Top News:
Facebook:
Facebook begins testing Facebook News with a subset of people in the US across four categories of select publishers: general, topical, diverse, and local news — Testing a dedicated place for news in the US — Journalism plays a critical role in our democracy.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Digiday, @juddlegum, Washington Post, Axios, @edmundlee, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, @campbell_brown, @chrismoranuk, @mollywood, @marshablackburn, @rafat, @bgrueskin, Wired, @mashable, @politicoryan, @marshawarfield, @kantrowitz, @athenae, @parkermolloy, @mollymckew, Politico, @brad_polumbo, Gizmodo, @karaswisher, @brosandprose, @ianbremmer, The Daily Beast, @nikkimcr, HuffPost, @lyman_brian, The Wrap, @brianstelter, The Week, @cjamcmahon, @raju, The Daily Caller, @caseynewton, The Information, Android Police, Marketing Land, Vox, @techcrunch, NPR, Deadline, The Hill, The Next Web, A Media Operator, Engadget and Memex 1.1, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Mark Zuckerberg / New York Times: Facebook Can Help the News Business
Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian: Facebook includes Breitbart in new ‘high quality’ news tab
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: Facebook's new section of “trusted” news sources will include Breitbart, a website that featured a section on “black crime” and laundered white nationalist talking points https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Rachel Siegel / Washington Post: Facebook will begin paying some outlets for their content as it introduces its News tab
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Facebook will pay publishers, including @nytimes What's more notable is this rare mea culpa from Zuckerberg: “We feel acute responsibility because there's obviously an awareness that the internet has disrupted the news industry business model,” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lukas I. Alpert / Wall Street Journal: Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg Urges Tech Rivals to Pay for News
Campbell Brown / @campbell_brown: This is a huge moment for our relationship with the news industry. I know people have doubted us and our commitment to journalism but today should signal that we truly want to be a champion for great reporting. https://newsroom.fb.com/...
Chris Moran / @chrismoranuk: 'When news is deeply-reported and well-sourced it gives people information they can rely on. When it's not, we lose an essential tool for making good decisions.' It really is very hard to take this at face value in the context of the political ad policy https://newsroom.fb.com/...
Molly Wood / @mollywood: Ahaha ... oh no, he didn't. He did!? He did. I especially love how he stole Elizabeth Warren's line. “We have a plan to help fix that.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sen. Marsha Blackburn / @marshablackburn: Be very wary...sounds like just another way for Facebook to takeover every aspect of our lives and the news we read. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rafat Ali / @rafat: I give it 12 months. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Facebook often says it shouldn't be treated like a publisher. With this deal, Facebook will be paying for news, curating news, making editorial judgments around news and ... publishing news. https://www.wsj.com/...
Paris Martineau / Wired: Facebook Tries Again With News, This Time Paying Publishers
@mashable: Watch Mark Zuckerberg duck a question about including Breitbart in Facebook's News tab https://mashable.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Heath / @politicoryan: Looking for someone who believes that Bretibart qualifies as “deeply-reported and well-sourced” journalism " https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Marsha Warfield / @marshawarfield: “Fair and balanced” is the new “separate but equal.” There is no fairness and balance in just being indignant about being exposed. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: A quote from Zuck that would be hard to imagine a few years ago: “It's no secret the internet has really disrupted the new business model. I just think every internet platform has a responsibility to fund and form partnerships for news.” https://variety.com/...
Allison Hantschel / @athenae: “Facebook stole all the news we gave them in a desperate attempt to reach the young people who haven't used this platform in 10 years, and now we have no money to deliver the paper to people who have been customers for 6 decades.” — media company execs, 6 months from now. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: Breitbart is included in this list of “trusted” publishers. It's a site that absolutely does not adhere to the guidelines, and yet 🤷🏻♀ ️ https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Molly McKew / @mollymckew: Honest question. Do we think Facebook paying publishers to use their context on Facebook news is going to result in less transparent coverage of Facebook? I get this is a gesture toward lost ad revenue, but ... https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Cristiano Lima / Politico: Why Facebook's plan to rescue journalism may not be enough
@brad_polumbo: I actually like the idea of FB News, but I worry it'll inevitably be biased in its selection and outcomes. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Ah yet another payoff attempt! https://www.nytimes.com/... via @NYTimes
Cruella D'Awson / @brosandprose: Won't this be a fun and harmless experiment!! https://twitter.com/...
Ian Bremmer / @ianbremmer: Oh no https://twitter.com/...
Blake Montgomery / The Daily Beast: Facebook Slammed for Including Breitbart Among Trusted News Publishers
@nikkimcr: Facebook considers The Daily Caller, a publication riddled with white supremacist content, a partner in their “fact checking network.” Just yesterday Zuckerberg told congress he isnt in the business of fact checking political content, he leaves that to “partners.” https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Facebook is publicly introducing its new News section today. “I know people have doubted us and our commitment to the news business,” Campbell Brown told me. “This should signal that we truly want to be a champion for great reporting.” https://www.cnn.com/...
Ciarn Mc Mahon / @cjamcmahon: This comes less than a fortnight after an Oireachtas committee heard several social media corps deny that they were publishers with editorial control https://twitter.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: The news home page will be curated by journalists, led by Anne Kornblut, who are “independent, free from editorial intervention by anyone at the company,” according to Campbell Brown, @Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, who oversees News Tab. @axios https://twitter.com/...
Audrey Conklin / The Daily Caller: Facebook Officially Rolls Out News Tab For Select Users
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Facebook News is here. But will an audience show up for it? https://www.theverge.com/... pic.twitter.com/OGb86JCBks
Hagop Kavafian / Android Police: Facebook starts testing dedicated Facebook News feed
Amy Gesenhues / Marketing Land: Facebook News tab won't include ads, but publishers can still monetize content
Peter Kafka / Vox: Facebook has finally decided that the best way to deliver news is to act like a newspaper
@techcrunch: Why publishers shouldn't trust Facebook News https://techcrunch.com/... by @joshconstine https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Frazin / The Hill: Facebook launches ‘News Tab’ featuring major publishers
Ravie Lakshmanan / The Next Web: Facebook's return to News sees it tap into human-curation of stories
Daniel Cooper / Engadget: Facebook begins rolling out its curated news tab
RELATED:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
At an event with News Corp's Robert Thomson, Mark Zuckerberg says every internet platform has a responsibility to fund and form partnerships for news — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — aiming to counter skeptics who believe the social network is a chief culprit in promulgating a flood of misinformation …
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, @claireatki, TechCrunch, @emilybell, @pkafka, @mathewi, @karaswisher, @jeffjarvis, @alexeheath, @bgrueskin, @kateflett, @jeffjarvis, @alexeheath, @jeffjarvis, @bgrueskin, @bgrueskin, @jeffjarvis, @jmgrygiel, @joshtpm, @pkafka, @eads, @sivavaid, Tubefilter, @bgrueskin, @jessicalessin, @joshtpm, @heatherlandy, @matthewstoller, @caseynewton, @josephstash, @jeffjarvis, @mollywood, @pkafka, @alexeheath, @pkafka, @bgrueskin, @kevinroose, @moonalice, @jeffjarvis, @jessicalessin, @jeffjarvis, @jeremymbarr, @josephstash, @zseward, @sivavaid, @mathewi, @alexstamos, @jeffjarvis, Fortune, Fox Business, Hollywood Reporter and Axios, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: @sarafischer Zuckerberg on Breitbart: “Part of having this be a trusted source is that it needs to have a diversity of basically views in there. I think u want to have content that represents different perspectives but is doing so in a way that complies with the standards we have for this.”
Claire Atkinson / @claireatki: Digital outlet Quartz is on life support, says News Corp chief Robert Thomson. Local papers need to seek Mark Zuckerberg out before its too late, he says.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch: Why the Facebook News tab shouldn't be trusted
Emily Bell / @emilybell: At the Paley Center listening to Mark Zuckerberg talk to Robert Thomson of News Corp (I know right?) . Zuckerberg says that there has been disruption to news business model ‘from the Internet’, now the ‘duty of all platforms’ to support journalism .....🤔
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Except... Facebook including Breitbart is almost certainly a political decision on FB's part. And there are plenty of subscriber-based businesses that both-sides it.
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Thompson making this sound like the Holy Grail of news, because Facebook is paying a handful of news companies a sum of money that for Zuckerberg is the equivalent of me giving the guy outside the bus station a quarter for coffee https://twitter.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: I have always thought that whatever the issue, Facebook is the most compromised company I have ever covered, always willing to try to pretend all things were equal: Opinion | Why Will Breitbart Be Included in ‘Facebook News’? - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Thompson puts Zuckerberg on the spot and asks whether FB can pay local papers. He touts the separate product they've been developing: Today In, a local tab. He says he hopes to have financial relations there. Then he touts FB's $300m commitment to news.
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: ... “I didn't know that's a thing a person could do?,” MZ says of the Bloomberg policy. “I don't think that's a right approach” More on how FB's human editors will curate here https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Or there's the fraud that Facebook allegedly perpetrated in inflating metrics on video views, leading news orgs down the haunted ‘pivot to video’ path, followed by slews of layoffs and shutdowns https://www.theverge.com/... 3/
Kathryn Flett / @kateflett: I watched a bit of it on, er, Facebook Live. Loved that the News Corp Boss, aka #oldguy was reading from bits of actual PAPER. (Even I might have stuck my monologue on an iPad)
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Zuckerberg says that he and News Corp.'s Robert Thompson have been talking about “doing this” — news — for two or three years. Thompson: “I do have one question. What took you so long.”
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: MZ is doing a bit of revisionist history by saying that FB's record-setting drop in market cap last year was due to tweaking the News Feed to down-rank mindless content consumption. What really happened was FB resetting growth expectations with the market. https://www.wsj.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Thompson is strutting as if in a movie called The Revenge of the Gatekeepers.
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: News organizations have made plenty of their own mistakes, and they can't blame all their woes on Facebook. But the company has pursued a toxic policy toward democracy and journalism, as this excellent @jmgrygiel piece noted a few months ago https://theconversation.com/ ... 5/
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Remember FB's Instant Articles, which were supposed to generate ad revenue and subscriptions for news sites. Most news orgs pulled out, ceding ground to sites w/ headlines like ‘Cop Who Arrested Malia Obama Found Dead Under Suspicious Circumstances’ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... 2/
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Zuckerberg: “This is going to be the first time that we're forming long-term, stable relationships and partnerships with publishers.” Nailing the rug down so it can't be pulled is critical for publishers!
J. Grygiel / @jmgrygiel: Thanks—I wonder why Facebook forgot to invite me to the News tab launch party...just kicking it in Manhattan today and meeting with awesome journalists instead. Just got my shoes shinned—prob a better use of my time than attending this pseudo event...
Josh Marshall / @joshtpm: 2/ “free money” as Zuckerberg put it, we couldn't say no to that. But this image of every outlet going to FB to beg ... “before it's too late” I get the sense that there's some buying of silence here. And no we're certainly not going to do that.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @gaberivera @murraymatt @qz @delaney Asked about Breitbart's inclusion in the tab, Zuck says he doesn't want to talk about specific pubs. Makes hand-wavey comments about diversity.
David Eads / @eads: The timing is curious to me. Facebook rolled out a big new product for publishers in late 2015 (FB live) and paid them to use it. Now we're heading into 2020 and a similar story seems to be playing out.
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: I want to remind all the cynics out there that this is how Zuckerberg actually thinks. For real. Sincerely. It's not an act and it's not out of self-interest. He really can't see the difference. As @ibogost reminds us, it's all just “content” to him. https://twitter.com/...
James Loke Hale / Tubefilter: Facebook Launches ‘News’ Tab, Will Pay (Some) Partner Outlets For Their Content
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: While it's heartwarming to see longtime antagonists, like News Corp's CEO, doing a deal with Facebook, and while it's good to see FB paying for quality content, the news business ought to remain skeptical about this .... 1/
Jessica Lessin / @jessicalessin: No better example of how a biz models shapes biz decisions than Facebook's unfortunate move to include Breitbart, which is far more advocacy than journalism, in its News Tab. The ad biz pushes companies to a “both-sides ism” that thankfully reader-supported businesses can ignore.
Josh Marshall / @joshtpm: This is pretty bizarre. No idea re quartz. But curious the logic of intro'ing this with head of News Corp? Remember, in real life Waystar-Royco got Pierce. We haven't heard from FB about this. I confess if they came to use and just said here's a few hundred grand of ... https://twitter.com/...
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy: My own standards for engaging on social media prevent me from responding to this comment from @newscorp CEO Robert Thomson the way I'd like to. Just know that his comment is dead wrong and entirely irresponsible, whether according to standards of journalism or common decency. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Big media, big tech, and national security officials seem to be circling each other for a grand bargain to get rid of democracy. https://mattstoller.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: “Turn down millions of dollars for work you've already done, because previous Facebook deals were not very good!” — media biz dev geniuses in my timeline today
Joseph / @josephstash: I guess it's a different Facebook to the one that Thomson called “dysfunctional and socially destructive” two years ago: https://www.thedrum.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: In short: Thompson et al can be bought.
Molly Wood / @mollywood: Probably the only thing to read about Facebook News. https://techcrunch.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @gaberivera @murraymatt Zuck references the multi-year deals as a commitment that FB won't screw over its new media pals. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: Great question from @sarafischer to MZ: Will FB's human editors for the news tab include stories that are critical of FB? She points out that Bloomberg News doesn't cover Mike Bloomberg, a policy MZ didn't know about...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: This Nixon-to-China Facebook-to-News Corp presser is such a big deal that @gaberivera has left Brooklyn to attend.
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: In July, the SEC filed a blistering complaint against Facebook noting, among other misdeeds, the company's misleading statements to news orgs about its data policies. https://www.sec.gov/... 4/ pic.twitter.com/0NIBUZMnND
Kevin Roose / @kevinroose: This is a) correct, b) encouraging, c) very, shall we say, interesting given how Facebook has treated journalists who cover the company in the past. https://twitter.com/...
Roger McNamee / @moonalice: FB's history is clearest on this subject: trusting the company to be a good partner has never been wise. Why the Facebook News tab shouldn't be trusted - TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Oy again. Breitbart will be include in the news tab. Won't be paid, says The Times, but articles Breitbart posts to FB will be eligible for inclusion. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jessica Lessin / @jessicalessin: Exactly. Facebook faces such political decisions because it needs to appear neutral to avoid alienating advertisers. Newspapers did too, when advertising paid the bills. Subscription has to resist the urge to play to the base, so both models have challenges.
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: “I've been able to make the case persistently and puckishly because of the enduring support of Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch,” says Thompson of his long-time complaint about trying to get money from tech cos.
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: @sarafischer asks how News curators will handle stories about the company Zuck: “The team is going to be independent. For better or worse, we're a prominent part of the news cycle. I don't think it would be reasonable to have a News tab that didn't cover what Facebook was doing”
Joseph / @josephstash: Imagine being a highly paid exec of a global corporation and having the gall to tell local newspapers, who've suffered for decades before their national or international colleagues ever did, that the only way to salvation is Mark Zuckerberg
Zach Seward / @zseward: We're fine, actually. But never thought I'd see Robert praising Facebook while taking a shot at fellow journalists. https://twitter.com/...
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: Or neither. Could be negligible.
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: This is going to be a separate tab where literally no one will ever go, and even if they do they will see the same five headlines they see on Google News or Apple News https://twitter.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Yes, this is political. FB can't be hated by both sides and needs political protection. If the Dem demand is “don't exist” and the GOP demand is “carry our content”, running for protection from the latter is much more palatable. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Publishers can run their own ads on their news tab content and keep the revenue or they can use FB's ad network and still get “the vast majority of the revenue.”
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Facebook takes a step forward by putting money behind high-quality journalism, but must not leave small publishers behind or promote purveyors of disinformation — Ronald Reagan called these the nine most terrifying words in the English language: “I'm from the government and I'm here to help.”
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @emilybell, @sulliview, @timobrien, @cjr, @emilybell and Slate
Discussion:
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Just to remind everyone , News Corp is boosting a new product from Facebook for journalism , hailing it as a new platform. Is this journalism's Free Basics moment? Where it hands over it's development to an unaccountable business ...or is it politically significant ahead of 2020
Margaret Sullivan / @sulliview: Facebook launches a charm offensive — and vows to pay (some) news organizations for their journalism. ... I take a skeptical, wait-and-see view here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: “As with all things Facebook does, this one ought to be viewed skeptically. The company's record on policing blatant disinformation and hate speech, particularly during the 2016 election, is beyond dismal.” - @Sulliview https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@cjr: “The event was a publicity coup for Facebook; it tamed the biggest beast in the journalism jungle, and brought it quietly to heel,” @emilybell writes https://www.cjr.org/...
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Facebook is paying some major publishers millions of dollars per year while excluding smaller local ones, who are struggling and worried about being left behind — New York (CNN Business)Facebook has a message for the skeptical news industry: We're here to help.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @ruskin147, @larrygilbertsj, @alexstamos, @alexstamos, @zephyrteachout, @brianrayguitar, @zephyrteachout, @alexstamos, @alexstamos, @alexstamos, @brianstelter, @lpolgreen, @brianstelter, @libshipwreck, @benwinslow, @biblioracle, Adweek, @rolandsmartin, @simonowens, Mashable and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab: Facebook launches its “test” News tab in the U.S., but you may not see it yet
Rory Cellan-Jones / @ruskin147: https://newsroom.fb.com/... Facebook rolls out its News tab in the US - will be interesting to see which publishers are excluded. Facebook says it will use “a range of integrity signals in determining product eligibility, including misinformation.”
Larry Gilbert Jr / @larrygilbertsj: I am quoted in this @brianstelter @CNN story about how far too often big tech forgets about us in smaller markets. https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Anyway, I understand why FB did this. They rightly realize that a lot of media coverage is explicitly (Murdoch) or implicitly (NY Times OpEd on ad revenue) driven by cash flow. But the blending of curated, paid news with UGC is going to lead to some really bad policy outcomes.
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Should FB use their terrifying power as an intermediary to make Breitbart disappear? No. Should FB pay them and intentionally amplify their disinformation? Definitely no! If FB doesn't distinguish between products based upon amplification and cash flow, why would the gov/media?
Zephyr Teachout / @zephyrteachout: Any system that relies on Facebook doing the right thing is a bad system. They can change their mind. They can prefer some content over others. News, ONLY so long as Facebook deigns to allow it to exist, is not healthy. We need Congress and enforcers to act, not rely on Zuck. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Ray / @brianrayguitar: If Facebook “curators” are adding Breitbart in their news section they've already failed at curating. That's noise, not news. https://twitter.com/...
Zephyr Teachout / @zephyrteachout: Also: “local newsrooms fear being left behind” is kind of a grotesque understatement of the problem of no local news. Isn't it more “humans fear democracy being dismantled?” https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: I would have much rather seen a privacy-preserving micro-payment platform as the way to help news outlets (could have bought @brave) as it could have been deployed in a much more neutral manner than explicitly picking winners and losers and cutting checks directly.
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: I'm gonna re-up this chart I've been using to discuss calibrating anti-abuse interventions versus free expression and privacy concerns. Facebook just added a new layer on top, “Curated and Paid Content”, for which they have 100% responsibility. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Allowing people to chat privately is very different than providing massive paid amplification via ads. It is certainly different than paying millions of dollars for content and then displaying it. @daphnehk, I assume the paid news tab has absolutely no protection under CDA 230?
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Some local papers, already struggling, are worried about being left behind while Facebook funds national sources. Here's what an editor in Maine told me 👇🏼 https://twitter.com/...
Lydia Polgreen / @lpolgreen: I worry a great deal about this. It's fine to funnel money to prosperous national news orgs but even better to help the smaller ones. (Can't help but notice billionaires Murdoch & Bezos among top beneficiaries of FB largesse here). https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: BuzzFeed CEO @Peretti says “it's a good day for the internet” because Facebook is paying $$ for access to publishers' content. “For the first time, we're seeing the platforms step up and take responsibility for their role in the news ecosystem,” he says https://www.cnn.com/...
Librarianshipwreck / @libshipwreck: It's only a matter of time before Zuckerberg gets hauled back before Congress to answer questions about the ways in which Facebook News was exploited to disseminate false/hateful content. Once more, Zuck will squirm, but escape consequence free. https://www.cnn.com/...?
Ben Winslow / @benwinslow: Color me skeptical that Facebook really will include local community news sources, which frequently break the stories that get aggregated into the national reporting. Oh, and Rupert Murdoch is right. They should pay for it. https://twitter.com/...
John Warner / @biblioracle: “Step into my parlor said the spider to the fly.” FB becoming an even bigger pipeline for news organizations is not going to go well for the news organizations. https://twitter.com/...
Shoshana Wodinsky / Adweek: Facebook Rolls Out a Standalone News Service in Its Mobile App
@rolandsmartin: Will @facebook have Black-owned media companies as a part of this? They sure didn't do ANYTHING for Black Media when they launched Facebook Watch. As long as they keep funding big mainstream companies, the rich get richer, and NOTHING changes. https://twitter.com/...
Simon Owens / @simonowens: One thing that's struck me over the last few months is that news is almost entirely nonexistent on my Facebook feed, a signal of just how thoroughly the company has retreated from the sector. https://twitter.com/...
Marcus Gilmer / Mashable: Watch Mark Zuckerberg duck a question about including Breitbart in Facebook's News tab
Gavin O'Malley / MediaPost: Facebook Takes Another Crack At Premium News Distribution
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Zuckerberg cited a need for diversity of views when asked about Breitbart's presence in Facebook News, but also said News is only for high-quality, curated news — On Friday morning, Facebook announced its plan to spend millions of dollars on high-quality journalism, fueling the launch of a new dedicated news tab on its platform.
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, @juddlegum, @marcatracy, @willoremus, @mikeisaac, @bernstein, @willoremus, @caseynewton, @mikeisaac and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Charlie Warzel / New York Times: Why Will Breitbart Be Included in ‘Facebook News’?
Oliver Darcy / CNN: Facebook News launches with Breitbart as a source
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: UPDATE: A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to me that the company is not releasing a list of publications that are approved for inclusion in the new News Tab It's hard to understand how this can be a trusted source of news if Facebook won't be transparent about what's included
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: My story with @MikeIsaac updated after this afternoon's event with Zuckerberg https://www.nytimes.com/... pic.twitter.com/SuKStuekXy
Will Oremus / @willoremus: I also get why they don't want to risk it from a biz standpoint, but it sure would be interesting to see Facebook call conservatives' bluff at some point. How hard would Fox News, Breitbart, Shapiro and Trump really bite the hand that feeds them so well?
Rat King / @mikeisaac: they should release the list but i get why they arent — trying to head off outlet scrutiny and the R's screaming bias while D's pick apart the hard Right stuff seems like lose lose but doesnt mean they shouldnt release it
Joe Bernstein / @bernstein: One way to think about Facebook naming Breitbart a “trusted news source”: my investigation two years ago contained revelations so damning Breitbart funder Robert Mercer stepped down as CEO of his hedge fund. But it's good enough for Zuck & co https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: This is so familiar. Facebook; We've announced a high-minded new project to address all of your criticisms! Critics: Cool, how does it work? Facebook: Sorry that's a secret. https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: my sense is that the list is in flux and they're not ready to talk about it yet. but they should and I hope they do soon
Rat King / @mikeisaac: it might turn out to be a worse strategy for it to slowly leak over time just in terms of extending the outrage or whatever
ProPublica:
Sources: John Solomon, now at Fox, worked closely with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, sharing files and letting him watch an interview with Ukraine source — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter …
Discussion:
NBC News, @natashabertrand, @davidmcswane, Politico, @samthielman, @allahpundit, @owillis, @owillis, @adamserwer, @blakehounshell, New York Times, @samthielman, @rgoodlaw, @schwellenbach, @ericuman, @bradmossesq, @ryanjreilly, @ericgarland, @eisingerj, @nickconfessore, @jensalan, @fawfulfan, @bradheath, @johnjharwood, @willsommer, @natashabertrand, @jonahfisherbbc, @aaronblake, @schwellenbach, @ericuman, @aaronblake, @blmohr, @yatpundit and Mediaite
Discussion:
Rich Schapiro / NBC News: Rudy Giuliani butt-dials NBC reporter, heard discussing need for cash and trashing Bidens
Natasha Bertrand / @natashabertrand: NEW: Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing, the lawyers who represent the Ukrainian oligarch paying millions for dirt on Biden, also have another client: John Solomon. The arrangement raises new q's about potential privilege claims. Scoop w/@dsamuelsohn https://www.politico.com/...
J. David McSwane / @davidmcswane: New: Lev Parnas, recently indicted for foreign influence in U.S. elections, collaborated closely with The Hill's John Solomon to fuel spurious allegations involving the Bidens and Ukraine. by @JakePearsonProP, @mikespiesnyc and me https://www.propublica.org/...
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico: Lawyers for Ukrainian oligarch have another client: The columnist who pushed Biden corruption claims
@samthielman: This guy's tendentious opinionating in reporting drag has been the subject of open discussion for years but I had no idea he was also just straightforwardly corrupt. https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Willis / @owillis: he had a stint at the washington post, where he also did this stuff https://www.mediamatters.org/ ...
Oliver Willis / @owillis: it bears repeating that john solomon - for years - was a major part of political coverage at ap and *even then* it was clear he was out to get democrats. instead, he kicked around legit journalism forever https://www.propublica.org/...
@adamserwer: I've said this before, but the way to understand conservative media's hostility towards the rest of the press is that they think it operates the way many of their reporters and outlets do—that they take money to make shit up. https://www.propublica.org/... https://twitter.com/...
@blakehounshell: “Interviews & company records obtained by ProPublica show Parnas worked closely with Solomon to facilitate his reporting, including helping with translation and interviews. Solomon also shared files he obtained related to the Biden allegations with Parnas” https://www.propublica.org/...
Noah Weiland / New York Times: The Trump Impeachment Inquiry: What Happened Today
Ryan Goodman / @rgoodlaw: 1. Great reporting 2. The Hill needs to answer to this even more now that John Solomon has implicated them: Solomon “asserted that his editors ‘were aware’ that he was seeking help from diGenova and Toensing on matters concerning Ukraine... ‘Everybody knew about it,’” he said. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Schwellenbach / @schwellenbach: Not the first time!! “Solomon was engaged in ‘reputation killing stuff’ by mixing business with journalism” https://www.propublica.org/...
Eric Umansky / @ericuman: John Solomon's “story” in the @thehill started the disinfo campaign re Ukraine Guess who basically partnered w/ Solomon on story? Rudy buddy Lev Parnas. The indicted Parnas: -swapped files w/ Solomon -helped translate -was literally in control room https://www.propublica.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Bradley P. Moss / @bradmossesq: .@thehill nice job there on having Solomon as a EVP for so long while he was allegedly laundering info from his lawyers into columns that were helping his lawyers' other clients. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan J. Reilly / @ryanjreilly: .@jsolomonReports: “everything — everything — was above board.” Narrator: It wasn't. https://www.propublica.org/...
Eric Garland / @ericgarland: Executive Vice President and Trump propagandist for @thehill and ex-editor-in-chief of the Moonie-owned Washington Times now lawyered up with FARA agents 😂 https://twitter.com/...
Jesse Eisinger / @eisingerj: How did Lev Parnas, now indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, get the disinformation campaign on Biden & Ukraine going? By essentially partnering with @jsolomonReports Earlier, the publisher warned Solomon was engaged in “reputation killing stuff.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Rebranding someone's shitty and unethical reporting as “opinion” and then letting him keep at it is an insult to decent opinion writers everywhere. https://www.propublica.org/... pic.twitter.com/WiND0ZTusZ
Jennifer Salan / @jensalan: For anyone who's been following The Hill - this isn't a big surprise https://www.propublica.org/...
Matthew Chapman / @fawfulfan: This is a really, REALLY bad look for John Solomon and @thehill. https://www.propublica.org/...
Brad Heath / @bradheath: “If a media reporter gets ahold of this story, it could destroy us.” https://twitter.com/...
John Harwood / @johnjharwood: conservative writer on working w/since-indicted Rudy associate on anti-Biden, anti-Dem Ukraine stories “No one knew there was anything wrong w/Lev Parnas at the time. “Everybody who approaches me has an angle. My mother has an angle when she calls me” https://www.propublica.org/...
Will Sommer / @willsommer: This is a stunning investigation on Trump ally John Solomon's behavior at The Hill. https://twitter.com/...
Natasha Bertrand / @natashabertrand: @dsamuelsohn The arrangement raises new q's about legal privileges that could help shield key players from scrutiny, & “whether these individuals are trying to use a lawyer-client relationship to hide communications involving illicit activities,” said @rgoodlaw. https://www.politico.com/...
Jonah Fisher / @jonahfisherbbc: Why did @thehill continue publishing @jsolomonReports pieces on Ukraine for so long? https://www.propublica.org/...
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: “Watching from the control booth of The Hill's TV studio was Lev Parnas, who helped arrange the interview.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Nick Schwellenbach / @schwellenbach: From 7 ys ago: an ICIJ staffer “confronted Solomon about his potential financial interest in the business plan...the deal was something Solomon was pushing, but that [CPI's head] and the board opposed it, citing ‘a conflict of interest’” https://archives.cjr.org/...
Eric Umansky / @ericuman: Also: John Solomon engaged in what sure looks like pay-for-play. He made a deal with an advertiser and then inserted a quote from them into a story. “If a media reporter gets ahold of this, it could destroy us,” the Hill's publisher wrote. https://www.propublica.org/... pic.twitter.com/MDUY2Pxj5l
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: “Solomon recalls first encountering Parnas through Pete Sessions “Sessions ... told ProPublica that he has no connection to Solomon. 'I don't know John,' he said.” https://www.propublica.org/...
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
NBCUniversal says it would release ex-NBC News staffers who believe they were sexually harassed from NDAs, in a statement read by Maddow before Farrow interview — NBCUniversal said Friday night it would release former NBC News staffers who believe they were sexually harassed from confidentiality …
Discussion:
New York Times, HuffPost, TVNewser, @maddowblog, Axios, @karaswisher, @yashar, @jonlovett, @ronanfarrow, @brianstelter, Deadline, @julieroginsky, @jayrosen_nyu, Mediaite, @lynnshawprod, Hollywood Reporter, TVWeek.com and Contemptor
Discussion:
Amy Russo / HuffPost: NBC News To Allow Ex-Staffers Out Of Nondisclosure Agreements, But There's A Catch
A.J. Katz / TVNewser: Rachel Maddow Sharply Criticizes ‘People in Positions of Authority in This Building’
@maddowblog: NEWS: NBCUniversal offers to release “any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment” because of an NDA “from that perceived obligation.” pic.twitter.com/zr2dewKDmR
Rashaan Ayesh / Axios: Rachel Maddow confronts NBC's handling of sexual misconduct allegations on air
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Why do these women need to approach NBC legal as part of letting them out of their “perceived” non-disparagement agreements? It's obvi scary to have to do that. Why not just unilaterally declare they can speak out? Also good on @maddow for speaking up: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: When I asked NBC News about this 10 days ago they declined to comment. I asked other networks about this as well in preparation for a story CBS News: decline to comment ABC News: did not respond Standby for Fox News https://twitter.com/...
Jon Lovett / @jonlovett: Maddow also independently confirming that NBC ordered a stop to reporting. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Ronan Farrow / @ronanfarrow: Credit where due: @maddow, independently confirming my reporting that Weinstein story was halted by NBC execs and calling her bosses to account on their own air—not an easy thing, for her or her staff— did this. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “@Maddow publicly confronted the leadership of her own network on Friday night, declaring live on air that she and other NBC News employees had deep concerns about whether the organization had stymied @RonanFarrow's reporting...” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Deadline: Rachel Maddow Says She's Independently Confirmed Ronan Farrow's Claim NBC News Told Him To …
Julie Roginsky / @julieroginsky: This is a huge deal and a massive step in the right direction. Good for you, @NBCUniversal. I hope this starts a trend across this industry and all industries. https://variety.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Tonight @Maddow took a long and critical look at her own network's handling of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment story, which Ronan Farrow brought to the New Yorker after NBC told him to pause his reporting. This is rare. http://www.msnbc.com/... The NBC part starts at 6:45.
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: NBC Says Ex-Employees Can Be Released from NDAs in Statement to Rachel Maddow
Sharareh Drury / Hollywood Reporter: Rachel Maddow Unloads on NBC Bosses as Former Staffers Released from NDAs
Chuck Ross / TVWeek.com: NBCUniversal Releases Former NBC News Staffers from Confidentiality Agreements So They Can Talk …
William Vaillancourt / Contemptor: Maddow Bashes NBC Management Over Handling of Harvey Weinstein Story
Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
News industry columnist Ken Doctor says he's working on Lookout, a platform for local news, set to launch in 2020 with funding from Google and Knight Foundation — Over the past decade here at Nieman Lab, I've reported a lot of news industry news. Today, I'm sharing some of my own.
Discussion:
W. Jeffrey Brown / @wjeffreybrown: local news in the 2020s https://www.niemanlab.org/... via NiemanLab kdoctor https://twitter.com/... https://civiq.social/... (2/2)
Alan Sunderland / @asunderland: Another one to watch... Increasingly, the revival of local news is becoming one of the great challenges, so all power to those having a go at solving it. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / @dankennedy_nu: This is a big deal: @kdoctor is starting a local news venture. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@niemanlab: With Lookout Local, our longtime news industry columnist @kdoctor is going to apply what he's learned to try to fill the growing void in local reporting. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Glad to see this become real, @kdoctor. Congratulations on taking the plunge and rooting for you. @niemanlab: “Why I'm starting a company to build out a new model for local news in the 2020s” by Ken Doctor https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “We should be able to do more and better local journalism now than we ever have. Consider that a digital-only operation like Lookout will be able to devote about 70 percent of its resources to content creation.” https://www.niemanlab.org/... Longtime analyst of the industry dives in.
Elizabeth Grieco / Pew Research Center:
Pew: 22% of US newsroom employees live in NYC, LA, or DC; NYC has 12% of all newsroom employees; 41% of people working for digital outlets are in the Northeast — New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., are the financial, entertainment and political capitals of the United States …
Discussion:
@sulliview, @ygetachew2, @jackmjenkins, @jakebackpack, @kenwardjr, @johngramlich, @margarita, @alex_zee, @lyndseygilpin, @plettre, @agreilingkeane, @kciesemier, @morganhwrites, @mayerjoy and @bradmossesq
Discussion:
Margaret Sullivan / @sulliview: I'm guilty as charged, of course, but this is not a positive development: One in five newsroom workers lives in New York, Los Angeles, D.C. @pewresearch https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Yosef Getachew / @ygetachew2: One of the benefits broadcasters always tout for merger approval is their DC news bureaus. But newsroom employees are over-represented in DC and a few other metropolitan areas compared to the rest of the country. We need more local over coastal news. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Jack Jenkins / @jackmjenkins: Three things are true: 1. This is a problem, and reporters should be elsewhere 2. You *definitely* want reporters covering areas with great power, which is a big reason they are concentrated in these cities 3. Given #2, I'm surprised it's not higher tbh https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Jacob Bacharach / @jakebackpack: This isn't good, but it's also a bit of a misleading statistic when you consider that more than *one in ten* Americans lives in just these three metropolitan areas. https://twitter.com/...
@kenwardjr: This is something that big news organizations could do something about. https://twitter.com/...
John Gramlich / @johngramlich: Huge changes in the US media landscape in recent years don't appear to have led to a higher concentration of journos in the big media markets of NY, LA and DC. About 1 in 5 newsroom employees are in these 3 cities today, same share as in the 2000s. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Margarita Noriega / @margarita: Considering how many unemployed journalists I know in these cities, it's a sad thing to know they're still in a top location for the field. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Alex Zielinski / @alex_zee: “One-in-five U.S. newsroom employees live in New York, Los Angeles or D.C.” If only there were reliable journalism jobs in other corners of the country. Chicken or egg? https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Lyndsey Gilpin / @lyndseygilpin: About 4 in 10 newsroom employees who work in internet publishing live in the Northeast ... only A THIRD of newsroom employees live in the South, compared with 37% of workers overall. h/t @oliviacpaschal https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Peter Lettre / @plettre: I'm very proud to have helped build the initial states launch at Politico. It's crucial that more national outlets find ways to fund local and regional reporting. https://twitter.com/...
Angela GreilingKeane / @agreilingkeane: I'm happy to report that at @politico we have dozens of reporters covering state capitals and have expanded those ranks this year. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
Kendall Ciesemier / @kciesemier: Hire us elsewhere. We don't all want to live here but there are no jobs elsewhere. https://twitter.com/...
Morgan Hughes / @morganhwrites: .@spj_tweets recently did a project with Wyo/@CSTribune called The Casper Project, meant to gauge and understand why media trust is so bad, particularly in a state like Wyoming. The project came away with mixed results, but personally, I think this is the reason. https://twitter.com/...
Reuters:
AT&T says HBO Max will be available free to the 10M AT&T customers who are also US HBO subscribers; sources: AT&T to launch cheaper ad-supported tier in 2021 — (Reuters) - In the bestselling novel “Circe” — optioned by WarnerMedia for its forthcoming HBO Max streaming service …
Discussion:
9to5Mac, @hcoster, Fortune, @kenli729, @modestproposal1, @hcoster, @kenli729, BGR, The Verge, The Playlist, IndieWire, /Film, The Wrap, Engadget, The A.V. Club, Observer, FierceVideo, Variety and The Streamable, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: AT&T looks to match Apple TV+ and Disney+ promos with free HBO Max for subscribers
Helen Coster / @hcoster: Saddled with debt and under fire from an activist investor, AT&T is announcing details about HBO Max on Tuesday. We've got some now. Scoopy bits from @kenli729 and me: Behind AT&T's plan to take on Netflix, Apple and Disney with HBO Max https://www.reuters.com/...
Fortune: AT&T Announces Free HBO Max for Existing Subscribers Ahead of Apple and Disney's Streaming Video Launches
Kenneth Li / @kenli729: Only about a million of HBO Now customers will get HBO Max at no additional charge for now, sources tell us. https://www.reuters.com/... and other scoopy bits by @hcoster and me
Modest Proposal / @modestproposal1: Here's the challenge for HBO Max getting 50M subs. HBO has been around for 30 years. HBO Now is available to cord cutters/nevers. Everyone knows the content is amazing. Why will a higher priced option with Sesame Street and Friends get 20M more subs? https://www.reuters.com/...
Helen Coster / @hcoster: AT&T is targeting 80 million subscribers for HBO Max by 2025, and other scoops from @kenli729 and me: AT&T's plan to take on Netflix, Apple and Disney with HBO Max https://www.reuters.com/...
Kenneth Li / @kenli729: Some 10 million current HBO subscribers will get HBO Max at no additional cost. Sets the floor for the new service. Could go higher depending negotiations with distributors. https://www.reuters.com/... by @hcoster and me
Yoni Heisler / BGR: HBO Max to offer a cheaper ad-supported tier by 2021
Julia Alexander / The Verge: HBO Max will reportedly get a cheaper, ad-supported tier in 2021
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: WarnerMedia Will Give HBO Max Away For Free To Subscribers Of DirecTV And AT&T TV Now
Hoai-Tran Bui / /Film: HBO Max Will Be Free to HBO Subscribers — But Only If You Have AT&T
Randall Colburn / The A.V. Club: HBO Max, which isn't HBO Go or HBO Now, will be free to AT&T HBO subscribers
Brandon Katz / Observer: How Many Subscribers Will It Take to Make HBO Max a Success?
Todd Spangler / Variety: HBO Max Will Be Free to AT&T's HBO Subscribers
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
Google News Initiative announces 34 winners of its North American Innovation Challenge, with grants ranging from ~$32K to $300K in this $5.8M round — On the same day that Facebook's tab will start paying (some) publishers for their content, Google has announced its grantees …
Discussion:
Local News Initiative, The Keyword, @googlenewsinit, Google News Initiative and SiliconValley.com
Discussion:
Mark Jacob / Local News Initiative: Medill Local News Initiative Wins Google Innovation Award to Create Digital Reader Index
Madhav Chinnappa / The Keyword: Supporting 34 local news projects across North America
Quinta Jurecic / Lawfare:
Conservative site RedState's decision to publish an explicit photograph of Democratic Rep. Katie Hill has crossed an ugly line into nonconsensual pornography — Amid the hubbub of L'Affaire Ukrainienne, you could be forgiven for overlooking another story that has emerged out of Congress over the past week.
Discussion:
Heather Timmons / @heathat: Red State, part of “family themed” Salem Media, is co-owned by “Christian, husband, father” @stuepperson. It recently published revenge porn of a sitting Congresswoman (believed to be supplied by her estranged husband) https://www.lawfareblog.com/ ...
Quinta Jurecic / @qjurecic: As far as I am aware, the Hill photograph is the first instance in the U.S. in which a politically aligned publication has released nonconsensual pornography depicting a politician of the opposing party affiliation. That's an ugly line to have crossed. https://www.lawfareblog.com/ ...
Quinta Jurecic / @qjurecic: This is a test of whether the norm against publishing such material is strong enough to shield against a deep fake or a calculated leak of explicit photos meant to influence an election. So far the results are not encouraging. https://www.lawfareblog.com/ ...
Quinta Jurecic / @qjurecic: Hill's own account of her actions speaks to extremely poor judgment, at the very least. But the merits of her actions are separate from the issues raised by publishing the photo. https://www.lawfareblog.com/ ...
Gabby Deutch / @gsdeutch: “The Katie Hill photograph is the first instance in which a politically aligned publication...has released nonconsensual pornography depicting a politician of the opposing party.” (RedState, where the pic was published, doesn't pass NewsGuard's criteria) https://www.lawfareblog.com/ ...
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