Top News:
Om Malik / On my Om:
Unsplash, a startup that hosts freely usable images and was designed to upend behemoths like Getty Images, sells to Getty Images — Knowing of my growing distaste for the Facebookization of Instagram, Evgeny Tchebotarev, the co-founder of 500px, sent me an email about a new project from Crew, a freelancer-focused design company.
David Agren / The Guardian:
An argument over press freedom erupted in Mexico after its president attacked a US human rights report that highlighted Mexico's failure to protect journalists — A growing row over press freedom has engulfed Mexico after the country's nationalist president maligned a routine US human rights report …
Discussion:
United States Department … and Fronteras
Matt Grossman / Wall Street Journal:
HYBE, which manages K-pop's BTS, is buying Ithaca Holdings, the company behind artists and labels including Justin Bieber and Big Machine Label, for $1B+ — Deal would unite South Korean media company with Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings — The South Korean media company that manages K-pop group BTS …
Orlando Sentinel:
Orlando Sentinel's editorial board says an impending takeover of Tribune by Alden Global Capital feels like “an existential moment for our newspaper's future” — The Orlando Sentinel's extensive coverage of Joel Greenberg started getting attention this week.
Discussion:
NPR, @sammy_roth, @scribeguy, @niemanlab, @blackamazon, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, @davidfolkenflik, @saragregory, @royalpratt, @skylerswisher, @scott_maxwell, @bgrueskin and Poynter
Danny Konstantinovic / The Business of Business:
Gumroad's CEO on the company's first 10 years, competitors like Patreon and Substack, the rise of the creator economy, and how app store “taxes” stifle growth — When you visit Gumroad's website, one of the first things you see is a simple promise. — “Gumroad makes it possible for you to: Escape your 9-5 desk job.
Discussion:
@thebizofbiz
Rebecca Davis / Variety:
China's National Film Administration directs every cinema in China to schedule and promote at least two screenings of propaganda films per week, starting now — Every cinema in China must schedule and actively promote at least two screenings of propaganda films per week beginning this week until …
Discussion:
@luiz_fernando_j
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Study: political polarization slowed in Palm Springs, CA, in July 2019 when the local paper, The Desert Sun, covered only local issues in its opinion section — Shifting the focus of a newspaper's opinion section from national (Trump! Pelosi! distant, scary!) to local (schools! development! …
Discussion:
@gintautasd, @mydesert, @julie_makinen, @niemanreports, @jbenton, @jbenton and @julie_makinen
Julia Alexander / IGN:
Nielsen: over half the most-watched streaming programs this week came from ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, or Disney, but were watched on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video — Netflix's biggest helper is actually Criminal Minds and iCarly. — Talk to any Netflix executive, and they'll likely boast …
Discussion:
@nina_metz, @loudmouthjulia and @loudmouthjulia
Lauren Harris / Columbia Journalism Review:
An overview of the journalism crises happening globally, with significant closures and job losses in the US, Europe, Australia, India, and elsewhere — Early in the pandemic, media closures, layoffs, furloughs and salary cuts spread across the globe, encompassing the US, Canada, Mexico …
Discussion:
@ashkan, @vwpickard, @cjr, @cjr and jamlab
Neda Ulaby / NPR:
TRG Arts' analysis of box office sales: US dropped 86.1% from March 2020 to March 2021, UK dropped 89.3%, and Canada dropped 90.3% — Economic fallout due to the pandemic has been “catastrophic” for the performing arts, according to new data from the industry consulting group TRG Arts.
Discussion:
@npr
Tom McKay / Gizmodo:
WaPo published a piece revealing an anti-QAnon researcher's real name, when it learned he was writing for them under a pseudonym for safety, contrary to policy — One of the hosts of the anti-conspiracy theory podcast QAnon Anonymous is no longer so anonymous.
Discourse Blog:
Management at The New Republic backs off plans to force NYC staffers to relocate to Washington, DC, after its union blasted leadership for a lack of notice — Staffers say they're still worried about the magazine's future. — Last week, staffers at The New Republic had their first meeting …
Discussion:
@tnrunion, bookforum.com, @ryanlcooper, @lukewsavage, @charoshane, @discourse_blog, @ishaantharoor, @jscros, @pblest, @melissagira and @heerjeet