Mediagazer: CBS and Viacom say they will close their merger after the market closes on December 4, with the new ViacomCBS stock trading the next day (Georg Szalai/Hollywood Reporter)

1:00 PM ET, November 25, 2019

Top News:

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Memo from Bloomberg EIC says the pub won't investigate Michael Bloomberg or other Democratic presidential candidates and “there will be no unsigned editorials” — New York (CNN Business)Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on Sunday sent a note to staffers addressing …

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Michael Bloomberg could have entirely recused himself from decision-making or influence at Bloomberg News, but he has instead stabbed its journalistic heart — Months ago, when former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg said he wouldn't run for president, a palpable feeling of relief flooded the global newsrooms that bear his name.

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill and Mediaite

Alexander Burns / New York Times:
Michael Bloomberg announces that he will run for president in 2020 as a Democrat, launches his bid with a $30M+ TV ad campaign

Discussion: @mikebloomberg, Business Insider, Coffee House, Washington Post, New York Times, Mother Jones, @tonydokoupil, @anandwrites, @mgsiegler, @asteadwesley, @alexburnsnyt, NBC News, Axios, Slate, ABC, CNN, CBS News and Associated Press

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

The AP partners with Report For America to fund 14 new statehouse journalists, lasting for eighteen months and beginning next June — Five years ago, Pew Research published an alarming report — statehouse coverage from newspapers was shrinking. From 2003 to 2014, it declined by 35%.

Discussion: Nieman Lab, Associated Press, @kristenhare, @kristenhare, @emmacarew and The Rural Blog

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Twitter's head of global content partnerships Kay Madati says he is leaving the company after joining in September 2017 — Kay Madati, Twitter's global VP, head of content partnerships, is departing the social network after two years in the job. — Madati announced in a series of tweets Sunday …

Discussion: @kaymadati, Talking Biz News, @kaymadati, @kaymadati, Adweek and Deadline

Ian Sample / The Guardian:

Tim Berners-Lee launches Contract for the Web, backed by 150+ orgs including Facebook and Reporters Without Borders to save the web from forces like fake news — Inventor of web calls on governments and firms to safeguard it from abuse and ensure it benefits humanity

Discussion: New York Times, @lauramiers, The Verge, 9to5Mac, @mlasandthelike, @pgsmateo, @torgo and @keithkurson, more at Techmeme »

Janko Roettgers / Variety:

E-book and audiobook subscription service Scribd raises $58M led by Spectrum Equity, bringing its total raised to $106M — Digital reading subscription service Scribd has raised a $58 million round of funding led by Spectrum Equity. The new funding round brings the total amount of money raised by Scribd to $106 million.

Discussion: Publishers Weekly and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

CBS and Viacom say they will close their merger after the market closes on December 4, with the new ViacomCBS stock trading the next day — The companies, controlled by the Redstone family, this summer unveiled the latest entertainment industry mega-deal, which comes 14 years …

Discussion: Variety and Reuters

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

PEN America case studies show effects of meager reporting in Robeson County, NC, and Detroit: “Where there's no competition, there's no pressure to do better” — The local news report that PEN America released this week is packed with the grim statistics you've seen elsewhere …

Alexandria Neason / Columbia Journalism Review:

A look at National Association of Hispanic Journalists' “palabra.”, its recently launched news site focusing on long-form journalism about Latinx communities — The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, frustrated by lackluster coverage of the Latinx community in mainstream outlets …

Discussion: @pistoleraprod

Bobby Allyn / NPR:

SCOTUS declines to review 4-3 ruling from Maryland court that refused a new trial for Adnan Syed, whose case gained widespread attention from the Serial podcast — The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not consider an appeal filed by convicted killer Adnan Syed …

Discussion: Associated Press, Baltimore Sun, CNN, Vox, CNBC, VICE and The Independent

Frank LoMonte / Poynter:

As college media labs fill a void left by newsroom layoffs, journalists employed by universities who clash with administrators remain on uncertain legal footing — Seeking leads from sources whose stories haven't yet become public is a routine reporting practice.

Ruth Michaelson / The Guardian:

Egyptian security forces raid offices of Mada Masr, one of the few independent news websites in the country, detains, then releases a number of staffers — Mada Masr is one of few remaining independent outlets amid ongoing clampdown on press freedom — Egyptian security officials have raided …

Discussion: New York Times, New York Times, @madamasr, @madamasr, @freedomofpress, @kenroth, Foreign Exchanges, Committee to Protect …, @ahmaui8, @msrmichaelson, @risj_oxford, The Independent, DW.COM, Middle East Eye, France 24 and Al Jazeera

Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg:

Huawei sues for defamation in Paris after a researcher, broadcast journalist, and telco expert say on TV that it spies against the West and is state controlled — - Claim it's controlled by the Chinese state is false, it says — The company is seeking to sell 5G equipment in Europe

Discussion: Business Insider, @alecolarizi, @jamesliamcook, @zackwhittaker, @dana_heide, @mattwaxman1 and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Columbia Journalism Review:

A look at issues journalists face when reporting on and with computation and data, as newsrooms embrace AI as an investigative tool that's far from objective — We live in a data society. Journalists are becoming data analysts and data curators, and computation is an essential tool for reporting.