Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Stewart Bainum and Hansjörg Wyss say they can personally contribute $600M+ total toward their $680M bid, up from $200M, as Alden's bid loses favor — Tribune likely to deem new bid superior to agreement with Alden, according to sources — A Maryland hotel magnate …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Axios, Tribune Publishing Company, @royalpratt, @blairkamin, Columbia Journalism Review, @niemanlab, The Week, @jbenton, @mattgertz, @wsj, @nestruck, @ourmaninchicago, @ryanhanrahan, @noah__goldberg, @kerrymflynn, @robpegoraro, @jbenton, @kerrymflynn, @samontv, Vanity Fair, @jimfriedlich, @harrysiegel, @tomwarren, @petersagal, @sarah_m_wojcik, @anthony, @ckrewson, @lalpert1, @margotroosevelt, @cararlombardo, @hotlinejosh, @brynstole, @jessbravin, American Press Institute, New York Post, @jayrosen_nyu, @benmullin, @brianstelter, Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Feder and Media Nation, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab: A rival bid might actually keep Tribune out of Alden Global Capital's hands — and Alden might be just fine with that
Tribune Publishing Company: Tribune Publishing Special Committee Determines Revised, Non-Binding Proposal From Stewart Bainum and Hansjörg Wyss Would Reasonably Be Expected to Lead to a “Superior Proposal”
Gregory Pratt / @royalpratt: Civic minded bidders have submitted a $680 million offer to buy Tribune Publishing, a fully financed deal that's more than what Alden Global Capital has offered. There is no more important issue for the @chicagotribune than escaping Alden https://www.wsj.com/...
Blair Kamin / @blairkamin: Do you believe in miracles? @poolcar4 and @garyjmarx may have made one happen with their courageous NYT op-ed calling for a civic-minded owner to buy the Chicago Tribune. If this deal gets done, Chicago should have a parade for them. https://www.wsj.com/...
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review: John Boehner, Matt Gaetz, and government by right-wing media
@niemanlab: If Alden Global Capital wins the auction for Tribune, it'll control some of America's greatest newspapers. If it loses, it stands to clear something like $65 million for the Tribune shares it socked away 16 months ago. (basically, Alden can't lose) https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Harold Maass / The Week: The daily business briefing: April 5, 2021
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Wow, keeping Tribune from Alden...might actually happen? (Or, just as likely, Alden ups its bid. It had no incentive to hit the top of its range when it didn't have any competition.) https://www.wsj.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: You love to see it (because all the other options are worse). https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@wsj: Newspaper chain Tribune Publishing is expected to favor a rival group's bid over its deal with Alden Global, people familiar with the matter said https://www.wsj.com/...
J. Kelly Nestruck / @nestruck: Fingers crossed. I hope some day the Postmedia newspapers, individually or as a chain, escape the clutches of their evil overlords. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Hanrahan / @ryanhanrahan: !!!!! What wonderful news for the great people on Broad St. https://twitter.com/...
Noah Goldberg / @noah__goldberg: Hearing some tribune reporters may favor this as well https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Nothing's confirmed or guaranteed yet. But the proposal — an alternative to Tribune being taking over by hedge fund Alden — is being considered. https://investor.tribpub.com/ ...
Rob Pegoraro / @robpegoraro: Easy way to judge competing suitors for a news company: anybody but Alden. https://www.wsj.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: New by me —> If Alden Global Capital wins the auction for Tribune, it'll control some of America's greatest newspapers. If it loses, it stands to clear something like $65 million for the Tribune shares it socked away 16 months ago. (basically, Alden can't lose) https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: 🚨 New press release from Tribune $TPCO “Tribune Publishing Special Committee Determines Revised, Non-Binding Proposal From Stewart Bainum and Hansjörg Wyss Would Reasonably Be Expected to Lead to a ‘Superior Proposal’” https://investor.tribpub.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Sam Rubin / @samontv: Bad guys OUT - potential good guys IN. If Alden loses the deal, it would mark a stunning, 11th-hour turnaround for the New York hedge fund, and a major victory for critics who say its model of aggressive cost-cutting has hurt the local news industry. https://www.wsj.com/...
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Blood-Sucking Hedge Fund Alden Global Capital May Be Foiled in its Bid for Tribune
Jim Friedlich / @jimfriedlich: 1/ Stewart Bainum reached out to @lenfestinst in Nov. to discuss non-profit ownership of local newspapers. He is smart, high-integrity & deeply devoted to Baltimore & MD... Group Makes Fully Financed, Roughly $680 Million Bid for Tribune - WSJ https://www.wsj.com/...
Harry Siegel / @harrysiegel: It's wonderful that Baltimore and Chicago now both have local bidders willing to put up $100 million to give their local papers a fair shot at staying local and useful, but really sad that no in New York has stepped up yet. https://www.wsj.com/...
Tom Warren / @tomwarren: it's official, LG is exiting the smartphone business. It's been obvious for years that it has been extremely difficult for LG to compete against Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and many others. LG is now closing its phone business by the end of July https://twitter.com/...
Peter Sagal / @petersagal: A mysterious rich man has swooped in and — perhaps! — saved our city from the predations of a league of villains. This is as close as we will ever come to living in a Batman comic. https://www.wsj.com/...
Sarah M. Wojcik / @sarah_m_wojcik: All the fingers crossed here, but we don't plan on letting off the gas to stop an Alden takeover. The drive to #SaveLocalNews continues! ✊✊✊ https://twitter.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: WSJ EXCLUSIVE: A Maryland hotel magnate and a Swiss billionaire have made a bid for Tribune Publishing that the newspaper chain is expected to favor over a takeover deal it already struck with hedge fund Alden Global Capital LLC https://www.wsj.com/...
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: When a hedge or private equity fund gets involved in a bidding war it's helpful to understand their real motivation. It's not to own things for the sake of owning them; it's to make money. The more the better. https://twitter.com/...
Lukas I. Alpert / @lalpert1: BIG TRIBUNE DEVELOPMENT: A Maryland hotel magnate and a Swiss billionaire have made a bid for Tribune Publishing that the newspaper chain is expected to favor over a takeover deal it already struck with hedge fund Alden Global Capital LLC. https://www.wsj.com/...
Margot Roosevelt / @margotroosevelt: A Baltimore hotel executive and a Swiss billionaire in Wyoming may save the storied rival bid Tribune newspaper chain from the clutches of vampire hedge fund Alden Global Capital — and Alden might be just fine with that, By @jbenton https://www.niemanlab.org/... via @NiemanLab
Cara Lombardo / @cararlombardo: .@WSJ scoop w/@lalpert1: A Maryland hotel magnate and a Swiss billionaire are getting closer to upending Alden's deal for Tribune after submitting a fully financed bid late last week that now includes $600M from the two of them. $TPCO https://www.wsj.com/...
Josh Kraushaar / @hotlinejosh: “If Alden loses the deal, it would mark a stunning, 11th-hour turnaround for the New York hedge fund, and a major victory for critics who say its model of aggressive cost-cutting has hurt the local news industry.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Bryn Stole / @brynstole: Tribune board expected to favor fully financed offer from Maryland hotel magnate and Swiss billionaire. https://www.wsj.com/...
Jess Bravin / @jessbravin: The plan to rescue several jewels of American journalism began with Mr. Bainum in his @TakomaParkMD Batcave. https://twitter.com/...
American Press Institute: Need to Know: April 5, 2021 — Fresh useful insights for people advancing quality, innovative and sustainable journalism
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Odds of it happening are still small, but the possibility exists that the major newspapers owned by Tribune Publishing will be bought not by the vampire hedge fund, but by assorted rich guys who elect to run them as low-profit civic assets or non-profits. https://www.wsj.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: “That is legal deal-speak indicating Alden will likely need to raise its bid or risk losing the deal.” https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Breaking from @CaraRLombardo and @lalpert1: Alden might not prevail in its pursuit of Tribune Publishing. A rival group led by Stewart Bainum and Hansjörg Wys have made a fully financed, $680 million bid... https://www.wsj.com/...
RELATED:
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Tribune says it has begun discussions about a sale to Bainum and Wyss' company Newslight, but won't terminate the Alden merger agreement for now — Two months after agreeing to sell itself to Alden Global Capital, a New York hedge fund, the company behind The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun may shift course.
Discussion:
Poynter, @katie_robertson, Chicago Tribune, Insider, @ckrewson, @hayleighcolombo, @davidfolkenflik, @amlwhere, @rolandsmartin, @whet, @brianstelter, The Week, @mcallguild and @davidfolkenflik
Discussion:
Rick Edmonds / Poynter: Businessmen bidding for Tribune Publishing intend to keep some papers, sell the rest
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: Tribune says it has begun serious discussions with a pair of bidders rivaling Alden Global Capital's offer https://www.nytimes.com/...
Chicago Tribune: Tribune Publishing confirms rival bid, says it could lead to ‘superior proposal’ for Chicago-based newspaper company
Lauren Johnson / Insider: Peter Rice takes charge at ABC News
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: Newslight is the name of the billionaires' company competing with Alden to win a bidding war for Tribune Publishing. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Hayleigh Colombo / @hayleighcolombo: It's so easy to forget that journalism actually still makes money. Just not as much money as some people want it to. So disheartening how many people have lost jobs, how many stories aren't told just because of the thirst for profits. https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: To be clear, many of these papers are already staffed at 20 percent of newsroom levels from years past https://twitter.com/...
Ann Marie Lipinski / @amlwhere: The company would be called “Newslight” (which will be read a couple of different ways) https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rolandsmartin: Alden Global is trash. Newspapers have not delivered those profit margins in 15 years. They will gut the hell out of the @chicagotribune https://twitter.com/...
Whet Moser / @whet: There's no money for journalism* *after everyone gets their 10% cut https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Bainum and Wyss “have joined together in a company called Newslight.” Nice name. Tribune Pub says it is considering the new offer and nothing's been decided yet https://www.nytimes.com/...
Harold Maass / The Week: 10 things you need to know today: April 5, 2021
@mcallguild: 30% profit has been sucked out of the DFM papers in the Philly region. This is exactly why we are fighting to find local investors — to take the Morning Call back to the Valley under civic-minded ownership that makes journalism FIRST #savelocalnews https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: last month, I obtained audio of Chicago Tribune editor saying Alden Global Capital will want 20+ % profit margin at Tribune newspapers. Currently 10-13% margin Now, movement from small group of philanthropists & investors to buy Tribune chain My story https://www.npr.org/... https://twitter.com/...
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”
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”
Discussion:
Washington Post, Media Nation, @jayrosen_nyu, @larryryckman, @jonmurray, @jimlaporta, @missryley, @raju, @niemanlab, @scribeguy, @blackamazon, @sammy_roth, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, @davidfolkenflik, @saragregory, @royalpratt, @skylerswisher, @scott_maxwell, @bgrueskin, New York Times, NPR and Poynter
Discussion:
Washington Post: How a campaign by reporters in Baltimore inspired a national effort to keep nearly a dozen Tribune newspapers from being bought by Alden Global Capital
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: A remarkable editorial in the Orlando Sentinel pleads for deliverance from Alden
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Inside the campaign to keep nearly a dozen newspapers owned by the same chain, Tribune Publishing, from being bought by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund with a singular reputation for gutting newsrooms. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... It started with a group of reporters...
@larryryckman: Orlando has seen what Alden has done elsewhere. There's a painful reference here to “the gutting of papers like the Denver Post” https://twitter.com/...
Jon Murray / @jonmurray: “These are perilous times for the news business, from the proliferation of lies posing as news to greedy hedge funds sucking newspapers dry.” https://twitter.com/...
James LaPorta / @jimlaporta: From my hometown newspaper — Deliver us from Alden so the Orlando Sentinel can continue covering Central Florida | Editorial @orlandosentinel https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Sarah Ryley / @missryley: “Our news staff reports on county commissions and school boards, high school and college sports, restaurants and recipes, live music and local theater, roads and trains. We're the watchdog that uncovers scandal at the expressway and airport authorities.” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: As editorial page pleas go, this “Deliver us from Alden so the @orlandosentinel can continue covering Central Florida https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
@niemanlab: “We can't say with 100% certainty that doom awaits if Alden takes over. Nor can we be 100% certain that a purchase by more benevolent investors would preserve community journalism in Central Florida.” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Michael Hawthorne / @scribeguy: Spot on @orlandosentinel editorial about the future of the newspaper, the @chicagotribune, @baltimoresun, @SunSentinel and other @tribpub papers. #aldenout https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
@blackamazon: If you read ONE thing from a local paper on how hedge funds are a plague ? This is THIS RIGHT HERE https://twitter.com/...
Sammy Roth / @sammy_roth: “Alden's history with newspaper ownership is akin to a biblical plague of locusts — it devours newsroom resources to maximize profits, leaving ruin in its wake.” @orlandosentinel editorial board on the need for strong local ownership of local news: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: A local businessman, Glen Taylor, owns the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It has over 200 journalists. Across the river in St. Paul, Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund, owns the Pioneer Press. It has dropped from 260 newsroom staff to 50. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ... Get the difference?
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “When Alden assumed control of the MediaNews Group newspaper chain in 2010, one of its premier properties was the Denver Post with a newsroom of some 230 reporters, editors and photographers. Today, the Post has diminished to about 70 journalists...” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Orland Sentinel makes official editorial plea: Deliver us from Alden https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Sara Gregory / @saragregory: “Alden's history with newspaper ownership is akin to a biblical plague of locusts — it devours newsroom resources to maximize profits, leaving ruin in its wake.” writes the @orlandosentinel editorial board https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Gregory Pratt / @royalpratt: The @orlandosentinel editorial board bravely comes out against its owner, Alden Global Capital, with a plea for better future: Deliver us from Alden so the Orlando Sentinel can continue covering Central Florida. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Skyler Swisher / @skylerswisher: “Our deepest hope is that the investors who are emerging as a possible antidote to Alden will prevail so the Orlando Sentinel and other Tribune Publishing newspapers can continue serving the public by reporting the news, and keeping you informed.” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Scott Maxwell / @scott_maxwell: This isn't subtle. Nor need it be. The encouraging news is that we suddenly have a good deal of interest - both locally and nationally - in doing just this. Editorial: “Deliver us from Alden so the Orlando Sentinel can continue covering Central Florida” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Orlando Sentinel edit board on its future ownership: A “takeover by the notorious Alden Global Capital feels like an existential moment. “Alden's history is akin to a plague of locusts - it devours resources to maximize profits, leaving ruin in its wake” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times: The Matt Gaetz Investigation: What We Know
David Folkenflik / NPR: Hedge Fund Alden Global Capital Poised To Acquire Tribune Publishing
Shawna Chen / Axios:
SCOTUS vacates a lower court ruling that Trump's Twitter blocks violate the First Amendment — The Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling that found former President Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking followers on Twitter, ordering the case to be dismissed as moot now that he is no longer in office.
Discussion:
@mjs_dc, Supreme Court of the United States, The Wrap, @mjs_dc, NPR, @mjs_dc, Protocol, @mjs_dc, Slate, CNBC, @mmasnick, Politico, Variety, Reason, TechCrunch, MediaPost, @randyebarnett, New York Post, Law & Crime, AppleInsider, Insider, @sodangfancy100, Hollywood Reporter, KEYT-TV and New York Times, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Mark Joseph Stern / @mjs_dc: 🚨Clarence Thomas suggests that social media companies may NOT have a First Amendment right to regulate speech on their platforms, analogizing them to “common carriers” and “places of public accommodation.” https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mark Joseph Stern / @mjs_dc: You know the conservatives who have been arguing—unsuccessfully so far—that social media companies are so powerful that Congress can essentially override their own First Amendment rights and force them to host certain speech on their platforms? Thomas just endorsed that argument. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Joseph Stern / @mjs_dc: In other words, Clarence Thomas is inviting Congress to ban social media companies from engaging in content moderation by stripping them of their own First Amendment rights and transforming them, for legal purposes, into common carriers or public accommodations.
Mark Joseph Stern / @mjs_dc: !!! Thomas cites arguments that Section 230, which provides immunity to platforms for third-party content, *violates the First Amendment.* https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate: Clarence Thomas' Attack on Social Media Companies Is a Paranoid Marxist Delusion
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: Justice Thomas suggests regulating tech platforms like utilities
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: This is completely off the wall bonkers. This is like QAnon level bonkers. Coming from a Supreme Court Justice. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Gerstein / Politico: Justice Thomas grumbles over Trump's social media ban
Scott Shackford / Reason: Justice Thomas Wonders When Supreme Court Will Have To Consider Social Media's Private Deplatforming Power
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch: Supreme Court tosses ruling that said Trump blocking Twitter critics was unconstitutional
Wendy Davis / MediaPost: Court Ends Battle Between Trump And Blocked Critics
Randy Barnett / @randyebarnett: Some seem to be misunderstanding the issue. It's not whether discrimination by common carriers or public accommodations is unconstitutional. It's whether states or localities barring such discrimination is unconstitutional under existing law or original meaning of the 14th Amend. https://twitter.com/...
Jerry Lambe / Law & Crime: Justice Clarence Thomas Suggests SCOTUS Will ‘Soon Have No Choice’ But to Rein in Ability of ‘Dominant Digital Platforms’ to Moderate Speech Online
Mike Peterson / AppleInsider: Supreme Court argument casts doubt on Facebook, Twitter free speech rights
Grace Panetta / Insider: The Supreme Court dismissed as moot a First Amendment case over Trump blocking his critics on Twitter
Ashley Cullins / Hollywood Reporter: Trump Twitter Blocking Suit Deleted By Supreme Court
KEYT-TV: Supreme Court wipes away ruling that said Trump violated Constitution by blocking Twitter followers
Brandy Zadrozny / NBC News:
A look at The News Alerts of Beaver County, a 43,000-member Facebook Group in PA that fills the local news void but often hosts exaggerations and falsehoods — The day after Thanksgiving 2019, residents of Chippewa Township, Pennsylvania, watched from their windows as state …
Discussion:
Gav's Newsletter, @brandyzadrozny, @oneunderscore__, @katyturnbc, @howardfineman, @jayrosen_nyu, @ddale8, @mattgalkafox10, @maurabarrettnbc, @emilybell, @northsidechad, @ryanjreilly, @timothyjgraham, @anthonyblsmith, @robtornoe, @oneunderscore__, @matthewkeyslive, @nicdawes, @fredbenenson, @firstdraftnews, @jason_kint, @kerrymflynn, @michaeldtubbs, @lukeobrien, @anton612, @loganjaffe, @mike_hixenbaugh, @blackamazon, @kerrymflynn and Substack, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Gavin Sheridan / Gav's Newsletter: Newsletter 29 — Welcome to the 30 odd new subscribers, I hope you like the weekly missive!
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: I report a lot on the end points of misinformation and the harms it can do to single people and small communities. One common thread in these stories has been the death of local news and the rise of Facebook groups. This is the story of Beaver County, PA. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: Without reliable local news, this Facebook group turned a guy who fled a traffic stop into a murderer on the lam in the eyes of its members. But not in reality. Facebook Groups are creating hyperlocal, War of the Worlds panics, all throughout the world. https://www.nbcnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@howardfineman: In a #Pennsylvania town, a #Facebook group fills the local news void. A must-read account of the death of local journalism in America. It's focused on a county near #Pittsburgh but it could be anywhere. The loss of localism is, overall, a huge threat. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: What it's like to live in a place that has lost its journalists. https://www.nbcnews.com/... Nuanced, intelligent, and sad story by @BrandyZadrozny. Recommended.
Daniel Dale / @ddale8: Good story by @BrandyZadrozny about bad-info-filled local “news” Facebook groups that are replacing shuttered or decimated newspapers with nonsense: https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@mattgalkafox10: And then all of a sudden your local news reporter is on a goose chase to validate the fairytales called in by these same people https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Maura Barrett / @maurabarrettnbc: “Facebook didn't exactly kill local news, but it certainly sped its demise. It's a role that Facebook has acknowledged and tried to redress.” @BrandyZadrozny with a deep dive on how misinformation rises as a community relies on social media for news https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Great long read from @BrandyZadrozny on the power and problems of local news Facebook groups (pick your platform ). The bad things about your defunct local newspaper - inaccurate , sensationalist, exclusionary - all replicable and more on social https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Chad Huculak / @northsidechad: “It's just crazy. These people that sit around with nothing else to do except listen to a scanner and start sensationalizing stuff.” In a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Ryan J. Reilly / @ryanjreilly: Great piece here. Got a glimpse of how much of a role these regional Facebook groups play in certain places in a story I was working on last year. Pretty eye-opening. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Graham / @timothyjgraham: “In a system with inadequate legitimate local news, they may only be able to get information by posting gossip and having the police correct it.” This is intensely worrying https://twitter.com/...
Anthony Smith / @anthonyblsmith: i have said it before and i'll say it again: getting rid of all Facebook Groups probably does quite a bit to stave off one of the many, many types of doomsdays coming for us https://twitter.com/...
Rob Tornoe / @robtornoe: Local police tried to correct the misinformation on Facebook, but were accused of a cover-up by residents ginned up by false social media posts about a murderer on the loose. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: Remarkable work by @BrandyZadrozny about how a town with no newspaper turned to local Facebook group — and caused constant, widespread, nonstop panic of murderers and crimes that weren't actually there. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Matthew Keys / @matthewkeyslive: @jayrosen_nyu @BrandyZadrozny The administrator of the Facebook group at the center of the story has responded to police criticism: “If it's bothering them that much, they can buy my group and shut it down.” https://twitter.com/...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: This, from @BrandyZadrozny, on the subtle-at-first, but ultimately devastating effects of trying to substitute a Facebook group for a lost local newspaper is just superb, essential reading https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@fredbenenson: This is such an important story, and I think part of why Facebook seems so much worse than Twitter. FB encourages semi-private groups that recirculate misinformation vs. Twitter where stuff gets fact checked pretty quickly. https://twitter.com/...
First Draft / @firstdraftnews: Facebook's Groups have been criticized for their role in the spread of misinformation. But they also fill critical voids in local news. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: This is absolutely the best case outcome when a “neighborhood-watch-style social network” like Facebook fills the void of a dying local newspaper. Myanmar is the worst case. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@kerrymflynn: “Do we spend our time fact-checking false things that we didn't publish? Or do we spend our time actually investigating?” Great story by @BrandyZadrozny profiling a local news desert — Beaver County, PA — with an active and problematic Facebook Group https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Michael Tubbs / @michaeldtubbs: It's happening across the country. In Stockton, in Pennsylvania, etc. We have to invest in local news and hold bad actors and social media accountable. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Luke O'Brien / @lukeobrien: The death of local news is a win for ignorance, corruption, authoritarianism. The NYT and WaPo don't need your $. Local papers do. Citizen journalists usually fail at journalism. “Gatekeepers” aren't always bad. Facebook is almost always bad. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Anton / @anton612: What happens when news outlets like City Pages and SW Journal are replaced with crime-centered Facebook pages? https://twitter.com/...
Logan Jaffe / @loganjaffe: This is a great story from @BrandyZadrozny. It raises the right question: who is accountable for the quality of information in places that rely on local Fbook groups for news? Facebook groups are still the most common and threatening vessel for disinfo imo https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Mike Hixenbaugh / @mike_hixenbaugh: I used to work in towns like this one, where small but solid local newspapers have since been bought and gutted by Gatehouse and others. Here's a @BrandyZadrozny deep dive on what happens when Facebook group alerts become a community's main news source. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@blackamazon: Imagine if we talked to those actual local journalists who have been talking about this for years and have rebuilt platforms around this https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: ^ Also obsessed with the story's art. I like checking out local news stands when I travel places, like this one in Santee, SC The visual of it being taken over by Facebook reactions = 💯💯💯 https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:
How Condé Nast's rushed push for diversity, alongside Anna Wintour's hazy understanding of Teen Vogue, left its staff blindsided after the McCammond hiring mess — From the start, Alexi McCammond seemed an unlikely candidate to become a top boss within the storied Vogue empire — at least on paper.
Discussion:
@sarahellison, @notdanhastings, @thelilynews, @ericmgarcia, @zoddies, Poynter, @sulliview, @raju, @ursulaperano, @hctrudo, @adamgreen and @jbarro, Thanks:@heidilegg
Discussion:
Sarah Ellison / @sarahellison: Inside the Teen Vogue mess. Or how Condé Nast came to force out a Black woman in a push for greater equity and inclusion. My latest. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@notdanhastings: “The Anna Wintours of the world don't understand what authentic representation means beyond a surface level. They saw a woman of color but didn't do the work to make sure she was the right one for this organization.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@thelilynews: “A million girls would die for this job.” That line from the 2003 novel “The Devil Wears Prada” captured the ethos of Condé Nast at the dawn of this century. It's a different business now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Eric Michael Garcia / @ericmgarcia: The more I read about the whole flare up at Teen Vogue, the more I am convinced Anna Wintour and Condé Nast set @alexi up to fail. She deserved better. And the staff at @TeenVogue did too https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Zodwa Kumalo / @zoddies: “Meanwhile, Teen Vogue's Twitter account has gone silent since the day after her ouster — just before its social media manager, who had been outspoken about McCammond's hiring, was herself called out for using the n-word in long-ago posts.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Tom Jones / Poynter: A look at Mike Huckabee's racist comments
@sulliview: Inside the Teen Vogue mess — which is really a Condé Nast mess. ... A smart and well reported look by @sarahellison https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: As cross-town labeling goes: @Axios, “a buzz-chasing outlet started in 2017 by some Politico defectors who emphasize breezy, scoop-heavy newsletters and lucrative conferences over traditional news coverage.” https://twitter.com/...
Ursula Perano / @ursulaperano: a lot of really thoughtful reporting in this piece, but one note: @alexi was not a “junior reporter” she led our 2020 coverage, was an msnbc contributor and a regular on our HBO show young ≠ junior https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Hanna Trudo / @hctrudo: That word popped out at me too. Those on the trail know that @alexi was definitely not a junior reporter https://twitter.com/...
Adam Green / @adamgreen: Good piece @SarahEllison. But calling @Alexi a “junior reporter” to juice your opening is an unnecessary diminishment. You say in pargrph 17 she's an MSNBC contributor, high-profile HBO political interviewer, plus top political reporter. May all reporters be that accomplished. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: The editor of Teen Vogue was going to appear in an advertiser's campaign on Teen Vogue? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Thanks:@heidilegg
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Profile of Viet Dinh, Fox's chief legal officer, who has been seen internally as the company's power center since before Lachlan Murdoch moved to Australia — Even before the company's C.E.O., Lachlan Murdoch, moved to Australia, Viet Dinh was seen as Fox's power center.
Discussion:
@jameeljaffer, @dylanbyers, @jeremymbarr, @miketatarski, Mediaite, @rmac18, @jacketpotato and @avtrask
Discussion:
Jameel Jaffer / @jameeljaffer: If you hire the guy who wrote the Patriot Act, you're kind of asking for this, no? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: I find it strange that Fox keeps trying to downplay Viet Dinh's power. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: “If you're a studio boss with actors and directors on payroll, Hollywood can overlook your embarrassing right-wing cable interests. But after the Disney sale, and after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Lachlan Murdoch risked becoming a social pariah.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Tatarski / @miketatarski: “A refugee from Vietnam...he once told VietLife magazine that he worked jobs including ‘cleaning toilets, busing tables, pumping gas, picking berries, fixing cars’ to help his family make ends meet. He attended Harvard and Harvard Law School.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite: Fox's Top Lawyer ‘Regularly’ Derides Trump in Private, NYT Reports
Ryan Mac / @rmac18: Justin Juzang and Fox News lawyer Viet Dinh are the two sides of the good/bad Viet spectrum https://www.nytimes.com/...
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Audible hires Zola Mashariki, former senior exec at Fox Searchlight and BET, to oversee original content as the new head of Audible Studios — Zola Mashariki, former senior exec at Fox Searchlight and BET, is the new head of Audible Studios. — In the role at the Amazon-owned audio content platform …
Discussion:
John Maher / Publishers Weekly: Mashariki to Head Audible Studios
Kimberly Nordyke / Hollywood Reporter: Zola Mashariki Named Head of Audible Studios
Josh Marshall / The Atlantic:
Many digital news outlets are just not financially viable, and those that sought scale lost to platforms; survivors nurture durable ties to specific customers — On March 9, management at HuffPost notified 47 employees that they were being laid off as part of a cost-cutting effort following …
Discussion:
@michellemanafy, @annehelen, @craigcalcaterra, @elipariser, @davidsirota, @mathewi, contextisking.com, @mitalilive, @hchawlah, @elizatalks, @jaredshopkins, @tylrfishr, @ckrewson, @yappelbaum, @jayrosen_nyu, @ginaspadafori, @dougfisher, @adriennelaf, @sstossel, @ahmed, @genepark and @theatlantic
Discussion:
Michelle Manafy / @michellemanafy: The reality is that many early-21st-century news organizations are simply not financially viable; they don't bring in enough money to pay their expenses. Indeed, many of them were never financially viable to begin with. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... @joshtpm @TheAtlantic
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: “Almost all of the elements of good, newspaper journalism—big newsrooms paying middle-class salaries and giving reporters the time to get the story right—were made possible by those monopolies.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Craig Calcaterra / @craigcalcaterra: Nodding furiously at this whole article, but particularly the last paragraph. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Eli Pariser / @elipariser: There's a lot I agree with in this @joshtpm piece, but I think it ignores the public-interest dangers in subscription-mania. Serving niche subscribers is not the same as serving the general public newspaper advertisers were seeking. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
David Sirota / @davidsirota: I disagree with @joshtpm on many political issues. But I agree with almost everything he says in this piece about media. If there is going to be vibrant independent journalism — a huge if — it will have to be funded at least in part by a subscriber base. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: Good overview of what happened to journalism over the past two decades from @joshtpm, whose Talking Points Memo is one of the few digital news startups that continues to exist in its original state: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / contextisking.com: Here's the Only Reason Why News Was Sustainable in the 20th Century
Mitali Mukherjee / @mitalilive: “In digital publishing, scale was the god that failed. And thousands of journalists went along for the roller-coaster ride, without anyone warning them how it was bound to end” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Haresh Chawla / @hchawlah: Digital news publishing was never meant to work. And even if when does, it's hard work. Great read here: The Digital News Industry Was Built on Lies - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Eliza Anyangwe / @elizatalks: “Most digital publications were funded on the premise that scale would eventually lead to dominance and stability, much as it had with technology firms. News publishing, however, doesn't work that way."https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jared S. Hopkins / @jaredshopkins: Two paragraphs that succinctly explain what's happened to journalism and media the last few decades, by @joshtpm https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Tyler Fisher / @tylrfishr: Nothing new in here, but “scale is the god that failed” is a line that will stick with me. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: As good an explainer as exists of why most national digital news sites bloomed and went belly up. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Yoni Appelbaum / @yappelbaum: A real pleasure to get to publish @joshtpm https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “Many of the [digital journalism] jobs that have disappeared over the past three or four years never had business models that could sustain them—at least not in the old-fashioned sense of bringing in more revenue than they cost.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Gina Spadafori / @ginaspadafori: .@joshtpm, as a veteran of the end of those “fat times” for newspapers (@sacbee_news, 1979-1996), I found this one of the most insightful “what happened” articles I have read in a long time. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Doug Fisher / @dougfisher: “Many early-21st-century news organizations are simply not financially viable. ... Indeed, many of them were never financially viable to begin with. The whole digital news industry has been based on lies.” #newseconomics #digitalnews https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Adrienne LaFrance / @adriennelaf: “Outlets with no subscription revenue are a rarity in publishing history.” Smart piece by @joshtpm: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Scott Stossel / @sstossel: “The whole digital news industry has been based on lies.” Smart piece by the always-insightful @joshtpm, founder of one of the best, most enduring digital news sites on the internet. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Ahmed Al Omran / @ahmed: “The super-low costs of entry and the lack of geographic limitations that were key to the explosive growth of digital journalism were also key to its undoing...” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
The Princetonian:
Women who have held the top editorial positions at Ivy League papers this year discuss their leadership roles, priorities moving forward, and more — For the first time, women hold the highest editorial positions at all eight Ivy League papers. — The path to leadership …
Discussion:
@princetonian, @crisleemaza, @juliaioffe, @jodikantor, @alicefromqueens, @spj_tweets, @sarajust, @katierosman, @lucymcaldwell, @pfagell, @davidmwessel, @mikemadden, @jasosamd, @kristie_valerie, @leighmunsil, @ericcolumbus, @tdavisfreep, @oliviagieger, Poynter, @niemanlab, @daisy_conant, @jsyche, @ddiamond and @ort_jon
Discussion:
@princetonian: CORRECTION: A story we published on March 31 asserted that women are serving at the helm of editorial leadership at all eight Ivy League papers for the first time. That statement is incorrect, and the piece has been updated to reflect this. https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Cristina Maza / @crisleemaza: I agree it's great that all 8 Ivy League papers are currently run by female students. Still, it would also be great if the media industry weren't as dominated by alumni of the Ivy League. That would be diversity in this industry, too. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Ioffe / @juliaioffe: For all the media talk about progress and diversity, you can count on less than one hand the number of big, U.S. publications that are run by women—@VanityFair, @politico. Hopefully, this generation takes our industry in a better direction. https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Jodi Kantor / @jodikantor: Amazing: all the editors of Ivy student papers are women Even better: they are pushing to pay student writers so that journalism isn't only for the well-off “Compensation for student writers is basically the hill I'm going to die on.” —@maryammzafar https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
@alicefromqueens: Honestly these victories would mean more if women won 5 of 8, or 9 of 16 spots, instead of 100%. 100% tells you the fix was in, however “spontaneous” the process, same way the fix used to be in for men. https://twitter.com/...
@spj_tweets: “Some started as news reporters... and some as copy editors. While their specialities may have originated in different fields, there was one common thread that influenced these women's decision to run for EIC: fostering diversity in their papers.” https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Sara Just / @sarajust: Fantastic to see! Congratulations to @sarahbraka @ColumbiaSpec and all! https://twitter.com/...
Katie Rosman / @katierosman: The student newspapers at Harvard, Columbia, U Penn, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown all have female editors in chief https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Lucy Caldwell / @lucymcaldwell: This is remarkable. And as a very proud member of @thecrimson's 135th guard, I'm thrilled to see it! https://twitter.com/...
Phyllis Fagell / @pfagell: “For the first time, women hold the highest editorial positions at all 8 Ivy League newspapers. The editors of The Daily Pennsylvanian & the Columbia Daily Spectator, respectively, actually began this journey together as co-editors of their h.s. paper.” ❤️ https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
David Wessel / @davidmwessel: All eught Ivy League student newspapers have women editors https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Julie A Sosa / @jasosamd: Yes!! I remember being elected Chair'man' (🤔🙄) of the @princetonian 30 yrs ago. Three cheers for progress and congrats to these rising stars! #WomensHistoryMonth @ChrisLu44 @tweber https://twitter.com/...
Kristie-Valerie Hoang / @kristie_valerie: Challenging UC papers to do this, but with journalists of color https://twitter.com/...
Leigh Munsil / @leighmunsil: nice! kind of surprised it took this long, J Schools have been female powerhouses for years 💪 https://twitter.com/...
Eric Columbus / @ericcolumbus: Last year, for the first time, the law reviews of the top 16 law school were all led by women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Tyler Davis / @tdavisfreep: Love to see it. My college paper would have failed if it wasn't for our string of women EICs @kayplot, @rabbitearz93. https://twitter.com/...
Olivia Gieger / @oliviagieger: Not to mention the fact that the @AmherstStudent has been under the leadership of wonderful women for years!! (We still love @vqaeola tho) https://twitter.com/...
Barbara Allen / Poynter: Online harassment is real. Here's how to help your students and educate yourself
@niemanlab: “I have been much more conscious of making sure that female voices are heard and that women feel it's okay to take up space — to vehemently and courageously take up space, since I come from a background where I haven't always been the one to speak up.” https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Daisy Conant / @daisy_conant: This is a trend across four-year public/private and community college newsrooms too. Last April, I aggregated the mastheads of ~500 college newsrooms for a class project. Roughly 69% of the EIC's were women, and the majority were women of color. https://twitter.com/...
Jenny Che / @jsyche: So awesome to see that women are leading all 8 Ivy campus papers for the first time— and especially so many women of color! cc @felschwartz @lindsayaellis @emmafidel @thedartmouth https://dailyprincetonian.com/ ...
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
ViacomCBS Networks International to acquire Chilevisión from WarnerMedia, expanding its Latin America footprint and Spanish content library — ViacomCBS Networks International has agreed to acquire Chilevisión from AT&T's WarnerMedia for an undisclosed sum, expanding its footprint in Latin America.
Discussion:
Mónica Marie Zorrilla / Variety: ViacomCBS International to Acquire WarnerMedia's Chilevisión, Expanding Footprint in Latin America
Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter: ViacomCBS Buys Chilevision From WarnerMedia
Jon Lafayette / nexttv.com: ViacomCBS Buys Chilevisión From AT&T's WarnerMedia
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
NYT names Jim Dao, a deputy editor on the national desk, as its new Metro editor; Dao has worked in a wide range of roles at the paper since 1992 — A veteran of the paper is appointed to lead its local coverage as candidates line up to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio, and New York City looks beyond the pandemic.
Discussion:
@jswatz, @cliffordlevy, @alexanderrusso, @palafo, @cliffordlevy, @froomkin, @scottdodd, @perezpena and The New York Times Company
Discussion:
John Schwartz / @jswatz: This is a brilliant choice for NYT Metro editor. @jimdao is super smart, imaginative, calm in a crunch and deeply humane. It's a great day for the Times and its readers. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: @jimdao @NYTMetro “For Mr. Dao, 63, the new role is a homecoming. He joined The Times as a metro reporter nearly 30 years ago and was later the department's deputy editor. He has also served as Albany bureau chief, congressional reporter and Pentagon correspondent.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alexander / @alexanderrusso: Great news for the Metro desk, especially if Dao helps bring improvements to NYC schools coverage, which has been woefully under-staffed and predictably underwhelming ... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Patrick LaForge / @palafo: Congratulations to @jimdao on his return home to the Metro Desk, where in another life we started the City Room blog with @sewellchan ... He's the real deal. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: Big congrats to @jimdao, a superb journalist and a terrific leader, who is the new editor of @NYTMetro. Here's the announcement that just went out to the NYT newsroom. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: .@jimdao was also the senior editor on the opinion side to read and sign off on the Cotton op-ed. “I did not anticipate it would have this kind of impact on my colleagues. And for that I am sorry,” he said at the time, wildly insufficiently. But that doesn't erase a career. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Dodd / @scottdodd: It's been a real privilege to edit alongside @jimdao over the past few months. @NYTMetro is getting a great one. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Meredith Conroy / FiveThirtyEight:
How distrust of the news media became a point of political identity among Republicans and a basis for Americans to sort themselves into political tribes — There's little question that the media is one of the least trusted institutions in Republican circles.
Discussion:
Andy Guess / @andyguess: Our new study (@junghwanyang @p_barbera @simonsaysnothin and I) gets a shout-out in @sidney_b's informative @FiveThirtyEight article on increasing importance of media hostility to GOP identity. Article: https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ... Link to @PNASNews paper: https://www.pnas.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael Calderone / @mlcalderone: “Hostility and distrust of the news media, in other words, has become a point of political identity among Republicans.” https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
@fivethirtyeight: For republicans, claiming to be “anti-media” isn't just a political statement. It's a form of identity. https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
@fivethirtyeight: Among people who said they voted for then-President Trump in 2020, a staggering 92% strongly or somewhat agreed that “the mainstream media today is just a part of the Democratic Party,” according to a January YouGov/American Enterprise Institute poll. https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
@fivethirtyeight: Republicans' distrust and growing animosity toward the media is significant because they're already isolated news consumers. https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
Meredith Conroy / @sidney_b: A few weeks ago, @decustecu shared this statistic on twitter: 92 percent of Trump voters agreed that “the mainstream media today is just a part of the Democratic Party.” So, I decided to dig into what is going on psychologically for @FiveThirtyEight https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
@brianweeden: This is not healthy for America. And it's not just the GOP - look at the drop in independents. And I suspect the major bump with Dems was a partisan response as well https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Distrust of The Media has shifted places, “from an attitude about the institution itself to a credential of conservatism.” In other words: identity politics. That's from: Why Being ‘Anti-Media’ Is Now Part Of The GOP Identity. https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ... Worth reading.
Matt Grossmann / @mattgrossmann: Media distrust, accelerated by partisan media, has become part of Republican identity. Those trends accelerated in the Trump era as conservative media & the president increasingly disparaged news. Democrats responded by becoming more trusting of news https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Important piece by @sidney_b about something we've all sensed: Being anti-media “has become a point of political identity among Republicans.” Political scientist Taeku Lee says signaling media distrust is “much the same as wearing a red MAGA cap.” https://fivethirtyeight.com/ ...
Jim Swift / Overtime: We Need a 9/11 Commission for COVID
Bill Carter / @wjcarter: When admitting you're wrong is outside your strength of character and you find yourself in a sea of facts: what do you do? You curse the water+swim to every island of disinformation you can find. It was supposed to be a joke but it's not: reality has a well-known liberal bias. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: One Republican's Lonely Fight Against a Flood of Disinformation