Mediagazer: Sources: Netflix is looking to hire an executive to oversee an expansion into video games, as it considers options including an Apple Arcade-like games bundle (The Information)

3:30 PM ET, May 21, 2021

Top News:

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

Tribune shareholders vote to approve Alden's $633M purchase of the chain; Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who owns a 24% stake in Tribune, abstained from voting — The bid by Alden, which already owns about 200 local newspapers, had faced resistance from Tribune staff and a last-ditch rival offer.

Orlando Sentinel:

While a spokeswoman for Patrick Soon-Shiong said he abstained, Tribune officials said his ballots lacked a check in the “abstain” box and were tallied as “yes” — Shareholders of the parent company of the Orlando Sentinel, Tribune Publishing, voted Friday for the company …

Discussion: CNN, @newsynick, Bloomberg, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, Daily Herald, @journo_christal, @lalpert1, @lalpert1, @lalpert1, @lalpert1, @lalpert1, @mikehalston, @gerryfsmith, @rogersimmons, @craigtimes and @royalpratt

Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:
A look at big Tribune shareholder Patrick Soon-Shiong's early days as owner of The LA Times, ahead of the vote on Tribune's sale to Alden

Discussion: American Press Institute, Associated Press, @raju, @jean_marbella, @maryschmich, @alexaphilippou, @htsuka, @funabiki, @jenwsheehan, @thorntonaustin, @dfmworkers, @latimesfreshink, @ctguild, @hopnotes, @saragregory, @sarahellison, @royalpratt and Bloomberg

Ray Stern / Phoenix New Times:

AP has fired reporter Emily Wilder after conservative media wrote about her prior pro-Palestinian activism; AP told Wilder she violated social media policy — The Associated Press' Phoenix bureau fired former Arizona Republic writer Emily Wilder this week following negative articles …

Eric Ting / SFGATE:

Emily Wilder, fired by AP after harassment from conservatives prompted a review of her social media, says her firing was “selective enforcement” of AP's policy — Emily Wilder, a journalist and 2020 graduate of Stanford University, started a new job as an Associated Press news associate based …

The Information:

Sources: Axios is in talks to be acquired by Axel Springer, which owns Insider and is an investor in Group Nine Media — German media conglomerate Axel Springer is in talks to acquire Axios, according to people familiar with the matter, continuing a consolidation of the digital media sector.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, @davewiner, @martinsfp, @travisbernard, @mathewi, @rafat and @fosadam

The Information:

Sources: Netflix is looking to hire an executive to oversee an expansion into video games, as it considers options including an Apple Arcade-like games bundle — Netflix is looking to hire an executive to oversee an expansion into videogames, a sign it is stepping up its efforts …

Discussion: ScreenRant, Insider, Game World Observer, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News, @zhugeex, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @rameeztase, @alexhern, Kotaku and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

Ben Quinn / The Guardian:

UK justice secretary says the government has to investigate “whether the governance of the BBC does need reform” after report on Bashir interview with Diana — PM says he is ‘obviously very concerned’ after inquiry condemns Martin Bashir's 1995 broadcast

Discussion: New York Times, Financial Times, New York Post, The Independent, @pippacrerar, @mafevema, @tonyonthephone, Reuters, @guardiannews, @justinmadders and Hollywood Reporter

Marina Hyde / The Guardian:
Fleet Street's condemnation of the BBC over the Bashir interview is hypocritical given UK tabloids' own terrible behavior around Diana and her family

Discussion: The Week, @alexvtunzelmann, @aljwhite, @marklittlenews, @nickboles, @marinahyde, @anstey_harris, @barthsnotes and NPR

Patricia Nilsson / Financial Times:
Open letter expresses concern that the UK government is being advised on the BBC by a panel that meets in secret with no public record of its agenda or advice

Discussion: CNN, British Broadcasting Challenge, @financialtimes, @rasmus_kleis and @lionelbarber

CNN:
BBC apologizes after a report finds Martin Bashir used “deceitful” methods to get his interview with Princess Diana and that BBC covered up Bashir's behavior

Discussion: Variety, The Guardian, bbc.co.uk, @royal_suitor, Business Recorder, @variety, @adetolaov, @oliverdowden, @bbcdaniels, ABC7, The Madison Leader Gazette, Page Six, Reuters and The Week

CNN:

In 2020, the Trump administration secretly sought and obtained two months of phone and email records from 2017 of CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr — Washington (CNN)The Trump administration secretly sought and obtained the 2017 phone and email records of a CNN correspondent …

Nir Eyal / OneZero:

NYT uses “dark patterns” to make it harder for readers to cancel subscriptions, even as a member of its editorial board derided such tactics in a recent op-ed — ‘Dark patterns’ aren't always malicious mind control. They're often a symptom of disjointed company culture.

Discussion: The Rebooting, @dskok and Learning by Proxy …

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Twitter will soon let US users with 1,000+ followers who've hosted three Spaces in the past 30 days apply to host Ticketed Spaces, with Twitter taking a 20% cut — After Apple and Google's cut — Twitter's getting ready for the launch of its Ticketed Spaces feature, and today …

Discussion: ScreenRant, Engadget, hotpodnews.com, @benthompson, @johngary, @mikeysmith and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:

Sources: Sinclair's RSN unit, Diamond Sports, has entered talks with creditors about addressing its ~$8.1B debt; Sinclair bought Diamond for $9.6B in 2019 — - Diamond Sports asks creditors to sign NDAs for negotiations — Broadcaster received proposals from secured, unsecured groups

Discussion: The Streamable, Radio & Television … and @richlightshed

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Glenn Greenwald and The Intercept accuse each other of endangering journalists, and Intercept staff say he's cynically creating controversy for more subscribers — It all ended badly last October when Glenn Greenwald, the pugnacious, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, quit the investigative news site …

Discussion: @sonnybunch, @karlbode, @karlbode, @antinewdems, @bgrueskin, @silvermanjacob, @ehananoki, @maxboot, @oliverdarcy, @sonnybunch, @farhip and Glenn Greenwald

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

Copy Editor, Remote US — ProPublica

Markets Reporter, NY/CA — Sherwood Media

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Food Reporter, CA — SF Standard

Staff Writer, NV — Las Vegas Weekly

Pharma Editor, Remote — Endpoints

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Multi Media Reporter, NC — Cardinal & Pine

Afternoon/Night Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

Education Lab Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Senior Editor, Remote US — PCWorld

State Worker Reporter, CA — Sacramento Bee

Executive Editor, NM — Searchlight

News Assistant, NY — Quanta Magazine

Local Editor, NJ (Remote) — Patch

News Writer, CA — Hollywood Reporter

News Editor/Reporter, KS — Blade-Empire

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More News:

Associated Press:
Police in Nicaragua raided the offices of news outlet Confidencial, run by a former president's son, detained an AFP photographer, and are holding a cameraman

Discussion: LatAm Journalism Review and @marianaa_alfaro

Gilad Edelman / Wired:
A look at CaliberAI, a company that develops a tool for detecting potentially libelous claims, which may be particularly valuable for short-staffed newsrooms

Discussion: @aricohn and @neilpbrady

Declan Walsh / New York Times:
Ethiopia expels an Irish journalist, Simon Marks, who was working for NYT, without explanation a month before much-delayed Parliamentary elections

Discussion: @markssimon, Reporters Without Borders, @tvbempt, The Intercept, @henokgabisa, @nimaelbagir, @hermelatv, Committee to Protect …, @marclacey, @raghavanwapo and @declanwalsh

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
A look at Lawyers for Reporters, a nonprofit that connects local media outlets like the Tiny News Collective with lawyers providing pro bono legal services

Discussion: @niemanlab and @jsource

MDIF:
Media Development Investment Fund launches MDIF Ventures, which will invest $1M in 12 young media companies in places where access to news is threatened

Discussion: @nicdawes, @mohamed, @chrisroper, @rafat, @volumeafrica, @rasmus_kleis, @raju and @mohamed

Theo Francis / Wall Street Journal:
Filing: Discovery gave CEO David Zaslav 14.8M stock options, valued at ~$190M, the day before the company and AT&T announced the Discovery/WarnerMedia merger

Discussion: Ad Age, @gerberkawasaki, @theofrancis and @roncharles

Earlier Picks:

Associated Press:
The Knight Foundation, which funds the UNC professorship offered to Nikole Hannah-Jones, is urging the university to reconsider its decision to deny her tenure

Discussion: @dlboardman, @ananny, @franklinleonard, Poynter, @dangillmor, @ananny, @ananny, @mpamer, @uosojc, @doktorzoom, @jcstearns, @ryandenos, @ibarguen, The Hill and @johnrobinson

Washington Post:
Sources: Chris Cuomo took part in Governor Cuomo's strategy sessions on how to respond to harassment allegations; CNN says his involvement was a mistake

Lucy McNulty / MarketWatch:
LSE, which bought data provider Refinitiv from Reuters in 2018, says Reuters' paywall breaches deal terms; Refinitiv has a $325M/year deal for news from Reuters

Discussion: @cristianafarias and @felixsalmon

Raleigh News & Observer:
Two USA Today Network journalists were arrested in NC while covering a protest of the lack of criminal charges in the death of Andrew Brown Jr., then released

Discussion: @wmramsey, @pressfreedom, @yanonaga98, @alisonjc2, @carlawalworth, @everyvoicenc and @joshshaffer08

Alice Yin / Chicago Tribune:
Chicago mayor said she would talk only to reporters of color on one day to confront lack of newsroom diversity; NABJ says it can't support excluding journalists

Discussion: Washington Post, @maryannahernnbc, @royalpratt, @anitakumar01 and @ameshiacross

From Techmeme:

Raffaele Huang / Wall Street Journal:
Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China, saying it was ordered to do so by China's cyberspace officials citing national security concerns

Ryan Morrison / Tom's Guide:
Microsoft researchers introduce VASA-1, an AI model that can create a realistic talking face video from a portrait photo and an audio file, in research preview

Zaheer Kachwala / Reuters:
Google says it will consolidate teams that focus on building AI models across Research and DeepMind, and move its Responsible AI teams from Research to DeepMind

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