Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
A look at the growing role of news unions, now with more diverse leaders and class consciousness, and their potential to shape publisher-platform relationships — Cheered on by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others, a new generation is making gains on everything from layoff protections to gender-neutral pronouns.
Discussion:
@nytmedia, @rafiletzter, @dominicholden, @timmarchman, @katienotopoulos, @mattdpearce, @rkgwork, @lainnafader, @benmullin, @greenhousenyt, @tobin_tweets, @matthewstoller, @nicknehamas, @kerrymflynn, @daveyalba, @mikeelk, @hannahlebovits, @freedaaron, @mattyglesias, @mikeelk, @apantazi, @cshea4, @dbrauer, @gaufre, @benyt, @sammcooney, @sammy_roth, @kerrymflynn, @annehelen, @rkgwork, @freedaaron, @sokane1, @theprospect, @rkgwork, @mikeelk, @economistmeg, @sarahljaffe, @mgafni, @haileybranson, @felixsalmon and @thebenbergman
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
How Politico, NYT, NBC's Nightly News, and a freelance journalist in SF are producing projects that inform kids about the pandemic without scaring them — “Grownups, we have our various coping mechanisms and ways of processing this strange new reality. We have our Zoom calls and our alcohol and our memes.
Discussion:
Digiday, American Press Institute, @nytimespr, @hanaatameez, @niemanlab, @saffronhowden and @tracischweikert
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Elliott Management is financing a patent lawsuit by interactive-video company Eko, which it will take an equity stake in, against Quibi — Elliott, run by billionaire Paul Singer, will fund the suit by interactive-video company Eko and take an equity stake
Discussion:
Axios, Multichannel News, The Streamable, @benmullin, Variety, Deadline, MediaPost, New York Post, @wsj, @raju, @benmullin and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Devex:
The economic fallout of the pandemic on news orgs worldwide makes global efforts like the $1B/year International Fund for Public Interest Media even more vital — It's hard to think of a time in recent history when access to trustworthy information has been more important.
Discussion:
@luminategroup, @antelava, @bbcmediaaction and @jennymedina
Conor Gallagher / The Irish Times:
Ireland's National Union of Journalists releases a rescue plan for embattled Irish media industry, including calls for a 6% “windfall tax” on tech giants — Media firms getting public cash should have 25% employee representation on board - NUJ — Technology giants should be subject …
Discussion:
@mathewi, @kenfoxe and @ciananbrennan
Associated Press:
Amnesty International says journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime with at least 12 journalists detained in crackdowns in the wake of COVID-19 — Egyptian government using pandemic to tighten control of media and quash dissent, rights group reports
Discussion:
The Guardian
Meggie Gates / Consequence of Sound:
Pop artists are embracing a future where TikTok, Twitter, and Twitch dictate what's memeable and successful, with Lil Nas X, Drake, and Lizzo leading the pack — The fate of a pop artist now belongs in the hands of Twitch, Twitter, and Tik Tok — You may barely remember the Harlem Shake videos …
Catherine Sweeney / Poynter:
Reporters covering the COVID-19 crisis may be more exposed to “anticipatory grief” that comes with unpredictable and prolonged stories with mounting losses — “We are anticipating the unknown losses. Will they be our friends?" — Covering tragedy is in every reporter's job description …
Discussion:
@davidclinchnews, Agence France-Presse, @cartercenter, @itsren, @kristenhare, @poynter, @cathjsweeney, @poynter and @editorpublisher
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
ESPN, scrambling to fill its programming grid, strikes a deal to show six live regular-season games per week from KBO League, S. Korea's baseball organization — With U.S. sports shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN is turning to interational options.
Discussion:
The Wrap and Seeking Alpha
Todd Spangler / Variety:
PewDiePie signs an exclusive livestreaming deal with YouTube, following similar deals between YouTube and other stars in recent months — YouTube will become the exclusive live streaming home for Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie to his millions of fans.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, @pshanley88 and The Verge
Carl Miller / BBC:
Investigation by BBC and ISD think tank into the COVID-19 “infodemic” on Facebook finds right-wing misinformation had far more interactions than the WHO and CDC — “What if [they] are trying to kill off as many people as possible” reads one Facebook post.
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Study of UK's flagship TV and radio news programmes in March shows 2.7 male experts were interviewed for every female expert, a three-year high imbalance — Study shows imbalance of 2.7 men for every woman on radio and TV programmes in March — Almost three times as many male …
Discussion:
@deeyah_khan and @rogerkline