Top News:
VICE:
Angry over critical coverage, tech figures discuss hitting back against journalists, on Twitter and invite-only Clubhouse, leading to harassment of NYT's Lorenz — In leaked audio from an invite-only app, venture capitalists pondered everything they think is wrong with journalism.
Discussion:
@can, The Verge, @hunterwalk, @paulg, @rossneumann, @sarahnemerson, @hshaban, @mdudas, @backlon, @conordougherty, @timmarchman, @themoko, @karaswisher, @waltmossberg, @themoko, @blader, @__aston__, @blader, @androowoo, @blader, @sgreenfie, @mikerugnetta, @danprimack, @dhh, New York Post, Beyond Search, @sarahjeong, @kerrymflynn, @jbouie, @karaswisher, @mgsiegler, @blader, Matt's Newsletter, @televisionwhore, @katebevan, @mgsiegler, The Bagholder Report, @hblodget, @tomgara, @revrrlewis, @clarepalo, @adamdavidson, @taylorlorenz, @moorehn, @pixelmetal, @alex, @nishachittal, @sivavaid, @alexhcranz, @yashar, @sheeraf, @sashaperigo, @helenbrosnan, @heerjeet, @nicoleperlroth, @caseynewton, @nickconfessore, @nicoleperlroth, @fmanjoo, @max_fisher, @brandyzadrozny, @stevenlevy, @danprimack, @stevenlevy, @ketchcast, @suhail, @jenn_ruth, @dangillmor, @grahamstarr, @jenn_ruth, @steven_strauss, @ericgeller, @albertburneko, @rogerwcheng, @tlangford, @vaurorapub, @emilybell, @benfischersbj, @bafeldman, @dannypage, @jessica_roy, @charlesarthur, @brandyzadrozny, @bafeldman, @libshipwreck, @audreywatters, @calisurf, @meena_thiru, @kosamari, @aprilaser, @a_w_gordon, @chwoodiwiss, @cherylrofer, @gossithedog, @evanchill, @hshaban, @rossneumann, @rossneumann, @pavsmo, @joshsternberg, @mat, @psa_sitch, @hshaban, @jason_koebler, @chillmage, @merylkornfield, @rationalwiki, @a_w_gordon, @taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, @taylorlorenz, @maxwelltani, @jeffbercovici, @davidbix, @davidbix, @balajis, @taylorlorenz, @emilybell, @maxwelltani, @nicoleperlroth, CNET, @fmanjoo, @taylorlorenz and @digitalshields, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@can: Someone on Clubhouse just said “why does press have a right to investigate private companies, let the market decide, I don't understand who gives them that right”
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge: Away says co-CEO Steph Korey will step down this year after her attacks on the media
@hunterwalk: She doesn't talk about it, but i will. @TaylorLorenz covered Charlottesville Unite the Right, livestreamed the horrific car assault & got punched while doing so. Have “state of media” discussions if you want, but don't call her a ‘styles’ reporter or soft. She's harder than you.
Paul Graham / @paulg: @StevenLevy It's true there are some very good journalists, yourself among them. But it seems to me they are disproportionately the older generation.
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: this is the dumbest concept of how media works https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Emerson / @sarahnemerson: If I controlled million of dollars I simply wouldn't use the Cartman voice https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: “The conversation essentially resembled a Gamergate chat, with people obsessing over minute drama and, at times, suggesting that Lorenz had crossed a line on Twitter and must be punished.” https://www.vice.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: <Gulps> “'You can't fucking hit somebody, attack them and just say, 'Hey, I have ovaries and therefore, you can't fight back,'” Felicia Horowitz, founder of the Horowitz Family Foundation and wife of Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz, said." https://www.vice.com/...
Conor Dougherty / @conordougherty: Best I can tell, according to Silicon Valley we would have more women CEOs if only we had a more fawning and pliant media.
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: People in this milieu, it should be remembered, successfully conspired to destroy Gawker because it dared to criticize them. https://www.vice.com/...
Jessica Powell / @themoko: The press isn't perfect. Y, there r outlets driven by clickbait (the NYT isn't one of them); I've seen the way business beefs can translate into editorial agendas. But don't attack journos, the maj of whom r good. It only feeds into the neg perception ur trying to fight.
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Hey all you papier-mâché techies: take advice from an actual pro on your side who is smart and fair and knows 👇 https://twitter.com/...
Walt Mossberg / @waltmossberg: @themoko There are bad journos and bad tech CEOs too. It is important to cover both the big guys & unknown startups. I always did. The best current tech journos do too. But, even years ago, VCs often hated journalism and felt their companies had a God-given right to favorable coverage.
Jessica Powell / @themoko: Putting aside this specific battle, what if the reason VCs think NYT etc always negative in their tech coverage has less to do with journo bias as it does the gap between what gets coverage and what doesn't. BORING THREAD ABOUT PR/JOURNOS/VCs
Siqi Chen / @blader: @__aston__ Strong agree that they (clearly!) have different goals, and that more people will see the VICE story. Happy to present it without comment so folks can judge for themselves which story they feel better informs them.
Aston Motes / @__aston__: @blader Thanks for clarifying. I definitely prefer more detail, and I tend to agree that aiming for more objectivity is best. However, consider that these two authors probably have different goals. I think it's probable that the (flawed) Vice story will actually better inform more people
Siqi Chen / @blader: @__aston__ 1. One of these is a significantly more complete and objective reporting of factual events, while the other is the opposite. 2. We should respect and expect more reporting like the former rather than the latter.
Andrew Woo / @androowoo: @blader Thanks for sharing. I had seen the VICE article but not Quora, and the latter is much more informative.
Siqi Chen / @blader: @sgreenfie Fair enough, presumably you feel A is more biased than B. I never claimed otherwise, just happy for everyone to read and decide for themselves.
Sam Greenfield / @sgreenfie: @blader Exhibit A: written by someone who's primary occupation is “[helping] tech companies communicate better with their stakeholders.” Exhibit B: written by three full-time journalists with over 22 years of experience. Don't pretend A is unbiased because you agree with it.
Dan Primack / @danprimack: Something missing in the tech/media translation: Tech gives a pass to failure. A product didn't work? That's ok. The effort was still there. Media doesn't. If you write something that's wrong, particularly VERY wrong, it's a stain that sticks. Credibility is our currency.
@dhh: Again, this is the Gamergate playbook. Exploiting the reasonable assumption that “with two parties fighting, they're probably equally bad about it”. Avoid that trap. https://twitter.com/...
Noah Manskar / New York Post: Away boss Steph Korey stepping down again amid uproar over social media posts
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: Another Dust Up: A Consequence of Swisherism?
Sarah Jeong / @sarahjeong: Can we stop framing online toxicity around the evils of anonymity and the sad lives of aimless boys and young men. Because, uh, there's a bunch of *Silicon Valley venture capitalists* brigading a young female journalist online
@kerrymflynn: Also please read this @TaylorLorenz appreciation thread. So much love for this incredible reporter and wonderful human ♥️ https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: these people are the biggest, blubbering babies i've ever seen https://www.vice.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: You think I kid about the victim mentality of the richest and most powerful people in the world who control so much of our society. This is a feature, not a bug: VICE - Silicon Valley Elite Discuss Journalists Having Too Much Power in Private App https://www.vice.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: I will say, it feels like people now have way too much time on their hands in our COVID reality? And Twitter is there to take it and turn it into a sort of disaster porn of self-owns. We have a pandemic going on. And an election coming up. Eyes on the ball, people.
Siqi Chen / @blader: Presented without comment: Exhibit A: This answer on Quora, written by a random person on the internet, summarizing recent events: https://www.quora.com/... Exhibit B: This article on VICE, written by a professional journalist, summarizing recent events: https://www.vice.com/...
@televisionwhore: They are up to it again. Sorry to Lorenz who is only trying to do her job. If you don't like bad coverage of your company, fucking treat your employees better, so they have no reason to tell what goes on at the company. https://twitter.com/...
@katebevan: Ooof, this is a great piece. Silicon Valley is utterly toxic and it has bred a small clique of giant, entitled whining manbabies https://www.vice.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: Not weighing in on tech press v. tech insiders because I already did, 50 years ago — er, 5 months ago, which feels like 50 years ago. The song remains the same. https://500ish.com/...
Christof Rindlisbacher / The Bagholder Report: Is This the End of the Deferential Tech Press?
Henry Blodget / @hblodget: Are tech folks blaming this one on journalists, too? https://www.theverge.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: Among like 5,000 other things, it's amazing that the special guest apparently specialized in old school journalism ethics is Roland Martin https://www.politico.com/...
Bobby Lewis / @revrrlewis: a bunch of venture capital babies, cloistered away in an invite-only social media site where they can pretend to be better than we common poors, are harassing @TaylorLorenz due to their being Offended at tepid criticism of a (shitty) luggage CEO's insta. https://www.vice.com/...
Clare Palo / @clarepalo: taylor lorenz paved the way for social editors who were deeply interested in the platforms they worked on. it's really hard to become a reporter when ur “just a social editor.” i've watched her transition from social editor to reporter since college, and she's done it gracefully https://twitter.com/...
@adamdavidson: This is a very well-written article, written with restraint and smarts. A lesson in how to let the subject use their own rope. @jason_koebler @annamerlan @JosephCox https://www.vice.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: VC ppl tagging me in tweets like: on one hand Taylor is being viciously harassed, attacked, stalked. But on the other hand, I don't like that she once criticized a female founder (whose own employees have renounced and ousted her). Please unfollow! This is not support
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: Absolutely mesmerized by the spectacle of narcissistic self-importance that VC Twitter — especially the Andree*sen Horowitz folks — are publicly engaged in. If nothing else, decency aside, this isn't exactly great branding for their investments. https://www.vice.com/...
@pixelmetal: You mean when gamers complained about game bloggers having a secret list? https://twitter.com/...
Nisha Chittal / @nishachittal: In 2016 I traveled for election coverage and so did @TaylorLorenz and we ran into each other at every debate. Back then she was working 3 jobs for The Hill, Mic (?), and Mental Floss, trying to make a career shift from audience to reporting. No one works harder than her. https://twitter.com/...
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: THIS explains so much. https://twitter.com/...
@alexhcranz: If it wasn't clear already, assuming wealth=wisdom is a bad idea! https://twitter.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: Lmaooo god some tech people really do live in the world where they think they're gods. https://twitter.com/...
Sheera Frenkel / @sheeraf: I wish this was satire. There are people in Silicon Valley who actually have these thoughts in their heads, (and apparently say them out loud?) https://twitter.com/...
Sasha Perigo / @sashaperigo: what do tech guys think “the market” is? wrong answers only https://twitter.com/...
Helen Brosnan / @helenbrosnan: this has to be the top 10 funniest sentence I've ever read in my life https://twitter.com/...
Jeet Heer / @heerjeet: @Max_Fisher Worth diving into Thiel's time in Stanford, there's stuff there that hasn't been explored.
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: Make sure you stay for the part where the VC suggests a better model for journalism would be...venture capital. https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Is Clubhouse the first social startup to self-immolate over a content moderation crisis before leaving closed beta
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Thought we had figured out which Twitter was the worst Twitter but then the VC guys really stepped up their game.
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: @TaylorLorenz Truly disgusting Felicia would throw fuel on this.
Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo: The extra crazy thing about this stupid story is I really can't think of a reporter whose work more often shows the positive, zany, unexpected and hopeful effects of tech than @TaylorLorenz — like the whole dumb idea on this call that she epitomizes “anti-tech media” is insane
Max Fisher / @max_fisher: In reporting my book on how social platforms became accelerators of misinformation, polarization, and hate, people kept telling me: You have to look at the Silicon Valley venture capitalist culture that shaped those platforms. Today was a good illustration of what they meant.
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: .@TaylorLorenz fought for a beat that NO ONE understood. She hustled, wrote the hell out of it, and made people care, all while raising up others and contributing to not-her-beat stuff. She's weathered goblins harassing, doxxing, & trying to push her out for years. It won't work.
Steven Levy / @stevenlevy: @paulg Some of that is happening. But journalists are the ones whose job it is to actually do interviews, go through documents, etc., to dig for the truth. It would be tragic if their hard-won facts are dragged down to the level of people talking out of their ass.
Steven Levy / @stevenlevy: @paulg Disagree. I am inspired every day by the younger people I work with at @wired and read in other publications.
John Ketchum / @ketchcast: This is a wild story but not at all surprising. A lot of tech CEOs/founders love the media until we're critical of them and tell stories about things other than how innovative they are. https://www.vice.com/...
@suhail: Keep in mind: @TaylorLorenz is now stalking tech founders Instagram Stories waiting to pounce on the next hit piece she can write to twist the narrative. You attacked first, you didn't care, or ask any questions. Weak & way below the line. Give me a break.
@jenn_ruth: The day a journalist is “aligned” with the interests of the rich and powerful instead of the interest of holding them to account is the day they stop being a journalist. So yeah, our interests are disaligned with you, buddy. That's the whole point.
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Some of Silicon Valley's “elite” need remedial education in ... just about everything other than code, silicon, and winner-take-all business practices. https://www.vice.com/...
Graham Starr / @grahamstarr: “Articles like the Verge's investigation into Away do not appear out of thin air. People who work at tech companies—often burdened with non-disclosure agreements—take risks to discuss labor conditions at their company.” https://www.vice.com/...
@jenn_ruth: Srinivasan “claimed that relying on the press is ‘outsourcing your information supply chain to folks who are disaligned with you.’” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Steven Strauss / @steven_strauss: Just spitballing it, but if you talk on a social media app in 2020 and don't realize how easy it is for someone to be recording the conversation, maybe you are not very bright. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Geller / @ericgeller: lmao these people https://twitter.com/...
Albert Burneko / @albertburneko: it's fun to think about how much better off—undeniably, indisputably better off!—the world would be if the top several layers of Silicon Valley society were put on a barge in the middle of the ocean and left there https://www.vice.com/...
T.L. Langford / @tlangford: Reading here how put out captains of the tech industry are, by a smart woman working in a flawed, threadbare industry by comparison is*chef's kiss* all kinds of perfect. VICE - Silicon Valley Elite Discuss Journalists Having Too Much Power in Private App https://www.vice.com/...
Valerie Aurora / @vaurorapub: Ah yes, if there is one thing we have learned in 2020, it's that journalists have too much power https://www.vice.com/...
Ben Fischer / @benfischersbj: My favorite part is when Vice notes how dumb they all sound when they talk about journalism chasing clicks. https://www.vice.com/...
Brian Feldman / @bafeldman: like, if you're gonna villainize the press, the idea that reporters are too good at pointing out all the ways you suck is unconvincing to anyone outside the sv bubble
Danny Page / @dannypage: Worth reading the update at the bottom, where AGAIN Korey apologized internally, but VCs are going full g*merg*te anyway. https://www.vice.com/...
@jessica_roy: “I believe in standing up for those people who don't have a voice, who cannot stand up for themselves.” Imagine earnestly saying this when you're defending a SUCCESSFUL TECH STARTUP CEO from a tech journalist!!!!!!! https://www.vice.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Great headline, great reporting from @jason_koebler, @josephfcox and @annamerlan. The headline captures it neatly. Maybe they could have got the net worth of the woe-is-me VCs in there somewhere, for spice. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: Or—as numerous current lawsuits and first-hand accounts suggest—there might just be rampant abuse of vulnerable people and minorities in the tech industry. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brian Feldman / @bafeldman: one aspect about the newest gamergate is that, in contrast, the original gamergate was at least smart enough to say it was about the press being too spineless instead of too critical https://www.vice.com/...
Librarianshipwreck / @libshipwreck: It may seem like an oversimplification to say that critics have been warning about the anti-democratic bias embedded in SV's ideology for years...but critics have been warning about the anti-democratic bias embedded in SV's ideology for years. https://www.vice.com/...
Audrey Watters / @audreywatters: Think of this story every time one of your favorite ed-tech startups raises venture capital and one of these vile people joins the board, shaping the direction and values of the company https://www.vice.com/...
Andy Wasklewicz / @calisurf: The quote from @balajis that made me burst out laughing: “I believe in standing up for those people who don't have a voice, who cannot stand up for themselves.” <search> Steph Korey net worth $130M. Ah, yes, standing up for the downtrodden. https://www.vice.com/...
Meena Thiruvengadam / @meena_thiru: “Silicon Valley millionaires, who have been coddled by the press and lauded as innovators and disruptors, fundamentally misunderstand the role of journalism the moment it turns a critical eye to their industry.” https://www.vice.com/...
Mariko Kosaka / @kosamari: As someone who thought typical VC backed startup was a place I want to work in my 20s, and have a partner who did founder stint... honestly, it's embarrassing that I once looked up to these “community” if I can even call that. I should've been better. https://www.vice.com/...
April Glaser / @aprilaser: the only on the record voice in this is Taylor's editor, who is doing what all great editors do: showing strong support for great reporters https://www.vice.com/...
Aaron W. Gordon / @a_w_gordon: This is the thing right here. At this point, in 2020, if you cannot see that “building things” can have negative consequences on people's lives depending on the type of company you run and what your goals are, then you aren't fit to be building things. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Catherine Woodiwiss / @chwoodiwiss: I, like many, didn't pay enough attention to Gamergate. Time to play catch-up. https://www.vice.com/...
Cheryl Rofer / @cherylrofer: If you, like me, have been seeing scraps of this fight pop up in your feed, here's the (very long) explanation. Also a good set of reasons to tax Silicon Valley and venture capitalists down to a single mansion. https://www.vice.com/...
Kevin Beaumont / @gossithedog: Silicon Valley elite ponder what ‘they can do’ about journalists holding them to account. https://www.vice.com/...
Evan Hill / @evanchill: Tech has been extremely successful at convincing the public that it is unlike every other industry that came before and its top profiteers unlike any other businesspeople who came before. It'd probably be better and healthier to just start treating it like oil or finance imho. https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Motherboard on leaked Clubhouse audio: “The exclusive, wealthy users of Clubhouse on the call seemed to conceive of themselves as humble citizens preyed upon by corrupted elites cravenly lusting after money and power” https://www.vice.com/...
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: like if this was actually a scalable way to drive traffic then why isn't there an upworthy for investigative reporting?? this is such a stupid line of thinking
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: as someone who was once the jerk in charge of driving traffic - the cost per click of a deeply reported story that outs the stupidity of a random startup sucks
Pavithra S. Mohan / @pavsmo: Yup this is as embarrassing as I expected it to be https://www.vice.com/...
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: Lots going on here, but notice the only person to go on the record was @choire, doing what an editor does for their reporters: providing necessary support. https://www.vice.com/...
Mat Honan / @mat: Clearly one industry VCs do not understand much about is the media business: https://www.vice.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Motherboard gets leaked audio: “The call shows how Silicon Valley millionaires, who have been coddled by the press and lauded as disruptors, fundamentally misunderstand the role of journalism the moment it turns a critical eye to their industry” https://www.vice.com/...
Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler: Gamergate is happening again in Silicon Valley https://www.vice.com/...
@chillmage: Tech leaders have boasted for years about how disruption has destroyed traditional journalism and then when they happen not to like the journalism of the moment they say journalism is too powerful. Can't have it both ways https://twitter.com/...
Meryl Kornfield / @merylkornfield: The one where an exec says “the entire tech press was complicit in covering up the threat of COVID-19,” and claimed relying on the press is “outsourcing your information supply chain to folks who are disaligned with you.” https://twitter.com/...
@rationalwiki: this is why @balajis is being so obnoxious to journalists lately, particularly female ones, that people are noticing it's organised of course, he's not very bright, so even the super rich guys turn out to be as competent as gamergate mk 1 https://twitter.com/...
Aaron W. Gordon / @a_w_gordon: Notice how Jones's analysis here is all about framing reporting around a market-driven process because that's all he knows. At no point does he seem to consider people can simply choose to not do shitty things that attract media attention. https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This was just one hour of what was actually recorded in just one room of the app. Think of what else these people have been on Clubhouse saying and what they're saying behind closed doors. The audio is shocking and everyone should listen https://www.vice.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: So, when Steph Korey pulls the woman card it's correct, when a female journalist gets harassed she is “using her ovaries.” Just trying to get it straight here https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: “Lost in the shuffle are the employees who say this apparently powerless CEO still presides over a broken company. Thursday afternoon, a coalition of Away employees emailed Away's leadership to say that 'Steph's Comments Are Hurting Us.'” https://www.vice.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This is terrifying. And because reporters generally aren't allowed on Clubhouse, there's no accountability. cc @pdavison https://twitter.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: Based on a forensic study of this audio, I've concluded that actually it is unclear whether these are VCs or freshmen enrolled in Introduction to Mass Communication at George Washington University https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Bercovici / @jeffbercovici: @balajis @jason_koebler @RealSexyCyborg you're equating someone leaking audio of you on Clubhouse to outing an activist living in a police state, nice
David Bixenspan / @davidbix: @balajis @jason_koebler Wait, why is it bad that Jason reached out to you for comment?
David Bixenspan / @davidbix: @devilninja777 @balajis @jason_koebler But...getting several audio recordings is a thing that reporters are supposed to do, as is reaching out for comment.
Balaji S. Srinivasan / @balajis: The only objection journalists like @jason_koebler have to “surveillance capitalism” is that they want to be the monopoly providers! This is the same guy who outed Naomi Wu (@RealSexyCyborg), by the way. https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Someone leaked an hour of audio from Clubhouse last night where Balajis, Felicia Horowitz, and others were talking ahout the media. It's disgusting what these people will say when they think no one is listening. https://www.vice.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: ...a few weeks ago a Silicon Valley-based journalist was talking about the impending ‘culture war’ between technology companies and other media...maybe this is what they mean https://twitter.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: great point. in the old days, journalists were never tweeting. now, they tweet all the time. why is that? https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: Twitter user here. I've covered 3 male-dominated communities for more than a decade: infosec, natsec and Silicon Valley. But I've never seen more entitlement, disdain for accountability and mansplaining than in venture capital. See: the past 24 hours of VC Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo: the campaign of harassment by rich guys against @TaylorLorenz is as unsurprising as it is disgusting — she's one of the best and most original reporters covering tech there is, and the clubhouse (literally that's where they hang out) can't abide https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This wasn't just “someone” it was apparently the CEO of a not very tiny company https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Do you dopes not understand that the Times has a digital subscription model? @Suhail @balajis Look I get it, I know you're not big readers, but I thought VCs were good at understanding business models? No one there gets ‘extra money for clicks’ or whatever you think happens
Erin B. Logan / @erinblogan:
LA Times' Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong responds to a letter from the LAT union's Black caucus, promising to hire more Black journalists, ensure equitable pay, more — On June 23, The L.A. Times Guild lead by Black members sent Times' owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong an open letter demanding the paper address its racism and commit to do better. This is his first public response. https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
@ryanlenorabrown, @loudhannah, @itsjina, @palewire, @rhodes_dawn, @anupkaphle, @jsilverinpgh, @erinblogan, @michaelshure and bookforum.com
Discussion:
Ryan Brown / @ryanlenorabrown: The @latimes owner's powerful response to demands by his Black reporters and editors that the paper do better. He notes his painful personal experience with racism as a “non-white” doctor in apartheid South Africa, where white patients refused to let him touch them. https://twitter.com/...
Hannah C. / @loudhannah: Now this is a start. https://twitter.com/...
Jina Moore / @itsjina: I am eager to hear from others but my first read makes me think this is what real leadership looks like. Right down to naming passive voice as a tool of implicit bias. https://twitter.com/...
@rhodes_dawn: Powerful and thoughtful. He seems to get it. Now we wait for the follow through. Words, even very good words, are meaningless without action https://twitter.com/...
Anup Kaphle / @anupkaphle: “I apologize to you for not advancing anti-racist priorities as substantively and rapidly as we had dreamed.” — LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Silver / @jsilverinpgh: It is literally impossible to imagine such a response from Keith Burris, Karen Kane or the Block family. They can't even figure out how to say: “I'm sorry.” Instead @PGNewsGuild gets tossed out of the executive editor's office, an appearance on Laura Ingraham and an A1 screed. https://twitter.com/...
Erin B. Logan / @erinblogan: In the letter, @DrPatSoonShiong offers an apology: “I apologize to you today for not advancing anti-racist priorities as substantively and rapidly as we had dreamed.”
Ginia Bellafante / New York Times:
WNYC staff express sense of betrayal in letter to board, having said before that they wanted an EIC who was a POC, knew the city, and had experience in radio — The public radio stalwart vowed to fix what its journalists said was a toxic work culture. But the latest changes have led to a newsroom revolt.
Discussion:
@tanzinavega, @thrasherxy, @aurabogado, @joannna, @marysdesk, @kristenmeinzer, @jaycaspiankang, @latifnasser, @mattkatz00, @ryeh, @celesteheadlee, @ayellowduchess, @lisatozzi, @dannydoodar, @jakebackpack, @luolkowski, @public_lee, @celesteheadlee, @radiobkg, @thrasherxy, @tobinlow, @rebel19, @jaycaspiankang, @tanzinavega and @kerrymflynn
Discussion:
Tanzina Vega / @tanzinavega: My WNYC newsroom colleagues have called on our senior managers to fulfill the promise of diverse leadership at the station. I stand with them. Here's more on what's happening in our house in today's NYT https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dr. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: 1. Good morning! There's a story in the Times about the racism of @WNYC, the country's biggest public radio station, but it misses a HUGE actor in the story, @lwalker, & only get 1/2 of how white women go to/from big jobs w/o experience in nonprofits. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Aura Bogado / @aurabogado: “Nonetheless, newsroom leadership remains almost uniformly white, and most reporters are white. Only two people of color currently have direct reports...” This essentially describes every newsroom I know. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joanna Solotaroff / @joannna: I love @WNYC for the people who so tenaciously fight for justice, equity, and truth. WNYC must prioritize hiring and retaining black and brown producers, reporters, and editors. Anything less is a betrayal to staff and the community it is mandated to serve.https://www.nytimes.com/ ...
Mary E. Harris / @marysdesk: I've been at so many workplaces where Black and brown employees simply left because there didn't seem to be room for them at the table. It's meaningful that employees @WNYC believe in their institution enough to stay and demand more. It's a kind of love. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kristen Meinzer / @kristenmeinzer: Notably, the search was “led by a Harvard MBA & headhunter.” Idea: Let's stop looking at the Ivy League as the gold standard in our recruitment searches. If we want real diversity -in terms of race, class & immigration status- it's not there. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kang / @jaycaspiankang: this is why I'm so cynical about diversity in media. Management never changes and is propped up by ridiculous phrases like ‘incredible taste’ and ‘news sense’ that are never really explained and very weirdly only seem to apply to the same types of ppl! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Latif Nasser / @latifnasser: Proud to stand alongside @TracieHunte, @ryeh, and my other colleagues @WNYC who are trying to make the newsroom as richly diverse as the city it represents. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Katz / @mattkatz00: We cannot report the news nor convene civic conversations without diversity in our newsroom and in our leadership. I signed this letter, which was crafted with frustration and love. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Richard Yeh / @ryeh: Come for the photos of what WNYC looks like from the outside. Stay for the story of what it feels like on the inside. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Celeste Headlee / @celesteheadlee: @WNYC @AtBennington I teach executives all over the world how to listen. One of the very first lessons is to stop all the performative listening. If you allow workers to voice their opinions and tell them you value their views, that doesn't mean anything unless you act on their views.
Afi Yellow-Duke / @ayellowduchess: Every tweet I've drafted about this feels ridiculous. None of what we're asking for is “radical” or “bad,” but simple and long overdue @WNYC + beyond. I'm grateful for coworkers including @TracieHunte @ryeh @pollyirungu for leading the latest push https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lisa Tozzi / @lisatozzi: “Too often, media and cultural organizations insecure about their own management abilities default to handling things the way the protocols would require at Procter & Gamble or Citibank ... ” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Danny Lewis / @dannydoodar: Many of my colleagues - especially Black and people of color - put in countless hours of work to make this place better. I signed this letter because even though there's been a lot of promises, there is far, far more to be done: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jacob Bacharach / @jakebackpack: Leaving aside all the equity issues, I've been on non-profit exec search committees, and every time a headhunter firm has been involved we've paid $10s of 1000s for the top 15 hits on LinkedIn and some pdf one-pagers that look like they're selling a house in a subdivision. https://twitter.com/...
@luolkowski: I'm so glad to see employees at @WNYC taking a stand and demanding change. I believe it is an act of love and that WNYC will be the better for it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lee Hill / @public_lee: My WNYC local newsroom colleagues are rightfully calling for more diversity in newsroom hires. New York City is 60%+ non-white, unconscionable that our newsroom falls so short of reflecting this. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Celeste Headlee / @celesteheadlee: Classic example of pretending to listen to employees. @WNYC held multiple listening sessions with staff, asked their opinions, and then tossed those opinions out and did what they wanted to do anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bradley George / @radiobkg: “Only two people of color currently have direct reports; across the station's content division...there is only one additional person of color with a staff. There are 157 staff members on the content side, and 15 of them are Black.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dr. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: 6. All these horrors happened under the @WNYC “leadership” of one @lwalker, a white woman so evasive at not taking on blame, she isn't even mentioned in @GiniaNYT's story. All these Black women & women of color's lives were harmed & careers ended by a faceless, objective WNYC.
Tobin Low / @tobinlow: I stand with my WNYC colleagues in demanding that our organization immediately address its appalling track record on hiring, promoting, and investing in Black and POC employees/leadership https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rebel19: Thank you @GiniaNYT for reporting this out so succinctly — and thanks to my Black and POC colleagues at @WNYC for keeping it pushing. I live by Toni Morrison's words (all of them): “If you have some power, your job is to empower someone else.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jaycaspiankang: now there's a good chance Audrey cooper is a great boss in almost all respects, but she doesn't have any experience in radio and she's going to manage a diversity push and in the end the ppl working there will feel like they're in her Benneton ad. It's never not this. https://twitter.com/...
Tanzina Vega / @tanzinavega: A tiny quibble with the piece is when they say I was hired as a result of Hockenberry. I was in the running for the host gig *months* before the story broke. I'd like to think it was more than my race/gender that earned me my role at @TheTakeaway
@kerrymflynn: “In a letter delivered to top management and the board of trustees on July 1, which has since amassed more than 145 signatures — including those of high-profile figures like Brian Lehrer — staff members expressed a sense of betrayal.” https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Dotan / The Information:
Reuters has told employees that it is planning on putting many of its articles behind a subscription paywall — Reuters is planning on putting many of its articles behind a subscription paywall, the news service told employees. Reuters would become one of the last free news services …
Discussion:
Tarun Shukla / @shukla_tarun: Reuters would become one of the last free news services to adopt a subscription business model. Some articles go behind paywall from February. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Alex Barredo / @somospostpc: Oh. Let's see the price and porosity of said wall https://twitter.com/...
Tom Dotan / @cityofthetown: New: Reuters is planning to move its stories behind a paywall next year. Probably the biggest (and last) of the big unpaywalled sites to move away from the free model. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Reuters expects to place many stores behind a paywall
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
In memo, Boston Globe EIC outlines steps to address race in the newsroom and in coverage, including an audit of past work and a right to be forgotten initiative — This past Wednesday, Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory sent a long memo to his staff about steps the Globe will take to respond …
Discussion:
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Similarly, this memo from Boston Globe Editor Brian McGrory is a call to reshape just about every beat in Boston with an eye to race and inequality, as well as a push for more hires of color, including on masthead. via @dankennedy_nu https://www.wgbh.org/...
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
The Trans Journalists Association launched Tuesday to offer professional support to trans journalists and to provide guidance to newsrooms on trans coverage — On Tuesday, the last day of Pride Month, 50 journalists launched a project to keep with the momentum of the month: the Trans Journalists Association.
Jeremy Gordon / Columbia Journalism Review:
A requiem for The Outline, which had a broad editorial vision with creative freedom for staff, and which closed in April after less than four years of existence — On April 3, the day The Outline was shut down and its editorial staff let go, my coworkers and I received hundreds of messages …
Discussion:
@jeremypgordon, @nbj914, @ktzhu, @davidsrudin, @vpougy, @mikelikessports, @suchandrikac, @mikelikessports, @brandyljensen, @lemonsand, @adrjeffries, @hcheadle, @cjr, @outsidethenba, @cjr, @rosalyster, @leahfinnegan, @joshuatopolsky, @ryanvailbrown, @chaykak, @jeremypgordon, @benyt, @jeffbercovici and Columbia Journalism Review
Discussion:
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: The Outline shut down 3 months ago. Shortly after, @CJR asked me to write a postmortem about the site, which is up now https://www.cjr.org/...
Nicholas Jackson / @nbj914: I feel all of this: “While I'm not lighting a candle in memoriam every night, a ‘remember when...’ text from a former coworker can still inspire a lot of soppy feelings. Yet [insert your website here] was something, not nothing, so I'll allow myself to be sentimental.” https://twitter.com/...
@ktzhu: OKAY FUN FACT ABOUT JEREMY — he was my editor in college (@MedillSchool / go cats ayyeee 🤙🏽) & we recently reconnected on this godforsaken website so not everything is all bad & he's a great fucking writer & u should read his retro on The Outline 👇🏽 https://twitter.com/...
David Rudin / @davidsrudin: “This business really should just be that simple—pay people well to do great work—and yet, it rarely is.” https://www.cjr.org/...
Victor Pougy / @vpougy: I really miss reading The Outline! I was one of the few websites I would type into the address bar and click away from the homepage - as opposed to clicking links on twitter. It had great stuff to read and it looked super beautiful. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Piellucci / @mikelikessports: @jeremypgordon Also, mega shoutout for paying me to write sports stuff even though apparently sports stuff was like the single biggest loss leader they had lol.
@suchandrikac: Still proud of writing my first essay on #grief for them (editor: @BrandyLJensen, always hire her): https://theoutline.com/...
Mike Piellucci / @mikelikessports: This was a lovely reflection by the dude @jeremypgordon about The Outline, which was a good and essential website precisely because the only essential thing was good work. https://www.cjr.org/...
Brandy Jensen / @brandyljensen: @SuchandrikaC still proud to have published it!!
Angela Lashbrook / @lemonsand: I wrote some of my favorite work ever for The Outline and I am really sad that it's gone https://www.cjr.org/...
Harry Cheadle / @hcheadle: this is a good piece that gets at what happens when talented editors and writers work for a publication that has, um, apparently somewhat less talented people working on the business side https://twitter.com/...
@cjr: “Every publication prides itself on its versatility, but ours was driven by the freedom that comes with having no expectations besides ‘be different, and be interesting.’ There was nothing we wouldn't cover, if we thought we had a way in.” https://www.cjr.org/...
James Herbert / @outsidethenba: when @YaronWeitzman asked me where he could pitch a story about dog poop I immediately told him to try the outline https://twitter.com/...
@cjr: New from @jeremypgordon: The good news about The Outline was that everything seemed to be of some interest. The bad news: Everything seemed to be of some interest. https://www.cjr.org/...
Rosa Lyster / @rosalyster: I miss the outline all the time, partly because writing for them did actually change my life, but mostly because there is not a week goes by that I don't think “I wish someone could write about this for the outline” https://twitter.com/...
Leah Finnegan / @leahfinnegan: really beautiful piece from jeremy (biased but still) 😭https://twitter.com/ ...
Joshua Topolsky / @joshuatopolsky: Thank you @jeremypgordon for writing this. https://www.cjr.org/...
Kyle Chayka / @chaykak: “Websites are good, and then they die: Gawker, Deadspin, The Awl, Grantland, Splinter, too many others to mention. That's just how it goes.” https://www.cjr.org/...
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: Aside from the employment it provided (underrated perk of “work,” IMO), I think “Man, I miss The Outline” several times a week because I keep coming up with “Outline pitches” that have nowhere to live https://www.cjr.org/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: Some timeless lessons in this piece on Facebook and the press: Access is a curse; and it's fine/good if you're having the occasional screaming match with a PR person, it's both of your jobs https://www.cjr.org/...
Laura Hughes / Financial Times:
Boris Johnson is planning to replace afternoon Lobby press briefings in the UK with a daily televised press conference, akin to the American format, in October — UK government plans White House-style televised daily press briefings in shake-up — Downing Street is launching plans …
Discussion:
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette: Televised press conference to permanently replace afternoon Downing Street press briefing
Martin Flegg / @martinflegg: The madness continues.........'it's difficult to justify having more than 4000 spin doctors on gov payroll'. Disappointing language from No10 for all those hard working #comms people in the GCS! https://www.ft.com/...
@pressgazette: ‘Briefings that are too stage-managed and favour the few will not be in the best interests of the public as a whole’ - warning from @EditorsUK over plan for daily televised press briefings. The PM says people want ‘direct engagement’ https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: If the American model is followed, the stage is set for “press as hate object” theatre. Not to say this has been missing in the UK. https://twitter.com/...
Emilio Casalicchio / Politico: UK looks to the White House with plan to televise press briefings
Beth Rigby / @bethrigby: But crucially business will now be done daily on camera too in a far more formal way https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Salvidge / @rachsalv: This should freak everyone out. Government comms staff to be radically cut back. Info strangled. BIG problem for democracy and society, unless you're happy to accept our Dear Leader at his word. Downing Street to cut back Whitehall communications unit https://www.ft.com/...
Peter Walker / @peterwalker99: Televising No 10 briefings will make them different - questions will be aimed as much at TV audience as getting information. But having one as a briefing, and one a press conference is perhaps not a bad idea overall. Chance for both non-grandstanding scrutiny *and* more openness. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Geoghegan / @peterkgeoghegan: Deleted my tweet about this story earlier as I had misread the original piece. Just to clarify, seems UK government plans replace 4,000 comms staff across 20 departments with 30 press officers for each department. Big change in numbers and procedure. https://www.ft.com/...
Pippa Crerar / @pippacrerar: It's win-win for No 10. Morning lobby (always best attended) still with PM's civil service spokesman - real business of day done off camera. Then on-camera briefing in afternoon makes No 10 look transparent. Broadcast clips but who will carry live and - crucially - watch? https://twitter.com/...
Tom Newton Dunn / @tnewtondunn: 👇Good idea. https://twitter.com/...
Jane Merrick / @janemerrick23: The part of this that we journalists should be alarmed about is NOT televised briefings. I'm not opposed - I think the daily briefings were good for showing the public the press holding govt to account. It's the axing of govt press officers that have a greater threat on scrutiny https://twitter.com/...
Jim Pickard / @pickardje: Great scoop from @Laura_K_Hughes Downing Street is set to dramatically reduce the government's communications operation - firing press officers - and to televise daily press briefings, in the latest shake-up of the Whitehall machine. https://www.ft.com/... via @financialtimes
Christian Calgie / Guido Fawkes: Guido Wins: Televised Lobby Briefings Coming
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Profile of The Juggernaut, an ad-free, subscription-based publication focused on stories about the South Asian diaspora in America — “The fastest growing demographic in America right now is Asian Americans and, more specifically, South Asian Americans. But when you look at the media coverage …
Discussion:
@niemanlab: “One of the most exciting things is the audience engagement component and how it can fuel our reporting,” @VigneshR said. “These are great opportunities to ask people who maybe never been asked or given a platform to share their thoughts or concerns.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Refinery29 President Amy Emmerich steps down; the site's union called for her resignation in June, and Vice was probing claims of toxic behavior at Refinery29 — New York (CNN Business)Amy Emmerich, global president and chief content officer of Refinery29, announced Thursday that she is stepping down from her position immediately.
Discussion:
Connie Wang / @conniewang: 🤙 Your friendly reminder to unionize your workplace today! 🤙 https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc confirmed Amy Emmerich's departure in a separate email sent to staff on Thursday. Dubuc writes, “I want to express my gratitude to Amy for her efforts during this time. Her business focus and unwavering energy have helped take Refinery29 to the next level...” https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Refinery29's union had called for Amy Emmerich's immediate resignation in a June 11 letter sent to Vice Media management https://www.cnn.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Refinery29 President Amy Emmerich steps down; the site's union called for her resignation in June, and Vice was probing claims of toxic behavior at Refinery29
Todd Spangler / Variety: Refinery29's Amy Emmerich Out at Vice Media Group
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Amy Emmerich Steps Down as Refinery29 President and Chief Content Officer
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Caffeine, which aims to compete with Twitch but focuses on content like rap battles, has raised $113M, led by Fox Corp, Cox Enterprises, and Sanabil Investments — - Fox, Cox Enterprises among investors leading funding round — Music competitions have helped attract 2 million users
Hilary Lewis / Hollywood Reporter:
Walmart will convert 160 parking lots into drive-in movie theaters with film programming by Tribeca Enterprises from August to October — The retailer will transform its store parking lots into contact-free movie theaters, allowing viewers to have a socially distanced big-screen experience amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
Outkick, Ad Age, Engadget, @retailprophet, @pitdesi, @jordanbitterman, @aexm, /Film, Fortune and TechCrunch
Discussion:
Jack Neff / Ad Age: Walmart launches virtual summer camps and parking lot drive-in movies for summer of social distance
Doug Stephens / @retailprophet: Pretty smart. https://twitter.com/...
Sheel Mohnot / @pitdesi: This is awesome - Tribeca is transforming 160 Wal-Mart parking lots into drive-in theaters Aug-Oct. It'll be a fun outing for lots of folks, and they'll let you order drive-in essentials for curbside pickup https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Jordan Bitterman / @jordanbitterman: Been waiting for someone to do this. I thought it would be municipalities, turns out it's a company. Very smart move by Walmart: builds goodwill in communities and it's something Amazon can't match. https://twitter.com/...
Ana Milicevic / @aexm: The pandemic is giving us all license to reimagine how we use public & semi-public spaces. Sidewalk parking can be converted to restaurant seating, streets can be closed to car traffic in favor of city residents, and empty parking lots can have new uses. https://twitter.com/...
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