Mediagazer: Sources: Bainum had a side arrangement with Alden CEO Heath Freeman to buy Baltimore Sun, but made his own Tribune bid after suspecting Alden changed terms (Lukas I. Alpert/Wall Street Journal)

9:25 AM ET, April 12, 2021

Top News:

Substack strikes deals with trans writers, amid claims it supports allegedly anti-trans writers and is a kind of lucrative off ramp for “cancel culture” victims — A company that makes it easy to charge for newsletters has captivated an anxious industry because it embodies larger forces and contradictions.

Discussion: @benyt, The Guardian, One Man & His Blog, @espiers, @wolfejosh, @hunterw, @anthony, @benyt, Quorum, @davewiner, @kittypurrzog, @mccarthyryanj, @caseynewton, @crtejada, @seamushughes, @mattyglesias, @karaswisher, @athertonkd, @dlind, @clairlemon, @sethamandel, @nicktagliaferro, @harrysiegel, @ggreenwald, @katienotopoulos, @taylorlorenz, @mattyglesias, @jamesfdennin, @jordanzakarin, @espiers, @espiers, @chrisalbon, @joshsternberg, @lwoodhouse, @dnvolz, @lindseyadler, @benjamingoggin, @alicefromqueens, @lisatozzi, @eisingerj, @will_bunch, @bernybelvedere, @davidsirota, @jmrivera02, @davidgross_man, @taylorlorenz, @digiphile, @joshconstine, @parkermolloy, @waxpancake, @nytimes, Inkcap, @nbashaw, Sunday Snapshots, @karaswisher, @noonanjo, @sorayaroberts, @sarthakgh, @blgtylr, @bro_pair, @davidyelland, @lukeplunkett, @oneunderscore__, bookforum.com and The Wazzock's Review, more at Techmeme »

Charlie Warzel / Galaxy Brain:

Charlie Warzel announces he is leaving NYT Opinion to launch a new Substack called Galaxy Brain, aiming to forge a deeper relationship with readers — Why I'm leaving (The) New York (Times). — 3 hr ago — Hello! Hi! I have a new job — you're looking at it. Welcome to Galaxy Brain, my humble internet outpost.

Michael Grothaus / Fast Company:

Bustle Digital Group confirms it is reviving Gawker under former Gawker writer Leah Finnegan — Over the weekend The New York Times published an interesting read by Ben Smith on the rise of Substack and its effect on the publishing industry. Yet buried deep in the piece was another little gem …

Discussion: The Wrap and @leahfinnegan

Edmund Lee / New York Times:

Inside a power struggle at WSJ between editor Matt Murray and publisher Almar Latour over how the paper should remake itself to attract new digital readers — A special team led by a high-level manager says Rupert Murdoch's paper must evolve to survive. But a rivalry between editor and publisher stands in the way.

Discussion: Media Nation, Poynter, @edmundlee, @raju, @mylesudland, @samhaselby, @danielleiat, @jayrosen_nyu, @nickkristof, @briannawu, @jbarro, @margotpatrick, @knottmatthew, Sree's Sunday Note, @niubi, @markberman, @davecbenoit, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @fvogelstein, @jayrosen_nyu, @janemayernyer, @matthewstoller, @ryanchittum, @sdkstl, @tonyromm, @fenitn, @kvox, @janebsinger, @jenrossa, @jswatz, @moorehn, @krmaher, @adrianweckler, @sherman4949, @nytimes, @picardonhealth, @andreasharsono, @brianstelter, @bradleyhope, @bradleyhope, @tomgara, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @mattietk, @gorskon, @thirdwaykessler, @matinastevis, @nancook, @waltmossberg, @bakerluke, @crtejada, @iansalisbury, @lionelbarber, @raju, @batess, @davidclinchnews, @mccarthyryanj, @raju, @rafat, @ourand_sbj, @sridharpappu, @johngapper, @joshsternberg, @dicktofel, @robinwigg, @rafat, @retheauditors, @dkiesow, @benyt, @kenli729, @jeffjarvis, Talking Biz News and Cleverly Painted Mules

Edmund Lee / New York Times:
A look at WSJ's internal study, The Content Review, which recommended ways for WSJ to attract new readers, specifically, women, POC, and younger professionals

Discussion: @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @derjarjour, @jbflint, @tomnamako, @cristymsilva, @cristymsilva, @cristymsilva, @tomcritchlow, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee, @edmundlee and Talking Biz News

Nicholas Kulish / New York Times:

Across the US, billionaires have decided that a newspaper is an essential part of the civic fabric and are buying local papers, often with mixed results — Billionaires aren't usually cast as saviors of democracy. But one way they are winning plaudits for civic-minded endeavors is by funding the Fourth Estate.

Lukas I. Alpert / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Bainum had a side arrangement with Alden CEO Heath Freeman to buy Baltimore Sun, but made his own Tribune bid after suspecting Alden changed terms

Discussion: @katerinareports, @timafranklin, @jowens510, @bangebguild, @stevedaniels27, @bgrueskin, @justingeorge, @roncharles, @ltaford, @lalpert1, @ssdance and @ianbassin

Richard J. Tofel / Second Rough Draft:
The potential rescuers of individual Tribune newspapers should stop printing the papers and go all digital, right away, to cut major costs of standalone outlets

Discussion: @underoak, @scmitchp, @mikeorren, @mikeorren, @scmitchp, @mikeorren, @scmitchp, @mikeorren, @chaseneil, @mikeorren, @stephjantzen and @dicktofel

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

Vox Media says it's buying Cafe Studios Inc., which publishes podcasts including one hosted by ex-US attorney Preet Bharara; Café Studios will remain as a brand — Bharara, a former Manhattan U.S. attorney, will join Vox Media as a host and creative director

Discussion: Vox Media, The Hill, Variety, @alissamarie, @matthewkeyslive, @jayshams, @mtmoe1, @karaswisher, @ashleyrcarman, @jason, @nwquah, @preetbharara, @preetbharara, @yashar, @joycewhitevance, @akruglov, RAIN News, The Wrap and @mtmoe1

Wall Street Journal:

Erroneously unredacted court docs reveal Google ran a secret program called “Project Bernanke” that used past bid data to boost its win rate in ad auctions — Program used past bid data to boost tech giant's win rate in advertising auctions, according to court filing

Clayton Davis / Variety:

In 2020 Oscar nominations, only 4 of the 23 categories had any form of Latino representation; 2021 is likely to have more Latino nominations — Rosie Perez hasn't been invited back to the Oscars since she attended the ceremony as a nominee in 1994 for “Fearless,” where she played a plane crash survivor crippled by grief.

Discussion: @ms_lizc, @analydiamonaco, @dennsgonzalez, @josemolinatv, @ashkan, @awardscircuit, @chrissiefit, @anantlife, @antonionegret, @rosasreviews, @seranzoategui and @variety

Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed News:

Reporting on tech from India “feels like having a front-row seat to the country's rapid slide into authoritarianism”, as Big Tech companies remain silent — I love writing about tech. But covering how a Hindu nationalist government is using it to destroy a secular democracy isn't what I signed up for.

Discussion: The India Cable, @beingmirchi, @nehapoonia, @nilanjanaroy, @roopalisriv, @deblebrown, @reckless, @sbengali, @pranavdixit, @shivamshankars and @carolecadwalla, more at Techmeme »

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:

How a gamer calling themselves Kacey Montagu posed as a reporter for fictitious White House News and managed to fool journalists and the Biden administration — Four times in recent weeks, members of the White House press corps have relayed questions to press secretary Jen Psaki …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Ofcom chair shortlist includes former UK culture secretary Ed Vaizey, former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, and others — - DCMS to narrow the list of applicants to lead Ofcom this week — Vaizey was U.K. culture minister between 2014 and 2016

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple is in early stages of developing a product that combines an Apple TV with a HomePod speaker and has a FaceTime camera and smart home functions — - Company also exploring Amazon-like speaker with iPad as screen — Apple has trailed Amazon, Google in the connected home market

Discussion: TechCrunch, AppleInsider, @stevemoser, @adrianweckler, The Verge, @patrickmcgee_ and MacRumors, more at Techmeme »

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