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:
@perlberg, Insider, @danielleiat, Mediaite, @amandakhurley, @weischoice, The Wrap, @pappademas, @hshaban, @grimkim, @eileenguo, @milesklee, @chrislhayes, @bykellycohen, @lfitzmaurice, @raxkingisdead, @blakehounshell, @alanalevinson, @margarita, @annehelen, @walldo, @edzitron, @zaron3, @alanalevinson, @lindsaygoldwert, @pfpicardi, @kantrowitz, @manymanywords, @bradesposito, @oneunderscore__, @maxwelltani, @madeleinecholia, @alanalevinson, @mottel, @morgan_sung, @chrisvannini, @karengeier, @noelmu, @digitalshields, @amandafarough, @malonebarry, @parkermolloy, @thesamhita, @mattdpearce, @chick_in_kiev, @spencerdukoff, @chris_mandle, @delia_cai, @allisonpdavis, @benyt, @lolacoaster, @keithrhernandez, @tomvictor, @billcorbett, @jaredlholt, @alanalevinson, @taylorlorenz, @karaswisher, @robaeprice, @gabrus, @merrittk, @joshsternberg and @inthefade
Discussion:
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/ ...
Steven Perlberg / Insider: Dollar Shave Club has laid off all of its staff at men's lifestyle site MEL, source says, and is looking for a rescue buyer
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/
Marisa Sarnoff / Mediaite: Dollar Shave Club Cuts Entire Staff of Men's Lifestyle Website MEL
Amanda Kolson Hurley / @amandakhurley: On the back of the Medium news, I worry we're getting to the point where the freelance precariat created by layoffs and closures is now running out of places to pitch. But maybe that was already happening...
J. Clara Chan / The Wrap: MEL Magazine to Stop Publishing After Mass Layoffs From Owner Dollar Shave Club
@pappademas: a great men's magazine created during a historically terrible moment for both magazines and men, RIP 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/...
Kim Kelly / @grimkim: Solidarity with all the brilliant media workers at MEL Magazine—one of the best and most delightfully weird digital publications going—who just had this bomb dropped on them. 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/ ...
Chris Hayes / @chrislhayes: Honestly this has been an astoundingly good, smart, clever, entertaining publication. (cc @lukeburbank ) https://twitter.com/...
Kelly Cohen / @bykellycohen: wow this is a huge, huge bummer. MEL was so good! https://twitter.com/...
Larry Fitzmaurice / @lfitzmaurice: Great and always very readable publication against all the odds, lots of talented people involved. Working in media continues to suck but at least these guys did it right until the very end, shout out to @alanalevinson and her whole team https://twitter.com/...
@raxkingisdead: MEL enthusiastically gave me a column for the bizarre food writing i couldn't imagine finding any other home for, and i'll badly miss writing it. this is a true bummer 💔 https://twitter.com/...
@blakehounshell: MEL was a strange and often wonderful magazine and I'm sorry to see it go https://twitter.com/...
@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/...
Margarita-core Noriega-core / @margarita: This is rough news about a top-talent team. MEL is a trailblazer for the model that dozens of indie outlets use today. https://twitter.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/...
Brandon Wall / @walldo: I didn't realize when I sent my first tweet this meant layoffs at MEL. What a bunch of bullshit https://twitter.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/...
Zaron Burnett III / @zaron3: best job I ever had. gonna miss the morning meetings, seeing what the art dept comes up with, how editorial polishes copy, and what these writers have to say on the daily hey, any rich ppl I know, let's talk! gotta great opportunity for you to be a hero to the ppl and culture 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.
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/...
@pfpicardi: I love @WeAreMel and I hope they have all the success in charting a path forward. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: One consequence of media's consolidation is the slow demise of weird publications online. https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Haggerty / @manymanywords: Mel has been a really, really, really, unusually good website. 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.
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: Mel felt like a throwback to an older blogging era when people still seemed to get enjoyment out of posting. Hoping they can figure out a way to keep it going. https://twitter.com/...
Madeleine Holden / @madeleinecholia: i just lost my job and this is so sad https://twitter.com/...
@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/...
@mottel: Sorry to see this. Had some fun times with @alanalevinson and co at @WeAreMel. Wishing everyone success on your greta next things to come! https://twitter.com/...
Morgan Sung / @morgan_sung: this fucking sucks, mel reported on the most delightfully unhinged stories on the internet and was genuinely fun to read https://twitter.com/...
Chris Vannini / @chrisvannini: Man, this sucks. MEL had some of the most thought-provoking articles on men's health, memes, sexuality and just culture. They answered the questions you were afraid to ask. Really broadened my perspective on a lot of topics. Someone should buy this place. 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/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Mel is a really great product, but I could also see Dollar Shave Club's owners saying ‘how is this selling me any razors?’ Of course you could also question why anyone might have expected this to sell a lot of razors, if they ever did. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Manda / @amandafarough: Friends: @WeAreMel has been consistently excellent for years — a true delight to engage with on a regular basis. I hope that someone will snap them up and give them a financially secure future so that these stories and these voices don't get lost in the shuffle. https://twitter.com/...
Barry Malone / @malonebarry: Oh maaan. MEL is awesome. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: This sucks. Mel was so good. https://twitter.com/...
Samhita / @thesamhita: You made MEL groundbreaking and it was so awesome to witness. This industry will keep breaking our hearts but congrats to your whole team on a great run ♥️ https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: this sucks and is awful, MEL was really creative and fun https://twitter.com/...
Spencer Dukoff / @spencerdukoff: Everyone I know and respect in this industry placed MEL in the top tier of digital publications putting out consistently thoughtful, hilarious, important work, with a roster of talented writers unparalleled elsewhere. It's my favorite website and this news simply sucks ass. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Mandle / @chris_mandle: This is so shit. MEL is the home of “oh my god why didn't I think of that” articles 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/...
Allison P Davis / @allisonpdavis: truly a bummer. fun, thoughtful, freaky shit should be protected at all costs. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: It's always been true that some of the most wonderful things in media have weird backstories, and Mel is certainly one https://twitter.com/...
Kristin Chirico / @lolacoaster: Will someone please hire this man, he's like one of three straight cis dudes who have rights https://twitter.com/...
Keith Hernandez / @keithrhernandez: Wow, I hate it. Legit one of the most innovative and fun publications in years. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Victor / @tomvictor: Well this sucks, I had a lot of fun writing the occasional piece for MEL, and it's one of the places I went back all the time as a reader. Solidarity with all the writers there, who have covered stories no one else would think to, and better than anyone else would be able to https://twitter.com/...
Bill Corbett / @billcorbett: Aww that sucks. MEL was great. I'm glad this precarious model worked for a while, and I know there's no easy answers. But I'd subscribe if it or the writers and editors changed to a Defector / Discourse Blog model. 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/...
@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.
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: What a tremendous loss. Mel was literally one of the best in the business and I'm so sad for the state of media right now. https://twitter.com/...
Rob Price / @robaeprice: Awful news: The staff of @WeAreMel have been laid off and owner Dollar Shave Club is looking for a buyer for the publication. It had an incredible, unique voice with countless stories you couldn't read anywhere else. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@gabrus: i only dream of being super rich when i see outdoor showers and shit like this 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/...
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, @emilybell, @pbump, @claireefallon, @zachwritesstuff, @ginamizell, @alexmcdaniel, @milehighrobert, @caseyjohnston, Trashberg, @rachelconnoll14, @annacod, @sadydoyle, @hannahrkeyser, @danismcnally, @ninabernstein1, @kantrowitz, @lizzieohreally, @amywestervelt, @lizzieohreally, @thrasherxy, @delia_cai, @annaleen, @frankicookney, @annehelen, @augustjpollak, @mollywood, @lizzieohreally, Crème de la Crème, @amywestervelt, @patrick_hruby, @michellemanafy, @stevemullis, @mcmansionhell, @jowrotethis, @jilliancyork, @sethwemerson, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @davidubben, @amywestervelt, @thrasherxy, @mollywood, @amywestervelt, @sacca, @annanowo, @benpopper, @edroso, @rachelmetz, @bdhowald, @mollywood, @amywestervelt, @ntavakolifar, @alex, @goldietaylor, @lindseyadler, @kyleaglaser, @cameronwilson, @tnwhiskeywoman, @davegershgorn, @espiers, @adavidhalejoint, @jilliancyork, @sacca, @tomnamako, @alec_lewis, @sacca, @wudanyan, @thelincoln, @marisa_ingemi, @mollywood, @hkesvani, @amywestervelt, @anne_elizabeth, @howelloneill, @davidfolkenflik, @hkesvani, @jason, @caseyjohnston, @rklein90 and Jen the Libertarian, 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/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: In my limited experience reporters who think their editors are shitty are those most in need of editing. Even shitty editing tends to improve their copy https://twitter.com/...
Philip Bump / @pbump: Say you don't know anything about journalism without saying you don't know anything about journalism. https://twitter.com/...
Claire Fallon / @claireefallon: yes, it's true, i started a substack because i hated* my shitty editors** *got laid off from **increasingly rare media job https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Siegel / @zachwritesstuff: My editors are mostly very thoughtful and work hard to make my work better. This notion that we loathe our editors is weird. https://twitter.com/...
Gina Mizell / @ginamizell: Actually, the WORST thing about writing my Substack newsletter was NOT having an editor. They make a writer's work better. Period. https://twitter.com/...
Alex McDaniel / @alexmcdaniel: editors aren't the problem. their bosses are. https://twitter.com/...
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/...
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
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/...
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/...
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/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: We're still talking about this? 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.
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
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/...
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/...
@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/...
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/...
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
August J. Pollak / @augustjpollak: The collapse of every publication in this country over the last 30 years can be directly traced to the vain, impatient gluttony of venture capitalists, so naturally venture capitalists have concluded the problem with journalism isn't about money, there's just too many editors https://twitter.com/...
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.
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.
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
@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/...
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
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.
Kate Wagner / @mcmansionhell: uh I started a substack bc what I wanted to write wasn't profitable from a conventional sports journalism perspective. I wish to Christ that that publication had an editor too. 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/...
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.
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/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: @om @sacca Gotta go with Om here, Chris. More shitty writers than editors by FAR.
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.
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/...
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
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
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.
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
@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.
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
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/...
Roy Edroso / @edroso: @thrasherxy Me, I'm Substacking because The Man can't deal with my realness. 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/...
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/...
Molly Wood / @mollywood: @sacca Burner-approaching comment but erm I did leave a “best” paper for public media ... for ... reasons ...
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/...
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/...
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/...
@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 :)
Dave Gershgorn / @davegershgorn: agree, all my editor ever wants is pictures of spiderman and its absolutely unacceptable 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/...
@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/...
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/...
@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.
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/...
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/...
@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.
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/...
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/...
Marisa Ingemi / @marisa_ingemi: as a freelancer my favorite part is working with so many great editors and learning from them. as journalists we would not grow or improve without the tireless work of editors. https://twitter.com/...
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.
@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/...
Patrick Howell O'Neill / @howelloneill: journalism without strong editors is so, so much worse https://twitter.com/...
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/...
@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/...
@jason: This is an incorrect take Substack allows you to own the emails & the Stripe relationship with your readers so u can leave the platform ANY TIME & take your entire business with you! Substack has ZERO recourse to keep you on the platform if you want to pay 99% less on @Ghost! https://twitter.com/...
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”
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/...
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Interviews with 14 current and former Medium employees portray a dysfunctional company; Medium started 2021 with 700K paid subs, on track for $35M+ in revenue — I. — Last week, a partnerships manager at Medium working with the White House found that there was a strange problem with the platform …
Discussion:
@caseynewton, @mattyglesias, @caseynewton, @silvermanjacob, @caseynewton, @teddyschleifer, @teddyschleifer, @reckless, @mattyglesias, @aliciakennedy, @gamoid, @annehelen, @noahshachtman, @kimzetter, @aaronhuertas, @katiedrumm, @caseynewton, @caseyjohnston, @caseynewton, @caseynewton, @ryanlawler, @bluechoochoo, @backlon, @hunterw and @choire, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Ultimately, staffers I spoke with wished Williams would take responsibility for his stop-start flirtations with journalism, and acknowledge where he himself had fallen short. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: There's a strong norm against journalists caring about journalism business models, but in this day and age you owe it to yourself to understand how your employer makes money (or hopes to) and how your work figures into that.
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: The thing is, Medium isn't a bad business. It has more than 700,000 paid subscriptions, I'm told, putting it on track for more than $35 million in revenue. That's pretty healthy for a media company. It's just not a great tech business. Especially if you co-founded Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
Jacob Silverman / @silvermanjacob: imagine punting on 700k subscribers because it doesn't represent google-worthy scale https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: And here it is: my best effort to understand what happened after Medium invested millions in its latest embrace of original journalism, only to begin pulling back when Ev Williams didn't like what he saw. https://www.theverge.com/...
Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer: If Ev Williams was going to fund Medium himself, might as well have incorporated Medium as a nonprofit. He could've secured himself a nice tax deduction!
Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer: This situation is a bit different from the other cut-backs we've seen recently, but it's another example of billionaire funders showing that they are not the saviors for media companies that are losing money. https://twitter.com/...
Nilay Patel / @reckless: Big @CaseyNewton on what happened at Medium - copublished with @platformer because the future of the media is always just finding new and better ways to collaborate and reach audiences! https://www.theverge.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: To wit, so much about this Medium news sucks. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alicia Kennedy / @aliciakennedy: ...this is why a bunch of editors and writers now have to find something else to do https://twitter.com/...
Matt Weinberger / @gamoid: It's cool that the only two outcomes are “one billion daily active users” or “it's garbage, trash it” https://twitter.com/...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: Just bleak, bleak shit from @CaseyNewton on the End of Medium: III https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Noah Shachtman / @noahshachtman: the juiciest thing you'll read all night: @CaseyNewton on the (latest) clusterfuck at medium https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Kim Zetter / @kimzetter: This is really sad. Medium amassed a collection of top-notch editors and writers, only to have the rug pulled out from under them. Here's a great piece from @CaseyNewton giving the backstory on the demise of Medium's editorial experiment https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Aaron Huertas / @aaronhuertas: good lord, just make it a unionized non-profit and go start a new business https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Katie Drummond / @katiedrumm: Ev Williams should be so ashamed of himself. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: It's notoriously difficult to earn a profit from journalism. But the billionaire Williams started to give up barely a year in. Random user-generated posts turned into hits by Google were a more reliable source of revenue. And so it was time to downsize. Again. https://twitter.com/...
Casey Johnston / @caseyjohnston: What a lede by all time goat @CaseyNewton https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: @ryanlawler this is .......... an excellent question lol
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: The story starts in a strange place: with President Joe Biden's official Medium account being served porn recommendations. Highbrow mixed with lowbrow; unpredictable algorithms at work. Medium in a nutshell. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Lawler / @ryanlawler: @CaseyNewton Is the implication that the new owner of the POTUS account was being served recommendations meant for the previous tenant?
Andréa López / @bluechoochoo: Anyway @CaseyNewton did an awesome job on that Medium article. A lot of people transitioned from journalist to pundit when they went the indie newsletter route. But he keeps getting us new interesting info.
Dieter Bohn / @backlon: Here's @CaseyNewton on the mess at Medium. It starts with a story about how “'President Joe Biden is Being Served Erotica on https://medium.com/,' the staffer complained in an internal post” and only gets more eye-popping from there. https://www.theverge.com/...
RELATED:
Ev Williams / Medium:
Medium announces buyout offers to everyone in its editorial division and the departure of Siobhan O'Connor, VP of editorial, as it adjusts publication strategy
Medium announces buyout offers to everyone in its editorial division and the departure of Siobhan O'Connor, VP of editorial, as it adjusts publication strategy
Discussion:
VICE, Medialyte, New York Times, The Business of Business, @joshsternberg, @benyt, Axios, @jkottke, @melissaryan, @raju, @carnage4life, @constar24, @stokel, New York Post, Today in Tabs, Goodwill factories, @brookeobie, @benyt, @jason_koebler, @waywardwinifred, @alexeheath, @smashdawg, @timmaughan, The Hill, @ev, The Muffin por Mauricio …, American Press Institute, @alexeheath and @yaelwrites
Discussion:
Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE: Medium Tells Journalists to Feel Free to Quit After Busting Union Drive
Mark Stenberg / Medialyte: The Medium pivot is the message
Katie Robertson / New York Times: Medium Offers Buyouts to Editorial Employees
Paul Smalera / The Business of Business: Unionization won't save the media business, nor its workers
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: @benyt one could also say it's also why ad-supported media exists? medium never went in on ads. it looked great for readers (which i wish more outlets did) and had great journalism, but subscriptions can't support what they were trying to do.
Ben Smith / @benyt: This is the big challenge for existing publications — do you try to block it, or find ways to capitalize on it: https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kottke / @jkottke: https://kottke.org/ Editorial Team Update. I will continue to forgo publishing on platforms with ever-shifting strategies, morals, and agreements in favor of my patchwork “system” of publishing tools held together with chewing gum. At least it's *my* chewing gum.
Melissa Ryan / @melissaryan: I hate this all so much. I've always liked Medium as a platform but this is no way to treat people. And it keeps happening. Also, union-busting is disgusting. https://www.vice.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: The sixth pivot? @Medium is offering all editorial employees the option to “get off this crazy ride” in the form of a voluntary severance program: ‘voluntary exit’ offer comes weeks after failed union drive https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...? via @businessinsider
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Working in digital media is like working at a Blockbuster store in 2010, the writings on the wall. Some can go work at GameStop (NYT/WaPo) but even that just buys a few years before they're significantly disrupted as well (see Substack). https://www.nytimes.com/...
Constance Vigilance / @constar24: Wow. WOW. Medium is awful for this on so many levels. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / @stokel: Yikes. Huge sympathies to those doing amazing journalism on Medium, including many I've worked with https://www.vice.com/...
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post: Medium offers buyouts to its entire editorial staff
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: Our Incredible Gyre — Medium has already pivoted so many times that billionaire CEO Ev Williams …
Brent Jensen / Goodwill factories: Let's Talk About Medium
Brooke Obie / @brookeobie: Please take care of yourselves because these companies will choose themselves over and over and leave you in the dust and frame it like theyre doing you a favor. https://www.vice.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: This is really about the triumph of individual stars/"talent" over publications/brands/bundles https://twitter.com/...
Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler: an all-time bad email https://www.vice.com/...
Fred / @waywardwinifred: Ev should be honest and admit that he's a union buster and that he's overhauling the business model to more effectively compete with @SubstackInc. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: During a virtual meeting with editorial staffers on Tuesday, company leaders acknowledged that the plan to offer buyouts wasn't in place before the drive to form the union, and that they wanted to give employees who weren't happy with their roles an option to leave
Jeremy Kaplan / @smashdawg: Another unfortunate chapter in the steady collapse of the online media industry https://www.vice.com/... via @vice
Tim Maughan / @timmaughan: yeah I didn't want to say anything about the union busting there b/c I've only heard it from colleagues, but read this: https://twitter.com/...
Thomas Moore / The Hill: Medium offers entire editorial staff buyouts
Mauricio Cabrera / The Muffin por Mauricio Cabrera: ¿Por qué Medium es un fracaso?
American Press Institute: Need to Know: March 24, 2021 — OFF THE TOP — You might have heard: Pooled journalism funds …
Alex Heath / @alexeheath: Deets on the Medium buyouts: Edit staffers were told today that the decision was the result of a failed effort by them to unionize. CEO Ev Williams said those who decide to stay could shift to support and edit individual writers on the platform. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
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, @rogerpielkejr, @bmorrissey, @jonfavs, @mims, @halsparks, @elaberwarren, @neilcybart, @mallarytenore, @jjmccluskey, @raju, @asymco, @dleonhardt, @kushal_mehra, @mpolikoff, @mulvihill79, Kevin Drum, @chrisvanderveen, @soljourno, @ericboehlert, @jayrosen_nyu, @picardonhealth, @jeromeadamsmd, @natesilver538, @cgasparino, @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/...
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/...
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/...
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/ ...
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/...
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/...
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/...
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, @blacksnob, Insider, @hilella, Tubefilter, @reignofapril, @stephentotilo, @jawnita, @ryanjreilly, @maxwelltani, @lpolgreen, @nytimes, @yeshacallahan, @sfreynolds, Variety, @huffpostunion, @alexckaufman, @pressgazette, @jeremymbarr and @raju
Discussion:
Sara Fischer / Axios: BuzzFeed names Danielle Belton editor-in-chief of 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/ ...
Lauren Johnson / Insider: MEL Magazine lays off editorial staff
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/...
Geoff Weiss / Tubefilter: The Root's Danielle Belton Named Editor-In-Chief Of BuzzFeed-Owned ‘HuffPost’
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/ ...
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/...
Samuel F. Reynolds / @sfreynolds: Go, cuz, go! Congratulations! @blacksnob https://twitter.com/...
Todd Spangler / Variety: BuzzFeed Appoints New HuffPost Editor in Chief, Danielle Belton of The Root
Alexander Kaufman / @alexckaufman: Big welcome to @blacksnob! Looking forward to working together and having you at the helm. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
@pressgazette: Buzzfeed names Danielle Belton (@blacksnob) as HuffPost editor-in-chief. She is currently editor-in-chief of The Root https://www.buzzfeed.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: “We were going to announce this tomorrow, but are accelerating plans because we have a leak.” Come on, Jonah... https://www.thedailybeast.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
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/...
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.
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
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/...
Nilay Patel / @reckless: Also left very unclear in this proposal is where the Office of 230 Compliance is located, who staffs it, and how often it checks every website that gets sued. Does it issue certificates? What happens in an actual defamation lawsuit that 230 would otherwise prevent?
Mike Peterson / AppleInsider: Google, Facebook CEOs testifying before Congress on Section 230 on Thursday
Russell Brandom / The Verge: Mark Zuckerberg proposes limited 230 reforms ahead of congressional hearing
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:
io9, Rolling Stone, Cord Cutters News, TVLine, MacRumors, Variety, Android Police, Heroic Hollywood, Insider, 9to5Mac and GameSpot, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Catie Keck / io9: Disney+ Subscriptions Are About to Get More Expensive
Tim Chan / Rolling Stone: Triple Play: Today is the Last Day to Get Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ Together For Just $13
Todd Spangler / Variety: Disney Plus Is Hiking Prices for First Time in the U.S. This Week
Michael Crider / Android Police: Disney+ is getting more expensive on Friday
Ryden Scarnato / Heroic Hollywood: Disney+ To Raise Its Subscription Price Starting This Friday
José Adorno / 9to5Mac: PSA: Disney+ is getting more expensive; here's how to lock in the original rate
Lan Pitts / GameSpot: Disney Plus Is Raising Its Prices This Week
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.
Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic:
A look at Remember the Internet, a series of pocket-sized books dedicated to immortalizing subcultures and combating the ephemerality of being online — How do we memorialize life online when it's constantly disappearing? — For many of us, for better or for worse, the internet is home.
Discussion:
Ahmed Al Omran / @ahmed: The internet is constantly disappearing. It's a world of broken links and missing files—often because the people in charge cast things off on a whim https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Adrienne LaFrance / @adriennelaf: “We really thought we were doing something revolutionary... in a very aestheticized, Hot Topic, corporate sort of way.” @kait_tiffany's latest: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Lambda Literary / @lambdaliterary: “Every person I know has a secret, intimate relationship with the internet that I, for the most part, barely know about. The series will bring at least some of those relationships to life.” Looking forward to this, @Instarbooks ! https://twitter.com/...
@instarbooks: WE APPROVE (and if you would like to read the first book in this series, WE CAN ARRANGE IT https://www.instarbooks.com/ ...) https://twitter.com/...
Owen Thomas / @owenthomas: This is why one of the more brilliant and prophetic things @JoeyAnuff did was get a Suck book published. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jeanne Thornton / @manwhohatesfun: yipes Remember the Internet from @instarbooks has been covered in @TheAtlantic ! (shoutout to @acvalens @sklimnagem @sweatyhabibti @quinmyers !!) https://twitter.com/...
Casey Plett / @caseyplett: Fuck yeah @Instarbooks!!! Remember the Internet is one of the best fucking things https://twitter.com/...
Quinn / @quinmyers: my book abt google glass is almost done and i promise i'm trying my hardest but in the meantime u should read this v good and exciting overview of @Instarbooks' series by @kait_tiffany https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@internetarchive: What's the best way to remember the Internet? Could it be through....books? https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Kaitlyn Tiffany / @kait_tiffany: something nice!! i wrote about @Instarbooks and the idea of preserving the history of the internet in an endless series of memoirs https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
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:
Sharareh Drury / Hollywood Reporter: Jay Leno Apologizes for Past Racist Asian Jokes: “In My Heart I Knew It Was Wrong”
Emily Alford / Jezebel: Jay Leno Is Sorry for His Racist Jokes, Even Though He Says There Is a ‘Ring of Truth to Them’
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/...
Andrew Shuster / Mediaite: Jay Leno Apologizes for Past Jokes About Asians: Not ‘Cancel Culture’ But a ‘Legitimate Wrong ... On My Part’
Jennifer M. Wood / @j_m_wood: “Decades” “In my heart, I knew it was wrong.” Yet... “decades.” Humans are the worst. https://variety.com/...
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/...
Michelle Mehrtens / ScreenRant: Jay Leno Apologizes For Decades Of Asian Jokes He Knew Were Wrong
Yuh-Line Niou / @yuhline: Yes. Yashar. Yes. https://twitter.com/...
Benjamin Lee / The Guardian: Jay Leno apologises for history of anti-Asian jokes: ‘A legitimate wrong’
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’
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/...
Brendan Morrow / The Week: Jay Leno apologizes to Asian American community for years of offensive jokes
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, @benestes, @lizbowie, @friscojosh, @mattdpearce, @mcallguild, @raju, @bencjacobs, Poynter and @ssdance
Discussion:
Gillian Friedman / New York Times: Tribune board backs Alden Global's bid for newspaper chain over Maryland hotel magnate's.
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/...
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/ ...
Ben Jacobs / @bencjacobs: Maryland businessman bids $650 million for all of Tribune, including The Baltimore Sun https://www.baltimoresun.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/...