Top News:
Mel / @wearemel:
[Thread] Mel, the men's magazine backed by Unilever's Dollar Shave Club, is stopping publishing, ending its ties with Dollar Shave Club, and seeking a new owner — Some news: After six years of successful partnership and transforming the men's health and media spaces for the better, MEL and Dollar Shave Club's financial relationship will come to an end in 60 days.
Discussion:
Insider, @perlberg, @danielleiat, @edzitron, @bradesposito, @alanalevinson, @manymanywords, @chick_in_kiev, @eileenguo, @milesklee, @annehelen, @kantrowitz, @delia_cai, @merrittk, @lindsaygoldwert, @madeleinecholia, @karengeier, @noelmu, @parkermolloy, @inthefade, @blakehounshell, @mattdpearce, @jaredlholt, @oneunderscore__, @hshaban, @alanalevinson, @alanalevinson, @alanalevinson, @benyt and @taylorlorenz
Discussion:
Steven Perlberg / Insider: Dollar Shave Club has laid off all its staff at men's lifestyle site, MEL, and is looking for a rescue buyer
Steven Perlberg / @perlberg: Staffers at MEL Magazine were all laid off today by owner Dollar Shave Club. MEL will stop publishing and is looking for a new owner https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Danielle Tcholakian / @danielleiat: honestly just look at this homepage. look at the breadth of stories! and how cool it looks! and easy to navigate and not cluttered with weird garbage! RIP MEL u were very clearly too good for this garbage industry https://melmagazine.com/
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: this is such a shame. some really wonderful, interesting writing came out of Mel - they published one of my favourite things i've ever written about the mental side of being overweight, and countless other wonderful pieces by better writers than me https://melmagazine.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brad / @bradesposito: Anyone writing about internet culture in the last 6 yrs will be familiar w/ @WeAreMel jealousy. It wasn't that you were getting scooped, it was the quality of writing and subject matter that was so perfectly constructed. Devastated. The world is better with MEL in it.
@alanalevinson: The look of Mel was the vision of @ErinTaj, with the execution of @dworkin_, and they don't get nearly enough credit https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Haggerty / @manymanywords: Mel has been a really, really, really, unusually good website. https://twitter.com/...
Eileen Guo / @eileenguo: Is it just me, or does there seem to be a contagion effect to buzzy companies dumping their publications and editorial staff? https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: One reason that the vast majority of journalists on Substack are there: there are so, so few viable staff jobs left & more are disappearing. Medium yesterday, MEL today. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: One consequence of media's consolidation is the slow demise of weird publications online. https://twitter.com/...
Delia Cai / @delia_cai: MEL is one of the coolest outlets publishing right now, if not THE coolest full stop!!! someone needs to snatch it up and give them very resource. they are the outlet we need especially for the particularly horny times ahead https://twitter.com/...
Merritt K / @merrittk: I had my first column at MEL, working with the incredible @alanalevinson. Really upset to see it shuttered like this https://twitter.com/...
Lindsay Goldwert / @lindsaygoldwert: This is terrible. I remain a huge fan of @MilesKlee and @Zaron3 and they should be hired by others immediately https://twitter.com/...
Madeleine Holden / @madeleinecholia: i just lost my job and this is so sad https://twitter.com/...
@karengeier: a reminder that Dollar Shave Club got bought by Unilever and because they don't understand what a gem they had with MEL, they killed it. This is the same company that runs the Ben and Jerrys racial justice blog! https://twitter.com/...
Noel Murray / @noelmu: For the past few years the smart, kindly editors at MEL have given me the space to write personal essays and fun lists. They've been open to some of my weirder ideas, and have called on me to write some pieces they knew I'd dig. I hope they get to carry on. I appreciate them. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: This sucks. Mel was so good. https://twitter.com/...
@inthefade: i am so bummed about this news. mel is one of my favorite publications, with my favorite writers. if they go together and made a mel subscription, i would gladly pay https://twitter.com/...
@blakehounshell: MEL was a strange and often wonderful magazine and I'm sorry to see it go https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: this sucks and is awful, MEL was really creative and fun https://twitter.com/...
Jared Holt / @jaredlholt: MEL did something really cool. Here's hoping they find a new owner who lets them keep doing them https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: MEL consistently publishes the most interesting stories and sharply observed, powerfully written essays. Awful news. Solidarity with the staff. https://twitter.com/...
@alanalevinson: Getting to make a magazine every day with some of the internet's most talented writers/editors was truly an honor, and the highlight of my career.
@alanalevinson: It's the end of an era. I'm really proud of what MEL accomplished; how it forever changed the men's media landscape — and hopefully some men, too — for the better. https://twitter.com/...
@alanalevinson: People always ask me why MEL is so good. My answer is simple: the people. If you're somehow in the position to hire, you'd be super lucky to have any of them. I am going to spend the next couple of days trying to make sure they are okay.
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
Substack is only a “scam” in the same way that modern media is, where star pundits profit and talented reporters go underemployed — If you aren't sufficiently broken inside to be an extremely-online journalist — or, worse, a non-journalist who diligently monitors the beefs within …
Discussion:
@sacca, @amywestervelt, @ericlevitz, @thrasherxy, @edroso, @kyleaglaser, @espiers, @jilliancyork, @annehelen, @jilliancyork, @delia_cai, @lizzieohreally, @lizzieohreally, @davidfolkenflik, @stevemullis, @mollywood, @caseyjohnston, @mollywood, @mollywood, @sacca, @caseyjohnston, @mollywood, @sacca, @cameronwilson, @milehighrobert, @hannahrkeyser, @thrasherxy, @patrick_hruby, @jowrotethis, @sethwemerson, @davidubben, @benpopper, @rachelmetz, @goldietaylor, @lindseyadler, @davegershgorn, @adavidhalejoint, @alec_lewis, @thelincoln, @howelloneill, @bdhowald, @annaleen, @lizzieohreally, @karaswisher, @sacca, @karaswisher, Trashberg, @rachelconnoll14, @annacod, @sadydoyle, @danismcnally, @ninabernstein1, @amywestervelt, Jen the Libertarian, @frankicookney, Crème de la Crème, @amywestervelt, @michellemanafy, Persuasion, @amywestervelt, @amywestervelt, @annanowo, @amywestervelt, @ntavakolifar, @alex, @tomnamako, @wudanyan, @hkesvani, @amywestervelt, @anne_elizabeth, @hkesvani, @rklein90 and The Hybrid Review, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@sacca: Even if the Substack/newsletter economics are a wash, a lot of reporters will make the jump just so they don't have to deal with their shitty editors. (Employed journalists: Be sure to switch to your burner account before hearting this.)
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: The individual superstar brand thing is the measure of success. So if you don't want to do that, if you stick to the work, it's possible, but you'll never make as much money. And you'll routinely have your work cribbed by the people who focus on brand-building.
Eric Levitz / @ericlevitz: Between 2008 and 2019, the number of newsroom jobs in the United States fell by 26,000, according to the Pew Research Center. Over that same period, roughly 50,000 journalism majors were graduating into the U.S. labor market every year. https://nymag.com/...
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: “Be your own boss!” they said about every industry, as they controlled all the means of production and asked you now to also forfeit the legal protections and social safety net of being an actual employee
Roy Edroso / @edroso: @thrasherxy Me, I'm Substacking because The Man can't deal with my realness. https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Glaser / @kyleaglaser: Like any profession, there are good editors and bad editors. That said, their importance cannot be understated. They improve your work, inspire story ideas, help you when you're stuck and make the final product shine. If anything, our industry needs more editors, not fewer. https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Spiers / @espiers: If anything, I'd say Substack exposes the people whose editors have been doing a lot of heavy lifting this whole time. https://twitter.com/...
Jillian C. York / @jilliancyork: As a pretty in-demand (these days) writer, I couldn't possibly disagree more—I love my editors. If anything, it'd be to escape the drudgery of invoicing, but my writing would be the worse for it. https://twitter.com/...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: For every Greenwald or Taibbi there are ten freelancers who couldn't pay bills on $400 (high end!) for a reported piece, whose beats are considered too niche, etc etc
Jillian C. York / @jilliancyork: Can we stop being precious about what Substack, etc are going to create? They're going to create BLOGGERS, remember those? We were annoying. Some of us went mainstream, some of us went full circle to Substack, some of us still blog. Everything old is new again.
Lizzie O'Leary / @lizzieohreally: @sacca One of the biggest issues is honestly that two thirds of the ad dollars go to FB and Google. This is not about small ball quibbles over headlines. It's a much more existential question. The industry, save a few standouts, is in crisis.
Lizzie O'Leary / @lizzieohreally: @sacca No. That's really not how it works. Also not sure what you mean about “results.” Dumb stories? Not really, no. This is a very good overview of the economics here. https://www.brookings.edu/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: We all need editors. Also, don't believe the economics would be even a wash for vast majority of journalists. That said - anyone wants to make the jump, should! https://twitter.com/...
Steve Mullis / @stevemullis: @sacca @caseyjohnston @mollywood Who are you talking about? I feel your narrative is built off of some very specific examples but I don't know what those examples are. And if the examples are the high-profile folks who left for substack b/c of “shitty editors,” they aren't really emblematic of the industry.
Molly Wood / @mollywood: @sacca Respectfully, I'm gonna heart all the journalists in the comments defending our editors. We all know who made us better at our jobs. The executives? Burner time.
Casey Johnston / @caseyjohnston: @mollywood @sacca the way media companies are run as businesses and the fact that they've been cannibalized and undermined by tech companies are the problems, not editors
Molly Wood / @mollywood: @sacca Burner-approaching comment but erm I did leave a “best” paper for public media ... for ... reasons ...
Molly Wood / @mollywood: @sacca @caseyjohnston That doesn't always lead to the best decisions. We didn't start “engagement” as a metric, but here we are competing on that metric, and trying to figure out a better one. But “journalists who left for substack to have more opinions” isn't a reliable marker for overall health.
@sacca: @mollywood I hear you. What's changed is how those jobs have merged. Even (especially?) at the “best” papers. Sure there are editors who counsel/nurture. But when the piece gets run through the grinder? Both sides-ism isn't a reporter's instinct. Bleeds/leads isn't how writers write.
Casey Johnston / @caseyjohnston: @sacca @mollywood i mean if you are saying editors are one step closer to being on the hook for executing the publication's aims then i guess we agree!! but they sure don't set the agenda, and as a writer i would agree with others replying that “editor” isn't one to one with “shitty person”
Molly Wood / @mollywood: @sacca @caseyjohnston Still maybe an oversimplification. If you mean “executive editor” and you mean a specific paper, then maybe. But even so you're still going to find that we'll defend editors to the death. It's a deeply thankless job. And this business is tough and trying to survive.
@sacca: @caseyjohnston @mollywood I don't disagree except that the editor's job is more a part of, or maybe consequence of, the business/company than ever.
@cameronwilson: my favourite thing is venture capitalists pontificating about how journalism should work, fundamentally misunderstanding the industry, but also knowing that they're just going to keep spending millions of dollars to shape it that way regardless :)
Robert Sanchez / @milehighrobert: The journalists I've known who think their copy doesn't need to be touched (or thought through better) are usually the worst journalists, BTW. https://twitter.com/...
Hannah Keyser / @hannahrkeyser: that's what they always say about working in journalism: that full-time employment is burden people are eagerly opting out of to go it alone. https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: This is a major goal of Substack: “disrupt” the concept of a journalist as a “job” with “colleagues” and a “union” and a “pension” and “healthcare,” and to be replaced by the Avon/Uber/Cutco model of everyone going it alone, w/o the burden of “editors” or “health insurance” https://twitter.com/...
@patrick_hruby: Putting aside this foolishness about editors, almost no *reporters* are going to voluntarily leave the relative handful of remaining reporting jobs for newsletters. The economics don't work! https://twitter.com/...
@jowrotethis: I love my editors. I know that's not the case everywhere but I just want to shout out the hardworking, wise, great editors out there. They exist! And are very necessary! https://twitter.com/...
Seth Emerson / @sethwemerson: I know very few if any writers who don't want an editor. We need the editing. We need the feedback. We need smart people to bounce story ideas off, to prevent us from pursuing and posting bad stories, and to make our good stories even better. https://twitter.com/...
David Ubben / @davidubben: I'm sure some writers feel this way. Show me a writer who thinks they would be better off without editors and I'll show you a writer who's deeply immature and overconfident. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Popper / @benpopper: I miss having an editor TBH. Not a shitty one, but the good ones push you to pursue better pieces, abandon stale ones, and craft something great. Plus, they make you seem like a great writer and rarely get a byline! https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Metz / @rachelmetz: wow, no. nope nope. i have worked with some bad editors, but i have mostly worked with great editors (and occasionally amazing editors) who make my reporting sharper, my storytelling smoother, and my mistakes fewer(er). it's a difficult job and i detest this type of criticism. https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Adler / @lindseyadler: Editors are the line of defense between raw work and readers. They see a story forensically after you've completely lost track of what it says. My editor basically serves as the bumpers that keep me on track. Writers who hate editors are self-important buffoons. https://twitter.com/...
Dave Gershgorn / @davegershgorn: agree, all my editor ever wants is pictures of spiderman and its absolutely unacceptable https://twitter.com/...
@adavidhalejoint: My words are perfect and beautiful the instant they are formed. But I work with editors to protect readers who simply aren't ready for so many mind blowing truth bombs. https://twitter.com/...
Alec Lewis / @alec_lewis: Oh, heck no, Chris. A writer is nothing without their editor. They're the confidant. The mentor. The friend. The motivator. The true wordsmith. The support. The inspiration. https://twitter.com/...
Lincoln Michel / @thelincoln: This is complete nonsense. Almost every writer I know would die for their editors. Editors protect and help writers in countless ways. The problem with journalism isn't too many editors it's... no jobs! https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Howell O'Neill / @howelloneill: journalism without strong editors is so, so much worse https://twitter.com/...
Brian Howald / @bdhowald: “The implication is that contrarians feign unorthodox belief to gain a following. In other words, they're hoodwinking their followers for money.” The biggest grift is pretending to be a contrarian: “My idea is (something my followers agree with, but presented as controversial).” https://twitter.com/...
@annaleen: So these muscular “independent writers” at Medium will be supported by non-union editorial staff. I see. So if you make your labor invisible, everything magically becomes rugged individualism. https://twitter.com/...
Lizzie O'Leary / @lizzieohreally: @sacca I would be absolutely nowhere without an editor. Well, I would be on twitter, sounding like a lunatic. So, editors. A good thing.
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: @om @sacca Gotta go with Om here, Chris. More shitty writers than editors by FAR.
@sacca: @karaswisher @om No argument. It's the shape of the pyramid and always has been. But now they have options and the market will be more efficient. It'll also tell us how much/if copyediting matters to readers at scale. Fascinating times, but too many replies read like relics.
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: @sacca @om Yes but the first libel case will ruin someone's day. It's just a mixed bag as is all journalism, except the latest gang thinks they hung the moon. They didn't and as someone who did this long before most of them did, I don't recall needing to abandon the good parts like editing.
Ashley Feinberg / Trashberg: Welcome to Trashberg — Last August, Substack approached me about writing a newsletter under …
Rachel Connolly / @rachelconnoll14: I really liked this piece and I'm glad someone wrote it, but I do also sort of find it alarming that someone needed to write it bcos that scam piece was not at all convincing and people shouldn't have been taken in by it ! https://nymag.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Anna Codrea-Rado / @annacod: @amywestervelt This is so key! Freelance doesn't fix work-based problems. This is true everywhere but especially in the media. Also, hi 👋 from an editor who used to commission you and has since gone freelance because they got laid off 🥲
Jude Ellison S. Doyle / @sadydoyle: It's disappointing, but not unsurprising, that “media news” coverage of the Substack issue specifically bypasses the fact that (1) the writers protesting Substack are mostly trans and queer and (2) their critiques center on structural transphobia. https://nymag.com/...
Danielle McNally / @danismcnally: This is very upsetting to me: “There are apparently a great many journalism consumers who aren't willing to pay $5 a month to support the work of dozens of journalists at a single publication but are eager to pay $8 a month to patronize a single blogger.” https://nymag.com/...
Nina Bernstein / @ninabernstein1: “America does not have more competent journalists than it needs. But it does have far more of them than media firms are capable of profitably employing.” @EricLevitz https://nymag.com/...
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: and honestly? i would rather work for someone else! i would be thrilled to sit in a corner reading documents with a highlighter all day. I currently have a fucking STACK of reporting waiting to be turned into stories while I manage a company I never intended to start
Franki Cookney / @frankicookney: This is a good analysis imo. My newsletter is on Substack (although I don't charge for subscriptions yet) and I have been thinking a LOT about what it is vs what it could be vs what I actually WANT to produce and how tf to make any money from that. 😬 https://nymag.com/...
Aminatou Sow / Crème de la Crème: Tomorrow is a place we are together
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: And again that's hard to do and wildly disincentivized. So once again we are relying on the sacrifices and/or superstar talents of a few individuals to solve a systemic problem. Notice a fucking pattern here? Gahhhhh
Michelle Manafy / @michellemanafy: “The resurgence of labor organizing in media has mitigated the industry's exploitative treatment of entry-level workers and the class bias inherent to it. And this is one of the many reasons why unionizing newsrooms is a vital project.” @EricLevitz https://nymag.com/... @NYMag
Geoff Shullenberger / Persuasion: I Beg to Differ — If you (like me) spend too much time on social-media platforms …
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: There's this weird idea in a lot of media writing that if you are independent, you are an opinion writer. Henh? I mean, yes, that describes a lot of people with newsletters, but I had to create my own small multimedia outlet to be able to do accountability journalism on climate
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: The point is that a lot of people leave staff jobs to go it alone thinking they're gonna escape the system that way but it's not so easy. You have to actually intentionally behave and work differently, knowing there's no reward. That's how we build different (imho better) systems
Anna Nowogrodzki / @annanowo: @amywestervelt A-fucking-men to this whole thread. The most important things in journalism are WILDLY disincentivized. And that interacts with class/family money/race to keep journalism wildly unrepresentative of the country, which means as an industry we're really biased
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: I keep noticing this in a lot of the recent media scandals — caliphate, reply all, now substack — there's a lack of awareness around how much all the options suck. You either go along with shitty media systems or you go it alone and grind it out, and in either scenario...
Nastaran Tavakoli-Far / @ntavakolifar: Strong piece by @EricLevitz on Substack which mirrors podcasts: a few already established stars rake in big money for opinions whilst everyone else barely makes anything but is told they can make it big. Proper reporting and society ultimately lose. https://nymag.com/...
Tom Namako / @tomnamako: “There are apparently a great many journalism consumers who aren't willing to pay $5 a month to support the work of dozens of journalists at a single publication but are eager to pay $8 a month to patronize a single blogger.” https://nymag.com/...
Wudan Yan / @wudanyan: This thread makes an excellent point AND people turn up their noses at “journo-preneurs” - a term that I guess describes me and one that I hate, but guess what, that's because we're all swimming in the same stuff, trying to make our own way https://twitter.com/...
@hkesvani: I think ‘scam’ isn't the correct word. Rather, it's the inevitable outcome of a 2010s media boom that paid in exposure, demanded new entrants to build personalised, identity heavy but corporate friendly personal brands, and shell out trauma stories for £120 if they were lucky
Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt: So... I agree with a lot of this except one thing: it seems to assume that investigative accountability reporters can't be independent. Hi, meet me. https://nymag.com/...
Anne Lowrey / @anne_elizabeth: This is a brilliant read about how Substack is/is not great for writers, and a sharp look at journalism as a whole. https://nymag.com/...
@hkesvani: Has some similar points to the zerohedge blog and ultimately, the question is, what's the point of going to journalism school when the news business is heading to the patronage economy? https://nymag.com/...
Rebecca Klein / @rklein90: “It's easier for social-media-addicted daily commentators to cultivate loyal fandoms than it is for investigative journalists or state-level political reporters. And yet the latter's work is generally more indispensable to journalism's civic function.” https://nymag.com/...
William Shaw / The Hybrid Review: Goodbye Substack, Hello Patreon
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Analysis finds 87% of COVID-19 coverage in the national US media last year was negative, compared to 51% in international media and 64% in scientific journals — The U.S. media is offering a different picture of Covid-19 from science journals or the international media, a study finds.
Discussion:
@dleonhardt, @dkthomp, Kevin Drum, @jjmccluskey, @cgasparino, @mims, @rogerpielkejr, @bmorrissey, @jonfavs, @halsparks, @elaberwarren, @neilcybart, @mallarytenore, @raju, @asymco, @dleonhardt, @kushal_mehra, @mpolikoff, @mulvihill79, @chrisvanderveen, @soljourno, @ericboehlert, @jayrosen_nyu, @picardonhealth, @jeromeadamsmd, @natesilver538, @sapinker, @jayrosen_nyu and @alisciaandrews
Discussion:
David Leonhardt / @dleonhardt: National U.S. publications and TV networks cover Covid news much more negatively than foreign media, scientific journals or regional media within the U.S. Why? 🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Derek Thompson / @dkthomp: The media's negativity bias deserves more attention, not because it's subtle, but because it's ubiquitous. Bad news bias is the nitrogen of the media ecosystem. You can go years without seeing or thinking about it but its implications are weird and important and worth theorizing https://twitter.com/...
Jill McCluskey / @jjmccluskey: .@Jo_Swinnen & I have published on the bad news bias in media. The bias is demand driven because people want to avoid negative events more than they want to experience positive events. The economic explanation is diminishing marginal utility. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: A very important story via @DLeonhardt. My brother is on the front lines of the pandemic as a ICU doc. Covid is certainly NOT over — a friend and colleague of mine just died from it — but things are getting much better. Bad News Bias https://www.nytimes.com/...
Christopher Mims / @mims: “Sometimes, [journalists'] healthy skepticism can turn into reflexive cynicism, and we end up telling something less than the complete story.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Roger Pielke Jr / @rogerpielkejr: Bad News Bias “If we're constantly telling a negative story, we are not giving our audience the most accurate portrait of reality. We are shading it.” Now do climate @DLeonhardt https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: Deaths are down 40% and likely will continue that trajectory and US is at herd before summer starts. It's ok to acknowledge, even celebrate, that brighter days are ahead. https://twitter.com/...
Jon Favreau / @jonfavs: “The most well-read U.S. media are outliers in terms of their negativity.” Our media is addicted to making us feel bad about everything. Great piece and study. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Laber-Warren / @elaberwarren: We US health journalists should do a little soul searching about this. Interesting study on the negative skew of many Covid-19 stories, even as the vaccines surprised us with their speed of development and efficacy https://www.nytimes.com/...
Neil Cybart / @neilcybart: Good thread on why COVID coverage here in the U.S. is too negative. Summary: People are drawn to bad news and too many journalists have let skepticism turn into cynicism in their search for truth. https://twitter.com/...
Mallary Tenore / @mallarytenore: The U.S. media is offering a different picture of Covid-19 from science journals or the international media, a study finds: https://messaging-custom-newsletters.ny times.com/ ...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Bad News Bears The U.S. media is offering a very different picture of Covid-19 from that in science journals or the international media, a new study finds. https://www.nytimes.com/...? via @nytimes
Horace Dediu / @asymco: Betting against media coverage on COVID sounds super lucrative. https://twitter.com/...
David Leonhardt / @dleonhardt: ... our healthy skepticism can turn into reflexive cynicism, and we end up telling something less than the complete story because we don't weigh positive news and negative objectively. I worry that has sometimes happened with Covid. More here: https://www.nytimes.com/...
@kushal_mehra: Bad News Bias “If we're constantly telling a negative story, we are not giving our audience the most accurate portrait of reality. We are shading it.” Read this article. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Morgan Polikoff / @mpolikoff: A really interesting read (with education implications, I'd say) // Bad News Bias https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Mulvihill / @mulvihill79: Viewership growth during the pandemic year vs. prior 52 weeks: CNN +96% MSNBC +36% Fox News +18% https://twitter.com/...
Chris Vanderveen / @chrisvanderveen: When we, as journalists, fail to pursue context and good news as vigorously as anecdotes and bad news... ...we fail our audience and lead them to believe some things that simply aren't true. Crime, w/o context, is a perfect example. So too is COVID. https://twitter.com/...
@soljourno: We would like to thank everyone on Earth for telling us about this. Read. Every. Word. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Boehlert / @ericboehlert: Trump's handling of Covid for all of 2020 was the most effing negligent and deadly govt action in modern American history and folks are wondering why the news coverage in US was “negative”?? https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: COVID coverage by U.S. publications with a national audience “has been much more negative than coverage by any other source that the researchers analyzed, including scientific journals, major international publications and regional U.S. media.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Andr Picard / @picardonhealth: Bad News Bias: The U.S. media is offering a different picture of #Covid19 from science journals or the international media, a study finds, by @DLeonhardt https://www.nytimes.com/... via @nytimes #PandemicJournalism
Jerome Adams / @jeromeadamsmd: “91% of stories by U.S. media are negative in tone vs 54% for non-U.S. & 65% for science journals. The negativity of U.S. media is notable even in areas w/ positive developments eg school re-openings & vaccine trials...” Bad News Bias - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nate Silver / @natesilver538: Is it the Pfizer vaccine results that's the inflection point here—when COVID media coverage begins to become less negative—or is it the presidential election on 11/3? Hard to tell but if anything, the election would seem to line up slightly better with this data. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Pinker / @sapinker: Bad News Bias: I've argued (see linked tweet) that the media's negativity bias has poisoned people's commitment to liberal democratic institutions. I haven't pressed the point in 2020 because Covid truly was bad-but the bias is making things worse. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Sources: HuffPost has picked Danielle Belton as its new EIC; Belton is currently the EIC at G/O Media's Black-focused news and culture outlet The Root — The left-leaning digital media pioneer will be helmed by The Root's current top editor Danielle Belton, The Daily Beast has learned.
Discussion:
Axios, New York Times, CNN, The Wrap, Insider, Variety, The Hill, Tubefilter, @blacksnob, @hilella, @lpolgreen, @nytimes, @raju, @reignofapril, @stephentotilo, @jawnita, @ryanjreilly, @maxwelltani, @yeshacallahan, @sfreynolds, @huffpostunion, @alexckaufman, @pressgazette and @jeremymbarr
Discussion:
Sara Fischer / Axios: BuzzFeed names Danielle Belton editor-in-chief of HuffPost
Katie Robertson / New York Times: HuffPost Names Danielle Belton as New Top Editor
Lauren Johnson / Insider: MEL Magazine lays off editorial staff
Todd Spangler / Variety: BuzzFeed Appoints New HuffPost Editor in Chief, Danielle Belton of The Root
Thomas Moore / The Hill: HuffPost picks Danielle Belton as new editor-in-chief
Geoff Weiss / Tubefilter: The Root's Danielle Belton Named Editor-In-Chief Of BuzzFeed-Owned ‘HuffPost’
Danielle C. Belton / @blacksnob: When life comes at you fast ... but it's the best news ever!!! It's true, I'm leaving my wonderful friends and team @TheRoot next month to join another news site as its EIC! So honored and excited to be part the award-winning @HuffPost team! https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Hillary Frey / @hilella: Congratulations, @blacksnob! @Huffpost has the best editorial leaders, editors, reporters, producers and business-side partners I've ever known. So excited to see what's next for all of you! https://twitter.com/...
Lydia Polgreen / @lpolgreen: Huge congratulations to @blacksnob!! https://twitter.com/...
@nytimes: Danielle Belton, the editor in chief of The Root, will be the new top editor of HuffPost. She was the first editor in chief of The Root and has written and edited for publications including theGrio, Essence, The Washington Post and The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Congratulations to @TheRoot EIC Danielle Belton @blacksnob, named new Editor-in-Chief of @HuffPost. She has had a remarkable run in revitalizing The Root and making it a must-read in the last five years. Onward and upward, Danielle. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...? via @thedailybeast
Stephen Totilo / @stephentotilo: Danielle is incredible and, given her penchant for being disturbingly productive, will probably write three novels on the side, between now and when she starts the new job https://twitter.com/...
J. Escobedo Shepherd / @jawnita: EXCLUSIVE: @blacksnob fuckin rules https://twitter.com/...
Ryan J. Reilly / @ryanjreilly: And now, some good news. https://www.buzzfeed.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: New: Danielle Belton will be HuffPost's new EIC https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Samuel F. Reynolds / @sfreynolds: Go, cuz, go! Congratulations! @blacksnob https://twitter.com/...
Alexander Kaufman / @alexckaufman: Big welcome to @blacksnob! Looking forward to working together and having you at the helm. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Steven Perlberg / Insider:
Leaked memo: NYT is creating a system to approve outside work by its journalists, including newsletters, podcasts, book deals, or consulting on film projects — - A committee of Times leaders are expected to review outside work for journalists. — Both paid and unpaid newsletters may require approval from The Times.
Discussion:
@caseynewton, @kellyannepolls, @joshconstine, @lowenaffchen, @benthompson, @esportsguy, @ryanlawler, @jamesivings, @perlberg, @josephpalbanese, @nathanblawrence, @kantrowitz, @bendifrancesco, @mdekuijper, @scottbelsky, @mattyglesias, @edzitron, @mattdpearce, @yongfook, @errrica, @ranjanxroy, @jason, @whatthebit and @adamdavidson
Discussion:
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Hearing that the New York Times just dropped the hammer on any new newsletters from staff, paid *or* free, unless they get prior approval from a committee. Paid I get; free I don't. Every reporter ought to have an email distribution list they can take wherever they want.
Kellyanne Conway / @kellyannepolls: What do we do about the reporters' Twitter feeds that read like newsletters? https://twitter.com/...
Josh Constine / @joshconstine: My #1 recommendation to journalists: negotiate having your own newsletter signup link in all your articles. I learned this tens of millions of page views too late. https://twitter.com/...
@lowenaffchen: the bernie campaign proved pretty conclusively that the organization suffers when a good chunk of the employees are there to harvest emails for their bullshit newsletter https://twitter.com/...
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: Welp, got this prediction out just in time 😅 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Avi Bhuiyan / @esportsguy: Legacy media corporations have strong incentives to try blocking talented individual writers from discovering their value in the market. Individual creators empowered by tech to disrupt corporations they once would have worked for is a trend that's not going away anytime soon. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Lawler / @ryanlawler: Someone in management read the stratechery on substack I guess https://twitter.com/...
James Ivings / @jamesivings: Ugh, this is like the media equivalent of your boss telling you you're not allowed to work on your own side projects in your free time. Thanks, I hate it. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Perlberg / @perlberg: Weeks after the David Brooks mess, the New York Times is creating a new system to approve outside work, including paid and unpaid newsletters, books, podcasts, TV/film consulting. Here's the memo sent to staff today https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Jpa / @josephpalbanese: we built the @presubscribe bc we saw this coming. i think we'll just see more of this as media orgs have to compete with independence. support your favorite creators before they go independent. (they keep the email list and they can't shut it down 😉) https://presubscribe.me/ https://twitter.com/...
Nathan Lawrence / @nathanblawrence: I honestly assumed this was already a rule. Interesting. I mean, probably not good, but interesting. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: “The Times has been expanding its business in a wide array of multimedia activities, raising the chances that outside projects may compete with The Times itself.” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Ben DiFrancesco / @bendifrancesco: This reminds me of companies that don't let their developers have side projects or contribute to open source. Massive negative selection bias. Guaranteed to filter out all the best talent. https://twitter.com/...
Martijn de Kuijper / @mdekuijper: What's the next step? Twitter accounts? Surely your subscriber list is more portable, but the audience is still your audience on Twitter. Weird decision by NYT. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Belsky / @scottbelsky: content is king/queen. and the future of creative economy is owning relationship with your own audience. platforms in the middle are not going to make this too easy... https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: I think this is smart. Frankly if I were the NYT I'd be moving sooner rather than later to start clamping down on my journalists' Twitter feeds too. https://twitter.com/...
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: All this to stop @MikeIsaac from having more ways to post https://twitter.com/...
Jon Yongfook / @yongfook: I'm glad I left my job and now run my own small business, so I don't have to hear the words “approval” and “committee” ever again. https://twitter.com/...
Erica Palan / @errrica: Interesting thread. Not sure where my opinion is yet but can't stop thinking about early days of social media at publications. It was the Wild West of people starting accounts using brand names. Not a direct comparison but ultimately individuals over brands won the day there. https://twitter.com/...
Ranjan / @ranjanxroy: Does anyone recognize it's the NYT platform that plays a huge role in growing that personal brand? https://twitter.com/...
@jason: Clearly the @NYTimes management is feeling the sting of @a16z's relentless efforts to use Substack and Clubhouse to compete against them. writers need permission for newsletters now — which makes total sense for the NYT! https://twitter.com/...
Axios:
Ahead of House hearing, Mark Zuckerberg calls for Section 230 reform that makes protections conditional on platforms' ability to identify and remove content — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will tell lawmakers his plan for “thoughtful reform” of a key tech liability shield rests …
Discussion:
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: NEW @NBCNews: In House testimony tomorrow, Mark Zuckerberg will propose Section 230 revisions that would require platforms to have systems in place for identifying unlawful content and removing it. The changes could further shore up Facebook's power. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: Facebook's suggestion to reform internet law is a ‘masterful distraction,’ says Silicon Valley congresswoman
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: These systems already exist for copyright claims. But copyright is (relatively) straightforward. Figuring out which content is “unlawful” is... not. https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: Key line from Zuckerberg: “Platforms should not be held liable if a particular piece of content evades its detection... but they should be required to have adequate systems in place to address unlawful content.” https://www.nbcnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Peterson / AppleInsider: Google, Facebook CEOs testifying before Congress on Section 230 on Thursday
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Mark Zuckerberg: We are only a “small part of the electoral ecosystem.” Also Mark Zuckerberg: “We ran the largest voting information campaign in American history.” https://docs.house.gov/... https://twitter.com/...
Nilay Patel / @reckless: “Take 230 away from most of the small sites on the internet” is quite an idea from Facebook. https://www.theverge.com/...
Thomas Baekdal / @baekdal: Yep. Existing platforms will be the only companies who could even do this. If this became law, nobody would ever be able to start anything new that could compete with Facebook. https://twitter.com/...
Jesse Walker / @notjessewalker: Facebook to Congress: We've put a lot of money and effort into building a content moderation system. Could you please require social media companies to have content moderation systems? https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Zuckerberg proposes an absurd micro-management system for Section 230 that will confuse and annoy everyone. F'ing ridiculous. Just repeal the whole thing. It's a bad law, admit it and let's move on. https://www.axios.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: If you were... cynical, you might suggest that what Facebook is really doing here is asking the government to do the very difficult task of spelling out what kind of “unlawful” content should be removed from Facebook, knowing that it's very unlikely it will ever do so.
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: Here's what the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter will tell Congress about fighting misinformation
Margaret Harding McGill / @margarethmcgill: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will tell lawmakers his idea for “thoughtful reform” of a key liability shield at hearing, w/ @ashleyrgold https://www.axios.com/...
Mike Masnick / Techdirt: Beware Of Facebook CEOs Bearing Section 230 Reform Proposals
Russell Brandom / The Verge: Mark Zuckerberg proposes limited 230 reforms ahead of congressional hearing
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Zuckerberg's proposed changes to Section 230 protection would make it easy for Facebook, Google, etc. and hard for everyone else. In other words, it would deepen the moat IMO https://www.axios.com/...
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
Sources: WaPo is looking for a “Journalistic Unicorn” to replace Marty Baron, someone with his stature but a stronger connection to “journalists of tomorrow” — The most buzzed-about candidate isn't on the short list, as a trio of Times editors' names make the rounds.
Discussion:
@hshaban, @hshaban, @joepompeo, @joepompeo, @jayrosen_nyu, @mlcalderone and @ethartley
Discussion:
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Earlier this month, the Post's union sent a letter to Publisher Fred Ryan, signed by ~200 people, requesting a forum for staff to ask questions and offer guidance on the search for a new editor. “That request has so far not been granted” Via @joepompeo https://www.vanityfair.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Vanity Fair reports that these are some of the people that have had at least preliminary conversations with management about the executive editor job at the Washington Post: https://www.vanityfair.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joe Pompeo / @joepompeo: A few people who I can confirm have had at least preliminary conversations about the job: Marc Lacey, Rebecca Blumenstein, Cameron Barr, Steven Ginsberg. Also talk in the air of Carolyn Ryan and Susan Goldberg. https://www.vanityfair.com/...
Joe Pompeo / @joepompeo: There was major early buzz around Kevin Merida, but while LAT was vigorously courting him and Disney was trying to keep him, WaPo was “passive,” as one source put it, so Merida decided not to enter the application process: https://www.vanityfair.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: The search for the next editor of the Washington Post is a story I am following closely. https://www.vanityfair.com/... No clue who will be selected, beyond what I read in the papers. But I do have a sense that this search could get combustible between the staff and Post executives.
Robert Channick / Baltimore Sun:
Filings: Stewart Bainum Jr. offered $650M to purchase all of Tribune Publishing even as its board endorsed a $630M offer from Alden Global Capital — A Maryland businessman has offered $650 million to purchase all of Tribune Publishing, the parent of The Baltimore Sun …
Discussion:
New York Times, MediaPost, @raju, Poynter, @benestes, @lizbowie, @friscojosh, @mattdpearce, @mcallguild, @bencjacobs and @ssdance
Discussion:
Gillian Friedman / New York Times: Tribune board backs Alden Global's bid for newspaper chain over Maryland hotel magnate's.
Ray Schultz / MediaPost: Tribune Board Approves $630 Million Alden Bid, But Allows Bainum To Pursue Counter Offer
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Maryland businessman, who first wanted to buy the @baltimoresun, puts in a ‘sum of parts’ higher $650 million bid for all of Tribune newspapers, which is $1.25 a share more than $630 million recommended bid from Alden Global. Stock market seems doubtful: https://www.baltimoresun.com/ ...
Rick Edmonds / Poynter: Despite a potential higher bid, Tribune Publishing recommends shareholder approval of Alden's offer for the company
Ben Estes / @benestes: Seriously, doesn't the board have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of its stockholders? https://twitter.com/...
@lizbowie: There's likely to be a lot more to this story. Maryland businessman bids $650 million for all of Tribune, including The Baltimore Sun https://www.baltimoresun.com/ ...
Josh Hermsmeyer / @friscojosh: Tough to choose a side here...More $ per share -> nonprofit, or less $ and sell to hedge fund ghouls. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: “The deal's success hinges on securing the votes of California biotech billionaire and Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.” Our union, @MediaGuildWest, has urged Soon-Shiong to support any deal that would restore Tribune papers to local ownership. https://www.baltimoresun.com/ ...
@mcallguild: Alden Global Capital wants to ram through its deal even though its short-changing shareholders. Stewart Bainum's deal would pay more to shareholders AND set up the company for long-term sustainability and a model we support, not-for-profit. #savelocalnews https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lyles / The Verge:
Disney+ will cost $1 more per month from March 26, increasing to $7.99/month or $80/year, the first price hike by Disney for the service — The price is going up to $7.99 a month for subscribers in the US starting on March 26th — You have just two days left to lock in Disney Plus at its current price.
Discussion:
Variety, TVLine, Rolling Stone, Cord Cutters News, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Insider, Android Police and GameSpot, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Todd Spangler / Variety: Disney Plus Is Hiking Prices for First Time in the U.S. This Week
Tim Chan / Rolling Stone: Triple Play: Today is the Last Day to Get Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ Together For Just $13
José Adorno / 9to5Mac: PSA: Disney+ is getting more expensive; here's how to lock in the original rate
Michael Crider / Android Police: Disney+ is getting more expensive on Friday
Lan Pitts / GameSpot: Disney Plus Is Raising Its Prices This Week
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Jay Leno apologizes for jokes told over his career targeting Asian communities, saying it is not “another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong” — Late night host and comedian Jay Leno has issued an apology for a series of jokes told over his career targeting Asian communities.
Discussion:
ScreenRant, Hollywood Reporter, Mediaite, E! Online, Metro.co.uk, New York Post, @yashar, @chairmangao, @pronounced_ing, @yuhline, Decider, The Guardian, @erichaywood, @lovesthewords, @mattdonnelly, @j_m_wood, @l4nguyen, The Week and IndieWire
Discussion:
Michelle Mehrtens / ScreenRant: Jay Leno Apologizes For Decades Of Asian Jokes He Knew Were Wrong
Sharareh Drury / Hollywood Reporter: Jay Leno Apologizes for Past Racist Asian Jokes: “In My Heart I Knew It Was Wrong”
Andrew Shuster / Mediaite: Jay Leno Apologizes for Past Jokes About Asians: Not ‘Cancel Culture’ But a ‘Legitimate Wrong ... On My Part’
Nola Ojomu / Metro.co.uk: Jay Leno issues apology after decades of making jokes about Asian people: ‘A legitimate wrong that was done on my part’
Samantha Ibrahim / New York Post: Jay Leno apologizes for past anti-Asian jokes: ‘I knew it was wrong’
Yashar Ali / @yashar: I'm glad Jay Leno has apologized but I'm old enough to remember when @itsgabrielleu was labeled as “difficult” by Simon Cowell and others for objecting to Jay's racist jokes about Asians. My Story from 2019: https://www.vulture.com/... Leno Apology: https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jessica Gao / @chairmangao: Apologize with money or GTFO. I don't give a shit if you feel bad when you're not donating or helping. https://variety.com/...
Celeste Ng / @pronounced_ing: So is your heart not in any way connected to your brain, mouth, ears, and body? Nah, dude. Do better. https://variety.com/...
Yuh-Line Niou / @yuhline: Yes. Yashar. Yes. https://twitter.com/...
Greta Bjornson / Decider: Jay Leno Issues Apology for Jokes About Asian Americans: “In My Heart I Knew It Was Wrong”
Benjamin Lee / The Guardian: Jay Leno apologises for history of anti-Asian jokes: ‘A legitimate wrong’
Eric Haywood / @erichaywood: “Decades of jokes.” DECADES. https://twitter.com/...
@lovesthewords: You were an adult making Asian jokes @jayleno This is late. Play with your car collection some more https://twitter.com/...
Matt Donnelly / @mattdonnelly: Jay Leno has apologized for decades of jokes about Asian communities, saying “I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part.” https://variety.com/...
Jennifer M. Wood / @j_m_wood: “Decades” “In my heart, I knew it was wrong.” Yet... “decades.” Humans are the worst. https://variety.com/...
Linh Nguyen / @l4nguyen: an apology after a near 15-year campaign from activist group Media Action Network for Asian Americans. no fucking thank you. https://variety.com/...
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
LA Times says it has received a $10M PPP loan, its first during the pandemic, to help cover payroll and other costs amid a plunge in advertising revenue — The Los Angeles Times has received a $10-million loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program — money that will help cover payroll …
Discussion:
@logan_ratick, @politicsreid, @dicktofel, @adater, New York Post, The Hill, @chadterhune, @dtohl, @adriana_lacy, @jessicamartinez and @megjameslat
Discussion:
Logan Ratick / @logan_ratick: “The Los Angeles Times revealed late Tuesday that it is receiving a $10 million loan from the Paycheck Protection Program — the maximum allowed under a series of federal bailouts.” https://nypost.com/... via @nypost
Reid Wilson / @politicsreid: LA Times has received a $10m PPP loan to cover payroll costs amid big drop in ad revenue (subscribe!) https://www.latimes.com/...
Richard Tofel / @dicktofel: The real news here is at the end: even with all the cutbacks last year and with a macroeconomic recovery possible, it's already clear the LA Times will lose more than $10 million this year https://www.latimes.com/...
Adrian Dater / @adater: LA Times is owned by a multi-billionaire, takes government money https://www.latimes.com/...
Chad Terhune / @chadterhune: LA Times, owned by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, receives $10-million federal #PPP loan. One of his hospitals was approved for similar #COVID aid last year #journalism https://www.latimes.com/...
Danielle Ohl / @dtohl: Wonder if any @tribpub papers applied https://twitter.com/...
Adriana Lacy / @adriana_lacy: The Los Angeles Times has received a $10-million loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program — money that will help cover payroll and other employee-related costs amid a dramatic plunge in advertising revenue https://www.latimes.com/...
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
NYT turns one of its articles about NFTs into a NFT and puts it up for auction, with proceeds going to NYT's Neediest Cases Fund — Why can't a journalist join the NFT party, too? — Normally, I'm not allowed to make sales pitches in my columns. — But this time is an exception, because what's for sale is the column itself.
Discussion:
Kevin Roose / @kevinroose: The NYT made a NFT! My new column is about NFTs, and I also turned the column into a NFT and put it up for auction on @withFND, with proceeds going to charity. Bid away, and you could own the first NFT in the paper's 170-year history. https://www.nytimes.com/...