Top News:
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to step down, President and COO John Stankey will take over the position on July 1 — Randall Stephenson, chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Inc. — AT&T announced CEO Randall Stephenson will step down. President and COO John Stankey will take over the position on July 1.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, TechCrunch, Fast Company, Axios, AT&T, Politico, The Verge, @davidschawel and @felixsalmon, more at Techmeme »
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
A group of 75+ scholars and non-profits urges social media companies to preserve data on content removal during the pandemic and make it available for research — The data provides an ‘unprecedented opportunity’ — A group of scholars and nonprofit organizations have asked web platforms …
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …, Center for Democracy …, @epirkova, @accessnow, @mollyjongfast, @holden and @aaronmiller
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Leaked images from 2019 show Google considered a feature that let users tip money to websites like Wired or NYT as part of its Contributor program — Leaked images obtained by TechCrunch reveal that Google considered and designed a feature that would let people donate money to websites …
Discussion:
@joshconstine, Android Central, @tedgioia, @joshconstine and @joshconstine, more at Techmeme »
Megan Graham / CNBC:
Google to require all advertisers to verify their identities, starting in the US; existing advertisers will have 30 days to complete the verification process — - Google began requiring political advertisers wanting to run election ads on its platform to verify their identity back in 2018.
Discussion:
The Keyword, Adweek, @markdistef, ZDNet, MediaNama, @jowyang, @martinwaxman, Gizmodo, @sarahguinee, @privacymatters, @tonia_ries, @nilrod, @tri_becca90, @cyberguerre, @luca, @associatesmind, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @loupas, @alexweprin, New York Times, The Daily Dot, Search Engine Land, Ad Age and Beyond Search, more at Techmeme »
emptywheel:
NYT, WaPo, NBC have once again opted for a both sides approach in their coverage of Trump's suggestion of ingesting disinfectant as coronavirus treatment — Last night, an increasingly desperate President went on live TV and advised that people might try ingesting disinfectant to cure COVID-19.
Discussion:
@jasonpatinkin, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, @doctorow, Raw Story, Raw Story, @mattgoldberg, @ggreeneva, The Week and @tusk81
Adam Uren / Bring Me The News:
Minnesota's Eden Prairie News and Lakeshore Weekly News close; they were among the 11 papers Alden's MNG acquired in February when it bought Red Wind Publishing — The two papers cover the Lake Minnetonka and Eden Prairie areas. — Two west metro newspapers are the latest victims …
Discussion:
SWNewsMedia.com
Greg Dool / Folio:
Executive Media launches MagBox, a subscription-based bundle of five niche magazines from different independent publishers, mailed every two months for $40/year — Unlike most mass-market magazine publishers, whose print books generally depend far more on subscriptions and advertising revenue …
Discussion:
@foliomag and @glecharles
Todd Spangler / Variety:
In Q1, revenue for Verizon Media came in at $1.7B, down 4% YoY, due to decline in ad rates; FiOS TV lost 84K subscribers — Verizon posted first-quarter 2020 revenue of $31.6 billion, down 1.6%, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic for the miss on Wall Street expectations.
Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline:
Universal Pictures seals a 5-year exclusive deal with LEGO Group for film development, production, and theatrical distribution — EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has completed a five-year exclusive deal with the LEGO Group that will lead to the development, production and theatrical distribution …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, The Wrap, @drewtailored, ComingSoon.net, Fortune, /Film, Hollywood Reporter and Comic Book Movie
Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO of Eros International's India division, about its STX Entertainment merger, accusations of accounting irregularities, and more — Pradeep Dwivedi says the two companies can complement each other in a bid to expand in India, appeal to Chinese sensibilities and compete with the streamers.
Michelle Castillo / Cheddar:
Memo: NYT to temporarily stop printing its sports and travel sections in the Sunday edition, replacing them with At Home, focused on sheltering in place — With no major sporting events and barely any travel happening due to the coronavirus, The New York Times plans to stop printing hard copies …
Discussion:
@shukla_tarun, @rafat, @rafat and Skift
Sam Kille / Report for America:
Report for America announces its 2020 corps, which comprises 225 journalists vs. 59 in 2019, to be placed in 162 outlets, and $2.5M in funding from Facebook — Report for America today announced the selection of 225 journalists for its 2020 reporting corps.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Lab, @niemanlab, @alexpshorts, @mcclatchy, @block_m3, @jengriffinfnc, @kenwardjr, @madsburk, @jesskorina, @jakewittich, @searchlightnm, @bensessoms, @mohamed1brah1m, @ansarihibah, @_owendaugherty, @deasia_paige, Raleigh News & Observer, @syraob, @byfernandas, @laurenmpeace, @acaciatree18, @pfannyyy, @craignewmark, @mlcalderone, @jason_w_white, @mikeviimusic, @abbeymarshall, @zoemjack, @stevenwaldman, @groundtruth, @poynter, @groundtruth, @hberkes, @sbodine120, @benyt, @annaliznichols, @iowapublicradio, @douglassoule, @wypr881fm and @mathewi