Top News:


Q&A with the co-founders of Local Live(s), a live storytelling project that worked with six US newsrooms last year, on humanizing reporters through live events — The Local Live(s) project launched amid the pandemic, partnering with newsrooms to host live online events in which journalists talk about their work.
Discussion:
Axios, @jason_kint, @cjr, @cjr, @cjr, @joanespositochi, @blockclubchi and @pottsmark


Sources: Universal Pictures has teamed up with Peacock on a $400M deal for a new Exorcist trilogy — The deal, expected to be announced this week, is for more than $400 million and is a direct response to the streaming giants who are upending the film industry's economics.
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, /Film, @lucas_shaw, @samuelaadams, The Playlist, Gizmodo, Collider, IndieWire, @lancestlaurent, @brooksbarnesnyt, Bloody Disgusting! and GamesRadar


Futurism, the tech and culture outlet previously owned by Singularity University, is acquired by Recurrent Ventures, which bought MEL magazine last month — The buyer, Recurrent Ventures, has recently scooped up other popular niche outlets like MEL, Popular Science, Outdoor Life, and more.
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @weareyourfek, @jon_christian, @jaredbkeller, @weareyourfek and @maxwelltani


NBC says the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics drew a combined audience of 17M across broadcast and streaming in the US, down ~36% from the 2016 Games — Tokyo's kickoff came a year late and without fans because of the Covid-19 pandemic — The kickoff of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo drew …


Tortoise, the slow news publication started in 2019, says it now has 110,000 members, with half of new members coming from member referrals — The member-centred approach at Tortoise helped readers to feel connected and empowered against the backdrop of loneliness and gloom


Alan Rusbridger, the former EIC of the Guardian, has been appointed as the next editor of monthly current affairs magazine Prospect — The former editor-in-chief of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, has been appointed the next editor of Prospect, the monthly magazine which is a must-read …
Discussion:
@prospect_clark, @arusbridger, @montie, @womaninhavana, @daaronovitch, @benchu_ and @jamesrbuk


How Joe and Anthony Russo turned franchise development into a science, creating universes of film, TV, and more for paid streaming services' growing appetites — Joe and Anthony Russo went from making movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to creating their own worlds. Amazon's Citadel will test their vision.
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw and @lucas_shaw

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 …
Discussion:
Reuters, @austinkarp, CNN, Ad Age, @frankpallotta, The Streamable, @ahmed, Fast Company, @jsolomonreports, Conservative Brief, @aaja, Fox News, Breitbart, @aria_gerson, @sportstvratings, @austinkarp, MediaPost, @adavidhalejoint, @bruce_arthur, The Hill, @yencomgh, @naomiohreally, @palafo, @julietmacur, @deccanherald, The Wrap, @cjr, @cjr, People.com, The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Daily Beast, New York Times, Reuters, Poynter, Axios and Sports Illustrated, more at Techmeme »


An investigative journalist describes the precautions he takes to securely report stories in a world of privatized computer and phone intrusion — When I heard my number was on a leaked data list, I wasn't surprised. Reporters have never been more vulnerable
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @dangillmor, @spj_tweets and @ltabb


Now-deleted job posts for neighborhood watch app Citizen showed it offered to pay people $25/hour in NYC and LA to livestream crime scenes and other emergencies — Want to make $200 a day in New York City? Rush to the scene of a murder, a three-alarm fire or a traffic accident — then pull out your phone and start shooting.
Discussion:
@joshuaogundu, @taylorlorenz, Mike's List, @sub8u, @mrtoodamnchris, @lachlan, @vermontgmg, @harrysiegel, Insider, @theo_wayt and @ryanlawler, more at Techmeme »


Foreign journalists, including from LA Times, DW, and BBC, have faced hostile confrontations in the streets while reporting on the aftermath of China's floods — Reporters confronted in street and accused of ‘smearing China’ amid increasing sensitivity to any negative portrayals of China
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …


The rise of opinion and pushback on “objectivity” in US journalism may make politics a more common career path for journalists, like in the UK — The United States is responsible for so many questionable transatlantic exports—The Apprentice, gray squirrels, dressing your dog up for Halloween …
Discussion:
@danteramos, @duncanweldon, @stewartmcdonald, @johnrentoul, @adriennelaf, @birdyword, @helenlewis and The Bluestocking