Top News:
New York Times:
A look at a pay-for-play network of ~1,300 sites and some papers that fills a local news void in the US with propaganda ordered by GOP and corporate PR groups — A nationwide operation of 1,300 local sites publishes coverage that is ordered up by Republican groups and corporate P.R. firms.
Discussion:
@daveyalba, @johnbattelle, @markmaxwelltv, @damemagazine, @jonathanalter, @bypatrickgeorge, @jjohnsonlaw, @nils_gilman, @arjunbasu, @fawfulfan, @photospice, @sandofsky, @terryteachout1, @mollyjongfast, @nicoleperlroth, @aaronworthing, @vindugoel, @mattyglesias, @alison__berg, @ehernandez, @menakadoshi, @raju, @mckaycoppins, @bryanboy, @banikarim, @davidsirota, @slpng_giants, @therobwalton, @ericboehlert, @daveyalba, @kemc, @jacknicas, @nickconfessore, @dcherring, @tvietor08, @glenbmulcahy and @eotaxprof
Discussion:
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: NEW: A network of 1,300 websites aim to fill a news void left by vanishing local papers across the U.S. It is built on propaganda ordered up by conservative advocacy groups & Republican operators, according to a year-long investigation by me and @jacknicas https://www.nytimes.com/...
John Battelle / @johnbattelle: Attention all brands dumping billions into Facebook and Google: Your media spending choices matter. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Maxwell / @markmaxwelltv: “While Mr. Timpone's sites generally do not post information that is outright false, the operation is rooted in deception, eschewing hallmarks of news reporting like fairness and transparency.” https://twitter.com/...
Dame / @damemagazine: An essential read. Media literacy is so critical right now. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Alter / @jonathanalter: This is a terrifying story. We need a massive non-profit investment in legit local journalism or kur democracy os done no matter what happens in the election. https://twitter.com/...
Patrick George / @bypatrickgeorge: Do you think it gets exhausting to never do anything in good faith? Like, ever? What's it like when everything you do is some experiment in electioneering and ratfucking? https://twitter.com/...
Nils Gilman / @nils_gilman: Amazing reporting by @daveyalba & @jacknicas about how the collapse of local news reporting (thanks Google!) has created an opening for that space to be filled by a network of rightwing propaganda web sites that masquerade as news sites. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Chapman / @fawfulfan: This story is nuts. There's nothing new about partisan news sites, of course. Both sides do it. But a network of hundreds of sites dressed up as local news outlets that directly commission conservative PR on behalf of paying clients is something new and disturbing. https://twitter.com/...
Barbaradavidson / @photospice: support local journalism ... this is what happens when we don't https://twitter.com/...
Ben Sandofsky / @sandofsky: Tired: State Run Media Wired: Billionaire Run Media https://twitter.com/...
Terry Teachout / @terryteachout1: Fascinating—and troubling. https://twitter.com/...
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: This piece is amazing https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: “The instructions were clear: Write an article calling out Sara Gideon, a Democrat running for a hotly contested U.S. Senate seat in Maine, as a hypocrite. Angela Underwood, a freelance reporter in upstate New York, took the $22 assignment.” It published in Maine Business Daily. https://twitter.com/...
@aaronworthing: In other words, with the “unbiased media” model dying because it was complete bullshit, we are returning to the prior model of journalism which involved the press being nakedly partisan and admitting it https://twitter.com/...
Vindu Goel / @vindugoel: Republicans are operating a vast network of more than 1,000 fake-news sites pretending to be legitimate local news outlets. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Great piece. Also while this is pernicious it's a good idea strategically. Dems have raised a ton of money this years, but progressives don't invest much in media. https://twitter.com/...
Alison Berg / @alison__berg: I really, really like my job. I want to keep doing this job but I genuinely worry it won't exist in 20 years. https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Hernandez / @ehernandez: Supporting your local news is truly an act of democracy. https://twitter.com/...
Menaka Doshi / @menakadoshi: They look like bonafide news platforms. But they are not. Important story. https://twitter.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: #newsdeserts across America are being filled by pink slime https://twitter.com/...
McKay Coppins / @mckaycoppins: As Local News Dies, a Pay-for-Play Network Rises in Its Place: “The network...is built not on traditional journalism but on propaganda ordered up by dozens of conservative think tanks, political operatives, corporate executives and [PR] professionals” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@bryanboy: This is extremely frightening but not surprising. That country is brainwashed. https://twitter.com/...
Susie / @banikarim: we are absolutely fucked. the only way to get rid of sites like this is for them to be deplatformed & so far relying on platforms to decide which news outlets are legitimate is going ... very badly. https://twitter.com/...
David Sirota / @davidsirota: Basically, the media space is being rotted by increasingly grotesque & brazen corruption, and the only way to fix it is to have grassroots-funded, reader-supported news organizations. Unfortunately, building that is extremely difficult. But it is worth the effort. https://twitter.com/...
@slpng_giants: Lax oversight by Internet giants combined with social networks like @facebook prioritizing engagement over quality reporting have brought us here, where real news is being completely replaced by partisan sites doing the bidding of billionaires. Breitbart was just the start. https://twitter.com/...
Rob Walton / @therobwalton: It's almost like a large news organization, possibly based in New York, gave up on its regional chain of newspapers and let them get gobbled up by private equity ghouls who stripped them of assets and left them for dead. It's almost like that. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Boehlert / @ericboehlert: so much is depressing abt this piece. near the top? freelancers getting paid $22 for articles. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: The man behind the network is Brian Timpone, a Republican and a former journalist who has been obsessed with replacing the old print guard as a digital-news mogul. We traced at least $1.7M in public records to his web of companies, but there could be more https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kathleen McLaughlin / @kemc: Scary stuff. Political operatives know local newspapers are still among the most-trusted sources of information, even as they vanish. https://twitter.com/...
Jack Nicas / @jacknicas: NEW: A network of 1,300 websites targeting small towns and cities across the U.S. is built not on traditional journalism, but rather propaganda ordered up by Republican groups and P.R. firms. A nearly yearlong investigation by @daveyalba and me: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Truly jaw-dropping work here, on the next iteration of black-box Astroturfing on the right—not just manufacturing the content but manufacturing the news outlets. https://twitter.com/...
Dennis Herring / @dcherring: ok, my jaw is dropped. https://twitter.com/...
Tommy Vietor / @tvietor08: The incessantly whining about liberal media bias is pretty ridiculous when you combine the reach of Fox News, right-wing publishers on Facebook, and these local conservative sites. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Glen Mulcahy / @glenbmulcahy: A must read👇🏻 What happens when local news is allowed to die. There are other business models. If EVER there was a time to create a mobile first/ by & for mobile with sound editorial its now. There must be some philanthropy fund to make it happen! @craignewmark @GoogleNewsInit https://twitter.com/...
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Sources: NY Post's article about Hunter Biden was written mostly by Bruce Golding, who did not allow his byline to be used amid doubts in the tabloid's newsroom — Some reporters withheld their bylines and questioned the credibility of an article that made the tabloid's front page on Wednesday.
Discussion:
@benyt, New York Magazine, @harrysiegel, @kyledcheney, @frankrichny, @alexmleo, @bgrueskin, @petersterne, @bgrueskin, @petersterne, @nycsouthpaw, @juliancastro, @oneunderscore__, @steveschmidtses, @peterwsinger, @yashar, @stephgracela, @ericpaine, @benyt, @petersterne, @greenfield64, @eshap, @kylegriffin1, @glennkesslerwp, @fawfulfan, @fordm, @maxboot, @caseynewton, @timobrien, @katie_robertson, @hemantmehta, @donmoyn, @cmclymer, @dnvolz, @timodc, @samesmail and New York Post
Discussion:
Ben Smith / @benyt: Incredible stuff from @katie_robertson inside the New York Post's newsroom as the bosses rammed a story through on Rudy's sayso, and over reporters' objections https://www.nytimes.com/...
Harry Siegel / @harrysiegel: Giuliani said he chose The Post because “either nobody else would take it, or if they took it, they would spend all the time they could to try to contradict it before they put it out.” https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Cheney / @kyledcheney: In an effort to legitimize their reporting on Hunter Biden's email, the NY Post asked two veteran reporters to put their names on the story, per NYT. They refused. A 3rd, whose name appears on the stories, didn't learn she'd be on until it published. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Frank Rich / @frankrichny: To their credit, some at @nypost refused to put their bylines on the Hunter Biden hoax, created by the felon Bannon and the Russian pawn Giuliani. But others sold their souls to promote it. https://nypost.com/...
Alex Leo / @alexmleo: lmao “it had to be the New York Post, anyone else would vet it” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: @nycsouthpaw Yes. Who knew this about the Post? And how could any journalist be expected to find this out?
@petersterne: @BGrueskin @nycsouthpaw The source's point is that it sucks to work for a publication that, in addition to generally publishing (real) local reporting, occasionally publishes outlandish right-wing propaganda. It's not that everything the Post publishes is propaganda.
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: @petersterne @nycsouthpaw But anyone knows that going in. It's a bargain that a reporter has to make, for whatever reason, and this incredulity is a bit much.
@petersterne: @BGrueskin @nycsouthpaw Sure. I don't think anyone was incredulous. Everyone I talked to said they weren't surprised the Post published it. That doesn't mean they're happy about it.
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: “It's upsetting. It's disappointing. It sucks to, like, work for, like, a propaganda outlet.” https://nymag.com/...
Julin Castro / @juliancastro: The NY Post is practicing propaganda, not journalism. https://twitter.com/...
Steve Schmidt / @steveschmidtses: .@ProjectLincoln @katie_robertson @reedgalen @TheRickWilson @stuartpstevens The corruption at the New York Post is astounding. The dishonesty is just breathtaking. This is an extraordinary piece of reporting by Katie Robertson. https://twitter.com/...
Peter W. Singer / @peterwsinger: Then he should not have written it. Why is this so hard? https://twitter.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: Not sure whats in the Post's employment agreement but this litigation worthy conduct here https://twitter.com/...
Stephanie Grace / @stephgracela: This is not the way credible news organizations operate. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: One reporter “had little to do with the reporting or writing of the article, said three people with knowledge of how it was prepared. She learned that her byline was on the story only after it was published.” Yikes. https://twitter.com/...
@petersterne: Props also to @katie_robertson and @nytimes, who were first to publish. It's not a great feeling to get beaten by 30 minutes after spending 30+ hours reporting something out over the weekend, but the most important thing is that the truth comes out. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeff Greenfield / @greenfield64: This timeline suggests that Rupert Murdoch is no longer the looming presence he once was.. had to imagine he wasn't consulted on this if he were on his game.. just too embarrassing even for him to tolerate. https://twitter.com/...
@eshap: “Bruce Golding & another reporter refused to add bylines to the piece because of concerns over the article's credibility. @NYPost staff questioned the authenticity of the drive's contents, said 5 people aware of the tabloid's inner workings.” Golding's twitter has been deleted. https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Griffin / @kylegriffin1: One of the NY Post reporters did not have a bylined article before Wednesday, a search of its website showed. She arrived at the tabloid in April after working as an associate producer on Sean Hannity's Fox show. Her Instagram included photos with Steve Bannon and Roger Stone. https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Kessler / @glennkesslerwp: Naturally, Rudy wouldn't want a news organization to conduct actual journalism on this sketchy material, would he? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Chapman / @fawfulfan: I'm not surprised. The New York Post is tabloidy and conservative but it's not like they have *zero* standards. They aren't Breitbart. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Ford / @fordm: This is going to be a tricky Pulitzer nomination. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Max Boot / @maxboot: The hesitation by Facebook and Twitter to promote this disinformation (which likely originated in Russia) looks better all the time. You know what looks worse? Republican caterwauling about “censorship.” Like I said in @PostOpinions: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: If the reporters who wrote it won't attach their name to it, why should Twitter attach a retweet button to it? https://twitter.com/...
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: In which the latest Post story reveals...wait for it...wait for it...Biden to be a loving and dedicated father. Undoubtedly not what Giuliani imagined for this round. https://nypost.com/...
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: NEW: A reporter on the New York Post's Hunter Biden story refused to attach his byline to it, sources say, as the tabloid's staff question the article's credibility https://www.nytimes.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: This is pretty damning. Bannon & Giuliani met with NY Post editors to drop their Hunter Biden story. Veteran reporters refused to allow their name to be attached to it because they did not think the story held up. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dnvolz: “The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have reported that they could not independently verify the data in the Post article, which included hedging language, referring at one point to an email “allegedly sent” to Hunter Biden.” https://twitter.com/...
Tim Miller / @timodc: Wow the reporter who actually wrote the story wouldn't put their byline on it so another reporter who did nothing was added to the byline and didn't know it until it published. https://twitter.com/...
Sam Esmail / @samesmail: Oh, so... journalism? https://twitter.com/...
Michael Goodwin / New York Post: Hey, Joe Biden, what did you know about Hunter's crook emails?
RELATED:
New York Times:
Twitter says it is now letting the NY Post link be shared because the info had spread so widely that it can no longer be considered private — The latest change underlined how rapidly social media platforms are shifting their positions in the days leading up to the election.
Discussion:
@mikeisaac, @campbellsl, @sarcasmstardust, @kantrowitz, @nytimesbusiness, Reporting by Matt Taibbi, @nytmedia, @randypicker, @randypicker, @randypicker, @randypicker, @randypicker, @randypicker, @bostonjoan, @aricohn, @sethabramson, Variety, @genepark, @timmarchman, @dellcam, @ggreenwald, @byronyork, @baekdal, @jamespmcleod, The Week and @mmasnick
Discussion:
Rat King / @mikeisaac: i was kidding yesterday when i said tune in tomorrow but..... NEW: twitter has changed its policy *again* and will now allow people to share the NYPost story links because the article and information has been widely disseminated and is no longer private https://www.nytimes.com/...
@campbellsl: So @Twitter is NOT OK with hacked misinformation. No. Wait. Wait! It IS OK. That's not fluidity. That chicken shittery. @jack. Grow a spine. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: And so ends yet another magical ride aboard the Twitter rollercoaster https://twitter.com/...
@nytimesbusiness: Just a few weeks before the Nov. 3 vote, Facebook and Twitter are still changing their minds, @MikeIsaac and @kateconger write https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Taibbi / Reporting: Facebook and Twitter's Intervention Highlights Dangerous New Double Standard
@nytmedia: “Policies are a guide for action, but the platforms are not standing behind their policies,” a research director at Harvard's Kennedy School said https://www.nytimes.com/...
Randy Picker / @randypicker: Subpoenaing Twitter seems like an effort to put pressure on Twitter regarding those editorial decisions and people who take the 1st Amendment seriously, as I hope that WSJ would, should defend Twitter and not attack it. (3/)
Randy Picker / @randypicker: The WSJ describes Twitter's actions as being inconsistent with the spirit of the First Amendment. I don't understand that. (4/)
Randy Picker / @randypicker: Editorial decisions that Twitter makes in deciding what content to allow and to block are core private speech, something that I would hope that the WSJ would understand the need to protect. (6/6)
Randy Picker / @randypicker: The WSJ seems thrilled that Twitter is being hauled in front of the Senate to explain its editorial decisions in running the site rather than seeing those decisions as fully-protected by the 1st Amendment and in need of broad defense. (2/)
Randy Picker / @randypicker: The WSJ editorial board clearly believes that there are two versions of the First Amendment, one for the actual media—them—and a second substandard version for new media upstarts like Twitter. (1/) https://twitter.com/...
Randy Picker / @randypicker: The most basic line of demarcation in the 1st Amendment is that it limits efforts by the gov't to squelch speech and that it protects private speech. (5/)
Joan Donovan / @bostonjoan: Reactive retraction of their own policy decisions shows just how vulnerable platform companies are to political pressure. https://twitter.com/...
Ari Cohn / @aricohn: The irony here is so delicious. If #Section230 goes away, Twitter could be liable on the grounds that it gave @AjitPaiFCC the ability to block me. @AjitPai https://twitter.com/...
Seth Abramson / @sethabramson: 1⃣ Twitter blocks Giuliani-pushed Kremlin disinformation. 2⃣ GOP is enraged. 3⃣ Twitter suffers a systemwide attack. 4⃣ Twitter says there's been no hack. 5⃣ But Twitter can't locate the attack's origin. 6⃣ Twitter reverses course—allowing publication of Kremlin disinformation. https://twitter.com/...
Todd Spangler / Variety: Twitter Still Blocking a NY Post Story Based on Alleged Hunter Biden Emails, Newspaper's Account Remains Frozen
@genepark: the extent to which we have huge national debates about chat moderator rules is going to turn me into the joker https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: Twitter takes bold stance against poorly reported story citing shady crooks as key sources, unless that makes anyone mad, in which case they're fine with it! https://twitter.com/...
Dell Cameron / @dellcam: Twitter violating its own rules because <reasons> is exactly how I thought the day would end https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: There are lots of valid criticisms of Twitter — I obviously believe what they did this week was dangerously wrong — but they continue to be one of the best large companies, certainly tech companies, for engaging their critics and being responsive and candid in admitting error: https://twitter.com/...
Byron York / @byronyork: Just hours ago the New York Post Hunter Biden story was unsafe. Now, apparently, it's not. From NYT: ‘In Reversal, Twitter Is No Longer Blocking New York Post Article.’ https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Thomas Baekdal / @baekdal: This is exactly the same nonsense that has caused Twitter to allow Trump to keep posting things that clearly violate their community rules. Look Twitter, if you have a rule... stick with it. https://twitter.com/...
James Mcleod / @jamespmcleod: Working the refs ... works. https://twitter.com/...
Brendan Morrow / The Week: Twitter stops blocking New York Post story about Hunter Biden
Vijaya Gadde / @vijaya:
[Thread] Twitter updates Hacked Materials Policy, says it won't remove content unless shared by hackers themselves and will label tweets instead of block links
Discussion:
USA Today, @jack, @vijaya, @b_fung, @anibundel, The Starting Block, @lorenraedej, @vijaya, @vijaya, @lukeobrien, @freedomofpress, Wired and @reciaimthenet, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
USA Today: A tabloid got a trove of data on Hunter Biden from Rudy Giuliani. Now, the FBI is probing a possible disinformation campaign
@jack: Straight blocking of URLs was wrong, and we updated our policy and enforcement to fix. Our goal is to attempt to add context, and now we have capabilities to do that. https://twitter.com/...
Vijaya Gadde / @vijaya: We believe that labeling Tweets and empowering people to assess content for themselves better serves the public interest and public conversation. The Hacked Material Policy is being updated to reflect these new enforcement capabilities.
Undead Ani Bundel / @anibundel: This would be a whole lot more straightforward if Twitter would ban it for honest reasons: That it's obviously a planted story designed to interfere with the election & its Twitter's civil duty to deplatform it. https://twitter.com/...
Tina Carmillia / The Starting Block: The 24th Block — Create, curate and arbitrate influence — Cristina Tardáguila …
Loren DeJonge Schulman / @lorenraedej: Honestly twitter should must make a universal “this is weird shit” label while they vacillate. https://twitter.com/...
Vijaya Gadde / @vijaya: So, what's changing? 1. We will no longer remove hacked content unless it is directly shared by hackers or those acting in concert with them 2. We will label Tweets to provide context instead of blocking links from being shared on Twitter
Vijaya Gadde / @vijaya: I'm grateful for everyone who has provided feedback and insights over the past day. Content moderation is incredibly difficult, especially in the critical context of an election. We are trying to act responsibly & quickly to prevent harms, but we're still learning along the way.
Luke O'Brien / @lukeobrien: This woman has an obscene amount of power over the 2020 election & thinks boosting a Russian influence op is “serving the public conversation.” She appeared on Joe Rogan with neo-fascist collaborator Tim Pool, was caught on hot mic asking Pool for info on an “antifa” account. https://twitter.com/...
@freedomofpress: Twitter's acknowledgement that its “Hacked Materials Policy” has serious implications—and potentially major chilling effects—for public interest journalism and whistleblowers is an admirable step forward for the company. These are welcome changes. https://twitter.com/...
Andy Greenberg / Wired: Twitter's ‘Hacked Materials’ Rule Tries to Thread an Impossible Needle
The Markup:
The Markup announces The Citizen Browser Project, an initiative with The NYT to analyze how the algorithms of Facebook and YouTube serve content to users — The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates how the world's most powerful institutions use technology to reshape society …
Discussion:
@themarkup: Citizen Browser is a new project that seeks to audit the black box algorithms that determine what users see on their social media feeds. Read more on this exciting project in today's newsletter: https://www.getrevue.co/... (video via @knightcolumbia) https://twitter.com/...
Julia Angwin / Hello World: Auditing the Algorithms of Disinformation
Tony Romm / @tonyromm: oh my god i am so jealous of @themarkup and i hope many people sign up and install this browser because everyone will benefit from this journalism https://themarkup.org/...
@blakehounshell: Very interesting project. Would not be surprised, though, if we see leaked code from inside the social media companies someday https://twitter.com/...
Michael Veale / @mikarv: I think it's quite disingenuous for @themarkup to call their Citizen Browser Project a ‘unique way to collect data’ when @WhoTargetsMe uses the same principle and is much older. I know content ≠ ads, but credit where credit is due. You don't need to pretend to be #1. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Roger Pharr / @rdpharr: That is super clever. I can't wait to see what @themarkup finds! https://themarkup.org/...
Rosalie Murphy / @rozmurph: “...a custom web browser designed by The Markup to audit the algorithms that social media platforms use to determine what information they serve their users, what news and narratives are amplified or suppressed” — can't wait to see this in action https://themarkup.org/...
Nabiha Syed / @nabihasyed: Many thanks to the Trusted Elections Fund for helping this get off the ground! https://twitter.com/...
Jose Tapia / @pepetapia44: Finally announced, The Citizen Browser Project—an initiative designed to audit the algorithms that social media platforms use to distribute news and narratives to different communities. The Algorithms of Disinformation | Revue https://www.getrevue.co/...
Per Axbom / @axbom: The Citizen Browser Project—an initiative designed to measure how disinformation travels across social media platforms over time. https://themarkup.org/...
Craig Silverman / @craigsilverman: some cool shit right here https://themarkup.org/...
@civic_signals: What political stories are being pushed to Black voters in swing states? What groups are recommended to young voters in Texas? Exciting new tool from @themarkup that audits the algorithms that decide what we see on our social media feeds. https://themarkup.org/...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Interesting project from @themarkup: The Citizen Browser, “a custom web browser designed to audit the algorithms that social media platforms use to determine what information they serve their users” https://themarkup.org/...
Mark Little / @marklittlenews: So much lazy commentary about big tech these days. This is the kind of data-driven reporting we really need https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: This is a fantastic project, and it obeys one of my favorite maxims. Three of the most powerful words in journalism are: “help us investigate.” https://twitter.com/...
Lisa Tozzi / @lisatozzi: A custom web browser designed to audit the algorithms social media platforms use to determine what information they serve their users, what news and narratives are amplified or suppressed, and which online communities those users are encouraged to join. https://themarkup.org/...
Alexios / @mantzarlis: “A nationally representative panel of 1,200 people will be paid to install the custom web browser on their desktops, which allows them to share real-time data directly from their Facebook and YouTube accounts with The Markup.” https://themarkup.org/...
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Mark Burnett, the TV producer behind Survivor, Trump's The Apprentice, and The Voice, is facing his own string of flops and a cultural disconnect, for now — Mark Burnett helped turn Donald Trump into a national figure with “The Apprentice.” But since 2016, his impact “has kind of gone bust.”
Discussion:
@felixsalmon, @nycsouthpaw, @rowaenthe, @rstephens, @yashar, @elongreen, @alexmleo, @chrismegerian, @markberman, @thrasherxy and Wall Street Journal
Discussion:
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: One way that you can tell @benyt is a digitally-native columnist: He doesn't feel the need to write to the same length each week. This week's column is literally half the length of the June 7 column, for instance. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: This is a good Burnett takedown, but if we're being honest Messiah on Netflix is better than it has any right to be and was cruelly underwatched. https://twitter.com/...
Angela Rynan Durrell / @rowaenthe: @mattdpearce @benyt Mark Burnett has been hoping he's going to skate underneath the radar, unfettered and unimpeded in his privilege and his very secure fortune. So far, he kinda has. And he shouldn't.
Robert Stephens / @rstephens: “He objected in particular, two people present at the time said, when an MGM board member, Jason Hirschhorn, began sharply criticizing Mr. Trump in his newsletter, REDEF” Go @JasonHirschhorn !!! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: Donald Trump Is Losing His Touch. So Is the TV Producer Who Shaped His Image. Mark Burnett helped turn Donald Trump into a national figure with “The Apprentice.” But since 2016, his impact “has kind of gone bust.” @benyt reports https://www.nytimes.com/...
Elon Green / @elongreen: getting publicly slagged by peter bart is its own humiliation https://twitter.com/...
Alex Leo / @alexmleo: Put this on my tombstone: “We believe this synergistic transaction will be very accretive” https://twitter.com/...
Chris Megerian / @chrismegerian: “It seems they're not striving as much for ‘four more years’ as they are ‘Season 2.’” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: did not realize that Mark Burnett's last hit television show was The Voice, which premiered almost a decade ago https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Cooper / Engadget:
Virtual studios, where the filmmaking takes place in front of a halo of flat screen displays connected to PCs, are offering a real alternative to green screens — For as long as filmmaking has existed, there has been a need to build fantastic worlds in front of cameras.
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Nielsen: Joe Biden's ABC town hall averaged 13.9M viewers, while Trump's NBC town hall averaged 10.6M; MSNBC and CNBC simulcasts of Trump brought total to 13M — New York (CNN Business)Joe Biden's town hall on ABC averaged 13.9 million viewers on Thursday night, easily surpassing …
Discussion:
The A.V. Club, Deadline, @jonkarl, The Signorile Report, @briebriejoy, Variety, Axios, @nbcphiladelphia, The Hill, @moorehn, @pattonoswalt, @cbouzy, @hillaryclinton, @timcast, @jayrosen_nyu, @atrupar, @brianstelter and @juliancastro
Discussion:
Dennis Perkins / The A.V. Club: SNL lets NBC off the hook for that whole Trump town hall thing
Ted Johnson / Deadline: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Opens With Dueling Joe Biden-Donald Trump Town Halls: “Mr. Rogers” Vs. “Crazy Uncle”
Jonathan Karl / @jonkarl: SIREN! The Biden Town Hall on ABC drew 2.3 million more viewers than the Trump town hall on NBC. There is nothing @realDonaldTrump cares about more than ratings. https://variety.com/...
Michelangelo Signorile / The Signorile Report: Weekend open thread: What are you up to?
@briebriejoy: Did the length of the Biden event affect anything? I was flipping back and forth but then Trump's town hall ended so I watched the last 30 min of Biden uninterrupted. https://twitter.com/...
Ellise Shafer / Variety: Donald Trump on NBC News' Kristen Welker: 'She's Always Been Terrible and Unfair'
@nbcphiladelphia: Biden's ratings win is particularly surprising given Trump's town hall aired on two of NBCUniversal's cable channels, MSNBC and CNBC, in addition to the network. That means Biden beat out Trump despite the president's town hall only airing on one network. https://on.nbc10.com/04HYbbk https://twitter.com/...
Tal Axelrod / The Hill: Biden's town hall viewership surpasses Trump's
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: I care less that Trump is embarrassed than that NBC should be embarrassed. They've been treating Trump like a cash cow for ratings for over 15 years. Maybe now the network will see him as the liability that he is. https://twitter.com/...
Patton Oswalt / @pattonoswalt: Donald what happened Donald you were on THREE networks and Joe was only on one network Donald what happened https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Bouzy / @cbouzy: And there were people who said Trump would win because his town hall was aired across several networks; they were wrong. https://twitter.com/...
Hillary Clinton / @hillaryclinton: Americans are sick of the Trump reality show. Let's cancel it for good, shall we? https://twitter.com/...
Tim Pool / @timcast: Add in the streaming ratings so far and it seems Trump is up just under one million viewers Makes sense considering conservatives don't trust mainstream news outlets The reality is that its fairly comparable and Trump barely pulled ahead https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: This won't slow the strange phenomenon of Twitter users who are hostile to Trump but totally convinced that he's a ratings juggernaut. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: Trump will take this harder than any poll showing him losing to Biden https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: This is a result virtually no one in the TV biz expected. Staffers at ABC News privately admitted to their surprise when the Nielsen #'s came in. https://www.cnn.com/...
RELATED:
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Despite fears that the NBC town hall would amount to free promotion for Trump, Savannah Guthrie grilled him and repeatedly challenged his evasions
Discussion:
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Discussion:
Mark Davis / @markdavis: Please, can we lose the stupid town hall format? The only thing worse than loaded slanted moderators is contrived doggerel questions from an artificially “screened” slice of the “general public.” #Debates https://twitter.com/...
Adam Studzinski / @trislerstudz: read this. as someone who actually works in media, I could not agree more with every word. the media treats Trump like a child, because he is one and asking him normal questions would be pointless https://twitter.com/...
Howard Kurtz / @howardkurtz: Savannah Guthrie came out like a boxer against Trump, George Stephanopoulos was paying a leisurely round of golf with Biden. How the NBC/ABC town halls were like night and day @AmericaNewsroom https://video.foxnews.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Kate McKinnon as Savannah Guthrie in SNL's parody of the Trump town hall: “Good evening, America. I'm surprise bad ass Savannah Guthrie, and if you were angry with NBC for doing this town hall, just let me get a few questions in & I think you'll thank me.” https://www.cnn.com/...
Kate Hyde / @katehydeny: NBC trying to save NBC reminds me of that time NBC investigated NBC. https://twitter.com/...
Lisa / @lizzytishp1230: @ByJohnLMicek @MollyJongFast This awesome. The comments I saw about Savannah Guthrie and Trump's town hall had people outraged like how dare she ask those questions. They'd really lose their sh*t over this woman.
@tvline: #SNL: ‘Badass’ Savannah Guthrie Grills ‘Crazy Uncle’ Trump; Jim Carrey's Biden Morphs Into Mr. Rogers During Town Hall — Watch Video https://tvline.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: .@NoahShachtman says that Savannah Guthrie did a “great job” by “trying to get answers out of Trump” at the NBC town hall: “I am really hoping that in this next debate coming up they follow the Savannah Guthrie model rather than the George Stephanopoulos or Chris Wallace model.” https://twitter.com/...
Elle / @ellemagazine: Savannah Guthrie Grilled Trump at His Town Hall, and People Couldn't Get Enough https://ellemag.co/NRe2BRl
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: “She's extraordinarily unfair” — Trump preemptively attacks the moderator of the next presidential debate, Kristen Welker, then pushes a conspiracy theory about Savannah Guthrie going into hiding following Thursday's NBC town hall https://twitter.com/...
Killy Harmner / @cullyhamner: This is so true. SO true. Sure, there are other factors at work here, but this is structural to the larger problem of Trump. https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: “it's not the media's fault that Trump continues to incriminate himself & is unable to answer..questions. The problem is not that the media holds him to a difficult standard. He is held, by necessity, to a more forgiving standard than any modern president” https://nymag.com/...
@thr: 'Saturday Night Live's' Weekend Update touched on Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and recent town hall event, including the moment when Trump claimed he didn't know what QAnon was to moderator Savannah Guthrie https://thr.cm/TVJxGvO https://twitter.com/...
@sosofiefatale: No I'm still mad at NBC. We can appreciate @SavannahGuthrie for the stellar job she did while still being angry that it ever happened, regardless of how disastrous it was for Trump. https://twitter.com/...
Noel Buckley / @nollaigobuachal: Guthrie is not letting Trump away anything here. Her forensic questioning means she controls the interview https://twitter.com/...
@jeenasingh5: American president, the most powerful man on earth, can be interrogated?!!! 🤯🤯🤯 What would I know? I'm an Indian 🥺 https://twitter.com/...
Bobby Burack / @burackbobby_: “I'm for moderators performing aggressively; however, Guthrie was reckless.” Savannah Guthrie's rough night, ABC not asking about the NY Post story, and more in my takeaways from last night's town halls. Actually, one town hall and one debate. https://www.outkick.com/...
Lanford Beard / @lanfordbeard: “it's not the media's fault that @realDonaldTrump continues to incriminate himself & is unable to answer simple questions. The problem is...he is held, by necessity, to a more forgiving standard than any modern @POTUS. But however low the bar is set he continues to trip over it.” https://twitter.com/...
Frank Pallotta / CNN: ‘SNL’ takes on the dueling town halls between Trump and Biden
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review: Guthrie grills Trump, but NBC still has to answer for itself
Jonathan Chait / @jonathanchait: The media is only biased against Trump if you look at outcome. If you look at the standard he's held to, it's biased in his favor. https://nymag.com/...
Ryan Schwartz / TVLine: SNL: ‘Badass’ Savannah Guthrie Grills ‘Crazy Uncle’ Trump, as Biden Morphs Into Mr. Rogers During Town Hall
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: “The scale and frequency of his offenses is so far outside the historic norm that it is impossible to measure him by normal standards.” https://nymag.com/...
Vaughn Sterling / @vplus: This is a smart take from @jonathanchait https://nymag.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: “Attempting to cover Trump's violations the same way you'd cover them if they had been committed by Barack Obama or George W. Bush would create a press storm so large that it would exceed the limits of time and space that news coverage can consume.” https://nymag.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@pinknews: Pete Buttigeig furiously tears into Donald Trump's frenetic town hall performance - and shades Lindsey Graham for good measure https://www.pinknews.co.uk/...
Peter Hamby / @peterhamby: Two days of How Dare You, NBC! takes conclude with an avalanche of applause tweets for @SavannahGuthrie. News cycles can be really dumb these days.
@thelilynews: .@savannahguthrie ended up doling out one of the toughest grillings Trump has faced as president, with questions about white supremacy, covid-19 deaths and his taxes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jonathan Chait / @jonathanchait: The media isn't biased against Trump. It's biased in his favor. https://nymag.com/...
Vogue Runway / @voguerunway: Savannah Guthrie set herself apart as a moderator by holding Trump accountable on several points. Meanwhile, watching Biden had a calming effect. Here's what else the internet thought about last night's town halls. https://vogue.cm/RJdkNhc https://twitter.com/...
Ali Zaslav / @alizaslav: “By allowing Trump to rip up the rulebook, then rewarding him, NBC handed Trump a victory. Guthrie's interview doesn't change that. We continue, five years in, to eat out of his hand” @Jon_Allsop https://www.cjr.org/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: I'm pretty sure Guthrie would have been happy to have “a lofty policy discussion” with Trump, but whenever he's asked about health care, he simply said his place would be good and cheap and better and cheap. He speaks in catch-phrases, doesn't understand policy. https://twitter.com/...
@thelilynews: After pushing Trump on his retweet of a QAnon-linked conspiracy theory, Guthrie said, “I don't get that. You're the president. You're not like someone's crazy uncle who can just retweet whatever.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Brian Steinberg / Variety: How Savannah Guthrie Helped Salvage NBC's Risky Bet on Town Hall
Ben Dreyfuss / Mother Jones:
Mother Jones' growth director recalls a sharp drop in Facebook reach in 2017 and '18, after WSJ reveals that algorithmic changes were made with politics in mind — Editorial Director for Growth and Strategy — For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more …
Discussion:
@axbom, @patcaldwell, @clairenjax, @davidcorndc, @rossbarkan, @russchoma, @mattyglesias, @chetfaliszek, @jeffhorwitz, @ericboehlert, @mmasnick, @danielpunkass, @gabrielsnyder, The Verge, @clarajeffery, @motherjones, @scout_finch, @bendreyfuss, @monteiro, @bendreyfuss, @clarajeffery and @clarajeffery
Discussion:
Per Axbom / @axbom: Simple description of why dependency on a third-party platform is extremely dangerous for a business, and why we can't accept monopolistic powers. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Patrick Caldwell / @patcaldwell: Still seething that Zuck deliberately screwed @MotherJones. @bendreyfuss captures sentiment well “to learn that the walls were placed there intentionally, so my colleagues and I would be stopped as we tried to promote our magazine's work, makes me livid.” https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Claire Goforth / @clairenjax: I was editor of @folioweekly when these changes went into effect. Overnight we lost more than 50% of our reach on the platform. It put a very bad taste in my mouth. First they gave us traffic, then they took our ad revenue, and then they took our traffic too. https://twitter.com/...
David Corn / @davidcorndc: I'm booked to be on @amjoyshow with host @TiffanyDCross later this morning to discuss this story. Read up. In case there's a pop quiz. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Ross Barkan / @rossbarkan: Journalists begging large tech companies to more aggressively regulate speech on their platforms need to understand one probable outcome is the suppression of actual news organizations. None of this ends well. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
@russchoma: It's been a very hard four years to be a reporter. The constant firehouse of news is exhausting, but we've been delivering great journalism and important investigative stories that aren't political - it's gutting to know someone was intentionally stifling their reach. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Can't believe Zuck would do @bendreyfuss like this after all the Facebook defending he's done https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Chet Faliszek / @chetfaliszek: Donate to @MotherJones Delete Facebook Sleep better https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Horwitz / @jeffhorwitz: Headline stat here: When a user flagged more than 150 examples of content that should have come down according to Facebook's rules, the company failed to catch more than 75% of them. https://www.wsj.com/...
Eric Boehlert / @ericboehlert: FB picked Ben Shapiro as winner, Mother Jones aa loser; https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: “But Facebook is biased against conservatives...” they said... https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Jalkut / @danielpunkass: I have delicately rejected recruiter inquiries from Facebook for years. I feel for people whose livelihood is there, because I understand they pay very well. May be time to quit nonetheless. https://twitter.com/...
Gabriel Snyder / @gabrielsnyder: “So to learn that the walls were placed there intentionally, so my colleagues and I would be stopped as we tried to promote our magazine's work, makes me livid.”-@bendreyfuss https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Kim Lyons / The Verge: Facebook reportedly choked traffic for left-leaning news sites including Mother Jones
@clarajeffery: 13/ Just heard from some folks inside/formerly of Facebook. It's even worse than what I just laid out. If you want to talk, hmu at cjeffery on Signal or DM me here.
@motherjones: “To say this is frustrating is an understatement,” @bendreyfuss writes, “both for us as an organization and for me personally.” https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Jennifer Hayden / @scout_finch: @bendreyfuss @ClaraJeffery Same with us
Ben Dreyfuss / @bendreyfuss: @ClaraJeffery The thing that really gets me is remembering the meetings with them in 2017 where they just swore up and down that wasn't what was happening.
Mike Monteiro / @monteiro: Happy Friday, Facebook workers! Made it to the weekend! Woo. But Monday you have to go back to the company that does this: https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Ben Dreyfuss / @bendreyfuss: I owe my entire career to my talent for Facebook and I have always been very “give them the benefit of the doubt” because the people I personally know there are wonderful, but this today has ended that. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
@clarajeffery: 14/ @bendreyfuss, head of MoJo's social media team, wrote about what it means to be lied to (perhaps b/c they're unwittingly passing along lies of their bosses) by FB counterparts. But per what I'm learning, FB just lied to him, again, here: https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: as Facebook curbed political news in 2017, Zuckerberg OK'ed tweaks affecting sites like Mother Jones after some execs worried about impact on the right
Discussion:
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Discussion:
@clarajeffery: 1/ I am enraged. Excellent reporting from WSJ's @dseetharaman and @EmilyGlazer finds that Facebook engineers—with sign-off from Zuckerberg himself—retooled their algorithm to throttle traffic to high-value progressive news orgs, @MotherJones IN PARTICULAR https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Carole Cadwalladr / @carolecadwalla: Every journalist & news org needs to read this story & condemn Facebook's actions. Stand with @MotherJones. This is a total outrage https://twitter.com/...
Zephyr Teachout / @zephyrteachout: You don't want Zuckerberg as your Information Czar. Facebbok and Google should be treated as essential communications facilitites/utilities. Ban targeted adds. Transparent systems. Non discrimination regimes. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Deggans At Npr / @deggans: This thread is, frankly, kind of terrifying... https://twitter.com/...
Max Kennerly / @maxkennerly: It can't be overstated how much conservative propaganda is out there. Fake “news” sites, phony “think tanks,” dubious 501(c)(3)s, the list goes on. And the primary distribution method is @Facebook, which promotes them while throttling progressive sites: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kim Lyons / The Verge: Facebook VP says the platform rejected more than 2 million ads for trying to obstruct voting
Richard Deitsch / @richarddeitsch: Via @WSJ: This is how Facebook plays the political game. https://www.wsj.com/...
Chris Gallagher / @ukskies: Facebook fine tuned algorithms which skewed news in favour of right wing press. In 2017. If that doesn't bother you then it should. A lot. https://twitter.com/...
Lea Thompson / @leakthompson: Facebook is a nightmare watch the social dilema on Netflix. They are responsible for so much of the mess the world is in. All for money. How much more do they need https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: Reminder that when I exposed the Daily Wire was blatantly violating Facebook's rules to game the algorithm, Facebook punished the Facebook pages the Daily Wire was conspiring with, but not the Daily Wire. https://popular.info/... https://twitter.com/...
Erik Wemple / @erikwemple: WSJ today reported that Facebook algorithm changes consciously shafted Mother Jones and liberal pubs. This is a big deal. Great piece here from @bendreyfuss https://www.motherjones.com/ ... (Disclosure: My wife @smencimer works at MoJo)
Sue Halpern / @suehalpernvt: Prediction: if the Dems win, @facebook will reverse course and start pandering to the left. Craven leadership leads to craven behavior and a defensive line of 65 lobbyists to hold regulation at bay. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: On the flip side, Breitbart had its independent newsguard rating dropped 20 points into a clear “Red” rating. I do wonder if this was enough to persuade Facebook news and product people they could ignore Facebook lobbyist Joel Kaplan. What a mess. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@felienne: I think at this point, any developer working for @Facebook is complicit in this, not just the ones that implemented this specific feature. https://twitter.com/...
Sucharita Tyagi / @su4ita: Facebook is evil (incase yall were still not convinced despite about 59 documentaries on Netflix) https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Claybon / @patrickclaybon: There's a lot in this story, but one bit is so agitating...The super-genius assembled a team to determine his own political ideology. https://twitter.com/...
Brooke Binkowski / @brooklynmarie: Of course they did! Better to have newsrooms impoverished and desperate for a handout, from Facebook of course. https://twitter.com/...
Clive Thompson / @pomeranian99: Critically important thread here. Read it — and then subscribe to Mother Jones, folks. It's an amazing magazine, and as the WSJ here reports ... ... Facebook buried Mother Jones in the Newsfeed to please right-wing critics https://twitter.com/...
Grady Booch / @grady_booch: Attention to any developers who wrote this code at @Facebook: I condemn your actions, and suggest that you review your life choices. https://twitter.com/...
David Corn / @davidcorndc: Look at how @Facebook and Zuckerberg tried to screw progressive news outlets and @MotherJones. I am sure all the conservative anti-cancel and free-speech advocates will denounce this, right? https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: I'm in a @MotherJones board meeting today so it's going to take a while to fully process this infuriating news, but just briefly (because YOU, as a news consumer, should be furious): https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Ingraham / @_cingraham: Apparently it's no accident that the top-performing Facebook posts on any given day are mostly by conservative dudes peddling brain pills and prepper food https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Ingraham / @_cingraham: This is the direct result of deliberate choices made by Zuckerberg and Facebook leadership. These are the voices they chose to elevate. https://twitter.com/...
Robert Scoble / @scobleizer: Facebook's algorithm manipulated. All social networks' algorithms are manipulated. This is the worst I have seen, though. Can we ever close Pandora's box? https://twitter.com/...
Brian Beutler / @brianbeutler: One thing these extremely educated and in-demand employees can do about the fact that they accidentally found themselves working for a fascist agitprop platform is resign and blow the whistle publicly. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Thread. Understandably @ClaraJeffery is enraged in a report her site's traffic was throttled in a decision process in which WSJ previously reported Facebook's government relations czar Joel Kaplan inappropriately weighed in to keep DC political powers happy. https://twitter.com/...
Dara Lind / @dlind: Oh my gosh. Remember that there were a lot of media layoffs in the first half of 2018 in large part because of the loss of Facebook audience. People almost certainly lost their jobs because of this tweak. https://twitter.com/...
Mighoul de Icaza / @migueldeicaza: The Editor in Chief at Motherjones reflects on the reporting today that Facebook tuned their algorithm to penalize them. She shares a ton of complementary information to what the WSJ published today. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Dreyfuss / @bendreyfuss: If we were not all working from home and I had written this post in our office, everyone in the bureau would have heard me Typing Very Loudly https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Contrast this with claims FB and Twitter are inherently hostile to conservative outfits - dispute this week's news, usually FB bends over backward not to alienate the right https://twitter.com/...
@mondoweiss: Smaller publishers on the left have long suspected there was more going on behind the scenes at Facebook causing wild changes in traffic patterns. Facebook is a garbage company. https://twitter.com/...
Alex / @alex_abads: an important thread that shows how Facebook throttled traffic to MoJo and the consequences; but also the difficult task for journalism to find a sustainable business model not dependent on FB or Google https://twitter.com/...
Nick Martin / @nickmartin: As I was saying, this is not an accident or a result of the right being more engaged on Facebook. The company has built into its algorithms a bias in favor of conservative and far-right websites. It's rigged against the left. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: This is a very consequential thread for journalists. If your newsroom or research organisation benefits from platform support, never forget the practices on the other side of that bargain : https://twitter.com/...
Howard Dean / @govhowarddean: What Zuck doesn't seem to get is that his company has become a vehicle for racists, neo nazis and conspiracy theorists. His staff seems to be a lot smarter than he is. https://twitter.com/...
James West / @jameswest2010: I'm still trying to get my head around this sabotage of our investigative journalism. The body blow is real. https://twitter.com/...
@khanoisseur: Apparently Mark Zuckerberg had Ben Shapiro and other conservative commentators over for dinner 🥘 ... what is he up to? https://twitter.com/...
Nabiha Syed / @nabihasyed: This is BONKERS. And underscores how important it is for news orgs to find platform-proof distribution strategies . . . (she says, while tweeting) https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: Zuckerberg discusses “Facebook policies over WhatsApp” with Jared Kushner and “has forged ties with right-leaning publishers that drive engagement on the platform, including Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the Daily Wire.”
Wagner James Au / @slhamlet: San Francisco-based staff at Facebook found to be actively blocking web traffic to San Francisco-based liberal publication @MotherJones — a move personally approved by Facebook's CEO, who ironically lives just a few blocks from Mother Jones' EIC @ClaraJeffery in San Francisco. https://twitter.com/...
David Corn / @davidcorndc: Please read this whole thread. @Facebook purposefully screwed over @MotherJones and other progressive media. You can fight back. See the appeal at the end of the thread. https://twitter.com/...
Deth Veggie / @dethveggie: WTF. Mother Jones is definitely left-leaning, but it's a legit news source, not some leftwing equivalent of a disinformation outlet like Breitbart or OAN or something. https://twitter.com/...
Tsar Becket Adams / @becketadams: Tara McGowan raised $25M+ from wealthy liberal donors to create “Courier News,” a network of websites designed to look like authentic news sites targeting swing states with pro-Democratic press releases. https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Karen Kelsky / @professorisin: This awful thread re @Facebook and it's suppression of legit and progressive news. Subscribe to @MotherJones. I do. https://twitter.com/...
@maxberger: Zuckerberg has helped the rise of fascism, part 3214829. If you work at @Facebook, organize your co-workers to form a union. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: In case you woke up today wondering whether Facebook is still a threat to journalism and democracy, well, you should read this thread from the EIC of @MotherJones https://twitter.com/...
Andrea Bellemare / @andreabellemare: Clara Jeffery estimates that FB's algorithm changes cost Mother Jones between $400,000 to $600,000 a year. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Thompson / @alxthomp: Lots of great news in this WSJ Zuckerberg piece but calling Acronym just a “left-leaning non-profit” is misleading. The group has very partisan ambitions and Courier has been running targeted FB ads for frontline congressional members. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: But you can bet that we'll keep covering Facebook as the massively powerful company that it is, even if it tries to pull the rug out from under us. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: At the time that this happened, Facebook claimed it was reducing the prevalence of “low-quality” news in users' feeds. Seems a reasonable goal. But guess what? When they did that, it turned out to hurt low-quality news from right-wing propaganda outlets. So what did they do?
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: They made changes so that actual journalism that reporters and factcheckers and editors and data crunchers and art directors worked their assess off on got downgraded, just to balance things out. So stuff like this versus stuff like this: https://twitter.com/...
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: And this had real effects. A roughly $400,000 decrease in annual revenue, for starters. There are positions we couldn't fill, projects we couldn't do because of this. But the bigger effect is on YOU, readers. YOU were kept from seeing news you wanted (even if you followed MoJo.)
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: .@MotherJones had a big presence on Facebook because our team worked really hard to bring quality news to users on social platforms, and people were hungry for that. But suddenly our reach dropped like a stone. https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: Last thing before I go back into meetings, one reason this is so enraging is that I've so long insisted on giving Facebook some benefit of the doubt. I was convinced we were a random casualty of their broader trajectory, a fly on their windshield. But it's always, always worse.
Monika Bauerlein / @monikabauerlein: Just for the record, no one at Mother Jones has ever been invited to dine at Mark Zuckerberg's home. Nor should someone who wants to dine with propagandists ever call on us. https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: Mark Zuckerberg “talks regularly with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner” and “has lectured Facebook's broadly left-leaning staff about the need to understand that their user base is more conservative” https://www.wsj.com/...
@slpng_giants: Social media platforms should not take the politics if their user base into account AT ALL. @facebook is supposed to be a “neutral platform”. It shouldn't be taking requests nor asking for counsel from either party. https://twitter.com/...
Lindsay Schrupp / @lindsayschrupp: At @CourierNewsroom we have 60+ journalists across the country to cover issues that impact their communities and to build a more informed and engaged electorate. Every day, they report on local issues like voter suppression, access to rural health care, and environmental justice.
Lindsay Schrupp / @lindsayschrupp: It is beyond insulting to put their work in the same category as the far-right partisan blogs that spew bigotry masked as “news” and spread misinfo to harm our democracy — let alone to kick our reporters' work out of the News Tab altogether because we self-label as progressive
Lindsay Schrupp / @lindsayschrupp: There may be actual people at Facebook who believe in and understand the importance of journalism, but it is clear that Mark Zuckerberg has no idea what journalism is.
Ryan McCarthy / @mccarthyryanj: Mark Zuckerberg and Jared Kushner reportedly communicate over encrypted messaging. (A reminder that Kushner is a government employee, even though he has forgone his WH salary) https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lindsay Schrupp / @lindsayschrupp: Earlier this year, Zuckerberg created a policy to block progressive news orgs like @Couriernewsroom from the News Tab, while giving free access to far-right aggregators and purveyors of disinfo like Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Breitbart, Federalist, Washington Examiner, & TheBlaze https://twitter.com/...
Steven Strauss / @steven_strauss: Strange how that happened https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: So Jared Kushner appears to have a lot of Mark Zuckerberg's ear according to this WSJ report. Neither know or care much about the public at-large based on their records. https://www.wsj.com/...
Tara McGowan / @taraemcg: To be very clear, this “policy” does not impact right-wing media outlets including The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon + dozens of others known for spreading disinformation. According to Facebook, these are all still “verified” news publishers 🤬
John Leavitt / @leavittalone: “Listen nerds this only makes money cause I can sell the data of the top 100 million enraged uncles most likely to fall for a phishing scam so shut your lib mouths and get back to pushing Daily Stormer links.” https://twitter.com/...
Tara McGowan / @taraemcg: 🚨 WSJ confirms what we've suspected: Mark Zuckerberg directly intervened to prevent progressive news orgs like @CourierNewsroom from being included in Facebook's News Tab, while sharing meals with Ben Shapiro + exchanging texts with Jared Kushner 🚨 https://www.wsj.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: “Mr. Zuckerberg is now an active political operator. He has dined with President Trump, talks regularly with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, and has pressed lawmakers and officials to scrutinize rivals including TikTok and Apple Inc.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Reese Oxner / NPR:
Disney+ has updated the disclaimer appearing before some of its classic films with stronger language acknowledging the “harmful impact” of racist stereotypes — Many people have long said certain Disney classics like Peter Pan, Dumbo and The Aristocats contain racist stereotypes and overtones.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, Collider, IGN, Digital Spy, What's On Disney Plus, Forbes, Reuters, Comic Book, Animation Magazine, Upworthy, BBC, CNN, IndieWire, Cord Cutters News, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, The A.V. Club and CNET
Discussion:
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Peter Pan’ Get Content Advisory From Disney+ for ‘Negative Depictions’ of Race
Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter: Disney+ Puts “Negative Depictions” Disclaimers on ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Aristocats’
Gregory Lawrence / Collider: Disney+ Adds Even Stronger Warning of Cultural Stereotypes to Certain Titles
Joseph Knoop / IGN: Disney Plus Offers Warnings Over ‘Outdated Cultural Depictions’ in Classic Films
Isabel Togoh / Forbes: ‘Wrong Then, Wrong Now’: Disney+ Strengthens Disclaimer About Racism In Older Films Including Dumbo, Peter Pan
Jill Serjeant / Reuters: Disney's ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Aristocats’ get racism advisories
Spencer Perry / Comic Book: Disney+ Adds Content Advisory Warnings in Front of Dumbo, Peter Pan, and More
Mercedes Milligan / Animation Magazine: Disney Stories Matter Initiative Flags Classic Toons for Racist Imagery
Tod Perry / Upworthy: Disney has added new ‘negative racial depictions’ warnings to six of its classic films
Ryan Lattanzio / IndieWire: ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Aristocats’ Among Disney+ Titles Getting New Disclaimer for ‘Negative Depictions’ of Race
Tracy Brown / Los Angeles Times: Disney+ adds new content warning for racist depictions in classic films
Greg Evans / Deadline: Six Disney Classics Tagged For Racist Imagery On Disney+ Including ‘Peter Pan’, ‘The Jungle Book’ & ‘The Aristocats’
Kendall Baker / Axios:
Voting rights group More Than A Vote, led by LeBron James and others, debuts new series NBA 2KTV, featuring interviews about voting, within NBA 2K21 video game — In an attempt to reach young Black voters where they already consume media, More Than A Vote — the voting rights group led …
Lauren Harris / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with the director of the NewStart initiative, which aims to connect people interested in newspaper ownership with owners looking to sell — Though a deepening economic crisis continues to plague the local news landscape in the United States, the NewStart initiative has set out to ensure …
Discussion:
@jskstanford: A program out of WV University aims to connect people interested in newspaper ownership with long-time owners that are looking for buyers. (FYI: There are several thousand weekly papers across the US.) https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr
Victor Hernandez / @tothevictor: Still not sure whether I found my grad school or it found me (technically @Poynter helped make the connection), either way, proud to be affiliated with such a relevant, high-impact program. Check out this Q&A from @CJR w/ @WVUNewStart director @jimiovino. https://www.cjr.org/...
Katherine Jacobsen / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Interviews with three foreign reporters on their experiences covering the US now, visa issues, safety concerns they have when going out into the field, and more — Covering elections as a foreign correspondent in the United States has traditionally meant press conferences …
Laura Wagner / VICE:
NYT AME Carolyn Ryan told staff that columnists have wide latitude to criticize colleagues' work, in contrast to a policy against criticism on Twitter or Slack — After Bret Stephens regurgitated criticisms of his colleagues' 1619 Project, NYT brass held a meeting to clarify who at the paper can write about what.
Discussion:
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: One of the great ironies of certain media spaces is that they're the most controlling of who can speak freely (or not) https://twitter.com/...
Phil Magness / @philwmagness: If the deleted “true founding” line was “obviously metaphorical,” @nhannahjones sure didn't treat it that way for the first 6 months of 1619 Project publicity appearances.
Phil Magness / @philwmagness: No consideration of the fact that such deletions, taking place without any notice by the paper, breach basic ethical norms of journalism. Just nonsensical allegations that I'm working in “bad faith” by pointing it out - even though I've engaged the 1619 Project content in detail
Phil Magness / @philwmagness: And then we get to the conclusion, which effectively says ‘Anyone who criticizes the 1619 Project for any reason, no matter how valid, is acting in bad faith and should therefore be ignored.’ https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Rivera / @jmrivera02: it really is something seeing how lazy yet amplified the attacks on the 1619 project have been compared to the rigorous and through responses to those bad faith attacks https://twitter.com/...
Aaron / @bobbybigwheel: The whole opinion/news divide really seems untenable. Just have the same rules for everyone, this shouldn't be that hard! https://www.vice.com/...
Phil Magness / @philwmagness: Wow. This is an outright propagandistic attempt to gloss over the fact that the NYT violated basic journalistic ethics by deleting several controversial passages from the #1619Project after they became lightening rods for criticism. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Anna Merlan / @annamerlan: Good blog from Laura, who I prefer to trash right to her face!!!!! https://twitter.com/...
Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler: “culture of respect” internally say whatever you want on the column tho https://www.vice.com/...
@johnastoehr: Correction: you can only criticize coworkers if you're Bret Stephens. https://twitter.com/...
@motherboard: NEW: New York Times staff were told that the paper welcomes “vigorous exchange,” but only if they're op-ed columnists. https://www.vice.com/...
German Lopez / @germanrlopez: This seems like a good rule. Twitter and Slack lead to unfiltered, often personal public fighting, while articles have to go through a rigorous editing process that makes sure people are focusing on substance and aren't just being jerks to each other. https://twitter.com/...
@ethangach: “Ryan said that she was not drawing a parallel between the 1619 Project, a widely praised examination of the brutal legacy of American slavery, and Miller's reporting, widely reviled and deeply flawed work that provided cover for the US to invade Iraq” https://www.vice.com/...
@kevinwglass: “why is an opinion columnist allowed to write this but I'm not allowed to tweet about it” if all your tweets had to go through the same level of review that Stephens' column went through, you'd scarcely be able to tweet even once or twice about Bari Weiss!
Elias G. Saba / @egsaba_ia: @laurawags @drewmagary It's wild that they think the internal Slack is as much a public forum as Twitter.
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: New from @laurawags: At a staff meeting a top Times editor defended Bret Stephens shitting on the 1619 Project as part of a “vigorous exchange” but reminded staff not to shit on colleagues on Twitter or Slack https://www.vice.com/...
Patricia Hernandez / @xpatriciah: i will believe this when a white coworker's award-winning project also gets trashed https://www.vice.com/...
RELATED:
Jake Silverstein / New York Times:
A defense of the editing changes in summaries of The 1619 Project, following new criticisms from people including NYT columnist Bret Stephens
Discussion:
Staci D Kramer / @sdkstl: “(The whole notion of calling this a project was to emphasize that the work would be ongoing.)” - parenthetical, yet in many ways such a central point. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Huertas / @aaronhuertas: This is so tedious, but big web + print projects involve lots of variations on text and imagery. The 1619 critics, including Bret Stephens, have no experience doing this work, so they dramatically overthought one piece of “digital display copy” to strawman the entire project. https://twitter.com/...
Timothy Sandefur / @timothysandefur: As this thread indicates, the real scandal here is how the Times & especially @nhannahjones herself, responded to criticisms—evasions, lies, false accusations of racism, &c. https://twitter.com/...
Christina Sommers / @chsommers: Wow. This thread on troubled #1619 project.👇 https://twitter.com/...
Phil Magness / @philwmagness: As the person who broke the story about the NYT's textual deletions from the 1619 Project, I'll offer a few thoughts on this response from the paper in the thread below. https://twitter.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Much ado about 55-words inserted in digital (and not in print), and not actually written by @nhannahjones The @nytimes On Recent Criticism of The 1619 Project https://www.nytimes.com/...?
Mehrsa Baradaran / @mehrsabaradaran: Agree with @nhannahjones that it won't matter to them. I was talking to someone who was trashing the #1619 project and I was playing dumb and asking questions and they hadn't even read the project! Anyway, can't wait to have NHJ at @UCI https://twitter.com/...
Zaid Jilani / @zaidjilani: The very first line in the New York Times Magazine response to latest 1619 criticisms includes a factual error. The Africans who arrived on North American soil in 1619 were bonded, not enslaved. (The TA slave trade had not started yet.) https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeryl Bier / @jerylbier: Editor, @NYTimes: “The 1619 Project... advances a bold claim: that the date when the first enslaved Africans arrived... August of 1619 — can be regarded as the nation's birth or point of origin.” What?! Doesn't this contradict what Nikole Hannah-Jones has been saying lately? https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ida Bae Wells / @nhannahjones: None of this will matter to those who had a single goal of discrediting the #1619Project. This response from @jakesilverstein is for those who have been sincerely confused about Bret Stephens's column or have questions about the so-called controversy. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Luo / @michaelluo: This by @jakesilverstein is a clear, cogent defense of @nhannahjones's powerful 1619 project, but it's also a clear, cogent explanation of the bedeviling challenges and pitfalls of digital display copy! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bobby Kennedy / @bobbyknndy: A fascinating exploration of the intricacies of multiplatform publishing. “In its scale and impact, The 1619 Project is completely unlike any work of journalism the magazine has ever produced.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@kathrynannette: I wish for every black woman in America to have this kind of boss. Often when the hits start coming, we are left alone on an island to defend ourselves. I love the #1619project & @nhannahjones & I love the way her boss has publicly & consistently defended & celebrated her work. https://twitter.com/...
@emmadaly: Hear hear!! “The project @nhannahjones created is one of the most transformative works of journalism @nytimes has ever published. It was not perfect; few things of any ambition ever are. But 14 months after publication, its “core premises” remain unshaken and indispensable.” https://twitter.com/...
John McCrory / @johnmccrory: Fascinating response by @jakesilverstein to 1619 Project critics shows the reality of complex governance, workflow and technical platform challenges omnichannel brands & publications still have to solve. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jamal Andress / @jamalandress: 2/2 ... one that began 157 years earlier and features Black Americans as its heroic subjects." https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jamal Andress / @jamalandress: 1/2 “Hannah-Jones is not only asking readers to consider the full weight of slavery and its aftermath; she is asking readers to think of the 244 years of effort to live up to our founding ideals as part of a larger freedom story,... https://twitter.com/...
Mo Silverstein / @mosilverstein: On Recent Criticism of The 1619 Project https://www.nytimes.com/... Bravo, Jake! Thoughtful, careful, but with a driving passion for advancing the profoundly important conversation that the “project” has begun. In solidarity.
Gabe Rosenberg / @gabrieljr: As with all of his work, it's obvious Bret Stephens did little to no research, got little to no fact-checking, and didn't bother talking to the people he writes about. It's sad @jakesilverstein has to explain basic journalism to a @nytopinion columnist. https://www.nytimes.com/...
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