Top News:
Carol Thompson / Lansing State Journal:
Network of ~40 websites branded as Michigan local news launched this fall with neutral names like Lansing Sun and Ann Arbor Times but offer political messaging — LANSING — Dozens of websites branded as local news outlets launched throughout Michigan this fall, with monikers like Lansing Sun …
Discussion:
@brianstelter, American Press Institute, Nieman Lab, @raleighreporter, @mattdpearce, @janemayernyer, @callin_bull, @marmel, @tristanharris, @niemanlab, @christopherjm, @anneapplebaum, The Rural Blog, @spj_tweets, @digiphile, @will_bunch, @jimsciutto, @leahmcelrath, @dangillmor, @melissaryan, @helenkennedy and @mattgertz, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: despite Catch and Kill controversy, NBC News President Noah Oppenheim signed a new contract “in recent months” and is expected to succeed Andy Lack — Instead of breaking the big story, NBC News has become the big story. The network's top brass, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Wrap, Variety, Politico, Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, The Daily Beast, @sil_lai and Contemptor
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Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
CNN hires former GOP congressman Sean Duffy as a paid contributor, who immediately floats CNN-debunked conspiracy theory pushed by the White House on first day — In two separate CNN appearances, in his first 24 hours as a paid pundit, the ex-congressman pushed the president's unfounded CrowdStrike theory.
Discussion:
@courtneyhagle, @jaycaruso, The Daily Beast, Deadline, @marlownyc, @kanew, @soledadobrien, Mediaite, Media Matters for America, @juddapatow, @repmarkpocan, @dangillmor, @jayrosen_nyu, The Daily Wire, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, HuffPost, The Week, Mediaite, The Week, The Hill, Raw Story and The Wrap
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Verizon is giving away Disney+ for free for one year to all of its wireless customers on unlimited-data plans and to FiOS and 5G home internet customers — New Fios broadband, 5G home wireless internet customers also eligible for 12-month free offer — Verizon is giving away Disney Plus …
John McCarthy / The Drum:
Financial Times launches business consultancy FT Strategies, providing expertise gained from its transformation to digital; customers include Bonnier — Business broadsheet The Financial Times is offering up its inhouse experts to business inspired by its modern media evolution.
Discussion:
TechCrunch
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Medium says it will now pay its Partner Program writers based “primarily” on reading time, not claps; the platform has paid $6M+ to 30,000+ writers since 2017 — Medium is announcing significant changes to its Partner Program, where subscribers pay for access to exclusive content, and the revenue gets split with writers.
Discussion:
3 min read, @noahchestnut, @gustavgoosen, @annehelen, @chaykak, @alex, @martinsfp, @laurahazardowen and @caseynewton, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Online influencers are expected to make $4.1B-$8.2B in 2019, but with no good way to measure sales, some advertisers are questioning whether it's worth it — Billions are paid to social-media personalities to pitch products in an influencer economy riddled with deceit
Discussion:
Axios, @sminero, @ivan_brussels, @katsvik, @_missleandra, @yared_theguy and @wsj
Allegra Hobbs / The Guardian:
Journalism and influencer culture is converging: just as influencers use their image to advertise, writers leverage social media presence to sell their work — After the summer of Caroline Calloway's Instagram infamy and Jia Tolentino's huge book launch, where is the line between author and lifestyle celebrity?
Discussion:
@callapilla, @claireshrugged, @allegraehobbs, @eve_rebecca, @eekshecried, @lauriechenwords and @renireni
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Meredith sells Money, whose print edition it shuttered in June, to Ad Practitioners, a Puerto Rico-based digital advertising and media company — After previously failing to find a buyer for Money — and shutting down the print edition — Meredith has found a new home for the personal-finance brand.
Discussion:
MediaPost and Meredith Corporation MediaRoom
Vivian Wang / New York Times:
New York state lawmakers have proposed a requirement that any cable company operating in the state offer an independently produced local news channel — Legislators are proposing a first-in-the-nation bill to force cable companies to offer independent local news.
Discussion:
@nytimes, @senkevinthomas, @mgjohnson24, @mgjohnson24, @maghielse, @alexsilverman, @ctmirror and The Rural Blog
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
UK chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee writes open letter to Nick Clegg asking why Facebook has dropped its ban on deceptive political ads — In yet another letter seeking to pry accountability from Facebook, the chair of a British parliamentary committee has pressed …
Discussion:
The Guardian, UK Parliament, @damiancollins, The Irish News, Vox, The Drum and Mother Jones
Brian Heater / Reuters:
Amazon debuts free, ad-supported news aggregation app for Fire TV in the US, letting users watch clips and live feeds from nearly 20 outlets like Reuters, CBS — Beginning today, Amazon will be rolling out a news aggregation app for Fire TV users in the U.S. The app serves …
Discussion:
The Streamable, amazonfiretv.blog, @whatthebit and Cord Cutters News
Financial Times:
Sources: Facebook hasn't offered money to wire services Reuters and AP for being featured on its news page, as Bloomberg and Dow Jones land seven-figure deals — Facebook will pay millions of dollars to some publications featured on its news page but nothing to others, as its efforts to rebuild trust divide the US media sector.
Discussion:
Talking Biz News and Engadget
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