Top News:
Joyce Karam / The National:
DOJ charges 4 Iranian intelligence officials with conspiracy to kidnap a US journalist, citizen, and activist of Iranian origin and forcibly take her to Tehran — Accused men monitored and planned to kidnap US citizen of Iranian origin and take her to Iran, officials say
Discussion:
New York Times, U.S. Department of Justice, @alinejadmasih, @dojnatsec, The Guardian, NPR, Insider, @ezraacohen, @yasmohammedxx, @lunasafwan, @samanarbabi, @elliecohanim, @bariweiss, @kambizf, @dy1anonymous, @benweisernyt, @zainaerhaim, @rayhanasat, @mollyjongfast, @jason_kint, @danieldimartino, @ksadjadpour, @baldingsworld, @reptenney, @alaneyre1, @nickkristof, @smohyeddin, @julietmosesnz, @omid_m, @mehdirhasan, Daily Maverick, Reuters, Politico, The Hill and The Daily Beast
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
Facebook employees detail a clash over CrowdTangle, a tool that showed high engagement with right-wing media, which was moved under the Integrity team in April — Executives at the social network have clashed over CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data tool that revealed users' high engagement levels with right-wing media sources.
Discussion:
@oliviasolon, @alkapdc, @brianstelter, @sarafischer and @mccanner, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Court documents show the Trump DOJ sought WaPo reporters' records in the last days of Barr's tenure, seeking to find sources of three stories in 2017 on Russia — Newly unsealed court documents show the Trump Justice Department sought a court order for the communications records …
Discussion:
Insider, @kimzetter, New York Times, @kenvogel, @matthewamiller and @katie_rcfp
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Profile of Disney's powerful chief communications officer for 19 years, Zenia B. Mucha, who will leave in 2022; she was paid $4.9M in total 2020 compensation — For almost two decades, Zenia B. Mucha has been responsible for protecting the vaunted Disney brand and has held influence far beyond her official duties.
Discussion:
@brooksbarnesnyt, Variety, Deadline, @jpanzar, @ashleylcarter1, @jasonabbruzzese, @motormouthmedia, @blowryontv, @evargastv, @ksheekey, @adamnagourney, @cityofthetown, @amy_disneypr, @sammy_roth, @kairyssdal, @natjarv, @brentalang, @davidclinchnews, @russpitts, @eva_palmer, @dylanbyers, @shelbygrad, @mattdpearce, @billzanetti, @lucas_shaw, @richarddeitsch, Los Angeles Times and The Wrap
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Emmy nominations: HBO and HBO Max get 130, followed by 129 for Netflix and 71 for Disney+; NBC is the fourth most-nominated with only 46 nods — Netflix and the expanded world of HBO and HBO Max made it a duel this year in race to gather the most Primetime Emmy nominations overall.
Discussion:
/Film, The Wrap, Mediaite, The Wrap, The Streamable, Variety, The Wrap, Variety, Variety, Variety, @variety, @charlierivkin, @kerrywashington, @bluestein, @debramessing, Los Angeles Times, MediaPost, /Film, IndieWire, Observer, The Week, New York Post and Adweek
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
In an internal memo, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro addresses the controversy involving Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols, calling it a “complicated personnel” matter — Jimmy Pitaro also addressed a controversy involving reporters Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols and noted that he's planning …
Discussion:
@seungminkim, Variety, @alexweprin and Awful Announcing
Reuters:
Twitter says governments made 361 demands to remove content from 199 verified accounts of journalists and news outlets in H2 2020, up 26% from H1 — Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) saw a surge in demands over the course of last year from governments around the world to take down content posted …
Catie Keck / The Verge:
Netflix launches two tools for parents: a Top 10 row for age-restricted profiles and a bi-weekly Kids Recap Email to give insights into watching habits — Just like on regular Netflix — Netflix is launching two new tools this week that should help make finding age-appropriate content …
Discussion:
Variety, more at Techmeme »
Kaya Yurieff / The Information:
Substack to launch Substack Grow next month, a free six-session course over Zoom to help writers build a following and earn their first $1,000 — The top 10 publishers on Substack bring in more than $20 million a year in subscriptions, underpinning the newsletter platform's revenue growth.
Discussion:
LION Publishers, @rsingel, @bboy_izilla, @kyurieff, @norareed, @amir, @hamishmckenzie and @blackamazon
The Daily Beast:
Sources: Shep Smith's plunging ratings at CNBC, averaging just 197,000 viewers in June, have fostered internal turmoil, including “regular tantrums” from Smith — The ex-Fox anchor's much-hyped new show has failed to bring in viewers and, per insiders, it has struggled …
Discussion:
@brianstelter
Sebastian Payne / Financial Times:
Sources: BBC Parliament faces significant cuts, with staffing levels cut to single figures, as the corporation seeks £1B in savings by March 2022 — Rolling coverage of party conferences will end in autumn along with special daily shows — The BBC's dedicated political channel …
Discussion:
@sebastianepayne, @scottygb, @josiahmortimer, @pressgazette and @johnwest_jaws
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Bauer Media and News UK launch first-party data platforms, called Bauer Illuminate and Nucleus, as they prepare for a future without third-party cookies — Bauer Media and News UK are the latest publishers to launch new first-party data platforms as the industry prepares for an internet without third-parties cookies.