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Facebook will begin testing its publishing platform, including website and newsletter tools, with a small group of writers, some of whom will be paid — Facebook will soon begin testing partnerships with a small group of independent writers for its new publishing platform, sources tell Axios.
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@dylanbyers, The Verge, @jeffjarvis, @toddo, @film_girl, @joshsternberg, @zephyrteachout, @aexm, @mattnavarra, @emilybell, @mediaevan and referentsia, more at Techmeme »


Report: Fortune employees are staging a day-long strike to protest performance targets like byline counts and traffic goals and to push for diversity measures — Staffers at Fortune are staging a day-long work stoppage on Tuesday, reports Steven Perlberg of Insider.
Discussion:
Insider, @perlberg, @fortune_union, The Wrap and @markstenberg3

News Corp says it has reached a three-year deal with Facebook to provide news to Facebook users in Australia through the Facebook News product — Expands News Corp-Facebook Connection, Which Began With Deal In US — New York, NY (March 15, 2021) - News Corp announced today that it has reached …
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Sources: Tencent and ByteDance are testing a new tool called CAID, developed by the China Advertising Association, to bypass Apple's IDFA ad privacy changes — ByteDance and Tencent see if they can keep tracking iPhone users with solution created by state-backed group
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9to5Mac, @sub8u, AppleInsider, MacRumors, @financialtimes and No IDFA? No Problem, more at Techmeme »


Sources say staff are “alarmed and dismayed” after Daily Telegraph editor emailed staff of plans to link elements of journalists' pay to articles' popularity — Guardian has seen email revealing plan, which is said to have dismayed staff who fear it will warp priorities
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UK columnist Julie Burchill apologizes to journalist Ash Sarkar and will pay damages after accusing her of being an Islamist, worshipping a pedophile, and more — Columnist apologises to journalist, saying social media posts included ‘racist and misogynist’ comments


In response to a letter from PR firms, HFPA issued a statement promising to increase its membership to over 100, 13% of which will be Black, among other changes — “We should have done more, and sooner,” the statement acknowledges. — In response to a Monday letter from more than 100 PR firms demanding …
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The Guardian, @kristenmeinzer, @thr, Variety and The Wrap
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In a letter to HFPA, over 100 Hollywood PR firms say they will pull their clients from HFPA events or interviews pending the org's “explicit plans” for change
Discussion:
Variety, Hollywood Reporter, @thewrap, @sharonwaxman, @yashar, The Grapevine, news.com.au, Screen, The Wrap, Deadline and IndieWire


CBS broadcast of Grammys drew 7.89M viewers, less than half the audience from 2020, joining Golden Globes and other shows in suffering steep declines this year — Like many other recent awards shows, Sunday's telecast was way down from 2020. — The Grammy Awards joined a host …
Discussion:
@brooksbarnesnyt, @lucas_shaw, Variety, New York Times, Mediaite, @matthewkeyslive, CNN, @blowryontv, @alyssarosenberg, @benlabolt, @dylanbyers, @dylanbyers, @ericboehlert, @lucas_shaw and Bloomberg


2012 FTC memos concluded that targeted ads don't and wouldn't make up a significant share of online advertising and users were unlikely to allow cookie tracking — A decade ago, a surging Silicon Valley giant was making plans to dominate the internet. Given a chance to stop it …
Discussion:
@robpegoraro, @zhizhuweb and @jason_kint, more at Techmeme »


A look at Japan's news media landscape, which has been slow to embrace digital transformation, as print circulation and a culture of conservatism still dominate — Japanese journalist Daisuke Furuta outlines what's preventing journalism in his home country from embracing digital transformation
Discussion:
@risj_oxford and @rasmus_kleis


French data protection watchdog says it is investigating Apple after a complaint by lobbying group France Digitale about Apple's personalized ad features — - CNIL confirmed it's examining a complaint by France Digitale — Apple has denied its advertising system breaks privacy rules
Discussion:
AppleInsider, MacRumors and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »


Veteran Miami Herald writer Carl Hiaasen retires after 45 years with a stark warning about the state of local journalism in the US — Let's get it over with. This is my last column for the Miami Herald. I didn't plan to write about that because there's actual news to be covered …
Discussion:
The Guardian, @nicdawes, @jebbush, @constelz, @jake_lassiter, @dvnjr, @markberman, @russbengtson, @tommy_robb, @sarahw, @medialawprof, @davidfolkenflik, @sulliview, @digiphile, Poynter and New York Times


Front Office Sports is rebranding as FOS, expects to be profitable this year on seven-figure revenue, and has 300K subscribers to its biggest newsletter — Front Office Sports, the sports media company centered around newsletters, expects to be profitable this year on high 7-figures in revenue, its CEO Adam White tells Axios.
Discussion:
@alexweprin