Top News:
Hunter Walk:
Tech leaders should stop glib comments on media and acting like underdogs, and tech media should stop “Red Teaming” tech, overusing anonymity, and passing blame — [with a post like this, i'm not 100% sure i got it right in first publish - i don't draft and i don't circulate for feedback …
Discussion:
@balajis, @hatr, @hunterwalk, @edmundlee, @mathewi, @davidu, @edmundlee, @fredbenenson, @yoda, @kvox, @karaswisher, @rmac18, @sarah_cone, @moorehn, @justglew, @chr1sa, @jason_kint, @yaserbi, @jason, @jarroddicker, @felixsalmon, @zebulgar, @edmundlee, @yoda, @cernovich, @edmundlee, @anildash, @stevesi, @hunterwalk, @sarthakgh, @triketora, @mgmckendrick, @nick_farina, @mgmckendrick, @edmundlee, @alex, @ericnewcomer, @glennf, @isosteph, @eliotwb, @hunterwalk, @alex, @kevinroose, @rpetty, @jason_kint, @hunterwalk, @cwarzel, @martinsfp, @chr1sa, @sfiegerman, @glennf, @clairlemon, @chr1sa, @mdudas, @ricmac, @ktmboyle, @antoniogm, @can and Alex's Personal Blog, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Balaji S. Srinivasan / @balajis: Incredible. Last week I called out a journalist who I thought was writing a piece that would be a disservice to public health. Unfortunately, my concerns proved well-founded. Recode's virus piece ignores WHO & CDC, gets the science wrong...and focuses on handshakes! Thread: 🧵 https://twitter.com/...
@hatr: This is a good blog. Most of it applies to cybersecurity reporting, too (h/t @gregotto) https://hunterwalk.com/...
@hunterwalk: @nick_farina @sarah_cone @chr1sa nah, the reporters in my feed are on top of that one ;-)
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: and the comments that the reporter acted in bad faith is incredibly rich ... how many times has Big Tech and its handlers issued non-responses via press release, or limited access to executives, or played word games? ...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Good piece from Hunter. I don't want to pick a winner, I just want both teams to have a good time 😂 https://twitter.com/...
@davidu: Must read thread. ���� Far more dangerous then the manufactured story about Oracle / Ellison that also came out today (which was orchestrated by a reporter). There are real journalists doing real journalism, and they need our strongest protection, but this isn't it. https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: the danger isn't the press — imperfect but willing to own its mistakes — it's the idea that only tech people can credibly comment on the tech industry...
@fredbenenson: As someone who work(s/ed) in tech and whose closest friends are almost all current or former journalists, this is extremely on point! https://twitter.com/...
Drew Olanoff / @yoda: @alex VCs and founders tried to treat journalists like friends, buddies and equals thinking it got them favorable coverage. When the coverage wasn't fluffy and tore into their reality distortion fields, the media became the devil.
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: I will be responding later and in detail to this manipulative effort to cherry-pick and add a convenient series of ... (ellipses) in order to misconstrue parts of the actual article, which you should actually read and is in no way minimizing the threat. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Cone / @sarah_cone: @chr1sa @hunterwalk I had an early-stage draft deck given to an editor in confidence for feedback ("hey does this work for your profession?") and he leaked it to write a clickbait story causing half the Internet to pile on me. They pick on the weak too; they'll do whatever for clicks.
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: A good read by @hunterwalk about the knock-down, drag-out fights in Tech Twitter as VCs and others resist making themselves and their businesses accountable: “You are not as much of an underdog as you think you are.” https://hunterwalk.com/...
Geoff Lewis / @justglew: Must read thread from @balajis . Simply; we have no choice but to *all* be citizen journalists now. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Anderson / @chr1sa: @hunterwalk “A reporter I know told me that their job is only to Red Team vs tech” Having spent half my career in media, I can confirm that's all too common. Drives me crazy A lot of it is due to Watergate-era “fifth estate” self-importance of press as a necessary counterbalance to power
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Rather than find myself ranting in the @balajis hack attempt to reinterpret and criticize tech coverage he and those close to AH didn't like, I'm just reupping this - which was good. https://twitter.com/...
Yaser Bishr / @yaserbi: I strongly suggest all young journalists to read this thread by @balajis. Fact-checking is not only about facts but it is also about context and intent https://twitter.com/...
@jason: Tech leaders are asking the tech press to take a pause & ask themselves if they could do better covering tech less hysterically & negatively — which is very similar to what the tech press asked tech leaders to do: be better, act more honorably. Both parties can improve. https://twitter.com/...
@jarroddicker: 2 industries in serious transition. Important to remain objective (which @hunterwalk does well here) when it comes to labeling journalism. Many are saying “premium” journalism is on the decline. That's inaccurate & generalizes ALL journalism as the same. Which it's not. /1 https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: Tech Guy: I am deservedly wealthy because when I look at the world I can see things that other lesser mortals cannot discern Also Tech Guy: An honest journalist looking at the world will see exactly what I see and if she doesn't then she's just trolling for clicks
DELIAN Asparouhov / @zebulgar: My favorite part of all of this is that Balaji has 15x the likes which means he likely has 50x the views A lot harder to be a bully when your usual targets for the last decade have built up bigger distribution than you https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: ... read the story. It's neither alarmist nor glib, and it offers salient examples of how Silicon Valley — an industry notorious for its solipsism — is handling a new unknown (as is every other business around the world)...
Drew Olanoff / @yoda: @alex I think the entire problem is people keep calling it tech journalism. Like it's different than other journalism. It's journalism. I'm not sure what their definition of “tech journalism” is but I assume it's cheerleading fluff.
Mike Cernovich / @cernovich: Act 1 - Media hits up a tech VC for comment on Coronavirus. Act 2 - Tech VC says, “nah you're just gonna do some clickbait piece.” Act 3 - Very Serious Reporters say, “nuh uh we don't do the clickbait.” Finale: https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: As a media reporter, I've done my fair bit examining the press and the business behind the press (along with my colleagues and my competitors), and we're as skeptical and at a remove as we are looking at anyone else. Would love to see tech build in the same detached gaze. (fin)
Anil Dash / @anildash: Very good analysis by Hunter of the totally broken interaction between tech & media. I'm probably one of the few who's helped start multiple companies & written for major media, and the intellectual dishonesty of some major tech execs + VCs is the most toxic part of the dynamic. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi: What's Wrong With Tech Folks Who Attack The Tech Media. And What's Wrong With Tech Media Today. @hunterwalk // something that changed for me as I got older is working to differentiate attack, negative, poorly done, an oversight, etc from malicious. https://hunterwalk.com/...
@hunterwalk: @cwarzel agreed. also, there needs to be *some* aggressiveness to do the real reporting on the worst shit that deserves expose, to be called out. no one wants a press that pull punches when a punch should be thrown (or at least i hope no one wants that...)
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: An imp piece by @hunterwalk. A lot of BS on both sides for explaining away their own bad faith behaviors & holding the other side to a higher standard. No industry is too precious to get perpetual immunity to criticism. https://hunterwalk.com/...
Tracy Chou / @triketora: these are good points and critiques of both sides of the tech industry vs tech press divide https://hunterwalk.com/... h/t @hunterwalk https://twitter.com/...
Madeleine McKendrick / @mgmckendrick: @hunterwalk Understood & agreed. As a leader, it just seemed to go in a direction that might lead others to M*GA-ish claims we see re: anonymous sourcing. Considering circumstances even beyond those mentioned, such as the number of employees constricted by NDAs, it can be more complicated.
@nick_farina: @sarah_cone @chr1sa @hunterwalk OK, but what about the other side? It seems like people are picking up on the “flaws with journalism” part of Hunter's piece and skipping over the “flaws with tech attacking the press” part.
Madeleine McKendrick / @mgmckendrick: 1) I love this. It's too tough on anonymity though: “If you can't get people on the record, maybe it's not a story.” Absolutely not. The biggest & most important stories are also the ones that invite massive retaliation & require anonymity. (see: MeToo, Impeachment, etc) https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Tech folks (not just one VC dude) are losing it over this balanced, sharply reported story from @shiringhaffary on the industry's reaction to the coronavirus https://www.vox.com/... ...
@alex: This is a good pt. Try to get an employee at any tech company on the record and they may get in legal trouble. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: This is reasonable https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Fleishman / @glennf: @chr1sa @hunterwalk There's a flip side of all this, too, which is the remarkable lack of critical thinking regarding a lot of tech utopianism. Theranos, for instance, should never have passed a second of scrutiny from a credible press—not a Red Team one, but an informed one.
Stephanie / @isosteph: @hunterwalk i liked this a lot! but re: the anonymity section what are reporters supposed to do about the fact that basically every tech employee is under nda
Eliot Brown / @eliotwb: @alex Don't forget NDA culture Startups almost universally ask people to sign one Upon visiting their office for lunch
@hunterwalk: @webdevMason I see a bunch of wealthy people I know decry they believe there's a valuable form of journalism not being practiced. My call to action for them was to fund it. The same section says to also pay for today's media, even if they find it imperfect.
@alex: Pretty good. I'd add that anon quotes are not the reporters fault most of the time; trying to get ppl in tech on the record is super hard. I blame overprotective pr for this. Agreed that reporters should have more headline control.
Kevin Roose / @kevinroose: @hunterwalk good stuff, esp. the punching up/down confusion bit. i once had an exec at a $500+ billion techco complain to me that the NYT (market cap: slightly less than $500 billion) was punching down by criticizing them.
Ryan Petty / @rpetty: A great example of why journalistic activism is a danger to society. That it was @recode. Anyone surprised? That @karaswisher doubles down. Par for the course. Original thread, h/t: @jonst0kes https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: I cringed at headline of @hunterwalk blog post but having now read carefully, it's entirely fair. Thx for taking it on. Important point: “So just as you think the media is ‘punching down’ when they critique us, they generally see it as ‘punching up’ and hold power accountable.” https://twitter.com/...
@hunterwalk: @MGMcKendrick thx. agreed - the focus here was treating anonymity as something scarce, and only to be given in proportion with the value of what's being reported. Feels like now it's become more of a norm, even for stories w very little broad public value. https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: agree with a lot of this my only caveat would be that an adversarial relationship btwn tech execs and tech press isn't bad! but there's a difference btwn professionally adversarial relationships and toxic, performative ones https://twitter.com/...
Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp: Finally had the time read the thread alongside the article itself, and for all the talk of ‘bad faith’ in the thread, there's a serious dose of bad faith in his interpretation of the article — or maybe poor reading comprehension. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Anderson / @chr1sa: @GlennF @hunterwalk Agreed, but much of that comes from poor technical literacy by most journalists. You're one of the few who really knows your stuff Interestingly the science press tends to be much better informed, perhaps because science moves slower and publication is so much a part of science
Seth Fiegerman / @sfiegerman: This critique is very reasonable on both sides. I would only push back on the point about tech press leaning heavily on anonymous quotes. Could we limit it? Sure. And most reporters I know always try for on the record. But NDAs have become the norm in tech https://hunterwalk.com/...
Glenn Fleishman / @glennf: @chr1sa @hunterwalk I appreciate the compliment, but it felt as if Theranos got anointed b/c of pedigree and no critical thinking was engaged—no medical knowledge required, perhaps. But also, we have a younger, less-experienced press b/c of layoffs and poor wages.
Claire Lehmann / @clairlemon: Amazing thread from @balajis in which he fact-checks line by line a recent @Recode article designed to embarrass Silicon Valley for being overly cautious about #COVID_19 Take-away: lazy journalism is not just annoying, it's a threat to public health https://twitter.com/...
Chris Anderson / @chr1sa: @hunterwalk The problem with that applied everywhere is that every reporter thinks of themselves as a self-appointed cop, ferreting out malfeasance in the establishment. Focus on negatives and joy in undermining giants. Corrosive
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: “The media's...reading your blog posts, tweets, podcast transcripts. If every individual, VC firm, startup is using these platforms to build their brand and puff their chests out, please spare me the indignation when reporters want to ask you for comment.” https://hunterwalk.com/...
Richard MacManus / @ricmac: Enjoyed this post a lot. The best thing about it? It was written on his blog, on his own domain, and wasn't a Twitter thread or a Medium post. Now that's a trend I'd like “Tech Folks” and “Tech Media” alike to adopt. https://twitter.com/...
Katherine Boyle / @ktmboyle: Twitter has destroyed institutional media. Status is no longer conferred by where one works. This is not new— this is a 30-year trend, thanks to the Fairness Doctrine. This is the beginning of a new media pattern that is reaching every corridor of business, politics and society. https://twitter.com/...
Antonio Garca Martnez / @antoniogm: This is going to start happening way more often, where media coverage is publicly refuted brashly and with zero thought to PR niceties (e.g. Fred Smith of FedEx responding to the NYT). https://twitter.com/...
The Guardian:
Source: Boris Johnson is “strident” on reforming the BBC, threatening to replace the license fee with a subscription model and cut most of its radio stations — Source claims Boris Johnson is ‘strident’ about broadcaster's reach being scaled back
Discussion:
The Sunday Times, CNN, Breitbart, @tianran, @gerrymoore101, @petersketch, ITV, @jksteinberger, Sky News, @richardberryuk, @nadinebh_, @casmudde, @clareprecey, Telegraph, @ralphblackburn, @mobeen_azhar, The Independent, @jayrosen_nyu, @lawdavf, @chrchristensen, @chrchristensen and @uk_domain_names
Discussion:
Tim Shipman / The Sunday Times: No 10 tells BBC licence fee will be scrapped
Jack Montgomery / Breitbart: ‘We Will Whack It’ - Boris Govt Takes On BBC with Plan to Scrap TV Licence
Randeep Ramesh / @tianran: Looks like BBC TV is to be shrunk so that Netflix and Amazon can gain eyeballs. End of British TV culture. Oh and BBC RADIO is to be sold off to Rupert Murdoch by Boris Johnson. End of British Radio culture. Welcome to shock jocks and Fox bloody news https://twitter.com/...
Gerry Moore / @gerrymoore101: Johnson not only after the Judges he is aiming to deliver the BBC to his friends like Murdoch According to @thesundaytimes there are plans to bring in subscriptions scrap licence fee and sell off radio stations https://twitter.com/...
Peter Sketch / @petersketch: A lot of the Culture War stuff that the Johnson gang talk up is only talk, intended to rile up their voters and never acted on. Let's hope this is one of those. If the BBC goes, we'll miss it. https://twitter.com/...
ITV: Source: Boris Johnson is “strident” on reforming the BBC, threatening to replace the license fee with a subscription model and cut most of its radio stations
@jksteinberger: And so it was predicted, and so it has come to pass. We (= everyone who is not far right) need to fight back on this very, very hard. The BBC is not perfect, but this government wants to destroy public broadcasting, pure & simple. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Richard Berry / @richardberryuk: There's a lot here to challenge. It ignores the value of the BBC culturally or in stimulating production. To suggest slashing all radio but WS smacks of colonialism. Question news, sure, but to bring down the institution is the 1st step of a dictatorship https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt / @nadinebh_: A really mixed bag on BBC reform. The one thing I 100% agree with is this sentence: “Johnson's aides also turned their fire on highly-paid BBC stars who made huge sums from outside work, suggesting they should be forced to donate the money to charity.” https://www.itv.com/...
@casmudde: Scrapping “BBC License Fee” will do same to British public radio and tv as “right to work” laws have done to US trade unions. And as British public media goes down, Murdoch's media will become even more dominant. Fun fact: Boris Johnson used to work for Murdoch-owned The Times. https://twitter.com/...
Clare Precey / @clareprecey: Will be interesting to see if Johnson's backbenchers will support selling off BBC local radio stations, one of the key ways they communicate with their electorate. #bbc https://twitter.com/...
Ralph Blackburn / @ralphblackburn: Number 10 attacks BBC presenters from earning money from second jobs, while Boris Johnson has spent most of his Parliamentary career being paid £250K-a-year for a newspaper column and accepting free £15K holidays in the Caribbean. Hypocritical much. https://twitter.com/...
Mobeen Azhar / @mobeen_azhar: Public service broadcasting is a crucial part of our democracy. Curtailing it is part of a broader, US style plan for corporate control of all our press. Many of us (rightly) defend the #NHS and we must also actively defend the #bbc #savethebbc https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Peter Stubley / The Independent: Downing Street ‘vows to abolish BBC licence fee’
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: It's important to the right wing to destroy public service media. Whether it will succeed in the UK, I do not know. For now let us contemplate why this is such a priority for them globally. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Lawrence Freedman / @lawdavf: @FADCLDN @BurlM11 I have learned to treat Sunday Times scoops with pinches of salt. I doubt license fee can survive. But I don't think attacks on the BBC are popular and the current arrangement lasts until 2027. Lets see how many fights Johnson wants to take on.
Christian Christensen / @chrchristensen: I spent many years living in both the UK and US. I'll say one thing: US TV/radio news is a democratic and intellectual train-wreck because the US never had a viable, popular non-commercial alternative. Is the BBC perfect? No. But lose it at your peril. The aftermath will be ugly. https://twitter.com/...
Christian Christensen / @chrchristensen: To all the people who said: “Yes, Trump & Johnson are awful, but it will re-boot the political system” please remember that the lifetime judges that Trump is appointing won't drop dead the minute he leaves, and the BBC can't be rescued once it's ripped apart and killed.
Edwin Hayward / @uk_domain_names: “No 10 could scrap BBC licence fee in favour of a subscription model Source claims Boris Johnson is ‘strident’ about broadcaster's reach being scaled back” The BBC have lost their aura, but they're still a critical bulwark against government overreach... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
As US newspapers fade, it's time for policymakers, funders, and local communities to seriously consider direct and indirect public funding for local journalism — It's been a particularly rough couple of months for those who care about local journalism — which should be every American citizen.
Discussion:
@sulliview, @dada_drummer, @thischrishorne, @rachbarnhart, @texasvc, @jeremylittau, @johnkingsfchron, @texasvc, @scmitchp, @ht_inschool, @jmadelman, @wbuechner, @porter_anderson, @texasvc, @jmadelman, @jmadelman, @texasvc, @downtownpress, @_toddstone, @zachdespart, @philmeyer, @texasvc, @anikaanand00, @jmadelman, @riegerreport, @darrendcarroll, @gregorykorte, @nandoodles, @vwpickard, @cbrentcolburn, @moorehn, @jmadelman, @scalzi and The Guardian
Discussion:
Margaret Sullivan / @sulliview: The future of local newspapers just got bleaker. Here's why we can't let them die.... my column, which includes some notable @DukeU research https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Damon K / @dada_drummer: So grim. My own two cents, a la Spotify income for a musician: arts coverage isn't extra, I think it kept local papers young and engaged w/the community. In Boston, once arts coverage disappeared it wasn't long before I stopped hearing anyone under a certain age mention the paper https://twitter.com/...
@thischrishorne: When corporate demanded newsroom cuts, we panicked to save “hard news” which makes sense, but it only highlighted local problems, often without solutions. Missing arts, culture and community, the civic narrative becomes “What a terrible place.” Why should anyone support that? https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Barnhart / @rachbarnhart: “It's an unpopular idea but what if propping up the legacy outfits is the most effective thing you can do to preserve local news?” Propping up @Gannett would be unpopular. Why would philanthropists line pockets of greedy executives? Go nonprofit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Texas VC / @texasvc: But I'll end with this. When I was a kid I couldn't find any Star Trek news, and now I've got 5 regular sources. My industry has dozens of news sites covering my peers. Journalism is all around me, but just in different ways. 8/8
Jeremy Littau / @jeremylittau: This is a thread worth reading. I met Chris at a gathering in November and am so impressed with how he approaches fixing what ails local news. Check out what he's doing at @akrondevilstrip ... it's one of those local news experiments that give me hope for the future. https://twitter.com/...
John King / @johnkingsfchron: “'It's an unpopular idea but what if propping up the legacy outfits is the most effective thing you can do to preserve local news?' Napoli said.” https://twitter.com/...
Texas VC / @texasvc: Watching newspapers struggle to evolve is painful to watch. Reporters do important work! This thread highlights great work! I have some modest thoughts as a ‘4 figure a month’ content consumer 1/ https://twitter.com/...
Mitch Pugh / @scmitchp: Everything about this column is true in most places in the U.S. But we are blessed here in Charleston to have local owners who have invested wisely and support quality, local journalism. The future of @postandcourier is only getting brighter and brighter. https://twitter.com/...
@ht_inschool: The HT provides the most education coverage in Monroe County. Almost always, it provides the only coverage of local schools and board meetings. To those that subscribe, thank you https://twitter.com/...
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: That had political ramifications: John Hancock helped fund a fledgling Patriot newspaper published by a young radical named Isaiah Thomas. He didn't support Boston's Loyalist papers. And it shaped how printers responded to political/commercial pressures (it's in the book!). /6
Wolfgang Buechner / @wbuechner: Interesting column by @sulliview - agree: local news outlets (not necessarily papers) are essential to democracy. But public funding won't save them. Excellency, innovation, transparency and interaction with readers will. https://twitter.com/...
Porter Anderson / @porter_anderson: Media: @Sulliview: “It's no exaggeration to say that much of the American newspaper industry is in a death spiral. One in five newspapers has shuttered since 2004; newspaper employment is down by nearly half ... There's no time to waste.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @washingtonpost https://twitter.com/...
Texas VC / @texasvc: @theinformation @PitchBook @CutForTime And don't get me started on the mind-numbing decision of local papers to partner with fake-news distributors like @taboola and @ZergNetOfficial. I shouldn't have to look at the fine-print to determine if my news site is feeding me a story or sponsored hokum. 5/
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: For models of how to do that sort of journalism in today's America, I think of examples like @Poynter and the @tampabaytimes or @lenfestinst's management of @PhillyInquirer. /end
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: It is, yes, one of the points I make in #RevNetworks. During the Revolution, no one thought about newspapers as profitable, but everyone from their printers/editors to local elites viewed them as vital public forums, a town square in printed form. /5
Texas VC / @texasvc: I'm not sure exactly what the next step looks like. I'd bet on vertically focused subscription models with a focus on mobile distro. But I'm loathe to support government subsidies to the dieing print dinosaurs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... 7/
Susan Carter Morgan / @downtownpress: “Local newspapers are suffering but they're still (by far) the most significant journalism producers in their communities,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Todd Stone / @_toddstone: “When you're looking for actual, original local reporting that fills a critical information need, it's still newspapers that are, by far, the primary source.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Another interesting take on media by @Sulliview
@zachdespart: Local newspapers — from small town weeklies to major metros — may not survive this decade. They also produce critical work and are the most trusted news sources in their communities. We must save them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Phil Meyer / @philmeyer: Digital-only news organizations in 2016 were providing only 10 percent of the original local reporting in the study's 100 communities. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Texas VC / @texasvc: @theinformation @PitchBook @CutForTime I subscribe to my local paper because I think they do good work, but they make their content painful to consume with a proprietary cms that breaks on mobile, aliased domains, and an odd obsession with optimizing graphics for print. The consumer experience is painful for me. 4/
Anika Anand / @anikaanand00: Disappointed to see supporting digital-only and legacy framed as an either/or. When will we *finally* all agree it's not that simple. https://twitter.com/...
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: 2nd point is one that Sullivan is astute about, but lots of news media figures still lag on: for much of the history of American journalism, newspapers were supported by their communities in ways analogous to what the Duke researchers in her piece describe. /4
JM Rieger / @riegerreport: “Twenty percent of all U.S. newspapers have closed since 2004, according to a recent report from PEN America, and the sector has shed 47 percent of its jobs.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Darren Carroll / @darrendcarroll: Organized journalists across the US are fighting to save their newspapers. @DukeU could help that fight by returning donations from alum Heath Freeman, the Alden Global Capital exec who's earning double-digit profits from the destruction of local news. #SaveLocalNews @NewsGuild https://twitter.com/...
Gregory Korte / @gregorykorte: “Local newspapers produced more of the local reporting in the communities we studied than television, radio, and online-only outlets combined.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Nandini Jammi / @nandoodles: Yes, definitely. I still have faith in ad revenues though. People would revolt if they knew how adtech siphons away $$ from local news and towards disinformation. https://twitter.com/...
Victor Pickard / @vwpickard: .@Sulliview's great piece points to an analysis that's central to my book: there's no commercial option for local journalism. If we want it - and democracy - to survive, we must intervene via public policy and subsidy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Brent Colburn / @cbrentcolburn: The death of local journalism is as big a threat to our democracy as outside foreign influence—and we have to start thinking in new ways if we want to stop the bleeding. Thanks @Sulliview for the thoughtful take on this enourmous challenge. https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: Big corporations have ruined media and left America with very little local coverage. Is it time to consider publicly-funded local journalism? @Sulliview has a great column today: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Joseph M. Adelman / @jmadelman: An important column from @sulliview. We need local journalism, which means we need to consider ways to support it ... because right now big corporations are bailing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
John F. Harris / Politico:
Bernie Sanders' reversal on releasing health records highlights how pervasive the Trump precedent is and the dilution of mainstream media's institutional power — Where are those medical records you promised to show us, NBC News' Chuck Todd asked last weekend on “Meet the Press.”
Discussion:
Peter Baker / @peterbakernyt: In reneging on promise to release full medical records, Sanders “shows how pervasive the Trump precedent is,” writes @harrispolitico. Even his foes “are ready to follow trails he has blazed in taking flight from public accountability.” https://www.politico.com/...
Kate Storey / Esquire:
A look at the history and continued relevance of the New York Post's Page Six and the ways in which it was used by powerful people like Weinstein and Trump — For more than four decades, Page Six has ruled the world of gossip about the famous and powerful.
Discussion:
Kate Storey / @katelstorey: I talked to the fascinating cast of characters that is Page Six: tipsters, sources, bold-faced names, reporters, and editors. Here's how they've managed to survive and thrive for more than four decades https://www.esquire.com/...
@esquire: For more than four decades, Page Six has ruled the world of gossip about the famous and powerful. In an era when celebrities control the narrative and “power” is a dirty word, can it survive? @KateLStorey investigates. https://www.esquire.com/...
@ny1: Since 1977, Page Six from the New York Post has put a spotlight on celebrity gossip and influence here in New York. @esquire Senior Staff Writer @KateLStorey (and former New York Post reporter) joined us to chat about her feature on the history of how @PageSix came to be https://twitter.com/...
Rose Minutaglio / @roseminutaglio: Trumps, Kardashians, Murdochs... There's everything in this @KateLStorey special! https://www.esquire.com/...
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Sources: News UK's upcoming Times Radio is making lucrative offers to leading BBC presenters like Nick Robinson, promising higher salaries and editorial freedom — Chris Mason and Nick Robinson among leading names linked to the News UK station — Times Radio is making lucrative offers …
Discussion:
@johnmfitzp, @jimwaterson, @jimwaterson, @leavehq, @toryscott, @tamsin_smith, @markdistef and @peterkgeoghegan
Discussion:
John Fitzpatrick / @johnmfitzp: So the Sunday Times carries a story about the break up the BBC - from an anonymous government source - The said paper owned by Murdoch is setting up a new radio station tries to hire top BBC news talent...All seems quite orchestrated https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Times Radio - doing to the BBC newsroom what The Athletic did to sports desks last summer. More names here: https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: BBC news presenters being offered big money to jump ship and front The Times' new radio station, trying to hire the likes of Nick Robinson and Chris Mason. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@leavehq: Don't understand this. Why would you pay big money to improve the output of your main competitor at the expense of your own? https://twitter.com/...
Victoria Scott / @toryscott: Anyone notice the startling absence of, oh, I don't know, the opposite sex in these apparent ‘poachings’? Are female presenters not worth the cash, @thetimes? https://twitter.com/...
Tamsin Smith / @tamsin_smith: It's not just losing presenters the BBC needs to worry about, it's the next rung down ... the underpaid, under-promoted talented lot who keep the shows afloat ... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Facebook to allow influencers to produce sponsored content for US politicians and political campaigns, if the posts are clearly identified as paid partnerships — Bloomberg's bad memes might just be the beginning — Facebook will allow influencers to produce sponsored content …
Discussion:
@broderick, gen yeet, BuzzFeed News, @broderick, @hshaban, @robaeprice, @oneunderscore__, @brandyzadrozny, @emilybell, @kateaurthur, @gauravlaroia, @billr, @josh_emerson, @digiphile, @broderick, @evelyndouek, @michaelsayman, @ap, @ownyourdatanow, @ewarren, @hshaban, @ws, @joshsternberg, @backlon, @kellymakena, @kellymakena and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Ryan Broderick / @broderick: Facebook said it's not putting politically sponsored posts created by influencers in their public ad library. They also wouldn't answer my questions about whether influencers posts will be exempt from fact-checking the way normal political ads are. �� https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed News: Mike Bloomberg's Sponcon Memelords Won't Be Subject To Facebook's Political Ad Regulations
Ryan Broderick / @broderick: Got an update from Facebook: They will tell third-party fact-checkers that if the speech in the sponcon is from the politician paying for the content, it won't be fact-checked. But if the speech is in the voice of the influencer who made it, it will be. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Sen. Warren highlights the new political advertising loophole on Facebook, as reported by the Verge. Has anyone offered any explanation as to how “branded content” aka paying people to post things on Facebook's platforms, is different from advertising? https://twitter.com/...
Rob Price / @robaeprice: In October 2019, Facebook employees raised concerns internally that ordinary users wouldn't be able to understand its policies on fact-checking political ads. FB's recent sponcon decisions risk muddying the waters even more. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: Filed under “things that don't make any sense because they were never supposed to make sense.” https://twitter.com/...
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: I've read this three times and friends, I still don't get it. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Just regulate political advertising - and Facebook - already. This is excruciating. (Also what if an influencer is running for President ?...) https://twitter.com/...
Kate Aurthur / @kateaurthur: I'm glad this has come out. But this is totally wrong. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Gaurav Laroia / @gauravlaroia: Hey @instagram & @Facebook it's great that Bloomberg's resources lets them “innovate” in the political ad space by getting themselves sponsored posts on big-name meme pages, but do us all the public service of recording them in your political ads database. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Russo / @billr: Politician: Can I pay you to lie for me? Influencer: Sure! Politician: But will the lie get called out? Facebook: Nah. Politician: Oh, but we have to put the ad in the library so people know it is an ad? Facebook: Nah. Politician: 🤑 https://twitter.com/...
Josh Russell / @josh_emerson: How many influencers are accepting rubles this election season? 😃 https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: If the 115th Congress had enacted the Honest Ads Act & the @POTUS had appointed a new commissioners to @FEC, we'd now have a level playing field for online political ads + standards for disclosures & disclaimers: https://sunlightfoundation.com/ ... Instead, self-regulation yields this: https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Broderick / @broderick: Just trying to imagine the traumatized permalance content janitor in some grim office park trying to figure out if it's Pete Buttigieg or ShitheadSteve saying “mood AF” to a Spongebob meme about medicare before hitting the lever that sends the post to fact-checkers.
Evelyn Douek / @evelyndouek: Two important things in this story: 1. the substantive rule change; 2. the fact that platforms can just change the entire playing field for digital campaigning without notice or transparency. Both are important and need attention. https://apnews.com/...
Michael Sayman / @michaelsayman: So now we have Facebook and the DNC bending their rules for Bloomberg. Not surprised. https://twitter.com/...
@ap: Mike Bloomberg exploited a loophole to run messages promoting his campaign on the accounts of popular Instagram personalities. Now Facebook has decided to allow candidates to run such “branded content” — paid political messages that aren't ads. https://apnews.com/...
@ownyourdatanow: Yes @Facebook has too much power. Now, a loophole for paid influencers to not label content as advertising. On Thursday, the FTC announced that it would be seeking public comment on whether it should review rules & inflict harsher penalties for mislabeling content. It should. https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Warren / @ewarren: Refusing to catalogue paid political ads because the Bloomberg campaign found a workaround means there will be less transparency for the content he is paying to promote. Mike Bloomberg cannot be allowed to buy an election with zero accountability. https://www.theverge.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Can anyone explain how paying people to post things on Facebook's platforms is different from advertising? https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Will Smidlein / @ws: VERY GOOD JOB GUYS, NO PROBLEM HERE, CAN'T POSSIBLY SEE THIS POLICY BEING ABUSED https://www.theverge.com/...
Josh Stermberb / @joshsternberg: This is quite the loophole: “Sponsored political content will not be placed in Facebook's political Ad Library unless the creator pays to boost their posts” https://www.theverge.com/...
Dieter Bohn / @backlon: Sponsored posts are not advertising but they DEFINITELY CONTAIN ADVERTISING. The FTC understands this but Facebook does not. https://twitter.com/...
Makena Kelly / @kellymakena: NEW: Facebook will allow influencers to partner with political campaigns for sponsored posts. There weren't any rules on this, because it wasn't really a thing until Michael Bloomberg started posting cringe. More here: https://www.theverge.com/...
Maria Bustillos / Columbia Journalism Review:
Interview with Fahad Shah, editor of news and culture magazine Kashmir Walla, on police harassment, publishing during the internet blackout, and more — Fahad Shah is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Time, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Guardian, the South China Morning Post, and elsewhere.
Financial Times:
With falling sales, the Daily Telegraph has moved from the news to the magazine section of WHSmith, raised its price, and pulled out of ABC circulation audit — Move by UK retailer comes as publisher grapples with decline in sales — WHSmith has instructed its stores to move the Daily Telegraph …
Discussion:
@fascinatorfun: “When Telegraph CEO Nick Hugh told staff about the decision to pull the paper from the industry-wide circulation audit, according to two people present, he said: “I do not want to be part of a narrative that tells a story of the structural decline of our industry.” https://twitter.com/...
Mark Di Stefano / @markdistef: NEW with @alexebarker: WH Smith issues instructions to newsagents around the country to move the Daily Telegraph out of “News” and into to the magazine aisle in the pro-Brexit newspaper's latest attempt to arrest cratering circulation numbers. https://giftarticle.ft.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: This just looks...wrong? I guess why not try stuff if sales are falling but this one stumps me a bit. https://twitter.com/...
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A group of podcast publishers including Spotify, NPR, and Wondery form Podcast Academy to promote podcasting, sets its first Golden Mics annual awards for 2021 — The burgeoning podcast biz is looking for its own version of the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. — On Friday, a group …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, @discover_pods, @hernanlopez, @lucas_shaw, @davewiner, @niemanlab, @xpangler, @xpangler, AllAccess.com, Concurrent Media, Hollywood Reporter and The Verge
Discussion:
@discover_pods: I'm admittedly biased here, but it's kind of wild The Podcast Academy folks (PRX, Spotify, Sony, Wondery, NPR) didn't learn from iHeart's mistakes and include people with no obvious conflicts of interest. https://variety.com/...
Hernan Lopez / @hernanlopez: It's an honor to be joined by @kerriprx @mootron @dalbright03 and peers from @NPR @Stitcher @spoke_media and others in this exciting initiative https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: The new podcast academy is being led by @hernanlopez of @WonderyMedia, but also includes executives from @Spotify @TenderfootTV and @prx https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Dave / @davewiner: Oh really: “Born in the halls of public radio, podcasting has emerged as one of the fastest-growing businesses in media over the past few years.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@niemanlab: “Everyone has a favorite podcast, they reason, and now it's time to recognize the talent behind those shows — from the host to the sound engineer to the script writer.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Todd Spangler / @xpangler: Notable podcast cos. absent from the Podcast Academy's charter membership include @iHeartRadio, the @nytimes, @hearluminary, @Entercom and @WestwoodOne https://variety.com/...
Todd Spangler / @xpangler: Founders of the Podcast Academy haven't determined membership fees but spox says the aim is to keep costs low and accessible for all industry participants https://variety.com/... via @variety
Perry Michael Simon / AllAccess.com: Podcast Movement Evolutions Kicks Off Friday With Announcement Of Podcast Academy, Golden Mics Awards
Paul Sweeting / Concurrent Media: Weekend Mix: Out of Tune
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter: Podcast Playlist: Industry Executives Team to Launch Podcast Academy, Awards Show
Ashley Carman / The Verge: Podcasters want an awards show, so they're trying to start one
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Univision in exclusive sale talks at a ~$10B valuation with a bidding group that includes former Viacom CFO Wade Davis and Searchlight Capital Partners — The Spanish-language broadcaster has been running a sales process for months — Univision Communications Inc. is in exclusive sale talks …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, @longdrivesouth, @latimesent, @benmullin, Awful Announcing, Hollywood Reporter and Variety
Discussion:
Meg James / Los Angeles Times: Univision, the nation's largest Spanish-language media company, nears a sale
Daniel Hernandez / @longdrivesouth: Everything is crumbling. Spanish-lang media behemoth #Univision up for sale and owners are asking for less than what they paid for, via @MegJamesLAT: https://www.latimes.com/...
@latimesent: The deal involving the nation's largest Spanish-language media company could happen as early as next week https://www.latimes.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Updated story w/@danacimilluca: Deal talks for Univision are valuing the company at close to $10 billion, including debt, sources say. https://www.wsj.com/...
Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing: Univision reportedly “nearing a sale” …
Reuters:
At the Munich Security Conference, Zuckerberg says harmful content should be regulated with a system somewhere between existing frameworks for telcos and media — MUNICH (Reuters) - Online content should be regulated with a system somewhere between the existing rules used for the telecoms …
Discussion:
Michelle Meyers / CNET: Zuckerberg: Facebook content should be regulated, but under a new model
@jmgrygiel: ...conveniently trying to guide a framework. A system between media and finance would bring more oversight and high transaction volume solutions. If we can manage trillions of dollars we can handle trillions of posts. The myth that social content is too big to regulate must end. https://twitter.com/...
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