Mediagazer: Ben Smith, best ever NYT media columnist, personifies a morally indefensible fact of journalism: each journalist robs others of their stories to tell their own (Ryu Spaeth/New Republic)

8:05 PM ET, November 27, 2020

Top News:

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Marcela Kunova / Journalism.co.uk:

The chair of a House of Lords committee urges the UK government to fix the imbalance of power between publishers and platforms by reforming the online ad market — In a new report on sustainability of journalism, peers also call for fixing the 'dysfunctional online advertising market …

Discussion: @digidickinson, @ciojournalist, @chrismsutcliffe, The Independent, The Guardian, @cecook, @chrismsutcliffe, @oliviacrellin, ComputerWeekly.com and @baekdal

Ryu Spaeth / New Republic:

Ben Smith, best ever NYT media columnist, personifies a morally indefensible fact of journalism: each journalist robs others of their stories to tell their own — Let's be honest: Ben Smith is the best media columnist The New York Times has ever had. He instantly surpassed …

Discussion: @dlknowles, @media_evan, @sameifling, @jeremymbarr, @mattfredstl, @newrepublic, @scottnover, @scottnover, @srussellkraft, @chick_in_kiev, @felixsalmon, @rkearney, @ryuspaeth, @olivianuzzi, @ryuspaeth, @scottnover and @felixsalmon

Madeleine Schwartz / Nieman Reports:

How the mantle of “fake news” is being used in Belarus, Jordan, Thailand, and Nicaragua to intimidate journalists, and how they're fighting back — A look at four countries — Belarus, Jordan, Thailand, and Nicaragua — where the mantle of “fake news” is used to intimidate and threaten, and how journalists are responding

Discussion: @marklittlenews

Annie Philip / Nieman Reports:
Q&A with Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova about the role that the independent press in Belarus played over the last few months, reporting remotely, more

Discussion: @niemanreports and @niemanfdn

John Bowden / The Hill:

NYT offers free digital subscriptions to all US high school students and teachers until September 2021 as part of a partnership with Verizon — The New York Times says it will offer U.S. high school students and teachers free digital subscriptions to the Times's content through next year.

Discussion: New York Times, The Desk, @cliffordlevy, @r_diamond, @samwashdc, @sifill_ldf, @mikiebarb, @maragay and @davidfolkenflik

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Sources: Fox producers have been told to avoid booking some regular guests if the latter kept doing Newsmax appearances after being encouraged to stop — New York (CNN Business)Fox News is taking action to stave off newfound competition from Newsmax TV. — Producers on some Fox programs …

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @stephgracela, Breitbart, @kimmasters, @shayeganam, @florianederer, @jackshafer, @newsmax, @ericbolling, @brianstelter and Business Insider

Maya Binyam / Columbia Journalism Review:

A deep look at newsroom diversity over the years, and how unions have begun to push for contracts with binding language for diversity in hiring — Media companies haven't made newsrooms inclusive. Can unions? — For two decades, from its genesis in the mid-nineties, Vice Media branded itself in the image of the dispossessed.

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @risj_oxford, @blackdigitalhum, @marcusryder, @bbcleisha, @cjr, @nattythejourno, @kemettler, @rachelysanders, @nyguild, @hamiltonnolan, @mayabinyam, @anoobhu, @jnoisecat, @stephaniemlee and @chameauleon

Franklin Foer / The Atlantic:

Book publishing has been consolidating to increase its bargaining power in the face of Amazon's dominance, whose lock on the book business must be addressed — In 1960, Dwight Eisenhower's attorney general, William Rogers, read the paper with alarm. He learned that Random House intended …

Discussion: @melaniempierce, @xioaxelrod, @peterlattman, @kyliescottbooks, @victoriastrauss, @franklinfoer and Publishers Weekly

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
ViacomCBS to sell publisher Simon & Schuster to Bertelsmann, owner of Penguin Random House, for $2.175B in cash

Discussion: News Corp, CNBC, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @jpbrammer, @andrewlavallee, @fletcherchristy, @lyta_gold, @beth_phelan, @xanalter, @ellomelissa, @deanobeidallah, @sinaqueyras, @newrepublic, @zephyrteachout, @ayeshakfaines, @scalzi, @chuckwendig, @gwillowwilson, @nataliegdiaz, @andrewlavallee, @davidmwessel, @cooperwilhelm, @sivavaid, @dhh, @reckless, @pkafka, @davidmwessel, @eriqgardner, @constancegrady, @gerryfsmith, @marksweney, @kate_mckean, @pellertweeto, @hunterw, @sarafischer, @pamelapaulnyt, @shauniedarko, @bourreelam, @bfishbfish, @bradfordpearson, @ibjiyongi, @zoewhittall, @silviakillings, @bristei, @edmundlee, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, CNN, Columbia Journalism Review, Axios, New York Times, Crikey, The Wrap, Associated Press, @jaxxonhoward, @kosokojackson, @annaknicolaou, @evascalzo, @benmullin, @sethasfishman, @steve_foxe, @literarypenny, New Republic, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Radio & Television …, MediaPost, Daily Herald, The Week and Bloomberg

Rory Carroll / The Guardian:

N. Ireland police to pay £875K to the makers of documentary No Stone Unturned, for arresting them in 2018 alleging theft of a police report used in the film — Settlement announced at Belfast high court brings end to years-long controversy — The Police Service of Northern Ireland …

Discussion: @stevejgoodrich, Associated Press, @anntravers6, @martinobrien17, @annacafolla, @rebecca_vincent, @anntravers6, @krwlaw, @jimwaterson and @iancobain

Gordon Cox / Variety:

How theaters have adapted to the pandemic and expanded their audiences, from producing podcast series to livestreaming productions on Twitch — A series of immersive audioplays performed and mixed live, using tech developed by theatrical sound designers and engineers.

Kris Holt / Engadget:

As Spotify continues to test its stories feature, it has tapped popular musicians to contribute to select Spotify-created playlists — If you're in the festive spirit and you're already listening to seasonal music, you might have noticed Spotify's Christmas Hits playlist is looking a little different.

more at Techmeme »

Reuters:

UK publisher Reach says 42M+ people visited its sites last month and that it now has 4.25M+ customer registrations, on track to meet its target of 10M in 2022 — (Reuters) - Daily Mirror publisher Reach Plc said on Friday its performance for the current fiscal year was above market expectations …

Matthew Kassel / Jewish Insider:

Interview with Jonathan Swan, the national political correspondent at Axios, on becoming an internet meme, interviewing Trump, migrating to the Biden beat, more — Jonathan Swan, the star national political correspondent at Axios, has built a reputation as one of the most enterprising …

Discussion: @dlippman, @jacobkornbluh and @pauldemko

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An in-depth look at how The Drudge Report changed over the past few years finds it may have become a conduit for ad fraud and some think Drudge left in 2017

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