Top News:
Sarah Repucci / Freedom House:
In some of the most influential democracies in the world, populist leaders have overseen concerted attempts to throttle the independence of the media sector — Freedom and the Media: A Downward Spiral Key Findings … The fundamental right to seek and disseminate information through …
Discussion:
@freedomhouse, @scs_disputes, @dlepeska, @dabeard, @ifex, @limlouisa, @mdiforg, @scs_disputes, @nailainayat, New York Post and New Republic
Joe Otterson / Variety:
Quibi to launch on April 6 2020 with a $7.99/mo ad free tier and a $4.99/mo tier with pre-roll ads, will pay costs plus 20% for up to $6M/hour to show creators — Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman offered an in-depth look at their new short-form video service during …
Discussion:
The Verge, Deadline, The Wrap, @rafat, @loudmouthjulia, @ronlin, @backlon, @reckless, @trengriffin and Los Angeles Times, more at Techmeme »
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Watergate-era presidential accountability in the age of Trump is hamstrung by huge fragmentation within the media and increasing right-wing propaganda — The question from an audience member made the three network chiefs bristle: — Why aren't the news media holding the White House accountable …
Discussion:
@bgrueskin, @rachbarnhart, @davidcorndc, @sulliview, @michaelkruse and @sulliview
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
News Media Alliance study, to be given to US House ahead of hearings, claims Google made $4.7B from the work of news publishers in 2018 via search, Google News — $4,700,000,000. — It's more than the combined ticket sales of the last two “Avengers” movies. It's more than what virtually any professional sports team is worth.
Discussion:
@anthony, @rafat, @benmullin, @hamiltonnolan, @benthompson, @dabeard, @jamesrbuk, @_alastair, @benedictevans, @jayrosen_nyu, @staska, @reckless, @jeffjarvis, @humeyra_pamuk, @jeffjarvis, @pilhofer and The Rural Blog
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
How 12,000+ videos watched by a young man on YouTube since 2015 first pulled him into a far-right rabbit hole and more recently into a left-wing universe — Over years of reporting on internet culture, I've heard countless versions of Mr. Cain's story: an aimless young man — usually white …
Discussion:
Fortune, @kevinroose, @jacknicas, @hilaryagro, Gizmodo, @rvawonk, @gaywonk, @gaywonk, @slpng_giants, @yoyoel, @trentonhassles, @jayrosen_nyu, @matthewstoller, @clarajeffery and @brandyzadrozny
Murtaza Hussain / The Intercept:
Heshmat Alavi, who published anti-Iran articles in Forbes, The Hill, and others, may be a persona created by an Iranian opposition group to shape US discourse — In 2018, President Donald Trump was seeking to jettison the landmark nuclear deal that his predecessor had signed with Iran in 2015 …
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
The top of Esquire's masthead along with several writers have either resigned or been laid off after EIC Jay Fielden's resignation last week — There is chaos at Esquire, as the entire top of the masthead has either resigned or been let go following the resignation of Editor-in-Chief Jay Fielden last week.
Discussion:
@margoandhow
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Inside John Stankey's first year as WarnerMedia CEO, as he envisions 70M subscribers for its streaming service, that sources say could merge with DirecTV Now — KEY POINTS — AT&T pays more than $100 billion for Time Warner, leaving it with a debt load that one analyst describes as “terrifying.”
Discussion:
@trengriffin, @trengriffin and The Streamable, more at Techmeme »
Tiffany Stevens / Columbia Journalism Review:
Independent journalists in Maryland are challenging the state's ban on broadcasting publicly available court recordings, arguing it violates the First Amendment — For Baltimore-based independent journalist Amelia McDonell-Parry, the Baltimore City courtroom audio captured during Keith Davis …
Discussion:
@tiffanymstevens
Columbia Journalism Review:
Chinese journalists on what the international journalists got wrong while reporting on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre — Yes, China censors information about Tiananmen. But quizzing pedestrians is facile at best, and unethical at worst
Discussion:
@siruihua
Mark Jacob / Nieman Lab:
Study: the total average daily hours spent by desktop visitors to sites across all forms of digital media grew from 2.7 hours in 2008 to 5.9 in 2017 — Here's a question for local news producers: What are your readers doing when they're not visiting you? — That's the question asked …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @niemanlab, @margarita, @niemanlab and @walldo
Sahil Patel / Digiday:
Sources: Bleacher Report is on track to reach $200M in revenue in 2019; CEO Howard Mittman says total revenue has grown 49% YoY — Bleacher Report has been making a series of investments in longer-form content, events, commerce and a portfolio strategy that is centered on key “sub-brands” such as House of Highlights and B/R Football.
Discussion:
@digiday
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