Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he is pulling ads from Fox News after Fox rejected an ad for a symposium that would “prove” the 2020 election was stolen — Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, says Fox News refused to run ad promoting an event linked to claims of widespread election fraud
Discussion:
The Atlantic, @ztpetrizzo, Adweek, Media Matters for America, MediaPost, TVNewser, CNN, The Wrap, @jeremymbarr, Insider, @farhip, @nfergus, @digiphile, Salon, Slate, @maggienyt, @brianstelter, @jamesvgrimaldi, Newser, @joshtpm, @benjysarlin, @onefreshpillow, @jeremymbarr, @oliverdarcy, @nikkimcr, @anneapplebaum, @davidfrum, @mattgertz, The Week, UPROXX, Mediaite, Variety, The Daily Beast, Ad Age, The Hill and FTVLive
Discussion:
Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic: The MyPillow Guy Really Could Destroy Democracy
Zachary Petrizzo / @ztpetrizzo: In a later night conversation with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, he tells me that Fox News not running his “cyber symposium” ads is a “huge example” of “cancel culture.”
Jason Lynch / Adweek: MyPillow Says It Will Pull All Fox News Ads Due to Election Fraud Spot Dispute
John Whitehouse / Media Matters for America: Mike Lindell says he's pulling MyPillow ads from Fox News. Here's what that means.
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: MyPillow Yanks Ads Over Fox News' Refusal To Run Ad For Event Promoting False Election-Fraud Claims: Report
Jason Lynch / TVNewser: MyPillow Says It Will Pull All Fox News Ads Due to Election Fraud Spot Dispute
Brian Stelter / CNN: Fox says MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has decided to ‘pause’ his pillow ads amid election crusade
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: MyPillow, which has been Tucker Carlson's biggest advertiser this year and has been a reliable supporter in the face of ad boycotts, is pausing ads on the network: https://www.wsj.com/...
Matthew Loh / Insider: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell - Tucker Carlson's biggest sponsor - says he's pulling ads from Fox News because it won't air his commercial about an election-fraud symposium
Paul Farhi / @farhip: Lindell/MyPillow has spent about $19 million on ads on @foxnews so far this year. Fox News' annual *profit* is around $2 billion. Pretty clear who needs whom here. https://www.wsj.com/...
Niall Ferguson / @nfergus: When @anneapplebaum met the MyPillow guy and took him to lunch at Uyghur restaurant: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: “They're exploiting the aggrieved audience's confirmation bias & using scary yet unintelligible imagery to keep the Big Lie alive, despite the absence of any legitimate evidence,” @C_C_Krebs told @anneapplebaum, asked about Lindell's conspiracy theories: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Petrizzo / Salon: Mike Lindell says he's pulling MyPillow ads from Fox News after they ignored his “cyber symposium”
Elliot Hannon / Slate: Fox News, Against All Odds, Refuses to Air MyPillow Guy's Ads “Proving” Election Fraud Conspiracy
Maggie Haberman / @maggienyt: This @anneapplebaum lede calls to mind the Albert Brooks/Holly Hunter scene in Broadcast News about Tom, while being a Nice Guy, is also the “devil.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Fox helped make MyPillow a household name. Now: “It's unfortunate Mr. Lindell has chosen to pause his commercial time on Fox News given the level of success he's experienced in building his brand through advertising on the number one cable news network...” https://www.wsj.com/...
@jamesvgrimaldi: Fox News has refused to run a MyPillow ad promoting an event linked to Mike Lindell's unverified claims of widespread election fraud. Scoop via @AlexaCorse @BenMullin https://www.wsj.com/...
Josh Marshall / @joshtpm: honestly, is he using again? https://twitter.com/...
Benjy Sarlin / @benjysarlin: Barely more than six months ago, he had unfettered access to the WH and it was something like a national security crisis when he showed up https://twitter.com/...
One Fresh Pillow / @onefreshpillow: Why are there no @TheAtlantic articles about other pillow people? Does no one want to read an @anneapplebaum piece about a pillow lady who knows a lot about @SchittsCreek, has an extremely loud laugh, and is classically trained in wine drinking? https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: We have been headed in this direction for a few months now, but this is still big industry news. From January: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: In fairness, by how Fox defines “cancel culture,” it sort of is. https://twitter.com/...
Anne Applebaum / @anneapplebaum: I had lunch with Mike Lindell, the affable, philanthropic CEO of MyPillow, a friendly midwesterner who is spending millions of dollars to discredit American democracy. Here's what happened: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
David Frum / @davidfrum: Read @anneapplebaum brilliant profile / sketch of taking My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell to lunch at Washington DC's only Uighur restaurant to listen to him talk about Chinese plots and God's plan to restore Donald Trump to the presidency https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: Gonna be a lot of space to fill in primetime if this sticks — MyPillow was a huge percentage of Tucker's ad time in particular https://www.mediamatters.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Mike Lindell says he's pulling MyPillow ads from Fox News after dispute over commercial
Matthewprigge / UPROXX: MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell Is Pulling His Ads From Fox News, Robbing Them Of One Of Their Biggest Advertisers
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite: Mike Lindell Pulls All MyPillow Ads From Fox News After They Refuse to Run Ad About His Election Claims
Brian Steinberg / Variety: Staunch Fox News Sponsor MyPillow Seeks to Pull Ads in Election Fraud Flap
The Daily Beast: ‘Shame on Fox News!’: MyPillow Pulling Ads From Network Over Rejected Election-Fraud Commercial
Jeanine Poggi / Ad Age: MyPillow plans to pull ads from Fox News
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: MyPillow CEO to pull ads from Fox News
Scott Jones / FTVLive: MyPillow Ads Pulled From Fox News
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
NYT indefinitely postpones its return to office, planned for Sept. 7, and will require proof of vaccination from those who want to go in voluntarily — The New York Times on Friday indefinitely postponed its planned return to the office as the contagious Delta variant causes a surge in coronavirus cases across the country.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @elaheizadi, @hshaban, @flourgrrrl, @willystaley, @kantrowitz, @kenvogel, @anniekarni and Gothamist
Discussion:
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: NY Times Indefinitely Postpones Return to Office
Elahe Izadi / @elaheizadi: And The Washington Post says today it's still moving ahead with its Sept. 13 return but the timing could change, pledging to inform employees by Aug. 10. (Previously announced vaccination would be mandatory) https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: *Refreshes Washington Post employee email every 30 seconds https://www.nytimes.com/...
Heather Lalley / @flourgrrrl: I suspect more offices will be doing this. Don't mean to be the “there's-always-a-restaurant- angle” gal, but I do wonder how this will impact fast casuals in big cities who've been waiting for us to get back to our cubicles. https://twitter.com/...
Willy / @willystaley: Either we scooped ourselves or I deleted this email before reading it. I hear the 40th Street Chop't is closed for now anyway... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: The whole “hybrid” return to the office debate seems like it's about to be shelved in favor of indefinite WFH https://twitter.com/...
Kenneth P. Vogel / @kenvogel: brb heading over to @lululemon.com to stock up for the fall work season ... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Wall Street Journal:
Scarlett Johansson sues Disney for breach of contract over concurrent release of Black Widow to Disney+ and theaters; source: release could cost Johansson $50M+ — Star alleges simultaneous release of the latest Marvel movie in theaters and on Disney+ service was a breach of contract
Discussion:
@brooksbarnesnyt, @brooksbarnesnyt, Variety, The Wrap, ScreenRant, @labuzamovies, Mediaite, @anildash, @pkafka, @pkafka, @brooksbarnesnyt, @brooksbarnesnyt, @pkafka, Decider, The Playlist, @gemofamara, Digital TV Europe, @mgsiegler, @immortaltech, @maxloomes, @rendy_jones, @hannaflint, @hollywood_labor, @iwriteallday_, @richlightshed, The Week, Metro.co.uk, @briannawu, @812filmreviews, @browntable_ent, @loudmouthjulia, @eriqgardner, @clairewillett, @lucas_shaw, @brooksbarnesnyt, @sepinwall, Sir Critic's Critiques, @leojtravis10, @anthonycwalker, @jonathanbarkan, @studioexec1, @nickusen, @variety, @pkafka, @mariennemaid, @812filmreviews, @jbflint, @jasonhirschhorn, @labuzamovies, @labuzamovies, @richardlnewby, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @eriqgardner, @jbflint, @thecomixkid, @rodimusprime, @jay_roque, @gracerandolph, @mattbelloni, @richlightshed, @moviedeathblows, @arc_blog, @andruedwards, Hollywood Reporter, @loudmouthjulia, @richlightshed, @richlightshed, @eriqgardner, @eriqgardner, @eriqgardner, @loudmouthjulia, Insider, What's On Disney Plus, UPROXX, UPI, Sputnik News, The Illuminerdi, New York Post, CNN, Axios, KTLA, /Film, TV Insider, Observer, TechCrunch, The Streamable, Rolling Stone, Gizmodo, The Verge, Cord Cutters News, The A.V. Club, TVLine, Collider, CNBC, IndieWire, ComingSoon.net, CBS Los Angeles and Black Girl Nerds
Discussion:
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: Disney gives a “no merit whatsoever” response to Johansson's pay lawsuit and calls it “sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: Bryan Lourd, Scarlet Johansson's agent, said just now in a statement about Disney's statement, “They have shamelessly and falsely accused Ms. Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear to be someone they and I know she isn't.”
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: CAA's Bryan Lourd Slaps Back at Disney's ‘Shameless’ and ‘False’ Response to Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit
Nico Marrone / ScreenRant: Kevin Feige Reportedly Angry At Disney Over Black Widow Streaming Release
Peter Labuza / @labuzamovies: My short take is this is PR about the current state of Hollywood talent.
Leia Idliby / Mediaite: Scarlett Johansson is Suing Disney Over Black Widow Streaming Release Citing $50 Million Loss
@anildash: @pkafka Feels like it also has to be tied to their having delayed her a standalone film for about a decade longer than they should have.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @anildash Eh. I think the righteousness is irrelevant and theatrical - it's a biz dispute. And most important thing about timing is that she's doing it at the end of the run. You fight tooth and nail when you sell a house or buy a house bc you don't ever see the other party again.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @anildash But, still: This kind of public dispute between a star at her height and *disney* is something else.
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: “Disney's direct attack on her character and all else they implied is beneath the company that many of us in the creative community have worked with successfully for decades.”
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: “The company included her salary in their press statement in an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman, as if that were something she should be ashamed of.”
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Can't remember seeing a star this big - in present tense, not an aging star - fight this publicly with a studio. https://twitter.com/...
Fletcher Peters / Decider: Disney Claps Back at ScarJo's ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit: “There Is No Merit Whatsoever”
Christopher Marc / The Playlist: Disney Says Scarlett Johansson's ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit Has “No Merit”; Kevin Feige Reportedly “Angry & Embarrassed”
Grace / @gemofamara: Disney hurting from the pandemic so much that the share price is 28% higher than it was in February 2020. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over Black Widow streaming shift
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: This feels like an awfully risky comment to make in public... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Immortal Technique / @immortaltech: I wanna sue Disney for trying to charge me 39.99 to see this straight to DVD Marvel movie. LOL https://twitter.com/...
Max Loomes / @maxloomes: Rightfully so. If a multi-billion dollar conglomerate breaks an agreement/contract they should be held accountable. Essentially this is wage theft. https://twitter.com/...
Rendy Jones / @rendy_jones: Lmao bitch didn't you guys distribute THE NEW MUTANTS as a theater exclusive movie at the height of the pandemmy? Don't even fucking try it. https://twitter.com/...
Hanna Ines Flint / @hannaflint: Not Disney throwing around “callous” when they stopped paying 100,000 workers due to the pandemic, laid off 32,000 employees, but ensured executive bonuses were protected?! https://twitter.com/...
DSA-LA Hollywood Labor / @hollywood_labor: yes, Scarjo is “callous” about the consequences of covid, not Disney, which is currently running 2 full capacity theme parks in the middle of covid hotspots https://twitter.com/...
Clarkisha Kent / @iwriteallday_: Mouse House being messy whoops https://twitter.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Disney's response to lawsuit is classic Disney Essentially #ScarlettJohansson should thanking us for @disneyplus PVOD Total sidestep of the real issue which is AS biz models shift talent needs to be bought out in full, the way Netflix, Amazon, Apple amd Warner Bros have done https://twitter.com/...
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Disney issues scathing response to Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit
Emma Kelly / Metro.co.uk: Disney calls Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit ‘sad and distressing’ as star sues over Black Widow's streaming release
Brianna Wu / @briannawu: Before you side with Scarlet Johansson, have you considered how the $130 billion worth Disney corporation might feel about it? She hurt its feelings. https://twitter.com/...
Robert Daniels / @812filmreviews: Oh they're trying it. Using the deaths of people from a pandemic as tit-for-tat in a contract dispute is actually what a callous disregard looks like. https://twitter.com/...
Uma MusumeTable / @browntable_ent: Disney using the pandemic as an excuse is literally the lamest, most Disney shit ever https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Disney is going to lean hard on COVID as an extraordinary measure — while pointing to countless delays in an effort to keep it theatrical, on top of charging the $30 PA fee instead of going straight to D+, as trying to honor the contract to the best of executives' abilities.
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Not so sure this dispute gets to merits stage in open court, but if so, I expect Disney to argue that while contract called for theatrical run, it wasn't explicit it had to be exclusive. And even if that was industry custom, there was pandemic. Google: “frustration of purpose.”
Claire Willett / @clairewillett: It is deeply shady that Disney didn't respond when she tried to renegotiate after they changed the release plan, and tying bonuses to profits screwed her for sure But I don't grant her premise that therefore Disney SHOULD have released it in theaters only, to be more fair to her https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: This is definitely one way to play it! Look at the greedy movie star who wants more money. Now all ScarJo has to do is promise to donate her $$ to movie theater employees... https://twitter.com/...
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: Disney continued: “Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”
Alan Sepinwall / @sepinwall: Well, this is going to get ugly, not just for Disney, but for all the similar moves of the last year. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Robinette / Sir Critic's Critiques: Another platform, another show
Joe Ortiz / @leojtravis10: Look, I'm not a ScarJo fan at all but I'll be rooting for her in this. Marvel/Disney should have, like renegotiated and restructured her contract so things such as this doesn't happen? https://twitter.com/...
@jonathanbarkan: People are responding to this tweet with mockery and derision. But none of them are asking why such an institution exists in the first place and it's because sci-fi/fantasy/horror is rarely, if ever, given the credit it deserves. Their tweets prove the necessity of this Academy. https://twitter.com/...
@studioexec1: ...I think we can say with some certainty that Black Widow 2 isn't on the cards. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Usen / @nickusen: this is my favorite part of the legal complaint https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@variety: In the suit, Johansson claims that her salary was partly based on the film's box office performance, and that Marvel Entertainment promised an exclusive theatrical release. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: It's striking that it got to this point. Note that following all the Hollywood hollering after WarnerMedia moved to all-streaming this year, zero lawsuits followed. Related: Warners paid talent $$$. https://twitter.com/...
@mariennemaid: Imagine what they pull with little no-name talent and crew if they pull this with ScarJo. Disney is so shady. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Robert Daniels / @812filmreviews: To not understand the optics of jerking around the most prominent woman attached to this very male-heavy universe, ScarJo who had to wait a decade worth of being a team player before she got her own movie, is some A-level buffoonery. https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney also gets personal — alleging “the very Disney executives who orchestrated this strategy (Chairman Bob Iger & CEO Bob Chapek) will personally benefit from their and Disney's misconduct” because of bonuses tied to Disney+ performance.
Jason Hirschhorn / @jasonhirschhorn: @RichLightShed @jasonkilar They have been slowly and deliberately changing how $$$$ works. Right or wrong. Is the franchise the star or is the star the star?
Peter Labuza / @labuzamovies: This is at once absurd (Disney has an obligation to increase the value of its stock for shareholders) and really the core of it (Disney's central role in centering shareholder value over profits hurts its other contractual obligations). https://twitter.com/...
Peter Labuza / @labuzamovies: Obviously complaints are for swinging for the fences but this is not mincing words. https://twitter.com/...
Richard Newby / @richardlnewby: Her check is probably already in the mail, along with an edible arrangement, and first edition Nabokov for Colin, lol. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Peter is the expert. A crucial person to follow. 👇🏻 If the goal is to get to discovery so the emails between Kevin and Bob (or Bob and Bob) are released to the public (see: Epic and Apple's fiasco), this suit sets up the Bad Guy Disney narrative. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: All of the focus in the lawsuit is seemingly on Chapek and Disney proper, with one part going out of its way to acknowledge “if it can be called Marvel's decision at all.” Remember all the trade reports about disagreements with Marvel and Disney about Black Widow's release. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Lawsuit, basically throughout the latter half: “Marvel is part of Disney, and that is an issue, but Marvel itself is not the core issue.” https://twitter.com/...
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Undoubtedly, Hollywood will be closely watching this one... https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: While streaming is the latest wrinkle, fights between talent and studios and networks etc have gone on forever and the issue is always the same: Talent thinks they are being denied $$ from in-house deals and consolidation that has eliminated many options to take their wares.
KC Walsh / @thecomixkid: Shocking that Disney learned nothing from the WB situation https://twitter.com/...
Jay / @jay_roque: she's not my favorite person but she's not wrong for suing https://twitter.com/...
Grace Randolph / @gracerandolph: Holy sheeeeet 😳 So much for that #TowerOfTerror movie... I think the movie was only medium and it's a pandemic, I wouldn't make enemies with #Disney over this - would you? #BlackWidow #ScarlettJohansson https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni: Here we go. Disney didn't believe me when I told them how pissed their summer movie stars really are. https://www.wsj.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Remember when @jasonkilar was the “bad actor”...but Hollywood quickly did a 180 as everyone got 💰💰💰 Now the question becomes why is Disney refusing to do the same and buy talent out upfront like everyone else $DIS Disney appears to be all alone talent compensation wise https://twitter.com/...
Moviedeaths / @moviedeathblows: Soo yea Natasha will not be coming back anytime soon lol https://twitter.com/...
James / @arc_blog: WB went ahead and already restructured tons of contracts to get ahead of any potential box-office gross based lawsuit, kind of surprised Disney decided to just...not? https://twitter.com/...
Andru Edwards / @andruedwards: I expect to see more of these 👀 https://twitter.com/...
Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter: CAA Co-Chair: Disney “Shamelessly” Attacked Scarlett Johansson Over Lawsuit
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: ScarJo suing Disney the day after Scott Stuber appears in a Variety piece reiterating that Netflix is willing to go to great lengths to give full creative freedom and figure out a release strategy (especially true with a collapsed window) seems like additional PR win for Netflix.
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Remember, as movies shift to streaming, the way you judge success/value from a movie, is less about the discreet revenues from the title and more about its impact on gross adds, subscriber happiness (retention/churn) and pricing power, which is why studios buy out talent upfront
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: The media will run with the story “Hollywood talent wants exclusive theatrical releases” That is the WRONG take - this is about Hollywood talent being properly compensated as distribution strategy shifts Netflix, Warner Bros & others buy talent out, upfront $DIS #BlackWidow https://twitter.com/...
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Oh, and let me add that the tortious interference claim is important in part because Scarlett Johansson undoubtedly has an arbitration provision in her deal with Marvel. This allows her to get into open court against Disney, although I'm guessing its lawyers will challenge this.
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Just the other day, I predicted that we'd be seeing tortious interference claims against streamers. Well, Scarlett Johansson has brought the thunder in her new lawsuit against Disney... https://twitter.com/...
Eriq Gardner / @eriqgardner: Scarlett Johansson repped by Kasowtiz attorney John Berlinski, who formerly worked in house at NBCU and was one of the lead attorneys in that high-profile “Bones” case.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Disney getting sued a top actor whose one of the core faces of its most profitable franchise — already bad Disney taking on the agencies and unions who will point to these claims of financial harm whenever conversations about day and date come up — worse https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Katie Canales / Insider: Scarlett Johansson's ‘Black Widow’ paycheck is tied to box-office performance. She's suing Disney for releasing it simultaneously on streaming.
Roger Palmer / What's On Disney Plus: Disney Responds To Scarlett Johansson “Black Widow” Disney+ Premier Access Lawsuit
Matthewprigge / UPROXX: Disney Responded To Scarlett Johansson's ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit, Saying It Has ‘No Merit Whatsoever’
Danielle Haynes / UPI: Scarlett Johansson sues Disney for ‘Black Widow’ streaming release
Daria Bedenko. Sputnik / Sputnik News: Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney For Allegedly Breaching ‘Black Widow’ Contract
Kevin Thomas / The Illuminerdi: How Scarlett Johansson Suing Disney Over Black Widow's Streaming Release Could Change Hollywood
Samantha Ibrahim / New York Post: Scarlett Johansson's ‘Black Widow’ suit fires up fans, but Hollywood stays silent
Frank Pallotta / CNN: Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over ‘Black Widow’ Disney+ release
Danielle Ryan / /Film: Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Streaming Release [Updated]
Meaghan Darwish / TV Insider: Disney Responds to Scarlett Johansson's ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit
James Whitbrook / Gizmodo: Black Widow's Scarlett Johansson Is Suing Disney Over the Film's Streaming Release
Jess Barnes / Cord Cutters News: Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over Disney+ Release of ‘Black Widow’
Sam Barsanti / The A.V. Club: Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over Black Widow's Disney Plus release (Update: Disney responds)
Sarah Whitten / CNBC: Scarlett Johansson sues Disney over ‘Black Widow’ streaming release
Financial Times:
Educational publisher Pearson says it is switching to a subscription model for all of its 1,500 titles, available for $14.99/month through its app — Educational publisher attempts move to Netflix model with access to 1,500 titles for $14.99 a month — Pearson, the educational publisher …
Discussion:
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma shares a guide to help journalists with trauma-related stories, including using phrases like “triggered” and “PTSD” — And what does “retraumatizing” mean, anyway? You won't get PTSD reading this story, because when you're done …
Discussion:
bookforum.com: The New Yorker Union wins a new contract; revisiting Kenzaburō Ōe's archival “Art of Fiction” interview
Tom Cochrun / @tomcochrun: How do you write about traumatic situations without retraumatizing those involved? Read this new guide for journalists, for starters https://www.niemanlab.org/... via @NiemanLab A thoughtful piece that also speaks to the inappropriate but frequent emotional timbre of news copy.
@solitarywatch: These are important ideas for those of us entrusted with the stories of people who survived solitary confinement and other prison abuse: How do you write about traumatic situations without retraumatizing those involved? https://www.niemanlab.org/... @NiemanLab @DartCenter @SShourd
David Martosko / @dmartosko: In the context of a lot of meh content from news watchdogs, this piece about reporting on personal trauma and PTSD stands out as very important. Via @NiemanLab and the @DartCenter. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Denver Pratt / @denverpratt: Today's @NiemanLab piece by @jbenton is worth a read for any journalist covering trauma. It's important that we as journalists do our best not to retraumatize our sources who have agreed to share their stories w/us & use the appropriate language: https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Gavin Bridge / Variety:
Analysis: so far in 2021, streaming services have released 512 new shows, up 86% on 2019, led by Netflix, as cable networks released 453, down 28% — One of the most bandied about industry phrases of the last decade was “peak TV,” the phenomenon of the seemingly limitless growth of original content on television.
Discussion:
Paul Kedrosky / @pkedrosky: Fascinating “peak TV” graphic of new series in the first half of the year, across the last three years, by platform, from streaming to cable. Cable continues to more or less flatline as it defends its ... whatever it has left. Source: https://variety.com/... /cc @ballmatthew https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Bahr / New York Times:
Study: films and TV shows with disability themes rose from 41 in 2000 to 150 in 2020, but 95% of disabled characters are played by actors without disabilities — The study published Wednesday also showed that television is far behind film when it comes to representation of characters with disabilities.
Discussion:
@timesupnow: We still have a long way to go before achieving authentic disability representation in television & film. To learn more about disability inclusion in Hollywood and ways to make sets more accessible, visit https://1in4coalition.org/ @1in4coalition #TIMESUPENT https://times.upnow.us/2TN7k8g
The Guardian:
News Corp Australia's Daily Telegraph ended a regular column from broadcaster Alan Jones, amid controversy over his COVID-19 and anti-lockdown comments — Veteran broadcaster rejects claims he ‘no longer resonates with readers’ — The Daily Telegraph has ended Alan Jones's regular column amid controversy …
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald, @blakandblack, @peter_fitz, @mrkrudd, @georgehxanthis, @mfwitches, @btckr, Sky News Australia, Crikey, Reclaim The Net and Mediaweek
Discussion:
Zoe Samios / Sydney Morning Herald: Alan Jones column pulled from The Daily Telegraph amid anti-lockdown, COVID-19 controversies
@blakandblack: Jesus ... some common sense at last from Uncle Rupie and family ... Alan Jones column ended by Daily Telegraph amid controversial Covid and anti-lockdown commentary https://www.google.com.au/...
@peter_fitz: I wrote this last year “Alan Jones is a malignant tumour on the body politic of this city, this state and this country and the sooner he is excised the better.” Today, a great surgical strike! #JonesGone https://www.smh.com.au/...
Kevin Rudd / @mrkrudd: If Alan Jones is now considered too crazy even for the Daily Telegraph, how on earth can Murdoch justify giving him top billing on far-right Sky News, the country's biggest YouTube current affairs channel? #MurdochRoyalCommission / https://murdochrc.com/ https://www.smh.com.au/...
George H. Xanthis / @georgehxanthis: Damage is already done. Been saying for weeks that this moron, Al*n J*nes, has been inciting anger for his own personal fame and image at the detriment of this country's well-being. https://twitter.com/...
MFW / @mfwitches: Others won't say it, but we will: this was the witches. All of it. #NewsCorpse is bleeding advertisers and funds everywhere and even Morrison is scared to give them more money. They're in trouble. Later this year, via https://www.murdochfreeworld.com.au/, we'll finish them. Get on board. https://twitter.com/...
Barry Tucker / @btckr: Crikey! Alan Jones' opinions unacceptable to The Daily Terrorgraph. Pinch me. I must be dreaming. https://twitter.com/...
Cam Wilson / Crikey: In defence of Alan Jones: he's still resonating — but with anti-lockdown and anti-vax viewers
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
The Bowie Blade-News, a 41-year-old weekly paper near Washington, DC, closed Thursday, 2 months after Alden Global Capital bought its parent, Tribune Publishing — Since Alden Global Capital bought the Tribune Publishing newspaper chain, newsrooms have shrunk and a Maryland weekly has shut down.
Discussion:
Rachael Pacella / @rachaelpacella: Every meeting I went to someone mentioned John, in kind but tiring ways. When I needed to get background on a story, I would need to read through his work. And that was his voice. He died in the same shirt he wore in his headshot, a blue polo. It was like walking on nails.
Rachael Pacella / @rachaelpacella: Today is the last day the weekly paper will be published. I wish our passion for reporting about Bowie could be matched by the paper's owners. But at least it didn't go out in total silence. Thanks @marcatracy.
Rachael Pacella / @rachaelpacella: It was hard but it got easier. Reading and hearing about John's work and the impact he made helped me remember the good times and not the bad. I was never able to totally divorce my performance at the paper from my guilt. That I had lived and he had died, so I had better do well.
Rachael Pacella / @rachaelpacella: That's not a very healthy relationship to have with a job. And it most definitely isn't what John would want. After a couple years @BOOGIEDONO took over for me and has kicked butt, handling Bowie and Anne Arundel news.
Rachael Pacella / @rachaelpacella: I watched Bowie Blade News reporter John McNamara die in the shooting at the Capital Gazette. When I recovered from my head injury and returned to the office I took over his job. Everything about it was triggering, but I was propelled by grief and guilt. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Paul W. Gillespie / @pwgphoto: @rachaelpacella @marcatracy Thank you Rachael for taking over for John. And sharing these Tweets. I never even thought about you having to read John's work and see his headshot almost daily after your experience. You are an awesome person and reporter. I am honored to work with you and have you as a friend,
Dan Gainor / @dangainor: Sad state of affairs. https://twitter.com/...
@chesapeakeguild: Today is the last day that Bowie Blade-News will publish. Those who got the paper will see a note on the front page. This is the first closure of a paper since Alden Global Capital bought Tribune Publishing. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Elahe Izadi / @elaheizadi: (Of note, the Gazette used to operate a weekly paper in Bowie. Owned by Post Community Media. The papers closed in 2015: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...)
Heidi Stevens / @heidistevens13: “The Blade-News was the city's front porch.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: Amidst the second round of buyouts in 18 months at Tribune (a profitable company that had been sitting on tons of cash) since Alden bought in, a small community weekly closes. My snapshot of the local newspaper industry: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kelly McBride / NPR:
New NPR ethics policy ends a blanket ban on journalists participating in marches or rallies, but in practice requires them to discuss specific cases with bosses — NPR rolled out a substantial update to its ethics policy earlier this month, expressly stating that journalists may participate …
Discussion:
@kellymcb, Poynter, @adamserwer, @hannahcov, Media Nation, @wesleylowery, @levinejonathan, @laurahelmuth, @yaf, @fispahani, @emeriticus, @maxabrahms, @swgoldman, @ashagony, @thesarahkelly, @mzhemingway, @mazmhussain, @jayrosen_nyu, @imillhiser, @aaronsibarium, @lesliemac, @yair_rosenberg, @abgutman, @mehdirhasan, @oliverashkleine, @awstar11, @mayachhabra, @wesleylowery, @wesleylowery, @kellymcb, @sopandeb, @conor64, @dylanmatt, @rubensteinadam, @jannwolfe, @chsommers, @sree, @wesleylowery, @jayrosen_nyu, @nelliebowles, @jonathanchait, @becketadams, @anettenovak, @jbenton, @benshapiro, @davidharsanyi, @neontaster, @nausheenhusain, @laneyruckstuhl, @rebekahentralgo, @institute_trust, @hafsaquraishi_, @rebekahentralgo, @nprpubliceditor and Fox News
Discussion:
@kellymcb: NPR ethics policy update: Journalists can now participate in activities that advocate for “freedom and dignity of human beings” on social media and in real life. https://www.npr.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Jones / Poynter: Should journalists be allowed to protest? A legendary news organization tries to address that issue
@adamserwer: Fwiw I think this is a mistake. It's one thing to be open about your perspective (and I very much am!) but I think participating in rallies or demonstrations et al is different. I have my sympathies but I'm not a part of any movement https://www.npr.org/...
Hannah Covington / @hannahcov: Quite a kicker from @kellymcb on NPR's new ethics policy: “...these guidelines affirm that during this chaotic time in which we are living, being a journalist and standing up for human dignity are not mutually exclusive.” https://www.npr.org/...
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: NPR's new policy on activism is smart — but will inevitably lead to confusion
Wesley / @wesleylowery: To Adam's point: I'm for loosening rules to protect individual right to expression. I'm unlikely to ever march - I cover the things I'm passionate about. If I'm at a protest, I've got a notebook. But should my friend the music reviewer be banned from marching? I don't think so https://twitter.com/...
Jon Levine / @levinejonathan: What happens when an NPR employee decides that an anti-lockdown protest fits within this definition? What about a pro police rally? https://twitter.com/...
Laura Helmuth / @laurahelmuth: Progress in journalism: NPR staff are now allowed to advocate (in protests and on social media) for “the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press, the right to thrive in society without facing discrimination” https://www.npr.org/...
@yaf: Letting journalists engage in activist behavior sets a dangerous precedent for how truthfully events can be covered. Then again, that hasn't stopped them from doing it before... https://twitter.com/...
Farahnaz Ispahani / @fispahani: This is a terrible mistake. Journalists must enforce a privacy wall between their personal beliefs & their work. Or else leave journalism. This is not okay on the Left & or the Right. The fault lines threatening the unity of this nation are spreading fast. #media #journalism https://twitter.com/...
Pedro L. Gonzalez / @emeriticus: There has never been such a thing as an objective journalist so this is merely a formality https://twitter.com/...
Max Abrahms / @maxabrahms: Alternate headline: Journalists can now participate in activities that advocate for the liberal Democratic agenda. https://twitter.com/...
SamuelGoldman / @swgoldman: I think it's fine for journalists to participate in demonstrations or other political activities, but they should understand this will further erode trust in legacy media and encourage openly partisan or ideological alternatives. https://www.npr.org/...
Ash J / @ashagony: Every article or piece a reporter does is inherently a political act & is (whether they acknowledge it or not) pushing a position. Just as much as participating in a demo. MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, & The Wall Street Journal's coverage are just as ideological as any speech at a rally. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Kelly / @thesarahkelly: No hate to Adam, and maybe this depends on your beat, but I think it's inappropriate for employers to ask marginalized people to take a backseat in the fight for their own freedom and equality. https://twitter.com/...
Mollie / @mzhemingway: LOL. Nice reframing of leftist partisan activities. But I see no reason why they're allowed to be radical activists and propagandists on air ... but not to personally advocate, even if latter is less significant. https://twitter.com/...
Murtaza Hussain / @mazmhussain: This is interesting but the problem is that different groups of people have different idea of what these things mean. https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: You may not be a part of a movement and practice professional detachment — in a good way — but find yourself marching anyhow. I think we're headed for just that. https://twitter.com/...
Ian Millhiser / @imillhiser: This seems like a pretty significant moment in the fight over whether journalists have to pretend that democracy and fascism are equally good. https://www.npr.org/...
Aaron Sibarium / @aaronsibarium: So a Blue Lives Matter rally? https://twitter.com/...
@lesliemac: I really wonder if folks like Adam have studied the history of their profession. Cuz... the roots of journalism are not found in some sort of neutral vacuum, but rather in a personal drive to ensure the truth is heard. https://twitter.com/...
Yair Rosenberg / @yair_rosenberg: As a journalist, nothing is more important to me than my independent judgment and the ability to express it. But as soon as I publicly affiliate with a mass political movement, others can start to hold me accountable for judgments made by its members, eroding my own independence. https://twitter.com/...
@abgutman: I agree. I am extremely upfront with my beliefs but I am not a part of any organization except for my newspaper — and going to protests can blur that line. One carve out to this: standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow journalists in unionization efforts. https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: I agree with this https://twitter.com/...
Oliver-Ash Kleine / @oliverashkleine: This policy looks progressive if you read the summary tweet on social media, but if you actually read the details it's very clear it's going to be weaponized against the most marginalized. So much weasel wording, subjectivity & obsession with the false idea of objectivity. https://twitter.com/...
Fusilli Spock / @awstar11: The “now” in this tweet is dishonest & misleading https://twitter.com/...
Maya Chhabra / @mayachhabra: @AdamSerwer I disagree. You shouldn't have to give up on a major avenue of citizen participation to be a jourmalist. Especially if it's on your own time, not your employer's.
Wesley / @wesleylowery: The extent to which so much of our media is obsessed with politics at times blurs the reality that, even though culture and sports and everything else have political components, the vast majority of journalists do jobs that have nothing to do with politics
Wesley / @wesleylowery: As an industry we've crafted sweeping, inflexible rules that catch up thousands in their snares. Do we really care if the dance critic is the PTA president? That the book reviewer went to the Women's March? Why not just recuse people in specific cases of specific conflicts?
Sopan Deb / @sopandeb: a fantastic example of how journalistic norms change over time, and what is and isn't considered objective is somewhat dependent on what era you are a journalist in and who is making those calls. https://twitter.com/...
Conor Friedersdorf / @conor64: I wonder if they get that lots of attendees of Tea Party rallies believed themselves to be showing up for freedom and that lots of anti-vaxxers see themselves as defending the dignity of human beings. https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Matthews / @dylanmatt: This seems like a fine policy but it will be fascinating to see what happens when an NPR staffer inevitably goes to the March for Life https://twitter.com/...
Adam Rubenstein / @rubensteinadam: It's funny, because when I interviewed there for a job years ago, the interviewer asked me if I was conservative, and went into a long digression about how they hired a bunch of former Obama (campaign?) staff, so they could ostensibly hire me. (Never worked a campaign in my life) https://twitter.com/...
Jan Wolfe / @jannwolfe: NPR has a new ethics policy that seems to allow reporters to endorse “Black Lives Matter.” Conservatives are in the replies asking what happens if a reporter opposes abortion access. That's a valid question. The wording of the policy gives managers a fair amount of discretion. https://twitter.com/...
Christina Sommers / @chsommers: Oh great. More activist journalists. https://twitter.com/...
Sree Sreenivasan / @sree: HUGE UPDATE. 🙌 Well done, @NPR & @kellymcb! “Is it OK to march in a demonstration and say, ‘Black lives matter’? What about a Pride parade? In theory, the answer today is, “Yes.” But in practice, NPR journalists will have to discuss specific decisions with their bosses...” https://twitter.com/...
Wesley / @wesleylowery: it says something that a news organization would need to *update* their policies to allow employees to express “support” for “the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press...” https://www.npr.org/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: NPR's ethics policy used to claim the right to prevent its newsroom people from joining in a march or rally for any controversial cause, even if it had nothing to do with the reporter's beat or the journalist's work. https://www.npr.org/... It's been changed. Now it says this.... https://twitter.com/...
Nellie Bowles / @nelliebowles: Can't wait for a pro-life NPR editor somewhere to test this new surely nonpartisan rule https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Chait / @jonathanchait: This standard would include the self-defined goals of every political cause https://twitter.com/...
Tsar Becket Adams / @becketadams: finally. NPR journalists are free to speak their minds. they usually keep their cards close to the chest. https://twitter.com/...
Anette Novak / @anettenovak: Very important stance. Being for #democracy and #HumanRights goes to the heart of #journalism. Defending democracy can therefore not be considered a general bias. https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: It's a good thing that “freedom” and “dignity” are clear terms with precise definitions https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Shapiro / @benshapiro: I look forward to their specific, non-partisan definition of this terminology https://twitter.com/...
David Harsanyi / @davidharsanyi: So school choice, the Second Amendment and pro-life issues? https://twitter.com/...
Noam Blum / @neontaster: I find these definitions funny because this is how everyone frames their own politics. https://twitter.com/...
Nausheen Husain / @nausheenhusain: “We want people to bring their humanity to their workplace every day. And then we'll sort out the conflicts as they arise.” I hope more newsrooms take this step but as long as leadership looks the same, we already know how the conflicts will be sorted out https://www.npr.org/...
Laney Ruckstuhl / @laneyruckstuhl: Wow, significant shift in NPR's ethics policy that I am glad to see: its journalists are now allowed to demonstrate in some cases https://www.npr.org/...
Rebekah Entralgo Fernández / @rebekahentralgo: This was also around the same time that they made a big show of not calling Trump lies.....lies lol they did the whole “Well Webster's Dictionary describes a lie as.....” Truly a wake up call for me about mainstream journalism unfortunately
@institute_trust: Huge change for @NPR journalists: NPR says journalists can now participate in activities that advocate for “freedom and dignity of human beings” on social media and in real life. Kelly McBride: “It's OK For Journalists To Demonstrate (Sometimes).” https://npr.org/...
Hafsa / @hafsaquraishi_: This is huge. I'm really curious to see how it will work in practice - hope NPR will be transparent about employees exercising this and the process of how it is managed. https://www.npr.org/...
@rebekahentralgo: Huh, NPR says it's now okay for its journalists to (sometimes) protest 🤨 I was at NPR during a very odd time (Jan 2017) & was told that we couldn't attend the Women's March or any of the dozens of protests during those first few months of the Trump admin https://www.npr.org/...
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
The Kansas City Beacon expands to Wichita aiming to create a regional network of nonprofit newsrooms across Kansas and Missouri; it has raised almost $4M so far — When The Beacon launched in Kansas City in March 2020, it was newsletter-only out of necessity.
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
Amazon reports Q2 “other” category revenue, which mostly covers its ad business, of $7.9B, up 83% YoY, and subscription services revenue of $7.9B, up 28% YoY — Amazon saw second quarter net sales of $113 billion, up 27% but below expectations, dinging the shares, which fell more than 5% in late trading.
Discussion:
Ad Age, Fast Company, The Register, @adage, ZDNet, Ad Age and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Garett Sloane / Ad Age: Amazon sees 40% more brands commit to upfront deals as it competes for TV dollars
Michael Grothaus / Fast Company: Why are Amazon shares down 6% premarket? An easing pandemic
Laura Dobberstein / The Register: AWS growing so fast its revenue makes it bigger than Cisco or HP
@adage: Amazon's advertising business grew 83% year-over-year in the second quarter, generating close to $8 billion in ad sales, the company reported in its latest financial results on Thursday. https://ow.ly/...
Stephanie Condon / ZDNet: Amazon misses Q2 revenue estimates
Garett Sloane / Ad Age: Amazon advertising sales edge close to $8 billion
Accounting Specialist Editor, Remote US — 
Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — 
Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
Senior Editor, DC — 
Sr. Social Media Specialist, NC — 
Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — 
Assistant Editor - Digital, NC — 
Video Producer - YouTube, NY — 
Senior Managing Ed. - Daily Desk — 
Content Managing Editor — 
Editor, MA — 
Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — 
Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — 
Associate Editor, Remote — 
Retail Reporter, MN — 
Senior Data Editor, DC — 
Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — 
News Editor - UK, Remote — 
Staff Writer, TX — 
Multimedia Journalist, PA — 
Service Journalism Editor, CA — 
Content Director, Remote — 
Sports Reporter, ME — 
Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — 
Reporter - Middle East — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
Senior Media Editor — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Lexington County Reporter, SC — 
Reporter - Offshore Wind — 
General Assignment Reporter, FL — 
Staff Reporter, CA — 
Data Editor, NY — 
