Top News:
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Sources: Facebook plans to end its controversial policy that shields politicians from the content moderation rules that apply to other users — Going forward politicians will be treated more like everyone else — Facebook plans to end its controversial policy that shields politicians …
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Twitter launches its subscription service Twitter Blue on iOS in Canada and Australia for CAD$3.49 and A$4.49/month, with Undo Tweet, Bookmark Folders, more — - Twitter Blue is designed for power users who are willing to pay a monthly fee for exclusive features.
Discussion:
Twitter, CNN, The Verge, Variety, @minsingular, The Supercreator, Social Media Today, XDA Developers, Reuters, @sinamonchild, @jyarow, BBC, @profgalloway, BNN, @ebonyteach, Protocol, @fourverts, globalnews.ca, USA Today, @samuelaadams, Hypebot, @manishm, @b52malmet, @angelafritz, @fredericl, @exavierpope, @remztheawesome, @mlozada, @danmassoud, @mep and Gizmodo Australia, more at Techmeme »
David Mack / BuzzFeed News:
Former Treasury official is sentenced to 6 months in prison after admitting she leaked documents to BuzzFeed News; the docs formed the basis of the FinCEN Files — A former Treasury Department official was sentenced to six months in prison on Thursday after she admitted …
Discussion:
Politico, Insider, @jasonleopold, @jasonleopold, New York Post, Law & Crime, @joshgerstein, @mattmittenthal, @juliezebrak, @politico, @bgrueskin, @sashachavkin, @eoinhiggins_, @davidmackau and @benyt
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Trump shutting down his blog shows the significance of social media platforms' amplification mechanics and how they give free and huge reach to the worst actors — What a failed blog tells us about the power of Twitter — Last month, after months of hyping up a forthcoming “social media platform” …
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Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Stratechery's Ben Thompson announces a service called Passport to let creators manage their subscriptions and communicate with subscribers — Seven years ago, when I initially launched the paid Daily Update, there weren't really any tools designed for independent subscription businesses …
Discussion:
@stratechery, @vgr, @mathewi, @edwinwee, @alex, @steven_aquino and @caseynewton, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
In 2020, Trump's DOJ secretly seized phone records from 2017 of four NYT reporters: Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau, and Michael S. Schmidt — The admission by the Biden Justice Department followed similar recent disclosures to The Washington Post and CNN.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, @adamgoldmannyt, @adamgoldmannyt, Associated Press, @kimzetter, @jeremyherb, @cherijacobus, @jason_kint, @nycsouthpaw, The Full Belmonte, @barbarastarrcnn, @timobrien, @mzhemingway, @kimmasters, The Root, @jason_kint, Poynter, @nprkelly, @michael_muscato, Newser, @lrozen, @lrozen, @lrozen, The Reporters Committee …, @kimzetter, @kimzetter, @kimzetter, @kimzetter, @joejsaltarelli, @pithywidow, @bradmossesq, @maggienyt, @bradmossesq, @nycsouthpaw, @yossigestetner, @barbarastarrcnn, @cliffordlevy, @brianstelter, theweek.com, Politico, Washington Post, Insider, The Hill, The Wrap and Mediaite
Columbia Journalism Review:
30+ newsrooms have signed a Climate Emergency Statement recognizing the need for better climate coverage, but some outlets fear the phrase sounds like activism — TV newsman Bill Moyers likes to tell the story of how Edward R. Murrow, the pre-eminent US broadcast journalist of his time …
Discussion:
@alexsteffen, @robaeprice, @yayitsrob, @jayrosen_nyu, @wormmaps, @domdifurio, @luckytran, @angelmendoza___ and @coveringclimate
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
HBO Max head Andy Forssell says news and sports may require new formats on the service and WarnerMedia is weighing whether CNN content can be part of HBO Max — News and sports programming are a significant factor in keeping consumers tethered to cable and satellite subscriptions in an era rife …
Taraneh Azar / Poynter:
Visual journalists must rethink their ethical obligations to protesters, who are vulnerable groups, and need to ask for consent to photograph and publish images — In the age of viral media and punitive surveillance, visual journalists have an ethical obligation to minimize harm when covering protests.
Discussion:
@ericmstahl, @morisy, @curtwoodward, @mathewi, @professorbock, @ericmstahl and @donaldrwinslow
Condé Nast:
Condé Nast appoints Millie Tran as vice president of content strategy and growth — New role further unifies global content operations — Condé Nast today announced the appointment of Millie Tran as vice president, content strategy and growth.
Discussion:
@anthony, @versharma, @raju and @kaeti
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Twitter starts rolling out Birdwatch fact checking notes on iOS, Android, and desktop, visible only to participants in its pilot program — Twitter is looking to crowdsource its way out of misinformation woes with its new product Birdwatch which taps a network of engaged tweeters to add notes to misleading tweets.
Discussion:
@birdwatch, TechRadar, @michellemanafy, @ourielohayon, @andreasklinger, @ltr_zh and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Mozilla report found more than a dozen TikTok influencers who had undisclosed paid relationships to post political messages; TikTok banned political ads in 2019 — TikTok announced a ban on political advertising all the way back in 2019. So you'd be forgiven for thinking the ugly problem …
Discussion:
Adweek, Mozilla Foundation, The Information, Ad Age, The Daily Dot, The Daily Dot and Fast Company
John Gapper / Financial Times:
How James Daunt helped save UK bookstore chain Waterstones by making each store unique and what he's doing to revitalize Barnes & Noble — On a bright Tuesday in April, the car parks at Fosse Park, an out-of-town shopping centre south of Leicester, are packed.
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
WaPo diversifies its opinion section with the launch of Voices Across America, featuring local writers, and will launch an opinion-based podcast Please Go On — Fans of The Washington Post's opinion section will get to experience a wider range of viewpoints starting this month.