Top News:
Tracy Connor / The Daily Beast:
After Bret Stephens' NYT column about the “secrets of Jewish genius” drew criticism, the paper edited it to remove mention of a study from an alleged eugenicist — The paper said the columnist did not realize one of the study authors promoted racist views.
Discussion:
New York Times, @nytopinion, @jodyrosen, @joshuajfriedman, @jbenton, SPLICETODAY.com, @juddlegum, Mediaite, @jodyrosen, @ashleyfeinberg, @soledadobrien, @dankennedy_nu, @juliaioffe, @nickmartin, @bypatrickgeorge, @juddlegum, @soledadobrien, Business Insider, @johnmcquaid, @athertonkd, @michaelsocolow, @nicholsuprising, @swin24, @timmarchman, @jpbrammer, The Daily Beast, @eric_alterman, @timmarchman, @drphilgoff, @timcast, @ellenclegg, @soledadobrien, @dribram, @timmarchman, @annehelen, @davekarpf, @grimkim, @cliff_notes, @timmarchman, @quinnnorton, @hunterwalk, @tomgara, @glennf, @buffywicks, @parkermolloy, @germanrlopez, @tomgara, @yashar, @ibjiyongi, @peterwsinger, @noahshachtman, The Times of Israel, @drewmagary, @johnmcquaid, @ashleyfeinberg, Mother Jones, @ekp, @quinnnorton, @emptywheel, @limericking, The Guardian, @chetfaliszek, @tressiemcphd, @joycewhitevance, @deggans, The Hill, New York Post, iMediaEthics and Newser
Discussion:
Bret Stephens / New York Times: The Secrets of Jewish Genius
@nytopinion: Bret Stephens' latest column (https://t.co/...), which argues that culture and history drive Jewish achievements, has been edited to remove a reference to a paper widely disputed as advancing a racist hypothesis. We've added the following editors' note to the column. https://twitter.com/...
Jody Rosen / @jodyrosen: I'm not qualified to assess the scholarship of the 2006 study that Bret Stephens cites. I'll merely note that a.) its title, “Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence,” rings alarm bells & b.) one of its co-authors, the late Henry Harpending, was a White Nationalist. https://twitter.com/...
Joshua J. Friedman / @joshuajfriedman: And in fact (as @JenSeniorNY has pointed out) the journal where “Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence” was published, The Journal of Biosocial Science, was until 1968 known as The Eugenics Review.
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Bret Stephens cites a Henry Harpending paper in his “Jewish genius” column https://www.nytimes.com/... Here's an @nytopinion piece from *just last year* noting Henry Harpending was a white supremacist nut about this stuff https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: The NYT has added a lengthy “editors note” to the top of Bret Stephens column. It includes this claim: “Mr. Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors' views, but it was a mistake to cite it uncritically” That is a lie. Stephens was unequivocally endorsing the study pic.twitter.com/SV9GIV4DCD
Ken Meyer / Mediaite: NY Times Adds Editors' Note to Bret Stephens Column Citing White Supremacist on ‘Jewish Genius’
Jody Rosen / @jodyrosen: Speaking as both an Ashkenazi Jew and a NYT contributor, I don't think eugenicists should be op-ed columnists. https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: a jew endorsing the idea that certain races are inherently superior to other, lesser races, what could possibly go wrong https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Soledad O'Brien / @soledadobrien: It is so weird how the @nytimes treats this as if it's a normal error. It is not. It's a failure of a bad columnist, a failure of editing. A failure to listen to feedback. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / @dankennedy_nu: Claiming that Ashkenazi Jews are genetically superior could never lead to hatred of Jews of the sort that Bret Stephens decries. Um, right? This one isn't going to fade away in a couple of days, nor should it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Julia Ioffe / @juliaioffe: I've been thinking about the Bret Stephens column for a few days and here's the reason it bothers me most. In my experience, being part of a community targeted by bigots of any kind usually leads to two kinds of views on the world:
Nick Martin / @nickmartin: Honestly, how does Bret Stephens still have a job? The @nytimes was forced to put this editor's note on one of his columns, retracting a reference to a white nationalist “study” he'd cited. The note barely fits in a single screenshot. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Patrick George / @bypatrickgeorge: Hey editor friends, raise your hand if you'd get fired if this shit happened on your watch https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: Bret Stephens was a DIVERSITY HIRE based on the idea that NYT op-eds should represent BOTH SIDES In return they've gotten climate disinformation and genetics “research” from white supremacists https://twitter.com/...
Soledad O'Brien / @soledadobrien: The @nytimes is frequently a hot freaking mess. Just saying. https://twitter.com/...
Kat Tenbarge / Business Insider: A New York Times column exploring why ‘Jews are smart’ is prompting heavy criticism and canceled subscriptions
John McQuaid / @johnmcquaid: What does it mean in 2019/2020 when the NYT is publishing editor's notes whose main purpose is gaslighting? https://twitter.com/...
Kelsey D. Atherton / @athertonkd: what the hell is the editorial process that lets this get through to publication in the first place, and what is the point of having someone in such a prestige job if you have to put a note on the story clarifying the author's intent, which is apparently contrary to what he wrote
Michael Socolow / @michaelsocolow: Once upon a time there was a famous and controversial media figure. He enjoyed provoking people & offering opinions that many disagreed with. Yet, because of his experience & position at a respected purveyor of news and information, he was granted much freedom to opine (1/4)
John Nichols / @nicholsuprising: When the “correction” makes everything worse than it already was. https://twitter.com/...
Asawin Suebsaeng / @swin24: I honestly don't think I've written anything as dumb or as boring as your average Bret column except for the time I feel asleep on my laptop keyboard and my right cheek rendered my term paper complete gibberish & even then I managed to not do race science
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: Oddly the note doesn't address the still-living co-author who believes, among other things, that homosexuality is causes by a pathogen. https://twitter.com/...
Anna Kaplan / The Daily Beast: New York Times Columnist Bret Stephens Sparks Uproar With ‘Jewish Genius’ Column
Eric Alterman / @eric_alterman: The Times has an apology and retraction of this part of Stephens column up, saying they learned about this—which appeared on the very same NYT page—after Bret published his stupid column https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: There's a level on which this is trivial but also one on which the most important media operation in the United States publishing grotesque things and then not accounting for their handling of them even in brutally humiliating editors' notes is not trivial at all
Phillip Atiba Goff / @drphilgoff: Y'all cutting off the moldy bits like the whole thing ain't rotten. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Pool / @timcast: Lol nyt is racist https://twitter.com/...
Ellen Clegg / @ellenclegg: But nothing here about his erroneous claim that it's Ashkenazi Jews who are intelligent - as opposed, I guess, to Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews. In other words, white Europeans. https://www.nytimes.com/... via @NYTOpinion
Soledad O'Brien / @soledadobrien: I think it's interesting how there are so few people at (or affiliated with) the New York Times who said anything about Bret Stevens column publicly. Sooo few. I mean, at some point isn't there a line where you say—"yeah, the eugenics thing. I gotta stand up and say something"?
Ibram X. Kendi / @dribram: There is a horrific irony in Bret's bigoted op-ed that places Jews at the top of an intellectual hierarchy. One justification is Jewish performance on IQ tests, the same IQ tests developed by eugenicists, the same eugenicists behind the Holocaust. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: The editors' note here has, hours after it was posted, still not been updated or corrected to explain why the word “Ashkenazi” was removed from the column or why this was done without any explanation https://www.nytimes.com/...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: In academia, there are words to describe someone who comes up with their argument, then mines research — regardless of its quality, its place of publication, or its validity, its racist authorship — to find some sort of support for that argument. https://twitter.com/...
Dave Karpf / @davekarpf: This is basically what I predicted on Friday night. The Times has now weighed in to say “oh you silly tweeters, he didn't mean THAT.” We'll get another column on Tuesday, filled with lukewarm bromides from a third-rate wordsmith whose entire brand is centrist certainty. https://twitter.com/...
Kim Kelly / @grimkim: It's truly something that 7,800 media workers lost their jobs in 2019 and not one of them was Bret Stephens
Cliff Albright / @cliff_notes: Between Imus reflections & #BretStephens, these past few days are a reminder of just how comfortable the media is w/ racism. @soledadobrien https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: More importantly the note doesn't address the column's implicit suggestion that non-Ashkenazi Jews are inferior.
Quinn Norton / @quinnnorton: that article was dressed up and fancied scientific racism, perfumed hatred with kid gloves. ashkenazi jews portrayed as a mysterious other- they're not like you and me, (where you and me is anglosaxon whites) they're a model minority. this is an odious and old line of reasoning.
@hunterwalk: Remember when the NYTimes had a public editor. And remember when they decided the concept was outdated in a world of social media? May 2017. Maybe time to revisit?
Tom Gara / @tomgara: Like, “After publication, Mr Stephens and his editors learned that...” is a weird thing to say about someone who doesn't have editors? Or am I missing something?
Glenn Fleishman / @glennf: This is almost as good as Bret's column about how the Dems lost the 2018 House season, which was updated several times as races were decided until it finally made no sense at all. Although that's true of most of his columns. https://twitter.com/...
Buffy Wicks / @buffywicks: It's long past time that the @nytimes brings back its public editor. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: And based on his response to the bedbug incident, we know that Stephens does his research by literally just Googling the conclusion he hopes to land on without paying attention to what he's citing. https://twitter.com/...
German Lopez / @germanrlopez: Here are the options: The editor's note is true and Bret Stephens and his editors are irresponsible and don't do basic fact checking and research about their sources, or Stephens and his editors are lying and he believes what he denies here. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: If NyT Opinion is going to have this weird tradition of its staff columnists being completely un-edited, with tenured professor style total Take Freedom, they should really go all in on it and never run corrections
Yashar Ali / @yashar: I get why reporters at the NYT (or any news org) aren't going to publicly criticize their colleagues for a bad tweet or a story that wasn't fully in their control and had a bad headline But the Bret Stephens thing is terrible and should require his NYT colleagues to speak up
@ibjiyongi: We are being collectively gaslit by NYT here. “Leave an impression”?? Stephens went comfortably beyond citation of a study, which he clearly found in order to make the point. He didn't make the point bc he happened to find the study. That's not how this kind of writing works. pic.twitter.com/LaRYufiQk0
Peter W. Singer / @peterwsinger: Cue Bret Stephens claiming he is somehow the true victim in all this... https://twitter.com/...
Noah Shachtman / @noahshachtman: How does America's most storied journalistic institution keep a guy like Stephens? At The Daily Beast, anyone peddling BS race science like this would be on the way on the door. https://twitter.com/...
The Times of Israel: Outcry after NYT writer appears to argue Ashkenazi Jews are genetically smarter
Drew Magary / @drewmagary: One reason it behooves @JBennet to run so many “Twitter ain't real life, millennials” takes is that it gives that whole shitty paper license to wave off any valid criticism of it made here as imaginary and unpopular
John McQuaid / @johnmcquaid: Unfortunately there are significant sunk costs that prevent removing a NYT columnist for anything short of plagiarism or fabulism. So we end up with this https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: another thing I keep thinking about is how incredibly easy it is to *not* accidentally cite eugenicists in your work—it's wild for them to treat this like a normal error
Jamilah King / Mother Jones: NY Times' Column on “Jewish Genius” Cited a White Supremacist as a Source
Ellen K. Pao / @ekp: It's a horribly racist column, and the edit was pathetic. How do you *not* distance yourself from it? https://twitter.com/...
Quinn Norton / @quinnnorton: This is still just bothering the hell out of me. I keep wondering if we're going to see articles about the admirable athletic ability of black folks while they get beaten by police, the money management skills of the jewish community while their shops get vandalized, etc
@emptywheel: Not really following the details of the latest Bret Stephens scandal. But should I be confused that @quinnnorton lost a NYT job bc she said she'd be *friends* with a Nazi in hopes of reaching him but Stephens embraces eugenics?
@limericking: A columnist did an op-ed. It wasn't well researched; instead It argued by citing Eugenicist writing. “Great stuff Bret,” his editors said.
Edward Helmore / The Guardian: New York Times columnist accused of eugenics over piece on Jewish intelligence
Chet Faliszek / @chetfaliszek: I currently pay for three news subscriptions but the @nytimes continues to make the case for not subscribing. Every time I almost pull the trigger, they give me a reason not to... https://twitter.com/...
Tressie McMillan Cottom / @tressiemcphd: I've spent my break reading about the long history of race science, the construction of beauty as a white nationalist project, and the fools who emerge in every era to brandish themselves the One Great Truth-teller. Could've just read the Times for a use case, apparently. https://twitter.com/...
Joyce Alene / @joycewhitevance: I don't understand why you'd choose to write a piece like this when you've got space in the paper of record to opine on anything. But a good reminder we must all stick together or we'll hang separately. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Eric Deggans At Npr / @deggans: Wow. Can't help wondering if a columnist of color made a mistake that big, if she or he would get to keep the job... https://twitter.com/...
Rebecca Klar / The Hill: NYT adds editor's note to column that cited academic accused of racist views
Neal Colgrass / Newser: Readers Explode Over Op-Ed About Jews
David K. Li / NBC News:
Radio shock jock Don Imus, an early pioneer of the genre known for his controversial and often offensive statements, dies at 79 — He had announced on Jan. 22 that he was retiring, telling fans: “Turn out the lights...the party's over. — Radio shock jock Don Imus, one of the early pioneers of his genre …
Discussion:
New York Times, @davidgura, Hollywood Reporter, @ingrahamangle, @danfagin, @mspackyetti, @darylsturgis, Mediaite, NME, @karaswisher, @loveyourcarrot, @cabinop, @mayatcontreras, @stevekovach, @sifill_ldf, New York Post, @seanhannity, HuffPost, @soledadobrien, @thr, Vanity Fair, @davidgura, Los Angeles Times, @carlquintanilla, @cochranshow, @blackamazon, @elongreen, @benschwartz_, @dick_nixon, @seanhannity, @benmullin, @zeitchikwapo, @barry_yeoman, @dannagal, @llinwood, @marklevinshow, @nytmetro, @matthewkeyslive, @thr, @brianstelter, @nydailynews, @brianstelter, Variety, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Salon, Associated Press, The Sun, Celebrity, USA Today, National Post, Heavy.com, ABC News, Us Weekly, Washington Post, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, WFAN Sports Radio 66AM 101.9FM, People.com, TVLine, The Desk, NPR, CNN, TMZ.com, Fox Business, The Daily Beast, Variety, New York Daily News and Deadline
Discussion:
Robert D. McFadden / New York Times: Don Imus, Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries, Dies at 79
David Gura / @davidgura: “My concern ... is not that people are sorry that they say these things, they are sorry that someone catches them.” In 2007, Gwen Ifill appeared on @MeetThePress, with Tim Russert, @nytdavidbrooks, @JohnJHarwood and @Eugene_Robinson, to discuss Don Imus: https://youtu.be/... .
Katie Kilkenny / Hollywood Reporter: Don Imus, Legendary ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Dies at 79
Laura Ingraham / @ingrahamangle: In his heyday Imus was the best interviewer—an epic talent. Many great on-air memories in his Astoria studios, and (sorry, haters) responsible for my 17-year radio career. “Don Imus, Legendary ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Dies at 79 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Dan Fagin / @danfagin: This #Imus obit is a whiff but David Carr nailed him: What matters isn't what he was “really” like, but what he told millions. He was a bully, not an “equal opportunity offender” & his charity work wasn't “private”, it was a big part of his public image. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brittany Packnett Cunningham / @mspackyetti: I really miss Gwen Ifill. https://twitter.com/...
Daryl Sturgis / @darylsturgis: This irascible growler called Gwen Ifill, one of the most respected journalists of the 20th Century, a “cleaning lady”. He also constantly compared Black athletes to apes. https://twitter.com/...
Connor Mannion / Mediaite: Don Imus Dead at Age 79
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: So while it might be more politic for me not to criticize the Times publicly, I am reminded and inspired by Gwen's amazing and graceful leveling of the truth over Don Imus' appalling remarks from long ago. She was a national treasure.
Frank Lester / @loveyourcarrot: During Gwen Ifill's tenure at the NY Times, Don Imus said of her, “Isn't The Times wonderful. It lets the cleaning lady cover the White House.” That's all you need to know about Don Imus.
Carrie B / @cabinop: I won't miss Don Imus for a second, but when we lost Gwen Ifill's voice in this world, we LOST something important. https://twitter.com/...
Maya Contreras / @mayatcontreras: Gwen Ifill on Don Imus' racism directed at her: “There's been radio silence from a lot of people who have done this program who could've spoken up and said, ‘I find this offensive.’ Tim [Russert] we really didn't hear from you and @NYTDavidBrooks we didn't hear from you.” https://twitter.com/...
Steve Kovach / @stevekovach: Flashback: It was Les Moonves who fired Imus for Imus' comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. https://twitter.com/...
Sherrilyn Ifill / @sifill_ldf: One of the great moments in television. Will never forget #Gwen's unflappable clarity in that moment & as the controversy unfolded. It wasn't ultimately abt the cruel racist. It was abt those who stayed silent & condoned the conduct of the cruel racist. It still is. #GwenIfill https://twitter.com/...
Phil Mushnick / New York Post: Don Imus leaves behind complicated shock-jock legacy
Sean Hannity / @seanhannity: (1/2) I'm heartbroken. I knew the REAL Don Imus. Imus adored his wife and son and his adopted son and had a heart of gold. The work he did for children with cancer will live on forever. Every email he ever sent me made me laugh... https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Sebastian Murdock / HuffPost: Don Imus, Racist Radio Show Host, Dead At 79
Soledad O'Brien / @soledadobrien: I'll never forget interviewing the talented young black female athletes he called “nappy-headed hoes”. https://twitter.com/...
@thr: ‘Morning Joe’ host Joe Scarborough paid tribute to to the late radio personality: “Morning Joe obviously owes its format to Don Imus. No one else could have gotten away with that much talk on cable news. Thanks for everything, Don, and Godspeed.” http://thr.cm/...
Jordan Hoffman / Vanity Fair: Don Imus, Controversial Radio Host, Dies at 79
David Gura / @davidgura: “There has been radio silence from a lot of people ... who could have spoken up and said, ‘I find this offensive,’” Gwen Ifill said. “These people didn't speak up.” Then, she turned to Tim Russert and David Brooks: “Tim, we didn't hear from you. David, we didn't hear from you.” https://twitter.com/...
Carl Quintanilla / @carlquintanilla: The NYT's Don Imus obit must be read to be believed. Classic McFadden. (via @NYTObits) https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Steve Cochran / @cochranshow: He was cranky. He was mean. He was hilarious. He was great. And when I was a kid...and wanted to be on the radio...he was my idol. Don Imus dead at 79. They'll never be another like him. RIP IMUS. #ImusInTheMorning https://www.nytimes.com/...
@blackamazon: And this is why misinformation flourishes because it's not public/private or if/but it's AND https://twitter.com/...
Elon Green / @elongreen: Lol he didn't do that in private. That's why everyone knows about it. https://twitter.com/...
@benschwartz_: “pushed boundaries” - in the country that invented the minstrel show, he was enforcing boundaries. https://twitter.com/...
Richard M. Nixon / @dick_nixon: The cancer charity was investigated for fraud. https://twitter.com/...
Sean Hannity / @seanhannity: (2/2) ...Always Smart, witty, irreverent, and iconoclastic. God speed Don Imus as you move to the great rodeo in the sky. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: “[Mr. Imus] won some early notoriety by calling a Sacramento McDonald's on the air and ordering 1,200 hamburgers...” https://www.wsj.com/...
Steven Zeitchik / @zeitchikwapo: Has there been a personality that shaped as many contemporary media cultures as Don Imus? Talk radio, cable news, the digital discourse — all would look fundamentally different without him. Debate the legacy; respect the influence.
Barry Yeoman / @barry_yeoman: Perspective on #DonImus. Here's @gwenifill's original op-ed piece: https://nyti.ms/2Qr9Qv1 (hat tip @ladrine). https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Danna Young / @dannagal: But if your product is predicated on the amplification of the worst instincts among us, does compassion/charity done in private mean you're *actually* a good person? I ask because based on our media landscape lots of people will have to answer that same question sooner or later. https://twitter.com/...
Lin Wood / @llinwood: I never met I-Man. Did 1 remote interview with him years ago, 6:30 am from home office. Afterwards, kids said my name was misspelled on chyron. I did not care. I had survived the I-Man. He was good man & provoked great conversations. Named my mare Deirdre for his wife. Respect. https://twitter.com/...
Mark R. Levin / @marklevinshow: The extraordinary Don Imus has passed. A true legend. May he RIP. (A more worthy tribute when I return to our beloved radio airwaves.) https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
@nytmetro: For nearly a half-century — from his start on local stations in the West in 1968 until his retirement in 2018 — Mr. Imus entertained and offended countless millions with his mercurial outbursts https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Keys / @matthewkeyslive: Updated the story: Source close to Imus family said radio broadcaster Don Imus had been battling pneumonia http://bit.ly/2QtfjBF
@thr: The radio personality passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas http://thr.cm/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: In public he was an irascible growler “who led pranks and parodies that could be tasteless, obscene and sometimes racist, sexist or homophobic.” In private he raised millions for wounded vets and kids with cancer. NYT's obit captures all of Imus https://www.nytimes.com/...
@nydailynews: Radio icon Don Imus — a New York institution for decades at WNBC and WFAN — is dead at 79 The shock jock had been on radio for 50 years and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989. https://www.nydailynews.com/ ...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Veteran radio and TV broadcaster Don Imus died this morning. He was 79. He had been in the hospital since Christmas Eve, according to a statement from his family.
Mike Lupica / New York Daily News: ‘I said everything I needed to say’ — Don Imus, who worked nearly 50 years without a net, changed everything in radio
Teresa Roca / The Sun: Don Imus dead: Legendary radio host of Imus In The Morning dies in hospital aged 79
Stephen Andrew / Celebrity: ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Legendary Radio Personality Don Imus Dead at 79
USA Today: Legendary radio host Don Imus dies at age 79 after being hospitalized since Christmas Eve
Emily Bicks / Heavy.com: Don Imus Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
William Mansell / ABC News: Controversial former radio host Don Imus dead at age 79
Marc Fisher / Washington Post: Don Imus, talk-show host who turned bad behavior into big ratings, dies at 79
Zachary Halaschak / Washington Examiner: ‘Good riddance’: Don Imus death prompts backlash on social media
Stephen Miller / Bloomberg: Don Imus, U.S. Radio-Show Host Who Thrived on Shock, Dies at 79
Jeffery Martin / Newsweek: Shock Jock Don Imus' most controversial quotes during his lifetime
Spencer Neale / Washington Examiner: Legendary radio host Don Imus dead at 79
Jason Duaine Hahn / People.com: Controversial Radio Broadcaster Don Imus Dies at 79
Dave Nemetz / TVLine: Radio and TV Host Don Imus Dead at 79
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Don Imus, former radio broadcaster, dead at 79
Vanessa Romo / NPR: Controversial Shock Jock Don Imus Has Died At 79
Leah Asmelash / CNN: Don Imus, radio shock jock, dies at 79
Emma Tucker / The Daily Beast: Infamous Shock Jock Don Imus Dead at 79
Brian Niemietz / New York Daily News: Don Imus, giant of New York airwaves who pioneered shock jock genre, dead at 79
Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline: Famed Radio DJ Don Imus Dies At Age 79
Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette:
BuzzFeed UK made a loss of £9.4M in 2018, up from £2.3M in 2017, and had revenues of £21.5M, down from £33.4M in 2017 — Buzzfeed UK made a loss of £9.4m in 2018, new full-year accounts show, with turnover having fallen by nearly £12m on the year before.
Sarah J. Jackson / New York Times:
In 2010s, Twitter enabled young and marginalized people to be heard, held news organizations accountable, and pushed largely ignored issues into the mainstream — It's impossible to avoid news about how harmful social media can be. The Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ubiquitous Russian bots.
Discussion:
@momblogger, @sjjphd, @dada_drummer, @marklittlenews, @dantley, @melissadsegura, @mazmhussain, @hkesvani, @natashavianna, @sjjphd, @sjjphd, @nytopinion, @sjjphd, @sivavaid, @goldengateblond, @andreas212nyc, @millie, @gregbradyto, @brentnyt, @rahaeli, @nesrinemalik, @nesrinemalik, @clancynewyork, @sybrenkooistra, @valeriabrownedu and @neillewisjr, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Noemi L. Dado / @momblogger: Twitter has always been my number one social media platform. > “It's not surprising when powerful people resent Twitter. [It] didn't invent knee-jerk reactions, conflict or polarization, but it did expand the set of voices all of us have to hear.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sarah J. Jackson / @sjjphd: Add to that that people kneejerk react to headlines (which writers don't choose) and don't read often before reacting to social media and I have people yelling I don't know anything about Twitter, which is, frankly, laughable. But this is the public sphere and that's okay ;)
Damon K / @dada_drummer: That rare thing, a Twitter-positive article - we're here for a reason, after all - by @sjjphd https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mark Little / @marklittlenews: “Twitter users have disrupted a media landscape where gatekeepers were for too long solely responsible for setting the agenda” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dantley: I'll let this piece speak for itself, but it covers many of the reasons why I joined Twitter and why I feel we have so much work to do. Let's go! Opinion | Twitter Made Us Better - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
Melissa Segura / @melissadsegura: Any opportunity to hear/read/be around @sjjphd is a chance to see the world in clearer focus. Her latest in Twitter is yet another example. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Murtaza Mohammad Hussain / @mazmhussain: “It's not surprising when powerful people resent Twitter. [It] didn't invent knee-jerk reactions, conflict or polarization, but it did expand the set of voices all of us have to hear.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Hussein Kesvani / @hkesvani: Something worth bearing in mind when you read all the “Twitter has poisoned politics” takes from the columnists https://twitter.com/...
@natashavianna: Amazing recap by @sjjphd. When we started #NoTeenShame in April 2013, hashtags were fairly new and we had no idea that it'd go viral. And what started as a hashtag turned into a decade of policy change and anti-stigma work in over 150 orgs, schools, and hospitals across the US. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah J. Jackson / @sjjphd: Thx to those who've shared+read my NYT piece on Twitter activism. For folks shouting in my comments Twitter is bad b/c nazis, Trump, etc. True, but I'm guessing you didn't read it. Nuance is necessary, we must document resistance & change even as it coexists w/ regressive forces. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah J. Jackson / @sjjphd: There is a lot of important work by colleagues on how social media has been exploited by regressive forces. It's all true! And these companies, as I note, have largely failed to address hate & harassment on their platforms. Yet, resilient determined folks have made real change.
@nytopinion: “Gone are the days when a piece of art could promote stereotypes, demean women, or ignore the existence of people of color without a backlash. Professional critics might identify these problems. Twitter users definitely will,” Writes sjjphd http://www.nytimes.com/...
Sarah J. Jackson / @sjjphd: That last part is a story that must be told and something I have dedicated my career to. Progress is neither linear or singular it exists alongside violent backlash always, folks committed to truth-telling nonetheless deserve to be documented, they are brave & important.
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: Want to see what a well researched and well constructed op-ed looks like? Here is a great one. https://www.nytimes.com/... via @NYTOpinion
Shauna / @goldengateblond: “Twitter can be exploited for evil and harnessed for good ... But this decade, it helped ordinary people change our world.” If you're going to read an @nytopinion column, skip Bret Stephens' and read @sjjphd's instead. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Andreas Sandre / @andreas212nyc: “Rightful critiques of #socialmedia, and Twitter in particular, shouldn't obscure the significance of the conversations that have happened there over the past 10 years,” writes @sjjphd @AnnenbergPenn in @nytopinion. “Twitter made this decade better.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Millie Tran / @millie: Despite it all*, why it's worth being here: “Many people who lacked public platforms 10 years ago — the young and members of marginalized groups in particular — are speaking up, insisting on being heard.” via @sjjphd https://www.nytimes.com/... *Yes, “all” is doing A LOT here
Greg Brady / @gregbradyto: Love this read. Compelling argument & yet I go back and forth on its “value” every damn day. https://twitter.com/...
Brent Staples / @brentnyt: Twitter improved popular discourse - partly by making it less white, writes @sjjphd via @nytopinion https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rahaeli: These are all excellent points and why I'm still here, but the author of this letter does a disservice to the marginalized people she (rightly) praises Twitter for containing by failing to mention Twitter's ongoing failure to apply best practices for anti-abuse... https://twitter.com/...
Nesrine Malik / @nesrinemalik: My own advice, humbly offered in my book, after a decade on this website which god has forsaken. But Twitter still pretty much the only tool we have to challenge those ensconced behind the walls of powerful orgs. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Nesrine Malik / @nesrinemalik: Despite everything, this is true. https://twitter.com/...
Eileen Clancy / @clancynewyork: What's Twitter good for? Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd says Twitter helps marginalized people to influence what we talk about as a country. And, acts as mechanism of accountability for news orgs. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sybren / @sybrenkooistra: The online commentary that takes place here is often dismissed as expression of “cancel culture.” But a closer look reveals what's really happening: Many who lacked public platforms 10yrs ago — members of marginalized groups in particular — are speaking up https://www.nytimes.com/...
Val Brown / @valeriabrownedu: “Twitter users have disrupted a media landscape where gatekeepers — in an industry that has always fallen short when it comes to race and gender diversity — were for too long solely responsible for setting the agenda.” Twitter Made Us Better https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
An overview of NBC's special edition of Meet the Press, “Alternative Facts: Inside the Weaponization of Disinformation” — On a special edition of “Meet the Press,” top journalists discuss the challenges of finding the facts amid growing disinformation.
Discussion:
@meetthepress: .@PostBaron says journalists need to be more responsive when attacked. “I think it's something that we have to fight against.” #MTP #IfItsSunday
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Quick grades for the @MeetThePress “special” on misinformation: Facing the fact of asymmetry between the major parties: F Floating new ideas for how shows like MTP can respond: D Reminding audience “this isn't new,” “goes back to Hamilton,” etc: A Dissecting Russian disinfo: B+
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Baquet: “I think people want to be comforted. And I think bad politicians sometimes say comforting things to them.” No. Trump says things to anger and incite and divide, not comfort. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: >> @DeanBaquet: When pols mislead the public, “Our job is to jump into the breach and to jump into those conversations, to do the deep reporting, to say, “Look, I'm sorry. What I have to say may be uncomfortable. But that thing you just heard that made you feel good is a lie.” https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Closing panel had fab mix. @karaswisher hit on topic super critical that had very little coverage on show. Tech has changed everything particularly how platforms provide velocity, reach, amplification. They're like AK-47s instead of pistols for spreading propaganda/disinfo. /5
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Check the @MeetThePress twitter feed for a recap of today's hourlong special about disinformation in the Trump era 👇 https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Good to see @chucktodd break down how propaganda works, but frustrated at how little historical context there was for it, going back across media history, or the lack of self-reflection about how he & @meetthepress have responded to Trump's disinformation. http://pressthink.org/...
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American: December 29, 2019 — These days, I often hear people despair of America.
Jacob Knutson / Axios: WaPo editor: Americans may be “numb” to Trump's “15,000 false or misleading claims”
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Was thrilled @chucktodd had Clint Watts on the next segment to spend time breaking down disinformation. Super valuable he used CrowdStrike as a case study. Well covered, @selectedwisdom. ps highly recommend his book, “Messing with the Enemy.” /3
Ken Meyer / Mediaite: NYT's Baquet, WaPo's Baron: We Cannot be Dismissive Of Trump Voters With Our Coverage, ‘They Are Owed Our Respect’
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Swisher also called out Zuckerberg's conflation of paid vs free speech and hinted at the profound issues in Facebook selling advertising with microtargeting which can include lies aimed at individuals susceptible and worth targeting them. ht @karaswisher See #2 above. /6
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Hearing @deanbaquet praise the @washingtonpost's #AfghanistanPapers because they “showed their work” is important, as was the key context of politicians & officials lying to the public about our union's longest war. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: First segment had NYT and Wash Post editors. @PostBaron of Post made many key succinct points. This includes how people are more and more drawn to sources confirming their preexisting pov. This shift first struck me in this 2007 research. /2 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Well, Dean Baquet did say on @MeetThePress “no more diners.” So it seems he heard those complaints. Nothing noteworthy beyond that. Marty Baron said it was important to be “fair to the public” and speak bluntly about what you have found, which does differentiate Post from Times.
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Good to hear @deanbaquet talk about the importance of showing your work, particularly with respect to publishing source documents, but disappointed he put in in the context of marketing @nytimes journalism. (Open data & code are core to 21st century practice.)
Eric Boehlert / @ericboehlert: editor of NYT leading the Normalizing Olympics https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Watching the @MeetThePress special on disinformation. They led with some greatest/worst hits: “Alternative facts."-@KellyannePolls “Truth is not truth"-@rudygiuliani “Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening."-@realDonaldTrump Lies? https://twitter.com/...
Megan Graham / CNBC:
Vox Media rolls out Forte, a data marketplace to help advertisers reach its audience, says it now has 125M monthly visitors across its 13 editorial networks — - Vox Media's new platform called Forte is designed to help advertisers reach the publisher's expanding audience.
Matteo Moschella / First Draft:
Q&A with Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins on “alt-media conspiracy land” and the outlet's role policing the edges between alternative media and mainstream media — Eliot Higgins founder and executive director of investigative-journalism group Bellingcat …
George P. Slefo / Ad Age:
Spotify will suspend political ads in early 2020, citing the lack of tools to review them; source: political ads are not a significant source of its revenue — Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and the RNC are among Spotify advertisers — Spotify is suspending the sale of political advertising …
Discussion:
NPR, @tonyromm, Breitbart, VentureBeat, The Wrap, @slpng_giants, @digiphile, @zck, @emilyglazer, @john_henson, @whotargetsme, @seanspicer, @logandobson, @jason_kint, @jason_kint, New York Daily News, Vanity Fair, Fast Company, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Engadget, TechCrunch, Variety and VICE
Discussion:
Tony Romm / @tonyromm: i would be very curious to see how much campaigns are even spending on spotify. it does not seem like a particularly useful tool for anyone running, its decision this week notwithstanding. https://twitter.com/...
Reid Nakamura / The Wrap: Spotify to Suspend Political Advertisements in 2020
@slpng_giants: Good for @Spotify. @facebook seems to be one of the last holdouts for political ads, which is doubly bad considering they're allowing deliberate falsehoods in them. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: If @Spotify was taking $ to run political ads, it should have added disclaimers linked to a public file of disclosures. What other tech companies run ads without transparency? @verizonmedia? @Reddit? Reminder: Self-regulation isn't enough! https://e-pluribusunum.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Zak Kukoff / @zck: My concern with announcements like these is that they reward the worst behaviors in politics. When paid reach is banned — Outrage, anger, base appeal = free reach https://twitter.com/...
Emily Glazer / @emilyglazer: Spotify is suspending political ads in 2020. “Executives had previously been concerned that political ads could bother Spotify's listeners and lead to negative feedback,” + employees had to manually monitor political ad creative, per our reporting: https://www.wsj.com/...
John Henson / @john_henson: They were “successful” online because of Russian troll farms and cyber crimes, which the campaign was aware of and actively sought. And you're best known for lying about the inaugural crowd size, hiding in the bushes and whoring yourself out on Dancing with the Stars. https://twitter.com/...
Who Targets Me / @whotargetsme: An increasingly common position for big tech. Though still no answer to what's ‘political’. https://twitter.com/...
Sean Spicer / @seanspicer: Notice that after @realDonaldTrump @GOP we're successful online in 2016 they all now want to ban political advertising: Via @Reuters Spotify to suspend political advertising in 2020 https://www.reuters.com/...
Logan Dobson / @logandobson: congratulations to random Spotify ad salespeople on their new jobs determining what is “Political” and what isn't https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: ps would be helpful if advertising trade press dug in harder on Facebook and TTD's failed but convenient logic that sunlight is the best disinfectant for false political advertising considering microtargeting serves disinfo campaigns by providing the very darkness. @adage https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Hmmm. Spotify doesn't allow microtargeting of ads, does it? Banning mass-audience political ads is a shrug. It's only in microtargeting where political ads can become toxic to democracy. Hence my problem with Facebook and Trade Desk's empty words. https://twitter.com/...
David Matthews / New York Daily News: Spotify is suspending political advertising ahead of 2020 elections
Sean Captain / Fast Company: Spotify is banning political ads—but there's a catch
Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal: Spotify to Suspend Political Advertising
Kerry Flynn / CNN: Spotify will stop running political ads in 2020
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget: Spotify will ‘pause’ airing political ads in early 2020
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Snapchat will launch Bitmoji TV, a personalized cartoon show featuring a user's avatar and their friends in regularly-scheduled adventures, starting in February — Snapchat's most popular yet under-exploited feature is finally getting the spotlight in 2020.
Discussion:
@mattnavarra, @joshconstine, @mattlynley, @joshconstine and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Matt Navarra / @mattnavarra: If this is executed well, Snapchat could be on to something here https://techcrunch.com/...
Josh Constine / @joshconstine: Here's a look at the history of Bitmoji, Cameos, and why they're key to Snapchat's strategy to put your face at the center of every experience https://techcrunch.com/...
Matthew Lynley / @mattlynley: Bitmoji is so undervalued and the scale of content that's available when you dig into it is astounding. This has shades of the Early Flash Cartoon Era in the late 90s/early 2000s which is going to be awesome. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Schneider / Variety:
CBS tops 2019's most-watched TV channels in the US with 7.14M total primetime viewers, down 4% YoY; Fox News was most-watched cable outlet and fifth overall — It's tough out there for a linear network. Even inside the major media conglomerates, the buzz is all about a company's new digital platform, not its legacy channels.
Discussion:
@danmcgowan, @franklinavenue, @variety, @variety, @nickschedules, @huddy_up, @franklinavenue, @jonahdispatch, @disneytvanews, @disneytvanews and The Desk
Discussion:
Dan McGowan / @danmcgowan: Check out some of the declines here. Brutal. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael Schneider / @franklinavenue: Thanks to #GameOfThrones, @HBO had a great 2019, as did newly indie @FoxTV & #FoxNews. @CBSTweet was No. 1 with viewers, while @NBC led 18-49. @Variety's list of 2019's most- (& least!) watched networks in primetime (incl. all 142 Nielsen-rated channels): https://variety.com/...
@variety: Rupert Murdoch had a good 2019, as his newly independent @FoxTV network and #FoxNews both ended the year as top 5 networks. Here's Variety's ranker of 2019's most-watched networks in primetime https://bit.ly/2QqsyTF
@variety: That #GameOfThrones ending wasn't well received, but the final season helped @HBO's primetime ratings bump up by 13% this year. Variety ranks 2019's most-watched networks in primetime https://bit.ly/2QqsyTF
@nickschedules: According to this article: https://variety.com/... Nickelodeon is ranked 25th (728k) with a 21% drop from last year. Meanwhile Nick at Nite is ranked 37th (555k) with a 24% drop from last year.
Mark Hudson / @huddy_up: The traditional networks that are heavily invested in live sports & news, two types of programming not easily replicated on a streaming platform, are holding steady. https://variety.com/...
Michael Schneider / @franklinavenue: Year-end rankers: @CBSTweet ended 2019 as the most-watched network in total viewers, while @NBC led with adults 18-49. Here's @Variety's list of 2019's most-watched networks in primetime (including all 142 channels rated by Nielsen): https://variety.com/...
Jonah Goldberg / @jonahdispatch: Did not expect ION to be in top 10 most watched networks. https://variety.com/...
@disneytvanews: The Disney Junior Channel & Disney Channel losed a 25% & 31% of it's audience in all 2019 still in Kids TV Channels both channels where one of the most viewed channels beating Cartoon Network & Nick Jr! https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@disneytvanews: Sadly for Disney XD things didn't do well in 2019, despite that the channel was more viewed than Discovery Family & Universal Kids the channel losed 22% of it's audience in all 2019 being part of the lesser viewed Kids Channels from 2019. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Interviews with six journalists working in Turkey, who have been taken into custody by authorities at least once and who have had their equipment confiscated — Turkey is notorious as a leading jailer of journalists worldwide, a fact that can overshadow the other problems for its press.
Discussion:
@pressfreedom: Turkey is notorious as a leading jailer of journalists worldwide, a fact that can overshadow the other problems for its press. Alongside the risk of arrest, journalists must also contend with daily interference. https://cpj.org/...
Jennifer Hattam / @theturkishlife: The daily challenges of reporting in #Turkey range from being denied access to courtrooms to being detained by police or having their equipment confiscated, six journalists from independent/opposition media outlets tell @pressfreedom. https://cpj.org/... https://twitter.com/...
David Porter / 8tracks blog:
As 8tracks prepares to shut down on December 31, its co-founder shares a post-mortem of what went wrong with the once-promising music streaming startup — 8tracks has had a long run and its day in the sun. We're sad to announce, however, that the company and its streaming service will wind …
Discussion:
@chr1sa, @caseynewton, @joshconstine, @ow, @robinsloan, @rrhoover, @mathewi, @hasief, @jherskowitz, @agaresia and @davidporter
Discussion:
Chris Anderson / @chr1sa: The Long Tail has won music culture but failed the economic needs of most musicians and music companies (fascinating post-mortem from @8tracks, RIP) https://blog.8tracks.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: One thing I like about this 8tracks shutdown post is that it acknowledges how the company was out-competed by a superior product (Spotify). I get the SV mantra of “most startups die by suicide, not murder” but like ... not always! https://blog.8tracks.com/...
Josh Constine / @joshconstine: If all founders were as fearless about sharing their failures as 8Tracks' @davidporter, startups would evolve much faster https://blog.8tracks.com/...
Owen Williams / @ow: Wow, the end of 8tracks feels like the end of another internet era. 8tracks helped me *actively* discover so much music over the years, a habit that was destroyed by Spotify's (bad) mood playlists https://blog.8tracks.com/...
Robin Sloan / @robinsloan: I found this post about the life and death of 8tracks surprisingly moving. It also functions as a kaleidoscopic review of music economics, 2008-2020. https://blog.8tracks.com/...
Ryan Hoover / @rrhoover: Another music streaming service goes the Heaven https://blog.8tracks.com/... (I agree that there's an opportunity to build a music listening experience that's social, focused on community)
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Kudos to the founder of 8tracks for writing this in-depth exploration of why he shut the service down after 10 years, including competition from Spotify, egregious song licensing fees and the changing nature of music consumption https://blog.8tracks.com/...
Hasief Ardiasyah / @hasief: Haven't used it in a while, but I loved 8tracks for making playlists back in the pre-Spotify era. https://twitter.com/...
J Herskowitz / @jherskowitz: One of the longest and most impressive runs of a musictech generation. 👏🙏 https://twitter.com/...
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