Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Sources: after handing over to the new CEO, Bob Iger effectively returned to run Disney in March, as the pandemic decimated its most profitable businesses — The former C.E.O. thought he was riding into the sunset. Now he's reasserting control and reimagining Disney as a company with fewer employees and more thermometers.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Business Insider, @benyt, The Week, @kennethturan, The Playlist, /Film, @dylanbyers, Observer, Always Be Watching, Mediaite, @chrisbrogan, That Still, Small Voice, @mcastimovies, @ericgeller, @richlightshed, The A.V. Club, @carnage4life, @nbj914, @snoodit, @fosadam, @benyt, @benyt, @misterpatches, @mousterpiece, @jonfriedman, @stevekopack, @yashar, The Wrap and Variety
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Meg Whitman says Quibi had 1.7M downloads in its first week and is accelerating plans to let the app cast to TVs due to the lockdown — - New mobile streaming service Quibi saw 1.7 million downloads in its first week, CEO Meg Whitman said on CNBC's “Squawk on the Street” Monday.
Discussion:
Apptopia Blog, Multichannel News, The Verge, Light Reading, @stevekovach, @jbenton, Vanity Fair, MediaPost, @stevekovach, Adweek, Variety, Forbes and The Streamable, more at Techmeme »
Peter Kafka / Vox:
In some early COVID-19 coverage by the US media, conflicting and sometimes inaccurate information from experts and officials resulted in muddled messages — And can we do better? — The coronavirus pandemic has crippled America. So far, the virus has killed more than 20,000 people …
John Ourand / Sports Business Daily:
ESPN confirms it is asking about 100 commentators to take a temporary pay cut; sources: ESPN is asking talent to take a 15% pay cut over the next three months — ESPN has asked its 100 most highly paid commentators to take voluntary 15% pay cuts over the next three months …
New York Times:
Condé Nast announces pay cuts of 10%-20% for those earning over $100K and expects “some role eliminations” as it seeks government assistance in the UK and EU — The glossy magazine publisher says it is experiencing “significant financial pressure” and imposing cost-saving measures across the globe.
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Vox Media to announce furloughs of ~100 employees this week, with possible pay cuts for highest earners and other cuts including freelancers, vendors — - Vox is discussing furloughing about 100 employees as it seeks to cut costs amid coronavirus quarantines.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @freeblackgirl, @sdkstl and @sherman4949
Chris Stokel-Walker / OneZero:
As some YouTube advertising rates drop by as much as 50% while viewership rates are up, YouTubers say their pay has declined dramatically — Advertising rates on the platform have dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic — Newspapers, websites, and TV channels have all been decimated by the coronavirus.
Discussion:
Business Insider, @carnage4life, @ozm, @baekdal, @therevmountain, @ozm, @baekdal and @stokel, more at Techmeme »
Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
The White House Correspondents' Association says it has rescheduled its annual dinner for August 29 “after consulting with public health and medical officials” — The White House Correspondents' Association has rescheduled its annual dinner for the fall after its spring date …
Discussion:
@13abc, @mmcauliff, @yashar, @erikwemple, @oliverdarcy and @secretsbedard
Jane Perlez / New York Times:
Interviews with 41 foreign correspondents shed light on reporting from the US during the Trump administration, often having to decode unprecedented events — Dagens Nyheter, Sweden — Reporting from Washington, D.C., since 2017; first foreign posting. — A lot of Swedes are interested …
Discussion:
@brianod_news, @kaedotcom, @rcoreyb, @beanavarro and @eyderp
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Interview with NYT's Dean Baquet on why the paper waited weeks to cover a sexual assault allegation against Biden and edited the article to appease his campaign — Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The New York Times, said the article was published when there was enough reporting …
Discussion:
@ryangrim, Vanity Fair, @benyt, @moorehn, @evanmcmurry, @jackshafer, @louisemensch, @alexsalvinews, Slate, @justinryoung, @krystalball, @ggreenwald, The Bread Line, @moorehn, @heminator, @byronyork, @sulliview, @briebriejoy, The Week, New York Post and Breitbart
Bloomberg:
YouTube says viewership of videos classified as “news” has increased 75% YoY in the recent weeks — - Executive Mohan says Google unit ‘vigilant’ on misinformation — Video hub pulls #filmyourhospital clips claiming virus is hoax — News viewership on YouTube soared 75% …
Discussion:
@retailprophet
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Trump campaign sues Wisconsin TV station WJFW-NBC for “common law defamation” after it ran a Priorities USA ad alleging Trump called the coronavirus a “hoax” — A few weeks back, we noted that the Trump Campaign was sending threatening letters about a TV ad …
Discussion:
The Hill, @brianstelter, Bloomberg, Deadline, @mmasnick, New York Post and Variety