Mediagazer: Contextual adtech company GumGum raises $75M, sources say at a ~$700M valuation, almost tripling from last funding round, as Google and Apple limit targeted ads (Sahil Patel/Wall Street Journal)

12:15 PM ET, April 13, 2021

Top News:

Reuters News names Alessandra Galloni as its next EIC, starting April 19; she will be the first woman to lead the news agency — (Reuters) -Reuters News is set to name one of its top editors, Alessandra Galloni, as its next editor-in-chief, the first woman to lead the globe-spanning news agency in its 170-year history.

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

In a letter, Lachlan Murdoch dismisses ADL complaint and claims a review of Tucker Carlson's comments found Carlson “decried and rejected replacement theory” — New York (CNN Business)Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch dismissed the Anti-Defamation League's demand …

Oversight Board:

Facebook Oversight Board will now accept appeals to remove content from Facebook and Instagram; previously, users were only able to appeal to restore content — From today, users will be able to appeal content to the Oversight Board which they want removed from Facebook and Instagram.

Discussion: TechCrunch, About Facebook, Adweek, @oversightboard, Bloomberg, The Verge, Engadget, Axios and @emilybell, more at Techmeme »

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:

Sources: CBS News President Susan Zirinsky is nearing a deal to step down from the role and sign a wide-ranging production partnership with ViacomCBS — Longtime CBS News producer expected to sign production partnership with parent ViacomCBS — CBS News President Susan Zirinsky is nearing …

Discussion: Variety and @davidclinchnews

Sahil Patel / Wall Street Journal:

Contextual adtech company GumGum raises $75M, sources say at a ~$700M valuation, almost tripling from last funding round, as Google and Apple limit targeted ads — The adtech company focuses on contextual advertising, as opposed to ads that target people based on identifiable information

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

More than 650 tech workers at the NYT announce they have formed a union to be represented by the NewsGuild of New York — Tech workers at The New York Times announced on Tuesday that they had formed a union and would ask the company to recognize it. — The group of more than 650 employees …

Discussion: @nytguildtech, Protocol, The Verge, nyguild.org, @nycdsatechwg, @bgrueskin and @hamiltonnolan

Casey Newton / Platformer:

Casey Newton, 7 other writers covering tech, media, and culture to launch Sidechannel, a “virtual newsroom” on Discord open to subscribers of their publications — On Sunday night, Ben Smith at the New York Times got the scoop on a project I've been working on with some fellow independent reporters.

Discussion: Garbage Day, @mathewi, @cwarzel, @caseynewton and @ericnewcomer

Sara Fischer / Axios:

DraftKings hires Brian Angiolet as its first chief media officer: sources: he'll lead a team that will evaluate potential media acquisitions and content efforts — DraftKings has hired Brian Angiolet, former senior vice president and chief business officer officer at Verizon, as the company's first-ever chief media officer.

Discussion: @tkgore, @davidclinchnews, @akidnamedjimmy, @joepompliano, @ourand_sbj and @austin_rief

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP:

Epoch Times says its printing presses in Hong Kong were attacked by men wielding sledgehammers, the second such attack since 2019 — It is the second such attack since 2019. In a statement, the Epoch Times said some of its street booths had also suffered “harassment and vandalism” lately.

Discussion: Committee to Protect … and High Tide

Alice Speri / The Intercept:

Campus Reform, a conservative news site for higher education that uses students as reporters, has targeted professors, leading to harassment, doxxing, and more — When Pete Hatemi, a political science professor at Pennsylvania State University, got an email from a student he didn't know asking …

Discussion: @jessienyc, @casmudde, @ibjiyongi, @theintercept, @thrasherxy and @tenuredradical

Jeff Dunn / Ars Technica:

Roku announces new devices Express 4K Plus streaming device, rechargeable Voice Remote Pro, and Streambar Pro, and an OS update that includes Instant Resume — Plus new Roku OS updates and a revised two-in-one streaming soundbar. — Roku on Tuesday announced its latest 4K media streamer, the Roku Express 4K+.

Discussion: Variety, Fast Company, FierceVideo, Engadget, CNN and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

Google to shut down Play Movies and TV app for Roku, Samsung, LG, and Vizio on June 15, will push users to use YouTube instead — After announcing Google TV last year, its predecessor had an unspoken expiration date. This week, Google has confirmed that it will kill off the Play Movies & TV app …

Discussion: XDA Developers, FierceVideo, The Desk, Variety, Gizmodo, Android Central, The Verge and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

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