Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Profile of Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College professor whose hit newsletter on Substack goes out to ~350K and adds historical context to current news — She is the breakout star of the newsletter platform Substack, doing the opposite of most media as she calmly situates the news of the day in the long sweep of American history.
Discussion:
@peterhamby, @ggreenwald, @sethcotlar, @cindygallop, Context is King, @jonward11, @jimdao, @mims, @hamishmckenzie, @nattyover, @dabeard, Media Nation, @sharonwaxman, @mayawiley, @davidlat, @kawulf, @sarahalvarezmi, @yashar, @michaelsocolow, @kerileighmerrit, @hthompsn, @carolynryan, @virginiahughes, @tomgara, @niubi, @travelfish, @niubi, @mims, @historian_steve, @megankatenelson, @kenburns, @sarageorgini, @ldburnett, @andreachalupa, @carloslozadawp, @benyt, @cgasparino, Moderns Comms, @marklittlenews, @benedictevans, @yashar, @arothmanhistory, @_jonathansjones, @madrid_mike, @ron_fournier, @cande313 and @rothmanistan
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Anna Wiener / New Yorker:
While the durability of Substack's model remains to be seen, a cultural turn toward journalistic individualism might not be in the interests of a democracy — The newsletter service is a software company that, by mimicking some of the functions of newsrooms, has made itself difficult to categorize.
Discussion:
@caseynewton, @stevesi, @sullydish, @parismarx, @hamishmckenzie, @evelyndouek, @mattyglesias, @rmc031, @benthompson, @annawiener, @jaredbkeller, @comparativist, @justinhendrix, @megancgraham, @samidhas, @michaelluo, @ryan_c_powell, @benthompson, @hunterwalk, @sansip, @tedleonsis, @thestalwart, @rafat and @bigmeaninternet
Delia Cai / Nieman Lab:
The cultural shift to digital subscriptions and tools that Substack exemplifies will benefit not just star reporters and institutions but outlets in the middle — “Six-figure Substack incomes and subscriber numbers sure sound great, but they're not the only ends to the means.”
Discussion:
The Guardian, @kerrymflynn and @niemanlab
Vivian Wang / New York Times:
A Chinese court sentences citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who documented the early COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, to four years in prison — Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, is the first known person to be tried for challenging the Chinese government's narrative about the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
Reuters, Newser, South China Morning Post, CNN, Bloomberg, SBS News, National Review, @davewiner, @benthompson, @nytimesworld, @vwang3, @davidlarter, Al Jazeera, @williamyang120, @benthompson, @klandergan, @adammilstein, @williamyang120, BBC, @leilanimunter, @jerylbier, Axios, Variety, CBS News, @jiayangfan, @williamyang120, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, @jonnygeller, @brendancarrfcc, @nicoleperlroth, @bymikebaker, @bungarsargon, The Wrap and Fox News
RELATED:
William Yang / VICE:
At least three Chinese citizen journalists, Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin, and Li Zehua, who reported in Wuhan, have disappeared, as China sentences Zhang Zhan — Zhang Zhan challenged Beijing's monopoly on information, and paid a price. — William Yang — TAIPEI, TW
Discussion:
@williamyang120, Financial Times, @ameshaa and Business Insider
Axios:
The New Yorker devotes almost an entire issue to The Plague Year, a 40-page account of how America botched its virus response, a rare step for the magazine — The New Yorker is devoting nearly the entire issue — something the magazine has done just a handful of times in its history — to …
Discussion:
New Yorker, @praddenkeefe, @kylegriffin1, @penenberg, @eosnos, @heyitsfranklin2, @daveweigel, The Verge, @lawrence_wright, @marcusgilmer, @davidgrann, @itsmarkmedley, @jbenton and @sbg1
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
AT&T says that nearly half of HBO Max's retail subscribers viewed Wonder Woman 1984 on Friday alone, the same day the movie debuted in theaters — Christmas is often one of the most popular times of year to gather the family and watch a new movie, and this holiday was no different.
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
fuboTV quietly drops its $59.99/month Standard Plan for new users, making its $64.99/month Family Bundle the cheapest option — fuboTV has quietly made some changes to their plans over the last week. While it has been “hidden” on the site for quite some time, now the Live TV Streaming Service …
Discussion:
@tzm_tmt
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Filing: Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and other Netflix execs will not receive salary bumps in 2021; Sarandos and Hastings' compensation will stay at $34.6M each — Netflix disclosed Monday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO and chief content officer …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, @benfritz and @jbflint
Tim Ingham / Rolling Stone:
A look at music sample marketplaces like Beatport, Splice, BeatStars, and LANDR, which could soon become acquisition targets for major record companies — Beatport's acquisition of Loopmasters may have just fired the starter pistol on an acquisition frenzy in sector of “sample packs,” …
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
A look at Complex Networks' Collective, an audience insight panel launched in 2020 for B2B projects like custom research, trend reports, and ad campaign help — Successful media companies are ones that give readers what they want as well as anticipate their needs.
Discussion:
@jonathan_h and @andrewmedal
Mike Ananny / Nieman Lab:
For 2021, technology journalism could improve if reporters examine their use of sources, work to understand academic research, and question their assumptions — “Could technology journalists be in service of something better than more speech, improved content moderation, unbiased algorithms, and consensual surveillance capitalism?"
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