate remains mysterious — though recently …

Discussion: @jrezaian

Rich Juzwiak / Jezebel:

Artists like Justin Bieber calling for positive coverage when faced with criticism evince a disregard for free speech while benefiting from massive platforms — It's been a rough week to be a star, and a rough week to be someone who listens to what stars have to say. At least, that's what social media tells me.

Discussion: @markharrisnyc, Vanity Fair, BuzzFeed News, Variety, @mattzollerseitz, @emilynussbaum, @emilyyoshida, @emilynussbaum, @mattzollerseitz, @carolineframke, @mcwm, The Daily Beast, Observer and The Ringer

Roberto Torres / Technical.ly Philly:

DocumentCloud scaled up its servers five-fold for the Mueller report release, but it was barely enough; 100+ reporters were uploading the 448-page doc at once — One of the most crucial documents in modern political history— special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the 2016 presidential election …

Discussion: @andysherry

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