Top News:

Memo: LA Times is furloughing some non-union, business-side employees up to 16 weeks, and some editorial staff and managers will get pay cuts from 5% to 15% — A company executive told staff that the coronavirus has caused an “unprecedented” decline in revenue for the paper.
Discussion:
@marcatracy, @laura_nelson, @latguild, @kdrobinett, @mrwagner25, @natsfert, @katelinthicum, @tvietor08, @mattyglesias, @thezanesimon, @passantino, @tonyajoriley, @adamconover, @jbenton, @arashmarkazi, @zachsdorfman, @marcatracy, @ischafer, @noah__goldberg, @nycsouthpaw, @jbenton, @fidmart85, @jonheyman, @yashalevine, @johnpgarrett, @neoliberal_dad, @sarahparvini, @jenhab, The Big Lead and Variety


Memo: Valence Media lays off staff, cuts pay due to COVID-19 and as part of revamping at Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Vibe; source: media unit lost 100+ jobs — New York (CNN Business)The media industry continues to see widespread cuts as Valence Media slashes jobs across several of its brands …
Discussion:
@zackwhittaker, The Wrap, @funkbutcher, Axios, @sarafischer, @kerrymflynn, @zackwhittaker, @pcrowl, Variety, New York Post and The Daily Beast


Amazon will cut commission rates for its affiliate program starting April 21; amount of drop dependent on category, rates for grocery products dropping 5% to 1% — - Amazon on Tuesday told members of its affiliates program that it will cut commission rates beginning April 21.
Discussion:
The Verge, @raju, @tweetermeyer, @bcmerchant, @passantino, @markreadings, Folio, @jordanchariton, @scottgerber, @jasonrmcintyre, @tomgara, @joshsternberg, @robaeprice, @thrasherxy, @kifleswing, @jbenton, @jasonsjigs, @jbenton, @matthewstoller, @mattrosoff and @naomiaklein, more at Techmeme »


WH press corps reporters discuss risking their health to attend daily press briefings that have provided the most direct access to the president in modern times — The White House briefing room is a low-ceilinged claustrophobic space. Built on top of a swimming pool where Franklin Delano …
Discussion:
Press Watch, @iraflatow, @froomkin, @seungminkim, @maggienyt, @brianstelter, @olivianuzzi, @froomkin, @bencjacobs, @mehdirhasan, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu and @boutrousted


Taboola, Parse.ly, Chartbeat data: COVID-19 traffic to news sites peaked in mid-March and traffic has now gone down, though it remains higher than average — Audience numbers now look more like a standard busy news week than a global pandemic that's captured the world's attention.
Discussion:
@jbenton, @raju, @ahmalcolm, @saffronhowden, @g_piechota, @davelucas, @domdifurio, @meghin_, @rasmus_kleis and @jaredbkeller


NBCUniversal's ad-supported Peacock Premium tier launches for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers on Wednesday; the bulk of Peacock's originals are delayed until 2021 — NBCUniversal's Peacock is ready to start rolling out to Comcast cable customers starting this week as scheduled …
Discussion:
CNET, MediaPost, @joan_e, @xpangler, Digiday, @richlightshed, The Wrap, CNET, Multichannel News, corporate.comcast.com, TechCrunch, The Streamable and The Verge


Amid the pandemic, demand for newsletters, Instagram accounts, and YouTube channels focused on good news has grown, from NatGeo to Upworthy — The coronavirus pandemic has driven interest in uplifting headlines way, way up. — Though it can be hard to see past the daily deluge of devastating headlines …
Discussion:
@marklittlenews, @jaconi, @michatagana, @drewharwell, @washpostpr, @saba_h, @sophiasgaler, @laurenthomas, @alliklein, @dubois, @rasmus_kleis, @taylorlorenz and 9to5Google


Medium's opaque moderation of user-created content related to COVID-19 has allowed misinfo to spread, making it harder to tell fact from fiction on the platform — The platform empowers voices — and misinformation — On March 20th, an article about the novel coronavirus started to spread.


Stanford and Google News Initiative launch tool that lets journalists embed up-to-date maps of US COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, using NYT county-level data — Stanford University's Big Local News and Pitch Interactive projects, along with the Google News Initiative …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Behind Local News UK, The Keyword and 9to5Google


Sling TV debuts Happy Hour Across America, which lets new users stream its 50+ channel Sling Blue package for free from 5pm ET to midnight — Live TV streaming service Sling TV has been rolling out a bunch of promotions in response to coronavirus stay-at-home orders nationwide, and the newest one could be its best yet.
Discussion:
Variety, Light Reading, Mashable, The Streamable and Fortune


Modern Luxury Media, publisher of 40+ regional magazines, is furloughing staff and suspending some executive pay through June, aiming to avoid permanent cuts — Modern Luxury Media, publisher of more than 40 high-end regional lifestyle magazines, has furloughed a significant number …


Scripps' board members and executives including the CEO are taking 10% to 15% pay cuts with the money saved going to the company's COVID-19 employee relief fund — Top executives and director of the E.W. Scripps Co. are taking voluntary salary and fee reductions as the Coronavirus crisis continues.
Discussion:
Cincinnati Business Journal and PR Newswire