Top News:
Lauren Easton / Associated Press:
Daisy Veerasingham named president and CEO of The Associated Press, becoming the first woman, person of color, and foreign citizen to lead the outlet — NEW YORK - The Associated Press today named Daisy Veerasingham as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, The Wrap, Poynter, @jpacedc and @sarafischer
Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
Discovery says it has 18M subscribers, most on Discovery+, reports Q2 net income of $672M on revenue of $3.06B, up 21% YoY; US ad revenue grew 12% YoY to $1.1B — Discovery surpassed financial expectations in the second quarter of 2021, when advertising sales and growth at Discovery+ made for a solid three-month period.
Discussion:
Variety, Variety, The Streamable, MediaPost, Variety, The Wrap, The Streamable, nexttv.com, @kelseymsutton and @alexweprin
Leonard Greene / New York Daily News:
A staffer sues Fox News saying Andrew Napolitano sexually harassed him and Larry Kudlow made racist and sexist remarks; Fox has “parted ways” with Napolitano — Fox Business host Larry Kudlow repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks during staff meetings and even blocked …
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Belarusian journalist given 18 months for insulting Lukashenko; human rights org reports 200+ July raids on offices and homes of activists and journalists — A Belarusian journalist has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of insulting the country's authoritarian leader …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter partners with Reuters and the AP, who will provide context and highlight links from trusted sources for Trends, Moments, Search, and more — Twitter announced today it's partnering with news organizations The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters to expand its efforts focused …
Miranda Sawyer / The Guardian:
Some podcasters worry about the impact of huge investment into the industry, led by Spotify and Amazon, especially on indie shows — As big spenders such as Amazon and Spotify fill our ears with more commercial, celebrity-driven fare, can grassroots, diverse shows survive?
Sara Fischer / Axios:
For the first time, a film distributor will debut a movie on Facebook via a live ticketed event; the documentary “The Outsider” will launch on August 19 — For the first time ever, a film distributor will use Facebook to debut a movie exclusively via a ticketed live event, executives tell Axios.
Discussion:
Variety
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost:
ViacomCBS announces a multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications, which will now gain access to Paramount+, Showtime OTT, and Pluto TV — ViacomCBS announced a new multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications that includes greater access to ViacomCBS's streaming services …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Frustrated by Gimlet Media's control of The Nod's feed and IP, the podcast cohosts are relaunching For Colored Nerds on Sirius, where they retain total control — For Colored Nerds comes to SiriusXM's Stitcher — The co-hosts of The Nod are back, and this time, they've separated …
Discussion:
@ashleyrcarman, Podcast Movement and @kateepm
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
A look at CTInsider.com, a Hearst freemium initiative that pools the resources of its Connecticut newspapers, targeting 50K digital subscriptions by early 2022 — Most news outlets cut back to service only metro areas during the Great Recession. That's changing in South Carolina, Arkansas and, now, Connecticut.
Discussion:
@poynter, @ferrarohearstct, @poynter, @poynter, @wendy_met and @mandyhofmockel
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
In an interview, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, who just bought Hello Sunshine, say Blackstone vowed to provide them with $2B for acquisition of content suppliers — The $900 million acquisition of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine by private equity giant Blackstone is a big step toward …
Discussion:
IndieWire, Variety, @jpmanga, @kerrymflynn and Wall Street Journal
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
The White House and some states are teaming up with influencers on TikTok and Instagram to encourage vaccine uptake in young people and counter misinformation — The White House has teamed up with TikTok stars, while some states are paying “local micro influencers” for pro-vaccine campaigns.
RELATED:
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
A look at Fuck You Pay Me, a Glassdoor-like service where creators can review brands they have worked with and share ad rates — Fed up with the imbalance between online influencers and brands, Lindsey Lee Lugrin and Isha Mehra created a platform to change that.
Kim Willsher / The Guardian:
French intelligence agency confirms Pegasus spyware was found on the phones of three journalists, at TV station France 24 and investigative outlet Mediapart — Announcement is first time an independent and official authority has corroborated Pegasus project findings
Discussion:
@snowden, @kevincollier, Beyond Search, @adam_k_levin, @brooklynmarie, @drewharwell and @davidakaye, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Olivia Solon / NBC News:
Female journalists and activists share how they were targeted and harassed by authoritarian regimes through hack-and-leak attacks using the Pegasus spyware
Discussion:
@oliviasolon, @rohini_sgh, @alex, @iyad_elbaghdadi, @oliviasolon, @drewharwell, @oliviasolon, @evan_greer, @evacide, @kimzetter and Beyond Search
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 — 
