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New York Times:
Nexta Telegram channel founder Roman Protasevich arrested as Belarus, under orders from Lukashenko, sends fighter jet and forces Ryanair flight to land in Minsk — The dissident, Roman Protasevich, co-founded a Telegram channel that is a popular opposition outlet in Belarus.
Discussion:
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Discussion:
@ryanairpress: Our FR4978 flight has landed safely in Vilnius at 19:25hrs UK time (21:25hrs local time). Here is Ryanair's statement on today's diversion to Minsk Airport 👇 https://twitter.com/...
@gitanasnauseda: Unprecedented event! A civilian passenger plane flying to Vilnius was forcibly landed in #Minsk. Belarusian political activist & founder of @NEXTA_EN was on the plane. He is arrested. 🇧🇾 regime is behind the abhorrent action. I demand to free Roman Protasevič urgently!
Liz Sly / @lizsly: UPDATE: Ryanair has now amended its statement on the abduction of the Belarus journalist from its plane in Minsk. “Nothing untoward” has been changed to “an act of aviation piracy.” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@franakviacorka: BREAKING! The regime landed @Ryanair plane, which was flying from Athens to Vilnius,in order to arrest the famous Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich. In Belarus, he faces the death penalty. Belarus has seized a plane,put passengers in danger, in order to repress an opponent https://twitter.com/...
Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic: If Belarus Gets Away With It, Other Dictators Will Follow
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya / @tsihanouskaya: The regime forced the landing @Ryanair plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. We demand immediate release of Raman, @ICAO investigation, and sanctions against Belarus. https://twitter.com/...
Ursula von der Leyen / @vonderleyen: It is utterly unacceptable to force @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk. ALL passengers must be able to continue their travel to Vilnius immediately and their safety ensured. Any violation of international air transport rules must bear consequences.
Ivan Nechepurenko / New York Times: Belarus Scrambles Jet to Force Down Plane Carrying Dissident
Thomas van Linge / @thomasvlinge: #Belarus: insta-stories by one of the passengers on board #FR4978. Protasevich apparently begged the @Ryanair crew not to hand him over. They told him “we have no choice, it's in Ryanair legal agreements” https://twitter.com/...
Tom Jones / Poynter: The Associated Press fired a reporter over social media use — and what it means for other news outlets
Prime Minister GR / @primeministergr: The forced landing of a commercial plane to detain a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act. We demand all passengers' immediate release. Tomorrow's #EUCO must address the need to step up pressure on Belarus. Enough is enough.
@ingridasimonyte: Passengers and crew of Ryanair flight en route from Athens to Vilnius have been put in danger - when forcibly landed in Minsk. We demand that the plane and passengers be allowed to fly to Vilnius immediately!
@krisjaniskarins: Concerning reports about forced landing of @Ryanair flight in Minsk and safety of all the passengers. We call for independent international investigation of this incident and immediate release of Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich arrested on this flight.
Insider: A routine commercial flight from Athens to Lithuania spiraled into a dramatic international incident that has world leaders outraged. Here's what happened, and why it's a huge deal.
Tadeusz Giczan / @tadeuszgiczan: What we know so far: KGB operatives boarded the plane in Athens this morning together with Roman Protasevich (he noticed dodgy-looking ppl taking pics of him at the gate). Then when the plane has entered Belarus airspace KGB officers initiated a fight with the Ryanair crew (1/2)
Christophe Deloire / @cdeloire: What happened may seem extravagant, in reality it is extremely serious. Hijacking a plane to arrest a journalist is pushing state treachery to the extreme. We expect from the international community sanctions commensurate with this perfidy. #PressFreedom #Belarus https://twitter.com/...
Anne Applebaum / @anneapplebaum: The Belarus government has forced down a commercial airplane flying over its territory in order to arrest a passenger - an opposition journalist. This is state-sponsored hijacking. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah McLaughlin / @sarahemclaugh: Mrs. Lincoln took part in a night at the theater. Following a delay, she departed the theater safely after the performance. https://twitter.com/...
Kenneth Roth / @kenroth: A new low for Belarus President Lukashenko: his forces endanger a commercial jet flying over its territory to force it down and arrest a dissident journalist on board. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jim Sciutto / @jimsciutto: And the costs are clearly survivable. If Russia can poison and then jail its main opposition leader (and throw others out windows), Belarus calculates it can hijack a plane to arrest its own. And the cycle goes on. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Grothaus / Fast Company: Belarus condemned by global leaders after forced landing of Ryanair flight carrying journalist
Senator Bob Menendez / United States Senate Committee …: Chairman Menendez and European Allies Condemn Lukashenka Regime for Intercepting Civilian Flight to Arrest Journalist
Glenn Greenwald: As Anger Toward Belarus Mounts, Recall the 2013 Forced Landing of Bolivia's Plane to Find Snowden
Antony J. Blinken / United States Department of State: Diversion of Ryanair Flight to Belarus and Arrest of Journalist
Emily Jacobs / New York Post: US condemns Belarus over opposition journalist's arrest after forced landing
CNN: Founder of Nexta Telegram channel, which covered Belarus protests, arrested in Minsk after passenger plane was forced to land, allegedly after a fake bomb scare
Lionel Barber / @lionelbarber: A brazen act of air piracy which demands a response, starting with demands for the freeing of the targeted dissident blogger. Failure to act by EU will render all journalists and critics of Belarus fair game for the regime https://www.ft.com/...
Peter Weber / The Week: Lithuania is investigating Belarus for potential terrorism over ‘state hijacking’ of RyanAir jet
Lore Apostol / TechNadu: Belarusian Opposition Journalist Arrested After His Flight Was Intercepted, World Leaders Fret
@anthony: Belarus secret service agents also believed to be on the diverted plane, says Ryanair's Michael O'Leary, calls it a state-sponsored hijacking https://www.wsj.com/...
Brian Klaas / @brianklaas: This is a crucial point. What happened in Belarus is being watched closely by authoritarian despots around the world. Can you get away with forcing down a civilian aircraft with a fighter jet to arrest someone? The West needs to ensure that the answer is a resounding “No.” https://twitter.com/...
Bill Browder / @billbrowder: Ryanair's statement fails to mention that 6 people didn't continue on to Vilnius: Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian opposition journalist and his girlfriend who were detained, and four mysterious Russians who decided to end their trip on Minsk. https://twitter.com/...
Kenneth Roth / @kenroth: The Belarus pretext — to address a security threat rather than to arrest a dissident — isn't even credible for its forced down of the Ryanair jet. The jet was already nearer its destination in Vilnius than it was to Minsk where it was forced to land. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
NYT Graphics / @nytgraphics: Belarus sent a fighter jet to intercept a European airliner traveling through its airspace and ordered the plane to land, where a prominent opposition journalist aboard was seized, provoking international outrage. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Abhijit Iyer-Mitra / @iyervval: Not unprecedented- in 2010 Iranians did the same to an Emirati plane from Dubai to Bishkek capturing & executing AbdolMalek Rigi. ZERO action against Iran. Notice despite the fury nobody is citing the exact law that prevents a first freedom flight from being forced to land https://twitter.com/...
@reedbrody: Reminds me of when the US forced down the plane of #Bolivia president Evo Morales in #Austria in its hunt for whistleblower #EdwardSnowden @snowden. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Seva / @sevaut: I see people claiming that Lukashenko is acting on Putin's orders and folks, Lukashenko does not need anyone's orders to do insane idiotic things
@iyad_elbaghdadi: This is an extremely dangerous precedent for all journalists, activists, and journalists in the entire world. If this is allowed to pass without serious - and I mean *serious* - consequence, then it's no less dangerous than the precedent set by the 2018 Khashoggi murder
Rory Cellan-Jones / @ruskin147: Terrifying thread https://twitter.com/...
Simon Coveney / @simoncoveney: It is utterly unacceptable. This is an Irish Airline with EU citizens on board, forced to land in Minsk, while travelling between EU cities. A strong an united response from EU needed. EU inaction or indecision will be taken as weakness by Belarus. @dfatirl https://twitter.com/...
Bill Browder / @billbrowder: Correction: the Belarusian opposition journalist arrested on the commandeered Ryanair flight faces the death penalty! https://twitter.com/...
Matina Stevis-Gridneff / @matinastevis: Paul Rusesabagina, a Belgian national & Rwandan dissident accused of “terrorism” by Rwandan govt, was lured on to a Greek-operated private plane bound for Burundi. He was forcibly taken to Kigali, jailed instead. Lawlessness in the skies has precedent for EU citizens too.
Shawn Pogatchnik / Politico: Ryanair CEO calls Belarus landing a ‘state-sponsored hijacking’
Barbie Latza Nadeau / The Daily Beast: Girlfriend of Belarusian Activist Also Snatched From Hijacked Commercial Flight
Max Seddon / @maxseddon: Even by the standards of Belarus' crackdown, this story is nuts. Lukashenko personally forced an EU plane flying between EU capitals to land just so Belarus could arrest a dissident. A huge test for EU foreign policy. with @JamesShotter and @rmilneNordic https://www.ft.com/...
Giulio Boccaletti / @g_boccaletti: This is insane. A civilian passenger plane of a European airline forcibly landed. No one is safe if @EU_Commission tolerates a dictator and autocrat at its gates hijacking a plane. It must respond. https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Miller / @christopherjm: Reaction from the Belarusian opposition leader in exile who'd have likely won last year's presidential election if it hadn't been rigged. She's asking for an international response, including further sanctions against Lukasheno's regime. https://twitter.com/...
Agnes Callamard / @agnescallamard: Forcing a plane to land, on false pretense (a bomb threat), so that a journalist could be arbitrarily arrested: this is how far #Belarus is prepared to go in its repression. https://www.ft.com/...
Mike Butcher / @mikebutcher: The head of Russia Today: “I have never envied Lukashenko. But now i do. A beautiful performance by Bat'ka” - translates like “Daddy” #Protasevich https://twitter.com/...
Chris Murphy / @chrismurphyct: Just a run of the mill unscheduled 7 hour layover in Minsk for a journalist kidnapping. Sorry for the inconvenience! Apply online for a voucher! https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: The mother of Roman Protasevich to @derspiegel: “I ask the world community to influence this insane regime. As a mother, I ask, I implore you.” https://twitter.com/...
Guy Verhofstadt / @guyverhofstadt: This is big ! International community must condemn this hostile act & demand his immediate release. Time for EU to step up sanctions ! https://twitter.com/...
Julia Angwin / @juliaangwin: This is horrifying and will transform the threat models for journalism - and global air travel - if it goes unchallenged. https://twitter.com/...
@stavridisj: This is beyond outrageous. The international community must take decisive action to demonstrate that this behavior utterly unacceptable. The alternative is to surrender international air travel to the whim of dictators. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bojan Pancevski / @bopanc: A Ryanair airliner flying between two EU/Nato countries was hijacked and escorted by warplane on the personal order of Belarus's dictator to kidnap a dissident. How will Europe respond? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Anton Troianovski / @antontroian: A Russian MP's reaction to the Ryanair forced landing today: “A brilliant special operation.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lotte Leicht / @lotteleicht1: Incredible. #Lukashenko's thuggish regime force a commercial plane -en route from one #EU state to another EU state- to land in #Belarus .. for the purpose of arresting a critical journalist on board the airliner. End impunity. #JusticeMatters. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Carl Zimmer / @carlzimmer: Belarus Forces Down Plane Carrying Dissident and Seizes Him https://www.nytimes.com/...
Thin / @thinink: What the actual eff? This is going to embolden the world's dictators even more... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ray Dubicki / @raydubicki: Not that you needed more to pay attention to, but keep an eye on Belarus. Forcing down a civilian flight with a sham terrorist attack in order to arrest a journalist is bad stuff. https://twitter.com/...
Arjun Basu / @arjunbasu: Wow. This is nuts. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Brown / @cbcchrisbrown: This is an incredible story that's unfolding ... https://twitter.com/...
@edgarsrinkevics: This is completely unacceptable and contrary to the international law. Plane and ALL passangers must be released immediately and should continue to their destination. International reaction must be strong and effective https://twitter.com/...
Sara Nelson / @flyingwithsara: Deeply concerning reports coming out of a Belarus that the government there essentially hijacked a Ryan Air flight, forced it to land and then arrested a journalist onboard https://twitter.com/...
Mathieu von Rohr / @mathieuvonrohr: #Ryanair leave out of their statement that one of their customers was kidnapped in #Minsk by state authorities https://twitter.com/...
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: This is fucked up https://twitter.com/...
Denis MacShane / @denismacshane: Well said https://twitter.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Fine while Lukashenko was just imprisoning people inside his country. Now he's detaining overflying jets? Things are going to change. Of course, have to hope this isn't Gavrilo Princip's sandwich. https://twitter.com/...
@nytimesworld: Belarus said its president gave an “unequivocal order” to make the plane, carrying Roman Protasevich, do a U-turn and land. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ivo Daalder / @ivohdaalder: Outrageous actions by Belarus to force down civilian plane flying from Athens to Vilnius requires strong, concerted action by US and EU, including new sanctions and banning flights from Belarus. https://twitter.com/...
Timothy Ash / @tashecon: No plane is safe flying over Belarus airspace after this. https://twitter.com/...
Linas Linkevicius / @linkeviciusl: It just turned out that Pratasevich was detained at #Minsk airport. All this reckless and lawless ‘operation’ by 🇧🇾 special services deserves strong response, not just condemnation. One can't use airspace controlled by regime criminals. https://twitter.com/...
Lisa Nandy / @lisanandy: Intercepting a civilian airliner to detain a journalist is appalling, dangerous, and illegal. It imperils the freedoms of the air and freedom of speech. The Belarus government must face serious consequences. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Browder / @billbrowder: Truly shocking and unprecedented: Ryanair flight carrying Belarusian journalist critical of the regime forced to land in Minsk. The journalist was subsequently arrested and faces 15 years in prison. A true nightmare. This is why I'll never fly over Russia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Vladislav Davidzon / @vladdavidzon: French, Belgian, Greek, Romanian and almost a hundred Lithuanian citizens have been taken hostage after Belarus hijacks plane in midair to capture a political opponent. https://twitter.com/...
Tadeusz Giczan / @tadeuszgiczan: MiG-29 of the Belarusian Air Force has returned to the airbase in Baranovichi after successfully intercepting Ryanair Athens-Vilnius flight and forcing it to land in Minsk. The plane with 171 passengers on board still hasn't been released. https://twitter.com/...
Luis Garicano / @lugaricano: Dear Mme @vonderleyen This kidnapping shows that the dictators-first Putin, then Erdogan, now Alexandr Lukashenko have discovered there is nothing behind our “we condemn” and our “we strongly condemn”. Let's save ourselves the words now, and take action. https://twitter.com/...
Boris Ryvkin / @bryvkin: von der Leyen to Lukashenko: all passengers must be able to continue their travel to Vilnius immediately! Lukashenko to von der Leyen (who he regards as utterly impotent): have a carrot. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lucian K. Truscott IV / Lucian Truscott Newsletter: Ryanair flight forced down by military jets in Belarus
Radek Sikorski Mep / @radeksikorski: This is a dangerous precedent for travellers everywhere. I shall be tabling a resolution @Europarl_EN to expel Belorus from @ICAO and impose other sanctions until Mr Pratasevicz is freed and the guilty of this outrageous act of state terrorism are punished. https://twitter.com/...
Josep Borrell Fontelles / @josepborrellf: We hold the government of Belarus responsable for the security of all passengers and the aircraft. ALL passengers must be able to continue their travel immediately. (2/2)
Gabrielius Landsbergis / @glandsbergis: Disturbing news regarding @Ryanair plane from Athens to Vilnius forced landing in Minsk. Working with international partners to secure safe passage back to Vilnius for all passengers.
Josep Borrell Fontelles / @josepborrellf: Closely following developments around today's @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, which was forced to land in Minsk over an alleged security threat. This is totally inadmissible. (1/2)
ND Kirsch / @ndkirschmann: Whelp, definitely NOT taking Ryanair this summer. Seriously, how does this happen? The EU and US need to slap (more) sanctions on these clowns. https://twitter.com/...
Alexander S. Vindman / @avindman: Good thread on events in Belarus. Yes, the Gov. of Belarus forcing down a Ryanair flight to detain an opponent is a Human Right violation. Yes, this was a terror act. It is also violation on international norms with grave implications for vital US national interests. https://twitter.com/...
David Coltart / @davidcoltart: Belarus President Scrambles Jet to Force Down Plane Carrying Dissident . Tyrants are the same the world over. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Evan Hill / @evanchill: Belarus appears to have staged a snatch operation to force a commercial aircraft flying over its airspace to land in order to arrest 26-year-old opposition journalist Roman Protasevich. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sasha Chavkin / @sashachavkin: Brazen assault on press freedom and the rule of law. Dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus scrambles military jets to force down an international flight carrying an opposition journalist, who was arrested upon landing https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nina Jankowicz / @wiczipedia: Absolutely unacceptable behavior from Belarus. Protasevich and NEXTA have played an integral role in informing citizens during the past year or protest; he should be freed, and the EU & US must act to discourage this wanton disregard for int'l norms. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Donie O'Sullivan / @donie: This is incredibly messed up: A leading opposition figure has said the Belarusian regime “forced the landing of the plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich. https://www.cnn.com/...
Erin Burnett / @erinburnett: See Anne's full thread about how this went down - KBG on board forced plane down https://twitter.com/...
@jesselynradack: Remember when the U.S. asked European countries to force down the plane of Bolivian President Morales bc they thought @Snowden was aboard?? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bianna Golodryga / @biannagolodryga: Strong statement. Question is, what will be the consequences? https://twitter.com/...
Mario Seminerio / @phastidio: Waiting for the consequences, then https://twitter.com/...
Max Seddon / @maxseddon: Strong statement on Roman Protasevich's detention in Belarus from the head of the EU commission. But the bloc's options are pretty limited. “We will be super concerned and demand his release,” one diplomat told me. “But the EU can't do much, sad as it is.” https://twitter.com/...
Jacopo Bertolotti / @j_bertolotti: Immediate sanctions on Lukashenko and his cronies. Thank you @EUCouncil https://twitter.com/...
Nicholas Weaver / @ncweaver: One problem that the EU and US face on this: The EU and US did this to the President of Bolivia because we thought Snowden was on the plane, albeit not with a bomb threat. https://en.wikipedia.org/... https://twitter.com/...
David Rothschild / @davmicrot: “Belarus security service, still known as KGB” https://twitter.com/...
Michael Weiss / @michaeldweiss: Belarusian KGB hijacked a plane headed to Vilnius with a fake bomb threat to arrest a journalist wanted by Lukashenko. Extraordinary. https://www.rferl.org/...
@cjcmichel: Needless to say, unless there's massive pushback against this from the West, we're going to see repeats of this new tactic in Russia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, etc. https://twitter.com/...
X Soviet / @xsovietnews: It's now reported that a Belarusian fighter jet was scrambled to escort the Ryanair flight to Minsk so that journalist Roman Protasevich could be arrested. “On the orders of the commander-in-chief.” https://twitter.com/...
Bakhti Nishanov / @b_nishanov: The regime has gone absolutely rogue https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Miller / @christopherjm: Here's the president of Lithuania reacting to today's absolutely mad events. The Ryan Air fight was headed to his capital of Vilnius. The Irish airline had flown through EU airspace before crossing into Belarusian airspace. https://twitter.com/...
Rep. Peter Meijer / @repmeijer: The authoritarian Belarusian regime just forced down a civilian Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania to arrest a political activist who criticized the dictator Lukashenko. This is an egregious violation that deserves condemnation and stronger sanctions against Belarus. https://twitter.com/...
Max Seddon / @maxseddon: The president of Lithuania, where the plane reportedly carrying activist Roman Protasevich was headed, is calling for his release https://twitter.com/...
Deth Veggie / @dethveggie: https://www.bbc.com/... How is this not hijacking? This is incredibly messed up. https://twitter.com/...
Mitchell Prothero / @mitchprothero: Official: Belarus conducted an operation on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania to force the plane down in Minsk so they could arrest a dissident journalist on board. i'm having a difficult time processing how illegal this is under various international laws and treaties https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: This action *must* have consequences, or else the reach of dictatorships to suppress free speech will extend even further than it does already. https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Miller / @christopherjm: Unbelievably brazen move by Belarusian dictator Lukashenko to fake a bomb threat, scramble a jet, & force a @Ryanair flight to land in Minsk to arrest @nexta_tv founder @pr0tez, who helped organized last years protests against Lukashenko. Protasevich could face the death penalty. https://twitter.com/...
Bianna Golodryga / @biannagolodryga: 🚨An authoritarian regime forced the landing of a plane en route to Lithuania to arrest a journalist. This is outrageous and requires immediate response from the EU. Beyond just a harsh statement. https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Hamilton / @danielrhamilton: It doesn't just require a response on the part of the EU, @biannagolodryga; it requires coordinated action on the part of the *entire* international community to exclude Belarus from the global banking system, end debt financing and to impose ban on dual-use exports. https://twitter.com/...
Bob Rae / @bobrae48: This is the world we are in - the authoritarian world ! https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Kimmel / @andrewkimmel: Belarus secret police hijacked a commercial airliner to arrest a journalist. https://twitter.com/...
@vloracitaku: This is absolutely unacceptable. The way how EU will respond to this act of aggression will determine whether such despicable actions conducted by states will become a norm in the future. https://twitter.com/...
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: The Belarusian govt reportedly forced a plane down in order to arrest a journalist on board. https://twitter.com/...
Marc Burleigh / @marcburleigh: Latvia's PM on the @Ryanair plane forced to land in #Belarus https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: And this context is spot on. It's a risk calculation and any failure to respond appropriately for press freedoms and international law only increases risk to press and democracy globally. https://twitter.com/...
Henry Foy / @henryjfoy: Belarus media reporting that a @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, while over Belarus airspace was ordered to land in Minsk, where a journalist critical of the Lukashenko regime was taken from the plane and detained. Some reports say a fighter jet was also used https://twitter.com/...
Alec Luhn / @asluhn: Roman Protasevich of the Nexta Telegram channel, which exposed Belarus police brutality, has been arrested after his Athens-Vilnius flight made a surprise landing in Minsk due to a “bomb threat” https://meduza.io/... https://twitter.com/...
Tadeusz Giczan / @tadeuszgiczan: insisting there's an IED onboard. Eventually the crew was forced to send out SOS (literally moments before the plane would've left Belarus airspace). MiG-29 took off and escorted it to Minsk. Security services entered the plane and arrested Protasevich. (2/2)
Daniel Politi / Slate: Belarus Under Fire After it Diverts Plane to Arrest Journalist: “Unprecedented Act of State Terrorism”
Andrew Roth / The Guardian: Belarus accused of ‘hijacking’ Ryanair flight diverted to arrest blogger
APOLLO NETWORK Newsletter: Bielorusia interceptează zborul Ryanair și îl reține pe jurnalist, provocând scandal internațional
Shaun Kenney / The Republican Standard: TRS Sunday Post | Crumbling Democrats Are Desperate For New Narratives
Patrick Reevell / ABC News: Ryanair flight forced to land in Belarus with top activist on board
Will Stewart / The Sun: PLANE DRAMA Ryanair bomb scare: Plane forced to land after ‘false threat led to fighter jets being scrambled to arrest passenger’
Valda Kalnina / TASS: Lithuanian president says Ryanair plane was forced to land in Minsk
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Tension is rising at WNYC amid HR complaints about bullying and a formal complaint to the NLRB about an alleged campaign by the EIC against her internal critics — In public radio, there is either an epidemic of bullying or an epidemic of whining, depending on whom you ask.
Discussion:
@freedlander, Media Nation, @heyfeifer, contextisking.com, @farai, @cgasparino, @jbweinz, @dandrezner, @markdistef, @jillfilipovic, @jodyavirgan, @mattdpearce, @mgerrydoyle, @wolfe321, @dlberes, @jbenton, @saletan, @benyt, @daveweigel, @harrymccracken, @alanmontecillo, @kainazamaria, @byrontau, @annehelen and The Wrap
Discussion:
David Freedlander / @freedlander: Such a delicious @benyt column this week, but think it is really worth keeping an eye on this dynamic : https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: As ‘On the Media’ turns: Brooke Gladstone says Bob Garfield deserved to be fired
Jason Feifer / @heyfeifer: At first I saw “barnyard epithet” in @benyt's column and was like... cowfuck? Assgoat? But then I found this old @chicagotribune history of the phrase in the @nytimes https://twitter.com/...
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / contextisking.com: Finesse meets Force: The legend of the Gordian Knot
Farai Chideya / @farai: Can I remind everyone I went to Laura Walker, then CEO of WNYC. She did nothing and as a result I suffered greatly financially and gave up trying to have a biological child. //It's the Media's ‘Mean-Too’ Moment. Stop Yelling and Go to Human Resources. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: Read this @benyt piece and tell me if you really think the media biz can survive. It attracts the wokeist of the woke. Its completely self absorbed and it spends almost no time thinking about what the customer needs from it — https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jillian Weinberger / @jbweinz: This makes me sad for several reasons, including: WNYC is filled with dedicated journalists who care about their city and our world. They want to be focused on producing & reporting stories that serve their listeners instead of dealing with all this!!! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Daniel W. Drezner / @dandrezner: In the future, whenever I think that university politics are getting to be too much, I'll re-read this @benyt column and count my blessings. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mark Di Stefano / @markdistef: Feel like everyone in this story needs some combo of a nap/holiday/long look in the mirror. Chrissst. https://twitter.com/...
Jill Filipovic / @jillfilipovic: Having some mixed feelings about this piece, but it's clear that one problem with the media industry (and many industries) is that the professional trajectory rewards talent with promotions to managerial roles. And a talented journalist is not necessarily a good manager. https://twitter.com/...
Jody Avirgan / @jodyavirgan: WNYC says it is reining in Gothamist for “an element of editorializing to its coverage that can be interpreted as bias.” If your *official* position is basically “we're worried about what bad faith critics will think” then you're in real trouble. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: where do you even begin https://www.nytimes.com/...
Gerry Doyle / @mgerrydoyle: the implication that there is some level of jerkish behavior that is ok or even expected in journalism/the media is pretty bad https://twitter.com/...
Lauren Wolfe / @wolfe321: “Audio production makes literal many of the inequalities that journalists complain about... .(It's sort of like TV, but with less camera-ready people and without a fat salary to make up for the indignities.)” Good read about controversies at WNYC by @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/...
Damon Beres / @dlberes: Everything else aside, Substack really, really needs to start investing seriously in diverse talent to fight back against the well-earned image that it's for powerful white dudes with an axe to grind. I guffawed seeing Bob Garfield is starting one tomorrow https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: AP customers can't really “plagiarize” AP content. They're paying for the right to use that content, either as freestanding stories or within their own work. AP itself does the same for its members' stories! https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Will Saletan / @saletan: One of @benyt's best skills (or maybe it's a disposition) is looking into conflicts that seem largely ideological, and unearthing the peculiar personal dynamics that shape how they turn out. Culture matters, but you have to understand the people involved. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: Just added @fredmogul's response to tonight's column, after his earlier email to me somehow went to spam — for which mea culpa. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dave Weigel / @daveweigel: “WNYC fired him for violating its anti-bullying policy, and he is starting a newsletter on Substack on Monday.” https://twitter.com/...
Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken: I don't remember ever witnessing anyone screaming at work, or even shouting. Is that normal? https://twitter.com/...
Alan Montecillo / @alanmontecillo: One of many 👀 details: 'On Sunday, the company's labor union filed a formal complaint against the station's editor in chief, Audrey Cooper, with the National Labor Relations Board, for reportedly waging a “coordinated and aggressive campaign” against her internal critics.' https://twitter.com/...
Kainaz Amaria / @kainazamaria: “Ms. Cooper sought to professionalize Gothamist away from its bloggy and irreverent roots, telling reporters to be less openly hostile to the New York Police Department in their reporting, two reporters said.” 👀 https://www.nytimes.com/...
Byron Tau / @byrontau: WNYC fired veteran journalist Fred Mogul for plagiarism on the grounds that he included a snippet of AP copy in an online story. At a staff meeting, stunned radio reporters explained this was standard practice on air. “Fire all of us,” one host said. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: Framing's weird here! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:
Over 100 AP staff sign a letter saying they “strongly disapprove” with how Emily Wilder's firing was handled and call on AP to update social media policies — Over 100 Associated Press employees signed a letter to management Monday saying they “strongly disapprove” …
Discussion:
Kat Stafford / @kat__stafford: A statement from @AP staff: We love the AP. We also want it to change. We hope the institution that we serve with bravery and tenacity every day will join us in charting a more equitable future. https://docs.google.com/...
Rudy Takala / Mediaite: AP Staffers Blast Reporter's Firing for Old Social Media Posts in Open Letter: It ‘Caused the Public to Question the Credibility of Our Reporting’
Thomas Moore / The Hill: Associated Press reporters protest firing of Emily Wilder
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Ousted AP Journalist Says She Was “Hung Out to Dry” By the News Agency
Brian Stelter / CNN: Associated Press employees want answers after reporter's firing
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review: Emily Wilder, tradition, and the double standards around objectivity
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: By the way, NICE JOB AVOIDING CONTROVERSY, @AP! And we still need to hear directly from @SallyBuzbee. https://twitter.com/...
Steve Herman / @w7voa: “We demand more clarity from the company about why Wilder was fired. It remains unclear — to Wilder herself as well as staff at large — how she violated the social media policy while employed by the AP.” - @AP staff open letter regarding the firing of @vv1lder. https://twitter.com/...
Felicia Sonmez / @feliciasonmez: Wow. Bravo to the @AP staffers across the country and globe who organized and signed this letter on @vv1lder's firing. “We need to know that the AP would stand behind and provide resources to journalists who are the subject of smear campaigns and online harassment.” https://twitter.com/...
Laurie Garrett / @laurie_garrett: AP reporter Emily Wilder came under attack from the @Stanford Young #Republicans Club for her personal statements about Palestinians, posted years ago. AP fired her, and the editor who did so is taking over the @washingtonpost . Now AP reporters worldwide are rallying to Wilder. https://twitter.com/...
Garance Franke-Ruta / @thegarance: Creating a playbook for supporting staff targeted by digital harassment campaigns is so important and something all news orgs that cover controversial subjects need to have in place. https://twitter.com/...
Darcy Costello / @dctello: “As journalists who cover contentious subjects, we are often the target of people unhappy with scrutiny. What happens when they orchestrate a smear campaign targeting another one of us?” https://twitter.com/...
Barbara Rodriguez / @bcrodriguez: I started my career at @AP and care deeply about it. But the news organization needs to do better. I'm proud of my former colleagues for demanding more equitable policies from AP on its social media practices and how it plans to support staff targeted by harassment campaigns. https://twitter.com/...
Dake Kang / @dakekang: 1/ The AP has a strict social media policy. I generally support having one and believe it is necessary for us to do unbiased journalism. Though some of Wilder's posts from her college days would likely have violated the policy, this policy isn't and shouldn't be retrospective. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Nicholson / @jnicholsonindc: A) this is VERY un-AP, where the old bulls tell tales of being consigned to the overnight “lobster shift” for looking at the buro chief sideways; and b) needed if AP is to shed its rep for stodginess and compete for best talent. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Rugaber / @chrisrugaber: I signed this, my name fell off somehow. A letter on the firing of a young journalist last week. https://twitter.com/...
Samer Al-Atrush / @sameralatrush: “We are also concerned about the ramifications of this decision for newsroom morale and AP's credibility. Wilder was a young journalist, unnecessarily harmed by the AP's handling and announcement of its firing of her.” https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: The current policy is unsustainable. The employees know it. Any social media policy grounded in the attempt to manage “appearances” hands power to the culture warriors who want you dead, or injured. https://twitter.com/...
Elahe Izadi / @elaheizadi: Open letter signed by AP staff calls on AP to provide more clarity on why it fired Emily Wilder, and more. “Once we decide to play this game on the terms of those acting in bad faith, we can't win.” https://twitter.com/...
Jamil Dakwar / @jdakwar: Important letter that should be a wake-up call for other media organizations as well. If you want media freedom and independence to be protected you should support your journalists when they get smeared. Background in case you're just hearing about it: https://www.vanityfair.com/... https://twitter.com/...
New York Times:
Sources: in October 2016, shortly before the AT&T-Time Warner acquisition, Disney's Bob Iger called Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes about a possible deal — What if Time Warner had gotten a fateful phone call earlier in 2016? — What could have been — After its $100 billion deal …
Discussion:
New York Times, @edmundlee, @frankpallotta, @andrewrsorkin, @birdyword, @stevekovach, @modestproposal1, @preetatweets and @ennisnyt
Discussion:
New York Times: Interviews with 18 people reveal details of the Discovery-WarnerMedia deal, including stock structure change and an awkward talk with WarnerMedia's Jason Kilar
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Time Warner (now @WarnerMedia) could have been owned by @Disney if a phone call in October 2016 had come just a few weeks earlier. Me and @andrewrsorkin in this morning's @dealbook: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Frank Pallotta / @frankpallotta: A DC vs. Marvel movie would've made like $3 billion. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Ross Sorkin / @andrewrsorkin: Revealed: Disney's Bob Iger tried to buy Time Warner right before it announced a deal with AT&T... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mike Bird / @birdyword: Sort of blows me away that this is how absolutely colossal mergers happen. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, it just feels like the companies are imperfect substitutes and well... They cost tens of billions of dollars! https://twitter.com/...
Modest Proposal / @modestproposal1: I guess Iger agreed https://twitter.com/...
Anupreeta Das / @preetatweets: This tick-tock of the AT&T-Discovery deal by @koblin, @grynbaum, @edmundlee and @LaurenSHirsch is so vivid and rich in detail. And there's a fantastic pic of Steve McQueen. Inside the Discovery-AT&T Deal: Cute Emails, a Big Loan and Now, a Media Giant https://www.nytimes.com/...
Andi Ortiz / The Wrap:
Former Trump spokesman Jason Miller is ordered to pay Gizmodo Media Group $42K to cover legal fees after a second attempt at suing Gizmodo — Jason Miller, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, has been ordered by a federal judge to pay Gizmodo Media Group almost $42,000 …
Discussion:
@sollenbergerrc: A US District Judge has ordered Trump flack Jason Miller to pay Gizmodo nearly $42,000 to cover legal expenses from his failed $100 million defamation suit. The judge found Gizmodo accurately reported a court filing alleging Miller slipped an abortion pill into a woman's smoothie https://twitter.com/...
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Trumpworld's Jason Miller Must Pay Gizmodo Thousands for Accurately Reporting Insane Story About Him
Roger Sollenberger / The Daily Beast: Trump Flack Jason Miller Ordered to Pay $42,000 in Legal Fees for Failed Suit
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: “Every day I strive to become a better husband, a better father and a better person, and I am humbled by the opportunity for a second chance to serve President Trump.” - Jason Miller, last year. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: the $100mm failed lawsuit intended to chill press reporting on Jason Miller and the entire Trump campaign. Notably it was filed against a sister brand of Gawker that was sued into oblivion by Peter Thiel $. So yes it's nice to see Miller has to cove their legal expenses. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Dessem / Slate:
In a Last Week Tonight episode about sponsored content, John Oliver tricked three local US TV stations into airing a promo for a bogus “sexual wellness blanket” — The single greatest thing about Last Week Tonight has always been John Oliver's willingness to spend HBO's money …
Discussion:
Sam Haysom / Mashable: John Oliver sets up fake company, tricks local news stations into airing ridiculous product
Leia Idliby / Mediaite: John Oliver Dupes Several Local News Stations into Promoting a Fake and ‘Absurd’ Sexual Wellness Product
Jill Geisler / @jillgeisler: This piece on sponsored content on local TV is an ethics nightmare. ‘Last Week Tonight’: John Oliver Advertises “World's First Sexual Wellness Blanket” In Crusade Against Sponsored Content https://deadline.com/... via @Deadline
Samson Amore / The Wrap: John Oliver Creates Bogus Sexual Wellness Products to Mock Sponsored Content (Video)
Pew Research Center:
Study: 33% of US papers with Sunday circulations of 50K+ faced layoffs in 2020, vs. 24% in 2019; 18% of the most visited digital-native news sites faced layoffs — Staff layoffs continued to pummel the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry in 2020. A third of papers with an average Sunday circulation …
Discussion:
@pewresearch: % of large U.S. newspapers that have experienced layoffs from 2019 to 2020, according to news coverage, by circulation category: • 50,000-99,000: 29% ➡️ 31% • 100,000-249,000: 18% ↗️ 27% • 250,000+: 27% ↗️ 55% https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@pewjournalism: Staff layoffs continued to pummel the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry in 2020. A third of papers with an average Sunday circulation of 50,000 or more experienced layoffs last year. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@pewresearch: Of the one-third of U.S. newspapers with an average Sunday circulation of 50,000 or higher that experienced layoffs in 2020, roughly one-in-ten experienced more than one publicly reported layoff. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@pewjournalism: Among the largest digital-native news outlets - those with a monthly average of at least 10 million unique visitors - 18% went through layoffs in 2020, up from 11% in 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@pewtrusts: About one-in-ten U.S. newspapers experienced multiple rounds of layoffs in 2020—a sobering stat in light of today's sale of the Tribune Publishing Company to a hedge fund with “a reputation for slashing staff,” according to The Washington Post. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ...
@facttank: Medium- and large-market U.S. newspapers experienced more layoffs in 2020 compared with 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@facttank: With one-third of large U.S. newspapers experiencing layoffs in 2020, this total exceeds the roughly one-quarter of papers in the same circulation range that experienced layoffs in 2019. https://www.pewresearch.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Craig Newman / @craignewman: The Alden business model ... https://twitter.com/...
The Information:
Sources: Bleacher Report revenue fell 15% to $140M in '20; Jason Kilar met with Bleacher Report execs to explore a role for it in HBO Max but nothing came of it — Shortly after Jason Kilar took over WarnerMedia a year ago, he met with executives at Bleacher Report to discuss the future …
Discussion:
Sahil Patel / @sizpatel: What happens to Bleacher Report as Discovery merges with WarnerMedia? Turner Sports says it still values BR, which is a key cog in its sports-rights deals. But BR has received M&A interest, while the business has felt stalled since AT&T took the reins. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
RTDNA:
Full-time employment in local TV news increased 1.8% YoY to 28,000 in 2020, beating the previous high in 2009 — This is the third installment of this year's RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey. Dig deeper into the data here and stay tuned for more about newsroom innovation and diversity.
BBC:
BBC will review its editorial practices and Martin Bashir's rehiring after a report found it covered up Bashir's “deceitful behaviour” to get a Diana interview — The BBC is to review its editorial practices and investigate how journalist Martin Bashir was rehired …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Press Gazette, Fox News, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, @pressgazette and Advanced Television
Discussion:
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette: Eight unanswered questions for the BBC which mean Bashir scandal will not go away
Stephanie Nolasco / Fox News: BBC ‘must act quickly to restore trust’ after Princess Diana interview scandal, U.K. culture secretary says
Naman Ramachandran / Variety: BBC Board to Review Editorial Practices After Princess Diana ‘Panorama’ Interview Scandal
Alex Ritman / Hollywood Reporter: BBC Calls Princess Diana Interview Scandal “Profoundly Sobering Period,” Launches Editorial Review
@pressgazette: BBC announces new review of news division governance and corp's wider culture. But has so far failed to address other questions arising from Dyson report. BBC board non-execs Sir Nick Serota, Ian Hargreaves and Sir Robbie Gibb will conduct the review https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
TIME:
Time says it has 2M paying subscribers across all platforms and is aiming for 10M subscribers by 2030, as it makes changes to editorial leadership structure — Time Editor-in-Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and Deputy Editor Sam Jacobs sent the following note to staff Monday. — Dear all,
Discussion:
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple releases iOS 14.6 with Podcasts Subscriptions, which lets creators offer subscriptions with bonus content such as ad-free and subscriber-only episodes — Apple today is officially rolling out iOS 14.6 to the public. This update includes Apple Card Family support, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, AirTag improvements, and more.
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