Mediagazer: At least three Chinese citizen journalists, Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin, and Li Zehua, who reported in Wuhan, have disappeared, as China sentences Zhang Zhan (William Yang/VICE)

8:30 AM ET, December 28, 2020

Top News:

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.

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.

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: Financial Times and @williamyang120

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?"

Discussion: @ananny, @ananny, @ananny, @sivavaid and @ananny

Aisha Majid / Press Gazette:

Sensor Tower: Aaj Tak Live News, CricBuzz, and News Break are the most downloaded news apps globally in 2020, with CNN and BBC among the top 15 — The BBC News app was downloaded 2.2 million times in 2020 making it the most popular newly-installed news app in the UK during the year.

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

Fulya Ozerkan / Agence France-Presse:

A private Turkish TV station that aired pro-Kurdish opposition views has shut down less than a month after launch, the editor claims due to government pressure — A private Turkish TV station that aired pro-Kurdish opposition views has shut down less than a month after launch …

Discussion: @fulyaozerkan and @randahabib

Matthew Keys / The Desk:

A look at MyBundle.TV, a recommendation engine that helps people pick streaming services from dozens on the market and offers a white-label version for ISPs — Jason and Daniel Cohen built MyBundle.TV to help customers move away from expensive cable TV packages.

Discussion: @matthewkeyslive and @matthewkeyslive, Thanks:@matthewkeyslive

New York Times:

Profile of veteran radio host Delilah, whose daily call-in show lets listeners open up on air and has the largest audience among radio shows hosted by women — With snippets of love, loss and struggle soothed by music, she has become one of American radio's most popular — and trusted — voices.

Discussion: @vwang3, @maureenhalushak, @_youngbaby_, @rafeboogs, @billoram, @dens and @danielleiat

James Risen / The Intercept:

Snowden and Assange deserve presidential pardons, but so do the eight government officials charged by the Trump Administration in leak cases — In 2007, the Bush administration's Justice Department sent me a letter saying it was conducting a criminal investigation into …

Discussion: @jameeljaffer, @johnruddick2, @cjr, @jordanuhl, @michikokakutani, @theintercept and @cjr

Nicole Sperling / New York Times:

As streaming platforms like Netflix have grown, political films they used to seek out, like The Dissident, on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, are being shunned — Bryan Fogel's examination of the killing of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi had trouble finding a home among the companies …

New York Times:

Bollywood is also starting to shift to streaming with 28 major films skipping theaters this year, though they represent only a fraction of the films made yearly — India's film industry, which relied on theatrical releases, is experimenting with going straight to streaming services such as Amazon, Netflix and Disney's Hotstar.

Discussion: @thepriyaarora, @thepriyaarora, @justinyost, @thepriyaarora, @thepriyaarora, @thepriyaarora, @snackfight, @nytimesbusiness and @thepriyaarora

Umberto Gonzalez / The Wrap:

Variety apologizes to Carey Mulligan for its “insensitive language and insinuation” after she says its review was “basically saying that I wasn't hot enough” — Variety has apologized for using “insensitive language” about Carey Mulligan in its review of her new film “Promising Young Woman.”