Top News:
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
How the media is covering the Olympics, as COVID restrictions limit reporters' access to events and athletes and the absence of spectators dampen the atmosphere — The Olympic Games officially open today. Thousands of people, including journalists, have faced a gauntlet of health restrictions …
RELATED:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Taboola says it is buying retail- and e-commerce-focused ad network Connexity for $800M in cash and stock — Taboola, the company that operates a popular grid-based advertising and content recommendation network across media properties, today announced an acquisition to expand its reach further …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, AdExchanger, ZDNet, MediaPost, Ad Age and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
Martin Matishak / The Record:
Sources: an NSA review finds no evidence for Tucker Carlson's claims the agency spied on him; Carlson's name was “unmasked” after third parties mentioned it — The NSA has found no evidence to support Tucker Carlson's accusations that the agency had been spying on him in an effort …
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
The couple behind EcommerceBytes has sued eBay and ex-CEO Devin Wenig, as some members of eBay's security team face criminal charges for targeting them — Filing in bloody pig mask case says “morning shots of alcohol” were common at eBay. — A former eBay security official who pleaded guilty …
Discussion:
@marcorandazza, @ranjanxroy, @harrymccracken, @kenpex, @lordbikebot, @slhintze, EcommerceBytes and Insider
Angela Fu / Poynter:
Analysis of 47 newsroom union units finds first contract negotiations average ~18 months and voluntary recognition doesn't seem to shorten negotiations — More and more workers are heading to the bargaining table for the first time, and some are finding contract negotiations to be surprisingly difficult
Sam Kille / Rebuild Local News:
Senators introduce Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which would offer tax credits to news consumers, local outlets, and SMEs to advertise in local outlets — Rebuild Local News, a coalition representing more than 3,000 local newsrooms, funders of local journalism, and civil society …
Discussion:
Report for America, @stevenwaldman, @wgaeast, @bgrueskin, @timafranklin, @bgrueskin, @penamerica, @stevenwaldman, @shawn_mooring, @whatworks_nu, @scottbrodbeck, @tomlappas, @heidilegg, @sarahscire, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell …, Radio & Television …, The NewsGuild - CWA and Editor and Publisher
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Outbrain closes flat on its first day of trading, after raising $160M in its IPO at a valuation of $1.25B — Watch now. — Outbrain, which provides recommended web links at the bottom of news stories, raised $160 million at a $1.25 billion valuation in its initial public offering today.
Discussion:
@crainsnewyork, MarketWatch, @yonicheifetz, @mukund, Reuters, TheStreet, @tomjenen and Crain's New York Business
Susan Elizabeth Shepard / Study Hall:
A look at the showdown between Lee Enterprises and the Buffalo News, as Buffalo union fights for a local copy desk and job security protections — When Lee Enterprises bought The Buffalo News from Berkshire Hathaway last year, it ended the paper's long run of independence.
Discussion:
@susanelizabeth, @studyhallxyz and @susanelizabeth
Andrew Roth / The Guardian:
Russia labels Latvia-based The Insider a foreign agent; The Insider, whose staff often work in Russia, helped Bellingcat probe Kremlin's assassination attempts — Move against the Insider seen as revenge for part in revealing Kremlin's role in Salisbury and other assassination attempts
Discussion:
Meduza.io, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, @lukeharding1968, @kenroth, Washington Post and Reuters
Joanna Tan / CNBC:
China's antitrust authorities order Tencent Music to end its exclusive music licensing deals with global record labels within 30 days and impose a fine of ~$77K — - The State Administration for Market Regulation on Saturday ordered Tencent to give up its exclusive music licensing rights …
eMarketer:
Influencer marketing spending in the US is set to grow more than 30% this year and exceed $3B — Influencer marketing spending in the US is set to grow more than 30% this year and surpass a key milestone. According to our inaugural forecast on US influencer marketing spending …
Discussion:
musically.com
Mike Juang / Ad Age:
NBCU is adopting the Ad-ID identifier, which helps reduce ad repetition and separate competitors' ads by assigning a trackable code to each ad — Collaboration between 4A's and ANA expands on existing work on broadcaster's Peacock streaming service — NBCUniversal is looking to clean …