Top News:
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, @annawiener, Context is King, @zunguzungu, @zunguzungu, @mtaibbi, @penenberg, @mattyglesias, @silvermanjacob, @matthewstoller, @aaron_con_choco, @zunguzungu, @davidsirota, @oliverburkeman, @mkirschenbaum, @joeconchatv, @copyconstruct, @espiers, @annemariebridy, @trengriffin, @ggreenwald, @ryangrim, @nicholsuprising, @parismarx, @neontaster, @ddayen, @rachsyme, @alexrossmusic, @robinsloan, @jamcnn, @stevesi, @sullydish, @parismarx, @hamishmckenzie, @megancgraham, @samidhas, @justinhendrix, @rmc031, @sansip, @thestalwart, @michaelluo, @evelyndouek, @tedleonsis, @comparativist, @jaredbkeller, @mattyglesias, @benthompson, @benthompson, @hunterwalk, @bigmeaninternet, @ryan_c_powell and @rafat
Discussion:
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: A smart, skeptical and open-minded exploration of the Substack life from @annawiener. The line I highlighted remains one of the most important and strangely under-discussed facts undergirding its rise https://www.newyorker.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Anna Wiener / @annawiener: I wrote about desktop publishing, the “passion economy,” and Substack, where the personal is professional https://www.newyorker.com/...
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / Context is King: Your Company's Beacon? — Your Company's North Star is the singular belief and principle that drives all other decisions.
Aaron Bady / @zunguzungu: “It is expensive and laborious to hold powerful people and institutions to account, and, at many media organizations, any given article is the result of collaboration between writers, editors, copy editors, fact checkers, and producers.” This is a good point!
Aaron Bady / @zunguzungu: anyway, I suspect Taibbi is mad. He seems mad. Someone should ask him, to see if he is, in fact, mad.
Matt Taibbi / @mtaibbi: The New Yorker is the latest legacy outlet to publish a silly horror feature about Substack, writing: “A robust press is essential to a functioning democracy, and a cultural turn toward journalistic individualism might not be in the collective interest.” https://www.newyorker.com/...
Adam L. Penenberg / @penenberg: No, Substack is not the media future we want because It's not the future. It's just another place for writers to write and for people to to get news and entertainment. It won't replace large news orgs, broadcast, podcasts, etc. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Something I was thinking about @annawiener's Substack article is that as a veteran of the content game, I find the focus on a particular company rather than a set of tools that the company provides to be a little bit peculiar. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Jacob Silverman / @silvermanjacob: New rule when dealing with these clowns: use a word besides woke to signal your discontent. Say what you actually mean. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Substack is challenging the New Yorker's place as the most important outlet for writers to offer views without any editing. https://twitter.com/...
Aarn Cant / @aaron_con_choco: There's too much conflation of journalism and informed punditry these days. Substack is clearly not a good model for the former, especially investigative, for a bunch of reasons many have already cited. Anyone remember Beacon Reader? https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Bady / @zunguzungu: the hair-trigger defensiveness here is remarkable; “might not be in the collective interest” is read as “horror feature” https://twitter.com/...
David Sirota / @davidsirota: The fear mongering about Substack has reached a comical level, but there's an ideology behind it: oligopolistic legacy media corporations don't like competitors, which means they really, really hate the idea of independent grassroots-funded media. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Oliver Burkeman / @oliverburkeman: It isn't a “horror feature”, it's interesting! (There's hyperbole on both sides of the “is Substack good?” debate.) But it does reflect a dawning awareness at trad media orgs that their worldview has narrowed in recent years to a point that lots of former audience don't share it. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Kirschenbaum / @mkirschenbaum: Very nice to see 80s era desktop publishing acknowledged as part of this history. https://twitter.com/...
Joe Concha / @joeconchatv: Going outside the hive mentality to express independent thought without fear or favor is a bad thing, apparently... https://twitter.com/...
Cindy Sridharan / @copyconstruct: This is an interesting article on the rise of Substack as a writing platform. If you're a famous enough journalist, it's possible to make $1-2m a year just writing on Substack, and retain full autonomy and say what the hell you wish without being edited. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Elizabeth Spiers / @espiers: It's just shorthand for “my editors kept trying to save me from myself and my bad writing and I didn't like it. It must be about their intolerance for my brilliance and not my increasingly muddled thinking. Also, this article unacceptably focuses on a woman.” https://twitter.com/...
Annemarie Bridy / @annemariebridy: I'm rooting for Substack. No need to think in totalizing terms. It's a *part* of the media future I want — a subscription-based platform for indie writers that looks like a promising alternative to social media and traditional, ad-supported news outlets. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Tren Griffin / @trengriffin: 1/ Newsletter owned by Advance Publications (Condé Nast) publishes a meandering slam of businesses like Substack that enable writers to create their own newsletters. Writers owning their business and controlling their own lives = bad for democracy? Nope! https://www.newyorker.com/...
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: The minute corporate media realized Substack allows independent journalists to work & thrive without them and their orthodoxies, the orgy of attacks began. It's only a matter of time before they start demanding censorship there as they did with FB, YouTube, Twitter, Patreon, etc. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Grim / @ryangrim: Elite media saw blogs as a democratizing force and a good thing overall because they could also make fun of bloggers as Cheeto eaters in their mom's basement. It's the money that has them panicked about substack. Having a voice is fine. Making six figures for it is not. https://twitter.com/...
John Nichols / @nicholsuprising: Substack wouldn't pose a threat to legacy media outlets if the corporations that own those outlets invested a bare minimum of what's needed to cover the news. They don't. So people search out information. They'll embrace any platform that supplies it, and Substack's a good one. https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: Absolutely shocked when people benefiting from a media platform get mad when people start to critically analyze it. Remember when successful self-published authors would go to bat for Amazon (their main income source) and position it against the evil publishing oligopoly? I do. https://twitter.com/...
Noam Blum / @neontaster: Imagine writing a sentence like that and not realizing what a dystopian collectivist you sound like. https://twitter.com/...
David Dayen / @ddayen: There's something of an eternal recurrence here, as these stories are almost to the letter the stories run in 2003-2004 about blogs. Only difference is that the media is far more concentrated now than it was then. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Syme / @rachsyme: what i found really interesting in @annaweiner's great substack piece (https://www.newyorker.com/...) is that it is almost impossible to break big as a new voice on the platform (at least now, early ones maybe not). you have to migrate the goodwill/enthusiasm in from elsewhere.
Alex Ross / @alexrossmusic: “It's an interesting time for such a hands-off, free-market approach. The Internet is flooded with disinformation and conspiracy theories.” @annawiener throws some cold water on the mania for Substack. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Robin Sloan / @robinsloan: Anna Wiener is SO smart to connect the present newsletter-ing to its history on paper; bleeds some (hot) air out of the balloon in a useful way https://www.newyorker.com/...
Juan Andres Muoz / @jamcnn: Newsletters as a constant referendum on the author's creativity, as @halemur puts it here: “If business is down, or people are unsubscribing, it's definitely a very direct referendum on me... Or it feels like it.” https://www.newyorker.com/... cc @macafut https://twitter.com/...
Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi: This was the least supported and least answered aspect of a long and interesting read. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Sullivan / @sullydish: No surprise but no mention of the role that woke editing in the MSM played in the exodus of many writers to Substack. https://www.newyorker.com/... via @NewYorker
Paris Marx / @parismarx: Substack claims to be a democratizing force, but it's “the democracy of neoliberal self-empowerment. The message to users is that you can empower yourself by creating,” says Lisa Gitelman. This is a great article by @annawiener grappling with Substack: https://www.newyorker.com/...
Hamish McKenzie / @hamishmckenzie: You may stop writing about Substack now.
Meg Graham / @megancgraham: “The company, which currently has twenty employees, has a lightweight content-moderation policy ... [CEO Chris] Best has suggested that Substack contains a built-in moderation mechanism in the form of the Unsubscribe button.” https://www.newyorker.com/...
Samidha Sharma / @samidhas: Is Substack the Media Future We Want? The newsletter service is a software company that, by mimicking some of the functions of newsrooms, has made itself difficult to categorize. https://www.newyorker.com/... via @NewYorker
Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix: Following @benyt's Substack consideration on Sunday, @annawiener asks in The New Yorker, “Is Substack the Media Future We Want?” https://www.newyorker.com/...
Rachel Cohen / @rmc031: all these substack features are blurring together. biggest difference per piece is learning random details about the outlier high-earners on the site https://www.newyorker.com/...
Sanjay Sipahimalani / @sansip: “Substack is a natural fit for the influencer, the pundit, the personality, and the political contrarian. It's debatable whether this represents ‘a better future for news.’” Excellent piece by Anna Weiner on the functions and future of digital newsletters. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Joe Weisenthal / @thestalwart: I liked this piece about Substack, particularly on the history of tech and finance newsletters. Had not realized that Schwab started in the newsletter biz https://www.newyorker.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael Luo / @michaelluo: .@Annawiener is fantastic in this week's @NewYorker on the world of Substack: potted history of newsletters, future of media, and creative economy. “It's debatable whether this represents “a better future for news.” But it's great business for Substack.” https://www.newyorker.com/...
Evelyn Douek / @evelyndouek: “Substack insists that it is not a media company ... But other newsletter platforms ... have never offered incentives to attract writers. ... Moderation decisions are made by the founders, [and Substack] does not comment on them.” Seems sustainable! 👍 https://www.newyorker.com/...
Ted Leonsis / @tedleonsis: I think Substack is here to stay— a great way for freelancing and professional content producers to launch and maintain a publication or newsletter and get paid easily and quickly. https://www.newyorker.com/...
@comparativist: FYI: if you subscribed to my @SubstackInc earlier this year or last year, I've stopped collecting payments until I know the limits of what can be written without arrest in the HK NSL Era. Thanks for subscribing, though. https://twitter.com/...
Jared Keller / @jaredbkeller: Anna continues to be the most contemplative and lucid technology writer I've ever read https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: A lot of talk about politics drama at media companies, but to me this is the best thing about the newsletter model ... a story can be successful without going viral or being an SEO hit. https://www.newyorker.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: I will gladly admit that Stratechery would not exist without social media. The real question to consider about business models is if social media accentuates them (by providing free user acquisition) or damages them (by competing for $ and attention).
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: Leave aside the democracy point: arguing that using social media for user acquisition delegitimizes the subscription model is asinine. Why would you not leverage social media, the greatest free marketing tool ever? Social media is AMAZING for anyone with a modern business model. https://twitter.com/...
@hunterwalk: Since this NYer article about Substack quotes a paragraph from my blog post about MultiSKU Creators but doesn't link to it https://hunterwalk.medium.com/ ... Refusal to link credit is one persistent example of how traditional media still doesn't truly embrace internet culture https://twitter.com/...
Malcolm Harris / @bigmeaninternet: Good overview from @annawiener, at least from what I can tell. Starts to make more sense why someone like Yglesias would rather do a newsletter than a book for the same ballpark of money https://www.newyorker.com/...
Ryan Powell / @ryan_c_powell: Wonderful appraisal of a newsletter aggregator (with health insurance, for some)!: “A robust press is essential to a functioning democracy, and a cultural turn toward journalistic individualism might not be in the collective interest.” https://www.newyorker.com/... via @NewYorker
RELATED:
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:
@sethabramson, @lthomasnews, Steve's Stay …, @annehelen, @ggreenwald, @sethcotlar, @cindygallop, @kawulf, @kenburns, @peterhamby, @jimdao, @sarahalvarezmi, @megankatenelson, @cgasparino, @arothmanhistory, @yashar, @cande313, @kerileighmerrit, @mims, @marklittlenews, @mims, @nattyover, @tomgara, @carloslozadawp, @benedictevans, @niubi, @niubi, Media Nation, Moderns Comms, @jonward11, @mayawiley, @hthompsn, @virginiahughes, @sarageorgini, @rothmanistan, @hamishmckenzie, @dabeard, @ldburnett, @_jonathansjones, @michaelsocolow, @madrid_mike, @ron_fournier, @davidlat, @andreachalupa, @yashar, @travelfish, @historian_steve, @carolynryan, @sharonwaxman, @benyt and Context is King
Discussion:
Seth Abramson / @sethabramson: Media is changing to favor independent digital journalists. That's OK as long as journalistic ethics remain intact. It took years, but maybe pieces like this—on someone making $1 million/yr—will end the attacks on folks like me, whose work is largely free. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Luke Thomas / @lthomasnews: Here's a story on the most successful author on Substack, a history prof who covers politics in a calm way using her breadth of insight. Her success reminds me of @Patrick_Wyman. Turbulent times and burgeoning media outlets put history experts in demand. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Steve Thode / Steve's Stay-at-Home Coronavirus Quiz: Quiz #99. Numbers — 99 times this year, I've sat down to write a quiz …
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: I thought the @benyt profile of Heather Cox Richardson was quite good; I think her success (and prominence of many academics on Twitter) evidences a twinned liberal skepticism of journalistic process / embrace of academic authority https://www.nytimes.com/...
Glenn Greenwald / @ggreenwald: Good @benyt look at the amazing success on Substack of Heather Cox Richardson, a History Professor who has attracted a massive audience with restrained, daily anti-Trump columns. Even I'm tired of reading about Substack but it has some good/happy points: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Seth Cotlar / @sethcotlar: One of the few upsides of the past 4 years is that many people who'd previously been disinterested in US History & politics found themselves looking to professional historians to help them make sense of the daily chaotic churn of thudding bullshit. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Cindy Gallop / @cindygallop: Ladies, be inspired and GET THAT $$$. “I'm speaking to women who haven't necessarily been paying attention to politics, older people who had not been engaged,” @HC_Richardson said. “I'm an older woman and I'm speaking to other women about being empowered.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dr. Karin Wulf / @kawulf: So true! @HC_Richardson is fantastic. But as a historian committed to sharing critical context about American history right now she's not a unicorn. Exemplars include @KeishaBlain @jbf1755 & @marthasjones_ #womenalsoknowhistory https://twitter.com/...
Ken Burns / @kenburns: Nice way to end the year. History helps, especially in tough times. Well deserved. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Hamby / @peterhamby: Like so many news products these days, the stuff that's most popular isn't even noticed, watched, read or obsessed over by media insiders. More like this, @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jim Dao / @jimdao: Weirdly refreshing news “She's writing for people who want to leave an article feeling ‘smarter not dumber.’ ” @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sarah Alvarez / @sarahalvarezmi: Appreciate being mentioned & called “relentlessly local” by @benyt in today's @nytimes. We're mentioned alongside a venture on track to earn $1 mil. We just need to raise $2,500 in 3 days to unlock needed matching funds to keep our work free for all. https://outliermedia.org/donate/
@megankatenelson: Tweeps, you will not be shocked that I am *very* interested in how money is discussed here - as a surprising, somewhat embarrassing thing. Heather's marvelous newsletters are a public service. They are also WORK. She *should* be paid for writing them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: really liked @benyt column; i keep hearing from both conservatives and liberals that want moderation in their news. nice to know it can sell— Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It's Working. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Adam Rothman / @arothmanhistory: Heather Cox Richardson sends a daily newsletter to 350,000 paid subscribers. Meanwhile, I post memes about Millard Fillmore. Way to go, @HC_Richardson! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Yashar Ali / @yashar: In all the years I've been on Twitter, I've never seen such universal praise for one person....in this case, @HC_Richardson. Just look at the replies and quote tweets to this tweet below to see what I mean. Take a look at her newsletter: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.c om/ https://twitter.com/...
Candice Fortman / @cande313: “while another well-regarded model is Detroit's Outlier Media, which is relentlessly local and often delivered by text message.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Keri Leigh Merritt, Ph.D. / @kerileighmerrit: .@HC_Richardson has *always* been a star & I'm so proud to know her. She deeply influenced #MasterlessMen, & recently, she has helped change the ways I conceive of & practice history as a discipline. Just brilliant.💫💫💫 💫💫 https://www.nytimes.com/...
Christopher Mims / @mims: honestly all of my favorite media outlets these days are of this genre: actual news, calmly delivered it's the opposite of social media https://twitter.com/...
Mark Little / @marklittlenews: Wow! The last line of this piece. On the contrast between journalists addicted to real-time drama and the rising stars of community media: “You live in a world of thunderstorms, and she watches the waves come in.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Christopher Mims / @mims: “Like the other Substack writers, Dr. Richardson is succeeding because she's offering something you can't find in the mainstream media, and indeed that many editors would assume was too boring to assign.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Natalie Wolchover / @nattyover: Every day, this 19th-century history professor composes a letter summing up and contextualizing the news of the day. It's the most popular thing on Substack. I just signed up and the first letter about yesterday was super informative. Recommended! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: I read this newsletter for the first time today and it is indeed a stunning feat of normie'ness, just remarkably normie. It's the Substack equivalent of Big Bang Theory being the biggest show on while everyone obsessed over Game of Thrones https://twitter.com/...
Carlos Lozada / @carloslozadawp: “The incentives of subscription economics...push newspapers, magazines, and cable channels alike toward super-serving subscribers, making you feel as if you're on the right team, part of the right faction, at least a member of the right community.” -@benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans: This reminds me of the developer who made a fortune by having the first Tetris clone in the App Store, in 2008. In every new, empty channel, the first people to offer something good can get flooded. Once the channel fills up, all the dynamics change. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bill Bishop / @niubi: “By my conservative estimate based on public and private Substack figures, the $5 monthly subscriptions to participate in her comments section are on track to bring in more than a million dollars a year” this is going to spark some public intellectual professor energy https://twitter.com/...
Bill Bishop / @niubi: Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It's Working. https://www.nytimes.com/... “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”
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: It's the age of paid content — and Media Nation is dipping its toe in the water
Keith O'Brien / Moderns Comms: State of Play 12/28 — TODAY'S TOP STORY: Murdoch dumps Trump — The biggest national story …
Jon Ward / @jonward11: “She's writing for people who ... who don't want to learn about the events of the day through the panicked channels of cable news and Twitter, but calmly situated in the long sweep of American history and values.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Maya Wiley / @mayawiley: “We're in an inflection moment of American politics, and one of the things that happens in that moment is that a lot of people get involved in politics again,” - How Heather Cox Richardson Became a Breakout Star on Substack https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dr. Heather Ann Thompson / @hthompsn: YES!! The amazing, brilliant, and yes, historian, Heather Cox Richardson, so rightfully being shouted out and celebrated here for making the news (and context!!!) matter now more than ever! ❤️ Heather!!! Congrats!! - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
Virginia Hughes / @virginiahughes: I'm subscribing tonight... along with thousands of others, no doubt >> Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It's Working. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sara Georgini / @sarageorgini: 👏Incredibly proud to see brilliant colleague & #BookSquad pal Dr. @HC_Richardson recognized for her hard work, historical scholarship, + civic commitment. Onward, 2021! @womnknowhistory https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joshua D. Rothman / @rothmanistan: If you're not learning things from @HC_Richardson yet, you should be. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Hamish McKenzie / @hamishmckenzie: Heather finally getting the attention she deserves. A Substack role model. “You live in a world of thunderstorms,” [Moyers] said, “and she watches the waves come in.” https://twitter.com/...
David Beard / @dabeard: In a world of thunderstorms, she watches the waves roll in. How 58 yo history prof @HC_Richardson has become, more or less by accident, the most successful independent journalist in America. https://www.nytimes.com/... @benyt cc: @BillMoyers
Dr. Lora Burnett / @ldburnett: I marvel at the brilliance of my friends. @HC_Richardson has been a real friend from my first pseudonymous forays into writing for a broad public audience, and she is who I want to be when I grow up. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jonathan S. Jones / @_jonathansjones: And they say there's no market for history https://twitter.com/...
Michael Socolow / @michaelsocolow: Loved reading this. America's most successful independent journalist is a 58-year-old Harvard-educated history professor living in a fishing village on a peninsula in Maine with her lobsterman partner. *This* should be a movie. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mike Madrid / @madrid_mike: “If you start doing things for the money, they stop being authentic,” she said, adding that she knew that was... “an old Puritan way of looking at things.” Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It's Working. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ron Fournier / @ron_fournier: “Richardson's focus on straightforward explanations to a mass audience comes as much of the American media is going in the opposite direction ...” ~ @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Lat / @davidlat: 1/ A thoughtful profile (by @benyt) of a thoughtful writer, #Substack star Heather Cox Richardson. https://twitter.com/...
Andrea Chalupa / @andreachalupa: “Dr. Richardson confounds many of the media's assumptions about this moment.” Extraordinary piece about the great @HC_Richardson: https://www.nytimes.com/...
@yashar: Who is the most successful individual author of a paid publication on Substack? It's not a thirty or forty something Libertarian type as some may suspect It's a 58-year-old 19th century history professor Meet @HC_Richardson in the latest @benyt column https://www.nytimes.com/...
Stuart MaskDonald / @travelfish: The thought of sending a newsletter out to 350,000 people terrifies me. https://twitter.com/...
Steve Campbell / @historian_steve: Happy to see this favorable coverage of a first-rate historian @HC_Richardson In my own personal experiences, confirmed by others, Heather gives you the time of day. She's the opposite of the stereotype of an elitist professor. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@carolynryan: Perhaps most unlikely and successful star of this media moment is a New England professor with Lincoln-era sensibilities and Puritan leanings https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sharon Waxman / @sharonwaxman: “By my conservative estimate based on public and private Substack figures, the $5 monthly subscriptions to participate in her comments section are on track to bring in more than a million dollars a year, a figure she ascribes to this moment in history.” https://twitter.com/...
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
Discussion:
@kerrymflynn: “The Substackaissance feels like a gold rush for blue checks.... in 2021 [watch] how it's also kicked open the doors for all the outlets that couldn't make it before on advertising, awkward PayPal requests, and deep-pocketed benefactors alone” -@delia_cai https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@niemanlab: “What's most worth watching in 2021 is how the Substackaissance also kicked open the doors for all the outlets that couldn't make it before on advertising, awkward PayPal requests, and deep-pocketed benefactors alone.” By @delia_cai: https://www.niemanlab.org/... #Predix2021
Shelley Hepworth / The Guardian: Substack: five of the best from the niche newsletter platform
Lukas I. Alpert / Wall Street Journal:
Politico announces it is acquiring E&E News, a high-price subscription trade publication focused on the energy industry and environmental news — Purchase comes as Politico looks to expand its overall professional news business — Politico is adding some energy to its game.
Discussion:
@joshluger, @bradplumer, @michellemanafy, @bbuchman_cns, @rafat, @yayitsrob, @lalpert1, @harrispolitico, @politicopress, @reddy, @harrispolitico, @timothy_cama, @sammy_roth, @natbullard, @jakesherman, @vtg2, @tonyromm, @bdayspring, @rickdunham, The Hill, @cbudoffbrown, @bkingdc and Talking Biz News
Discussion:
Josh Luger / @joshluger: Rev up 20% YOY. 50%+ via @POLITICOPro subs. Record profit. Future-leaning acquisition. 14 years in. The biz success story that is @politico continues. “The story of our generation... is the environment and how the energy sector adapts to what needs to be done.” @R_Allbritton https://twitter.com/...
Brad Plumer / @bradplumer: No idea what this all means, but the E&E newsroom is absolutely incredible, consistently providing the most comprehensive and amazing energy/environmental coverage day after day. I hope that continues and their readership grows immensely! That's all. https://twitter.com/...
@michellemanafy: Politico is acquiring E&E News, a high-price subscription trade publication focused on the energy industry and environmental news https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ BTW: @Politico will end the year with its highest-ever level of profitability
Brandi Buchman / @bbuchman_cns: That's big - the reporters at E&E do a damn fine job of covering energy and enviro news. https://twitter.com/...
@rafat: I am surprised Politico & @R_Allbritton haven't been more active in M&A over the years in the domain they know so well: high price subscription B2B. Smart acquisition, this one. https://www.politico.com/... via @politico
Robinson Meyer / @yayitsrob: Whoa, huge news on the climate and energy beat: https://www.wsj.com/... E&E News is the best newsroom on the beat; I hope this means more people will get to read their tremendous work.
Lukas I. Alpert / @lalpert1: Despite the pandemic, Politico ended the year with record profitability and global revenues up over 20% to around $160 million making acquisitions more possible, sources said https://twitter.com/...
John F. Harris / @harrispolitico: Fantastic news today for @politico. Our aim is to be the leading publication on the most important story globally of this generation. Welcome to our new colleagues @EENewsUpdates. This will be a blast—and great for the audience. https://www.wsj.com/...
Politico Press / @politicopress: NEW: @politico today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire @EENewsUpdates, the renowned news organization focused solely on energy and the environment, now in its 22nd year. Read more about the acquisition below. https://www.wsj.com/...
Sudeep Reddy / @reddy: Politico is acquiring E&E News. “The story of our generation going forward is the environment and how the energy sector adapts to what needs to be done,” said Robert Allbritton, Politico's publisher and owner https://www.wsj.com/...
John F. Harris / @harrispolitico: This agreement reflects very diligent work at both organizations—both of which can have more fun and impact going forward. As a publication that still thinks like a startup 14 years in, @politico has vast respect for the talent and ambition of the innovators @EENewsUpdates https://twitter.com/...
Sammy Roth / @sammy_roth: Interesting! Smart move by Politico. @EENewsUpdates does great work. “The story of our generation going forward is the environment and how the energy sector adapts to what needs to be done,” said Robert Allbritton, Politico's publisher and owner. https://www.wsj.com/...
Nat Bullard / @natbullard: With acquisition of @EENewsUpdates @Politico gets $20M ARR in a subject area likely to be ever more important in 2021 https://twitter.com/...
Jake Sherman / @jakesherman: empire building at @politico. what terrific news! https://twitter.com/...
Victoria Guida / @vtg2: The deal will substantially expand Politico's footprint in the energy news space (E&E News has 65 reporters in 9 offices, adding to Politico's existing 17 staffers focused on energy & environmental news). Politico will maintain E&E News as a separate brand https://www.wsj.com/...
Tony Romm / @tonyromm: politico hired so many people from e&e over the years that it's honestly a shock it took them this long to just acquire the whole damn thing https://www.wsj.com/...
Brad Dayspring / @bdayspring: “POLITICO is adding some energy to its game.” ✔️ https://twitter.com/...
Rick Dunham / @rickdunham: This is a big deal in the media world. I have friends both at @Politico and E&E News, an authoritative and valuable news source. This is a logical next step for Politico. If this works out well, it will be great news for journalists and consumers alike. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Frazin / The Hill: Politico purchases E&E News
Carrie Budoff Brown / @cbudoffbrown: 🚨*Very* excited to welcome E&E News to @politico. I've admired its many great journalists from afar for years. Now, with both publications under one roof, we will be able to tell this critical story better, and for more people, than before. 1/4 https://www.wsj.com/...
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Profile of Walter Hamada, who runs DC Films and is aiming to release comics-based movies like Batman and Wonder Woman at a much faster pace — Walter Hamada, who runs DC Films, is overseeing a dizzying number of projects, part of a swarm of comics-based stories coming from Hollywood.
Discussion:
Mitch Layne / Moondog's Movieboat: Wonder Woman 1984 is ahead of its time, even if it doesn't know it yet
Rebecca Rubin / Variety: ‘Wonder Woman 3’ in the Works With Director Patty Jenkins
Matt Webb Mitovich / TVLine: After Wonder Woman 1984 and #TheSnyderCut, Which DC Films Will Go Straight to HBO Max?
Susana Polo / Polygon: WB bringing six new DC movies each year, starting in 2022
Hasief Ardiasyah / @hasief: How to understand DC Films (and @listentofeast albums). https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Finn Schlote / The Illuminerdi: Warner Bros. New DC Films Release Strategy Includes 4 Theatrical Releases Annually and An Onslaught Of Spin-Offs
Dan Barrett / Always Be Watching: Warner Media unveils DC plan (kinda).
Graeme McMillan / Hollywood Reporter: How DC's Multiverse Can Shape Warner Bros.' Superhero Slate
Cooper Hood / ScreenRant: Batgirl Movie May Go Straight To HBO Max | Screen Rant
Julia Alexander / The Verge: After stumbling with one film universe, DC is trying for two
Hoai-Tran Bui / /Film: Warner Bros. Plans to Release Bigger DC Films to Theaters and Smaller Films to HBO Max, With Potential Max Spin-Offs For All of Them
Zack Sharf / IndieWire: The Future of DC Films: Two Batman Stories, Six Movies Per Year Split Between Theaters and HBO Max
Brian Welk / The Wrap: Zack Snyder's ‘Justice League’ Spinoffs Aren't Part of DC Films' Future Multiverse Plans
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: ‘Batgirl’ & ‘Static Shock’ Films May Move To HBO Max; No Sequel's Planned For Zack Snyder's ‘Justice League’
Travis Clark / Business Insider: DC wants to make 2 superhero movies a year that would be exclusive to HBO Max
RELATED:
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
Discussion:
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg: Over Christmas holiday, Apptopia says HBO Max had ~554K app signups; Sensor Tower says Disney+ had ~2.3M global app installations, up 28% from prior weekend
Steve Kovach / CNBC: Streaming got its first big test against theatrical releases this weekend, and ‘Wonder Woman’ delivered on both
Stephanie Sengwe / The Streamable: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ and ‘Soul’ Releases Boost HBO Max and Disney Plus App Downloads
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch: Streaming services face their real test in 2021
Daniel Gillespie / ScreenRant: Disney+ & Soul Beats HBO Max & Wonder Woman For Xmas Subscribers
Suderman / @petersuderman: If you want a vision of the future, imagine an unwatchable array of superhero shows, stomping on a streaming box, forever. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tom Dotan / @cityofthetown: What's so funny about Warner Bros touting that WW1984's $16m domestic total was the highest post-pandemic haul is it totally undercuts their initial claims about how much Tenet made. Back in September WB was saying Tenet had a $20 million opening weekend.
Mike Calia / @michael_calia: More streaming = more fuzzy viewership numbers from media companies. @stevekovach on #ww84 and #SoulMovie and streaming and results and transparency https://www.cnbc.com/...
Martin Peers / The Information: What ‘Wonder Woman’ Says About Streaming: The Information's Tech Briefing
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Warner Media released a flood of figures on Wonder Woman 1984 results: • $16.7 million at US box office weekend • $68.3 million international • $85 million global total after 2 wks But nothing on HBO Max subs — you'd figure if it were significant they'd say so
Leia Idliby / Mediaite: Wonder Woman 1984 Scores Pandemic's Highest Movie Opening, Posts $16.7 Million at Box Office Despite Dropping for Free On HBO Max
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable: “Soul” Saw More Households Stream Film Than “Wonder Woman 1984” Over Christmas Weekend
Edward Davis / The Playlist: DC Will Release 4 Films A Year Starting 2022; Multiverse Will Be Used To Explain Multiple Versions Of Characters
Ian Sherr / CNET: Wonder Woman 1984 may have saved movie theaters too
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Scores $16.7 Million At Box Office, Highest Pandemic Opening
Sonaiya Kelley / Los Angeles Times: ‘Wonder Woman 3’ in the works as ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ exceeds box office projections
Travis Clark / Business Insider: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ made over $16 million at the US box office over the weekend, the best opening during the pandemic
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable: “Wonder Woman 1984” Watched By Nearly Half of HBO Max Retail Subscribers
Ross A. Lincoln / The Wrap: ‘Wonder Woman 3’ Fast-Tracked With Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot Returning
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Washington reporters, including Olivia Nuzzi, Jim Acosta, and Yamiche Alcindor, on being recast as “resistance heroes” during the Trump era and what comes next — The day after the 2016 election, I got a phone call from an old friend. Neither of us had slept much …
Discussion:
@mckaycoppins, @jayrosen_nyu, @kenvogel, @wajahatali, @bobsalera, @mckaycoppins, @stevekrak, @yossigestetner, @holden114, @byronyork, @schmittnyc, @tzipshmil, @jackmjenkins and Fox News
Discussion:
McKay Coppins / @mckaycoppins: One cable-news anchor told me that praise from anti-Trump celebrities on Twitter has become like a “narcotic” for some of his colleagues: “It's important to people that George Takei likes their monologue.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: IT'S NOT THAT HARD: “Though he stressed that the same ‘intensity and rigor’ should be applied to the incoming president, the simple reality is that Biden doesn't lie nearly as often as Trump does.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Kenneth P. Vogel / @kenvogel: TELL ME ABOUT IT: “It didn't really require any special bravery to report honestly & critically on TRUMP,” @Olivianuzzi said. “I don't know that reporting critically on BIDEN will feel as safe for reporters...You're not going to get yass queen-ed...” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@wajahatali: They should be more adversarial and less deferential and end “both sides” false equivalence. American democracy will benefit. https://twitter.com/...
Bob Salera / @bobsalera: This story and all the deranged quotes it contains from “reporters” are why trust in the press is at an all time low. https://twitter.com/...
McKay Coppins / @mckaycoppins: In the Trump era, many Washington reporters became resistance heroes, showered with book deals, TV contacts, and Twitter followers. I talked to some of them about their (our) ambivalence about that—and what they plan to do next. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Steve Krakauer / @stevekrak: Jim Acosta described Trump's treatment of the media as a “nonstop national emergency,” and described working at the White House as “an experience that might merit hazard pay.” Literally delusional (or continued kayfabe). Via @mckaycoppins piece: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Yossi Gestetner / @yossigestetner: Boooom. @Olivianuzzi drops a bomb on the DC journalism arena. https://twitter.com/...
Holden / @holden114: Nuzzi asked Trump in a press conference if a President should be re-elected if he loses more people than the Vietnam war. About as contrived question meant for yas-queening as any. She's playing both sides. https://twitter.com/...
Byron York / @byronyork: CNN's Jim Acosta was the most flamboyantly adversarial reporter in the Trump White House. Maybe you thought he was partisan. No! Acosta says he took that stance because Trump's criticism of the press was a ‘nonstop national emergency.’ From @TheAtlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Rob Schmitt / @schmittnyc: These are the people covering the White House.. and they don't even try to hide it anymore https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@tzipshmil: the MSM starts the push to rewrite its role in creating and sustaining Donald Trump, but what Michelle Wolf told them in 2017 remains the only truth. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Will Thorne / Variety:
First ever NFL game streamed exclusively had an average minute audience of 4.8M on Prime, Twitch, and others, almost as much as traditional TV viewership — The first ever NFL game to be shown exclusively on streaming platforms scored solid numbers, showing encouraging signs for future streaming-only games.
Discussion:
@crupicrupicrupi, The Streamable, Sports Business Daily, @richarddeitsch, MediaPost, @jason_kint and @aquinas82nd
Discussion:
Anthony Crupi / @crupicrupicrupi: Amazon's exclusive coverage of SF-AZ on Saturday afternoon served up an average-minute audience of 4.8M viewers across Prime Video/Twitch/NFL/Verizon platforms. That marks the season's 2nd-lowest delivery for an NFL game, edging only NFL Net's 12/19 BUF-DEN game—a 48-19 blowout.
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable: Amazon Prime Video Exclusive NFL Telecast Saw 4.8 Million Average Viewers
Richard Deitsch / @richarddeitsch: The revolution ... needs more viewers. https://twitter.com/...
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: Amazon, Twitch Score Highest Viewing For Streaming NFL Game — 4.8M ‘Average Minute’ Viewers
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Great to see sports media properly reporting live event viewership for an OTT platform (here Amazon) using an average minute audience metric which is apples to apples to television rather than using misleading view/stream/uniques numbers. Makes the point clear here. https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Crakes / @aquinas82nd: So, this number is world wide. Also, broadcast affiliates in SF & PX added 1.1M viewers so all in total is 5.9M. That means local affiliates accounted for 20% of viewing total. Would be very useful to know what the mobile figures were on their own as well as international... https://twitter.com/...
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:
Wall Street Journal, Newser, Fox News, @pressfreedom, @michaelpsenger, @davidfolkenflik, @houseforeign, @doctoryasmin, Foreign Policy, Reuters, @bungarsargon, South China Morning Post, @benthompson, @benthompson, @davewiner, @vwang3, @bymikebaker, @klandergan, @brendancarrfcc, The Wrap, @leilanimunter, @jonnygeller, @williamyang120, @jerylbier, @davidlarter, @nytimesworld, @nicoleperlroth, @adammilstein, @williamyang120, @williamyang120, @jiayangfan, National Review, CNN, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Variety, SBS News, CBS News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC, Axios and bookforum.com
Discussion:
Chun Han Wong / Wall Street Journal: China Jails Citizen Journalist for Her Accounts of Covid-19 in Wuhan
Jenn Gidman / Newser: Citizen Journo Accused of ‘Picking Quarrels’ Gets 4 Years
Morgan Phillips / Fox News: Pompeo slams Chinese Communist Party for sentencing journalist who reported on coronavirus to 4 years in jail
@pressfreedom: “Zhang's trial and conviction are about much more than one person running afoul of China's ruling Communist Party,” writes @CPJAsia's @StevenBButler in @CNNOpinion. “It shows that Chinese citizens can still muster the courage to defy the Communist Party.” https://www.cnn.com/...
Michael P Senger / @michaelpsenger: Zhang is 2nd anti-lockdown activist imprisoned in China—Ren was sentenced to 18 years for letter requesting Xi's lockdown instructions. “Ms. Zhang was fiercely critical of the government...questioning whether Wuhan's lockdown had been enacted too harshly.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: “Zhang Zhan was fiercely critical of the Chinese government in her dispatches, asking why it had tried to silence whistle-blowers about the virus and questioning Wuhan's lockdown. “She also directly challenged propaganda exalting the government response.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@houseforeign: The Chinese government's continued attempt to silence whistleblowers like Zhang Zhan, as it did to Dr. Li Wenliang, is shameful. We will continue to support those bravely speaking truth to power & call on Beijing to respect freedoms of expression & the importance of transparency. https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Seema Yasmin / @doctoryasmin: China jails journalist Zhang Zhan for 4 years for reporting on the early days of the epidemic in Wuhan. Zhan has been on hunger strike since June and is reportedly force-fed via nasal tube. She is one of 8 whistleblowers punished by China, that we know of https://www.nytimes.com/...
Batya Ungar-Sargon / @bungarsargon: Zhang Zhan was on a hunger strike until the authorities tied her hands and force-fed her with a feeding tube. She appeared for her trial in a wheelchair, and it lasted less than three hours. Zhan was convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Guo Rui / South China Morning Post: China jails citizen journalist for four years over Wuhan coronavirus reports
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: The obvious answer, of course, is that the NYT China team and tech teams are completely separate. The latter would do well to read the former though, before insisting that it is trivial — but for engagement! — to stamp out misinformation without devolving into authoritarianism.
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: Great reporting from the NYTimes. Just curious how this differs from demands that tech companies censor COVID info that departs from the same authorities (ie WHO) who take their cues from the CCP? https://twitter.com/...
@davewiner: What's the difference between a citizen journalist and a journalist? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Vivian Wang / @vwang3: Our story on today's trial: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mike Baker / @bymikebaker: These prison sentences were both handed down today https://www.nytimes.com/... https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Katherine Landergan / @klandergan: “What was Zhang Zhan's crime? She just went to Wuhan, saw some things, talked about them. That's it.” https://www.google.com/...
Brendan Carr / @brendancarrfcc: 10. Communist China's brutal crackdown on Covid whistleblowers continues. Ms. Zhang sentenced to 4 years for exposing the CCP's coverup. Unrecognizable, “authorities fed her through a feeding tube and restrained her hands so she could not pull it out.” https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: US Calls on China to Release Journalist Jailed for Early Coronavirus Reports
Leilani Mnter / @leilanimunter: China is punishing citizen journalists for telling the truth about coronavirus under the bullshit charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Another Wuhan whistleblower, Fang Bin, is still missing. China, where is he? https://twitter.com/...
Jonny Geller / @jonnygeller: This is horrific. A journalist sentenced for 4 years for telling the world about the virus. This is a crime against humanity. https://twitter.com/...
William Yang / @williamyang120: Chinese citizen journalist #ZhangZhan's mother burst out crying after learning about her four-year sentence. She was interviewed by foreign media for the first time: “This is not sentencing. They are trying to let her die. Due to her physical conditions, we all know this well. https://twitter.com/...
Jeryl Bier / @jerylbier: Looking forward to @nytimes op-ed from a CCP official explaining why this is just fine. https://twitter.com/...
David B. Larter / @davidlarter: Of all the infantilizing ways of describing the reason you are robbing someone of four years of their life for the crime exercising the unalienable right of people to criticize their government, “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” is tops. https://twitter.com/...
@nytimesworld: A Chinese court sentenced a citizen journalist who documented the early days of the coronavirus outbreak to four years in prison, sending a stark warning to those challenging the government's official narrative of the pandemic https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: After a hunger strike to protest her arrest, authorities force fed her through a feeding tube and strapped down her arms so she couldn't pull it out. The official charge was “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” https://twitter.com/...
Adam Milstein / @adammilstein: Zhang Zhan, the 37-year-old Chinese lawyer/journalist who exposed the Wuhan's coronavirus outbreak and detained in May, has been jailed for 4 years. She was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a frequent charge against activists. https://www.bbc.com/...
William Yang / @williamyang120: “In one video, Zhang showed a hospital hallway packed with patients lying on beds, some of them hooked up to blue oxygen tanks. In other videos, Zhang went to local police stations in Wuhan to inquire about other missing citizen journalists, including Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin.”
William Yang / @williamyang120: “Zhang, 37, was among several Chinese citizens who took it upon themselves to travel to Wuhan early this year to report on the government's handling of the outbreak, filming inside hospitals and on empty streets as the Wuhan authorities enforced a strict lockdown.”
Jiayang Fan / @jiayangfan: “Chen Jiangang, a Chinese human rights lawyer, said the length of Ms. Zhang's sentence showed that the government saw preserving its narrative of the outbreak as fundamental to its hold on power.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brittany Bernstein / National Review: Chinese Citizen Journalist Sentenced to Four Years for Coronavirus Reporting
Ashley Collman / Business Insider: China sentences citizen-journalist to 4 years in prison for reporting on early days of Wuhan coronavirus outbreak
Jamie Lang / Variety: China Hands Four-Year Jail Sentence to Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan for Wuhan Coverage - Global Bulletin
SBS News: Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan jailed for four years after she reported on China's COVID-19 crisis from Wuhan
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
Discussion:
Amesh Adalja / @ameshaa: “A Chinese court has sentenced a citizen journalist to four years in prison after she reported independently on the COVID-19 crisis from its first epicenter, illustrating Beijing's intent to maintain a tight grip on the narrative of the pandemic” https://www.vice.com/...
Emily Birnbaum / Protocol:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is tying the fate of $2,000 stimulus checks to the repeal of Section 230 — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is tying the fate of $2,000 stimulus checks to the repeal of Section 230, an effort that will likely doom both pieces of legislation in the Senate.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reason, @dangillmor, @dangillmor, @dangillmor, @dangillmor, @dangillmor, Washington Post, @oneunderscore__, @ryanunderdev, @chutry, @oneunderscore__, @yashar, National Review, @jank0, @jess_miers, Techdirt, Gizmodo, @lpackard, @martinsfp, @jimmy_wales, @jimmy_wales, @jimmy_wales, @jimmy_wales, @jimmy_wales, @jimmy_wales, CNBC, The Guardian, The Verge, ABC News, The Hill and The Week, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Mike DeBonis / Washington Post: Fate of $2,000 stimulus checks proposal, backed by Trump, is in McConnell's hands
Billy Binion / Reason: Mitch McConnell Agrees To Pass $2,000 COVID-19 Checks—in a Bill That Would Also Eliminate Section 230
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: But it will absolutely wreck an overall ecosystem that has been a godsend for knowledge and freedom of expression. Please, journalists, frame this issue accurately. It's about free speech, start to finish. And a lot of you are on the wrong side.
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Saying again: People keep missing the point of the accelerating campaign to kill Section 230. Whacking online free speech IS the point. But that's just a way station on the road to controlling speech. What each of the attackers assumes is that his/her side will be in control.
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: If you are framing the attacks on Section 230 as somehow bringing to heel the giant tech companies, you are buying the lies of people who want to control speech and what moves on the Internet (or, in many cases, have no idea what they're talking about in the first place).
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Section 230 is entirely about free speech. It was written to protect freedom of expression. But control-freak politicians and Big Journalism organizations insist on calling this law protection for Big Tech — companies that in several cases didn't exist when it was written.
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: We're about to lose Section 230, folks. Keep in mind that Biden also supports its repeal, and said so out loud. The Democrats are as indifferent to free speech — when controlling speech serves their purposes — as the Republicans. We are in big, big trouble.
Tony Romm / Washington Post: Trump, Republicans seize on new stimulus debate to take aim at an old foe: Big tech
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: @ryanunderdev I wish that were true but the biggest international propaganda failures came from chain mail on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, like the Myanmar genocide.
@ryanunderdev: @oneunderscore__ Private group chats are the future. I say ban all of this nonsense. We will start completely ignoring all the propaganda. It's all poison. It's all meant to help a small group gain at your expense. If it scales, it better be peer to peer.
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: Once you open up social networks to liability for user speech, they will all look like the homepage for https://disney.com/. A Section 230 repeal is an insane thing for Trump to want. It'd leave an immediate regulatory black hole. Nobody who wants this gone understands it. https://twitter.com/...
@yashar: The section 230 thing continues to just make me laugh...repealing section 230 would be a disaster for Trump. It would mean his tweets would be taken down left and right. Same for many of his supporters. All of the talk about censorship? Wait til section 230 goes. https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Evans / National Review: Trump Claims Republicans Opposed to $2,000 Checks ‘Have a Death Wish’
Janko Roettgers / @jank0: McConnell is killing $2,000 stimulus checks by tying them to Section 230 https://www.protocol.com/...
Jess Miers / @jess_miers: Just your monthly reminder that you're mad about the First Amendment and not #Section230 https://www.techdirt.com/...
Dell Cameron / Gizmodo: McConnell Doesn't Care About Section 230 or the Election—Just Keeping Your Relief Check Small
Laura Packard / @lpackard: Serious question - why do Republicans want Section 230 to go away? If social media companies can be held liable for false content on their platforms, that's not going to go well for Republicans. Fake news is an asymmetric problem.
Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp: This is dumb on so many levels. https://twitter.com/...
Jimmy Wales / @jimmy_wales: It has been called the 26 words that made the Internet. That understates it.
Jimmy Wales / @jimmy_wales: Are you a grass roots conservative? You depend critically on section 230 to make grassroots possible.
Jimmy Wales / @jimmy_wales: Section 230 is for you. Whoever you are. You are reading this and section 230 is yours. Don't let them take it away.
Jimmy Wales / @jimmy_wales: Do you love my work? Do you believe in kind and thoughtful fact based dialog as the most wonderful thing about being human? Then fight for section 230. It matters. A lot.
Jimmy Wales / @jimmy_wales: If Trump's dying corrupt Presidency succeeds in repealing the most important free speech provision after the 1st Amendment, I am going to be very cross and there will be consequences.
CNBC: Trump is trying to link stimulus checks, defense spending to a contentious tech protection - what to know
David Smith / The Guardian: McConnell blocks initial Democratic effort for $2,000 Covid stimulus checks
Makena Kelly / The Verge: McConnell ties full repeal of Section 230 to push for $2,000 stimulus checks
Mariam Khan / ABC News: McConnell blocks Democratic attempt to unanimously pass $2,000 relief payments
Jordain Carney / The Hill: McConnell blocks vote on $2K checks, signals new package
Tim O'Donnell / The Week: McConnell blocks vote on $2,000 stimulus checks
Kristin Robinson / Variety:
A loophole in Spotify's copyright infringement detection tactics is allowing unauthorized remixes and bootlegs of songs to be uploaded as podcasts — Spotify has joined the ranks of streaming services like SoundCloud and YouTube as a hub for bootlegs of popular songs.
Andrew Donohue / Nieman Lab:
Efforts to undermine the 2020 election show the necessity of a democracy beat, focused not on partisan politics but on voter suppression and other threats — “These reporters won't see their work in terms of politics or parties, but instead through the lens of honesty, fairness, and transparency.”
Discussion:
David E. Kaplan / @kaplandave: Good piece by @Reveal's Andrew Donahue on the rise of “the democracy beat.” American journalists are now getting a taste of what our colleagues overseas have gone thru for years. @add https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@stphnfwlr: This year, much election administration/voting reporting (especially from @JessicaHuseman imo) has been centered around this type of coverage that eschews “both sides” in favor of “this is how democracy works/how officials are trying to counter it” and I'm eager to see more. https://twitter.com/...
Gregor Stuart Hunter / Bloomberg:
Filing: Jimmy Lai, who was charged earlier this month with Hong Kong's new national security law, resigned as chairman of Next Digital — Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was charged earlier this month with colluding with foreign forces under the city's new national security law …
Discussion:
Gregor Stuart Hunter / @gregorhunter: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was charged earlier this month with colluding with foreign forces under the city's new national security law, has resigned as chairman of Next Digital Ltd., the company said in a filing on Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Ampere: UK streaming subscribers grew 34% YoY in 2020, with a combined 32.4M for Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, the top three services — Britons spent 40% of their waking hours watching TV during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, fuelling the biggest year for new subscribers to streaming services.
Discussion:
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