Mediagazer: UK's public service broadcasters call on the government to financially support freelancers working in the industry “as a matter of urgency” (Alex Ritman/Hollywood Reporter)

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Fox News anchors, from its supposedly hard-hitting news division, failed to challenge Trump as he repeatedly misled viewers during the coronavirus town hall — New York (CNN Business)Anchors at Fox News failed to meaningfully challenge President Trump as he repeatedly misled …

Discussion: Media Nation, Washington Post, Poynter, Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Journalism Review, @oliverdarcy, @oliverdarcy, @dougkass, @juddapatow, @ericboehlert, @sulliview, @speechboy71, The Wrap, Mediaite and New York Times

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Analyst estimates Facebook and Google could lose $44B+ in 2020 global ad revenue due to COVID-19; Facebook says its ad business has weakened in affected places — Ad spending is falling off a cliff amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and Facebook and Google, the two heavyweights in digital advertising …

Discussion: Ad Age, @dcnorg, @bobbycblanchard, @pkafka, @loudmouthjulia, @pkafka, The Verge and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »

Joyce Gannon / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Pittsburgh-area newspapers cut staff, suspend or combine print editions, and launch fundraising appeals, as a 175-year old weekly permanently closes — The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a harsh toll on news media in the Pittsburgh region including layoffs, suspension of print editions and, in at least one case, permanent closure.

Discussion: @pittsburghpg, @joyce_gannon, @charliedee71 and Fox News

Elaine Low / Variety:

Discovery withdraws its previous outlook for FY 2020 and will borrow $500M to “increase its cash position and maximize flexibility” during the pandemic — Discovery will borrow $500 million under its credit facility to boost its cash position the latest media company to scramble to deal the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Discussion: ir.corporate.discovery.com, @benmullin and The Wrap

Anjuli Patil / CBC News:

Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain SaltWire Network says it is temporarily laying off 40% of its staff and shutting down all its weekly publications — All SaltWire weeklies temporarily shutting down amid loss of ads due to COVID-19 — Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain …

Discussion: CBC News, @johngushue, @robertmmahoney, @mathewi and @jbenton

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

Some major towns in the UK lose their only print newspaper, leaving self-isolating older people without trusted news sources, as JPI Media suspends 12 titles — Many self-isolating older people left without trusted news source as presses stop rolling — Major towns including Milton Keynes …

Discussion: Press Gazette, @owen_g, @craigsilverman, @pressgazette, @jimwaterson and @pressgazette

Discussion: @markdistef, @markdistef, @markdistef, @chrisburn_post and @markdistef

Alex Ritman / Hollywood Reporter:

UK's public service broadcasters call on the government to financially support freelancers working in the industry “as a matter of urgency” — The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are among the signatories of a letter calling for income support to a beleaguered freelance community “as a matter of urgency.”

Jem Aswad / Variety:

Spotify unveils two initiatives to support the music community: matching donations up to $10M and plans to let artists fundraise directly from Spotify listeners — Spotify today announced a pair of initiatives to support the creative community in the wake of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Spotify and The Wrap

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:

With some lawmakers testing positive for COVID-19, congressional reporters risk exposure to cover Congress passing one of the most expensive bills in US history — “The job is by definition high-risk for transmission of COVID-19. We bunch up around each other... and pile into press galleries," said one reporter.

Discussion: @politicsreid, @maxwelltani, @maxwelltani and @maxwelltani

BBC:

BBC News has suspended plans, announced in January, to cut 450 jobs as it faces the demands of covering the coronavirus pandemic — BBC News has suspended plans to cut 450 jobs as it faces the demands of covering the coronavirus pandemic. — The job losses were announced in January …

Discussion: @jimwaterson

Patricia Nilsson / Financial Times:

The Athletic COO says readership numbers fell in recent days and revenue growth is expected to slow but it still has a “clear line of sight to profitability” — US website valued at $500m drops paywall after loss of big events challenges its purpose

Discussion: @muradahmed and @dcnorg

ProPublica:

In the last two weeks, several US conservative radio hosts were telling millions of listeners that the coronavirus furor is a politically motivated overreaction — More than 160 million Americans have been urged to stay home in what the World Health Organization has declared a global pandemic.

Discussion: @jackgillum, @doctoryasmin, @jackgillum, @wendellpierce and Vox

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

Esquire has quietly trimmed its print edition to six per year, down from eight, and says the reduction is not coronavirus-related but to improve print quality — Popular men's magazine Esquire has quietly trimmed its print edition to six per year — down from eight, Media Ink has learned.

Dani Deahl / The Verge:

Concert notification service Bandsintown partners with Twitch to let artists fast-track new Twitch accounts to Affiliate status, unlocking monetization tools — Bandsintown artists with 2,000 trackers or more are eligible — Concert notification service Bandsintown has partnered with Twitch …

Discussion: @jimmywhis