Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Ozy built a TV interview show for CEO Carlos Watson based on false claims it was for A&E and that it would then be a YouTube Original, its ex-producer says — Producers say they were led to believe they were making a talk show for A&E, which said no to the program.
Discussion:
@choire, @dannygroner, @kimberlynfoster, @justinbaragona, @albertburneko, @mtill50, @ashleyfeinberg, @awprokop, @byjoelanderson, @jbouie, @byjoelanderson, @byjoelanderson, @ismat, @byjoelanderson, @arthur_affect, @kfile, @zachstafford, @thegarance, @stuartathompson, @byjoelanderson, @carlquintanilla, @devlinbarrett, @thrasherxy, @franklinleonard, @kevinmaddendc, @jakesherman, @edmundlee, @arlenparsa, @simonowens, @mattzeitlin, @cliffordlevy, @sonnybunch, @benyt, NPR and Forbes
Discussion:
Danny Groner / @dannygroner: “It's common for companies to pay YouTube to place ads that pop up automatically onscreen before videos, which drives up the number of views. Tubular Labs suggests that Ozy may be using that tactic with its videos.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kimberly Nicole Foster / @kimberlynfoster: I'm, frankly, amazed by the level of scamming this Black man has been able to pull off. Seems unprecedented. https://twitter.com/...
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: “In a farewell email to Mr. Watson and Mr. Rao, which he shared with The Times, he wrote, 'You are playing a dangerous game with the truth. The consequences of offering an A&E show to guests when we don't have one to offer are catastrophic for Ozy and for me.'” https://twitter.com/...
Albert Burneko / @albertburneko: the most darkly fascinating part of every fraud story is trying to imagine what kind of psycho has the energy and motivation for that shit https://twitter.com/...
Morgan Till / @mtill50: Just a blistering read. An apparent, giant fraud; and continually exposed by @benyt https://www.nytimes.com/... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: all I can think about is how the fuck the Ozy guy managed to not have a panic attack every single minute of the day https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Prokop / @awprokop: Mental health crisis or business model? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joel D. Anderson / @byjoelanderson: A conversation that I have had a thousand times, professionally: “Joel, do you know [black man in a suit]? He's a friend of a friend and I think you'd really like him. I should connect y'all!”
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: @byjoelanderson you are...not wrong
Joel D. Anderson / @byjoelanderson: Anyway. At this point, I need some hard proof that Carlos went to Harvard and worked at MSNBC and that his name is indeed Carlos.
Joel D. Anderson / @byjoelanderson: I wish I looked better in a suit, because I have no idea how I'm ever gonna get enough money for a down payment on a house.
Ismat Sarah Mangla / @ismat: @byjoelanderson I also had several back and forth convos with recruiters and editors at Ozy around 2017 and my spidey sense was like...erm, this is not for me.
Joel D. Anderson / @byjoelanderson: Jenee had a 15-minute interview with Ozy 5 years ago and by the time she came back to the car we were able to deduce that this was all a massive fraud.
Arthur Chu / @arthur_affect: This feels like a sitcom plot, one of those cynical meta shows about “the industry” https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Kaczynski / @kfile: In awe of the level of grift here. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Zach Stafford / @zachstafford: Okay who's making the podcast series about the rise (???) and dramatic fall of OZY media bc my coins are ready https://twitter.com/...
Garance Franke-Ruta / @thegarance: House of cards https://twitter.com/...
Stuart Andrew Thompson / @stuartathompson: god this saga is like if Theranos founded Vice https://twitter.com/...
Joel D. Anderson / @byjoelanderson: An observation: no offense to white people, but if a black man has attended the right school, can codeswitch, flatter y'all enough, and look nice in a non-shiny suit, he — and it's almost always dudes — can really finesse the hell out of y'all. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Carl Quintanilla / @carlquintanilla: “Another quote described Mr. Watson as ‘Anderson Cooper meets Oprah.’ That line, attributed to The Los Angeles Times, was drawn from an advertising supplement that Ozy ran in that newspaper.” (via @benyt) https://www.nytimes.com/...
Devlin Barrett / @devlinbarrett: The Merv Griffin set wasn't a tipoff? https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: “Another warning sign, Mr. Bessey said, was that one of the other producers pointed out that A&E had already scheduled “Hoarders” for the time slot that was supposedly meant for “The Carlos Watson Show."" https://twitter.com/...
Franklin Leonard / @franklinleonard: I am dumbfounded. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kevin Madden / @kevinmaddendc: Amazing how closely Ozy followed the Jukt Micronics playbook. https://twitter.com/...
Jake Sherman / @jakesherman: Incredible story. https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: The bait-and-switch at Ozy Media — how it got big-name guests to appear on a show few would watch. Another @benyt special https://www.nytimes.com/...
Arlen Parsa / @arlenparsa: Incredible. This whole @ozy media company seems like a cross between Fyre Fest and Enron... https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Simon Owens / @simonowens: So how many VCs were lied to about OZY having a show on A&E before they made their investments? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin: If you've seen an Ozy ad, you're at least geographically proximate to the media and marketing elite https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: “You are playing a dangerous game with the truth.” Another executive says he was duped by Ozy Media, which promised him repeatedly that an Ozy show was headed to the A&E cable channel. But that was false, he told @benyt. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: New from me, with a lot of insight from former producers: Ozy Built a TV Show on a False Claim, Says Its Former Producer https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Folkenflik / NPR: The Alleged Deceit Behind Ozy Media's Public Meltdown
RELATED:
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Some former Ozy employees say they were overworked to the point of exhaustion: “They brought in very talented, motivated, excited people and just used them up” — New York (CNN Business)Around midnight one Saturday late last year, Eva Rodriguez, 24, had trouble breathing.
Discussion:
@benyt, @sarafischer, @eevasita, @shannonpareil, Gawker, Puck, @brosandprose, @ahess247, @ktbenner, @moorehn, @mattbelloni, @eevasita, @priaribi, Today in Tabs, @monicatorrr, @caleweissman, @kidnate, @peterhamby, @shortformernie, @anhaiphung, @alextweeting, @shortformernie, @chaykak, @ahhensel, @elenainzafrica, @mediaevan, @danprimack, @keitholbermann, @charukasturi, @bartlettkate, @bobpickard, @phil_rosenthal, @kerrymflynn, @fka_tabs, @parismartineau, @eevasita, @remynuma, @tonyajoriley, @eevasita, @clarajeffery, @davidgura, Forbes, @bartlettkate, Mediaite, @nick4iezos, @nick4iezos, @heynottheface, @mslopatto, @jman23j, @lollardfish, @gnagesh, Boing Boing, @robaeprice, @chronotope and @parismartineau
Discussion:
Ben Smith / @benyt: Ozy chairman Marc Lasry just resigned: “I believe that going forward Ozy requires experience in areas like crisis management and investigations, where I do not have particular expertise.”
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: 🚨🚨🚨Marc Lasry steps down from Ozy's board — Statement from PR flak https://twitter.com/...
@eevasita: When I read that they decided to chalk up the impersonation incident to mental health I was absolutely appalled knowing that many of my former colleagues suffered mental health implications from working FOR THEM.
Shannon Bond / @shannonpareil: now remembering when i wrote about Ozy's launch back in 2014 and Carlos Watson told me he was interested in branching out into Airbnb-style home swaps and ... dating? https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jenny G. Zhang / Gawker: No End to Ozy Shitfest in Sight as Chairman of the Board Resigns
Theodore Schleifer / Puck: Laurene Powell Jobs' Bizarre Week in the Headlines
Ella Dawson / @brosandprose: “In the publication's early days Watson seemed to expect a full-time editorial staff of about four writers and two editors to produce 40 high-quality magazine articles per week.” So many eye-popping moments in the latest OZY news: https://www.cnn.com/...
Katie Benner / @ktbenner: I thought Lasry was on the board of the Weinstein company during the several months that NYT reporters were reporting and frantically calling everyone remotely related to the company regarding Harvey Weinstein's misconduct... https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: This is the minimum Lasry should do after supporting Samir Rao's attempt to defraud potential investors. Imagine trying to get away with that wild quote about standing behind Rao. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni: Hall of Fame resignation statement... https://twitter.com/...
@eevasita: I hope that the stories coming out about OZY will put an end to the lies and unacceptable mistreatment of talented, passionate individuals who dedicate their lives to their work — at this company and at others like it.
Priyanka Aribindi / @priaribi: Lmao this company is 8 years old, how is their team just now figuring out it was a scam!!!! https://twitter.com/...
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: Will You Commit To Ending Finsta?
Monica Torres / @monicatorrr: This Ozy story on its cultish, toxic company culture shows the harm that these “charismatic” leaders can wreck on the lives on journos just at the start of their careers. Upsetting! https://www.cnn.com/...
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: these expectations are both insane and impossible https://www.cnn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Nate Wilcox / @kidnate: So glad this is finally coming out. Anyone who had friends at OZY knew it was an abusive atmosphere. https://cnn.com/...
Peter Hamby / @peterhamby: RIP Carlos Watson's obvious and long-planned run for office as a neolib Dem https://twitter.com/...
Ernie Smith / @shortformernie: @eevasita You are incredibly brave to speak out—and I hope it sparks an industrywide conversation about work/life balance.
An Phung / @anhaiphung: Pushing your workers to the brink of mental health collapse is surefire way to get them to blow the whistle to reporters. Appreciate the people who spoke to @kerrymflynn about their experiences for this story: https://twitter.com/...
Alex Washburn / @alextweeting: @eevasita Eva, I have never met you but I really admire your courage to speak out. I hope you are in a better place now and proud of your voice. <3
Ernie Smith / @shortformernie: When your employee has a mental breakdown due to overwork, if your first instinct upon getting a doctor's note confirming this is to call the doctor's office and ask for their medical records ... you might be a bad person. https://www.cnn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Chayka / @chaykak: lol Ozy's Samir Rao also pretended to be the HR director? https://www.cnn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Anna Hensel / @ahhensel: It was obvious after reading the NYT story, but you can tell how toxic a workplace is by how quickly current and former employees will talk to a reporter after one critical story initially breaks. Great details here from Kerry https://twitter.com/...
Elena W / @elenainzafrica: Kudos to brilliant SA-based journo @bartlettkate for living by her ethics and values. Ethics and values in themselves don't pay the rent, so I hope she finds another role soon 🙏🏿 https://twitter.com/...
Evan DeSimone / @mediaevan: The worst part of the Ozy story is that a lot of these people will lose their jobs and the people responsible for the whole mess will just drift off into the sunset with plenty of severance and eventually slide into new senior roles when the dust settles. https://www.cnn.com/...
Dan Primack / @danprimack: NEW: Marc Lasry, who just resigned as chair of Ozy Media, was referred to by Carlos Watson as “lead investor” in a $35 million round in 2019. But, learning now that Lasry's investment in that round was only $1 million, and he didn't invest subsequently.
Keith Olbermann / @keitholbermann: Also: “if you need me I'll be in the Caymans” https://twitter.com/...
Charu Kasturi / @charukasturi: It's been a pleasure, an honor, working with @bartlettkate . She's a fine, fine journalist who has worked in most parts of the world, consistently delivering top quality work. Wishing you all the best, Kate. https://twitter.com/...
Kate Bartlett / @bartlettkate: Earlier this week I was on holiday when I found out about the wrongdoing by management. I resigned. So I'm now an unemployed journalist for the 2nd time this year 😥 But ethics have always been and will always be paramount to me. Any job tips appreciated. 2/2
Bob Pickard / @bobpickard: Extraordinary. The lack of this kind of experience - so valuable at a premium in a social media age - is a widespread challenge for many senior executives, but I have never seen one of them candidly admit it on the public record like this. via @josh_wingrove ht @RoyNorton1 https://twitter.com/...
Phil Rosenthal / @phil_rosenthal: And now we have the answer as to when #Bucks owner Marc Lasry would cut and run from his role at chairman at media mirage #Ozy ... https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: @eevasita Thank you for speaking out about what you went through and sharing it with me. In addition to seeing the public tweets, I've also received texts and emails admiring and commending you
@fka_tabs: Ben Smith poked it with a pin and now all of Ozy is just zooming around the room going plblblblblblblblblblblblbl and getting smaller and smaller
Paris Martineau / @parismartineau: honestly great breakup line https://twitter.com/...
@eevasita: (THREAD) I spoke on record about the darkest moments of my life because I felt that sharing my personal experiences will shed light on the abominable work culture at #OZY ...
Rémy Numa / @remynuma: @sarafischer Lasry's first job out of college was in bankruptcy law... certainly feels like relevant expertise to me.
Tonya Riley / @tonyajoriley: This is why this generation of media is so utterly broken and disillusioned https://www.cnn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@eevasita: Thank you @kerrymflynn for capturing our stories and to my former colleagues for empowering me to tell mine.
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: Theranos of media (ok, sure, nobody was going to die. and no wolf dog, yet.) https://twitter.com/...
Jemima McEvoy / Forbes: Ozy Media Chairman Marc Lasry Resigns Amid Mounting Scandal
Kate Bartlett / @bartlettkate: What a year. In December I lost my job as DPA's Africa correspondent when the wire closed down the English language service. I was pleased to get a job quite quickly, joining OZY in March and excited to transition to digital and work for a minority-owned US Media company. 1/2
Leia Idliby / Mediaite: Ozy Media Chairman Marc Lasry Resigns as Firm Faces Accusations of Misconduct and Fraud
@nick4iezos: Kate is a great writer and journalist, and an even better person. Complete joy to work with, anyone would be lucky to have her. https://twitter.com/...
@nick4iezos: God bless @eevasita for telling her story (and @kerrymflynn for writing it). Sadly, while it was one of the most egregious cases, situations like this one were all too common. https://www.cnn.com/...
John S. Nash / @heynottheface: “[I was] trying not to lose my mind and avoiding the blast zone of Carlos' frequently expressed ire,” Robinson told CNN Business. “While the outside world he faced saw glib and charming, those who had to work with him saw a very different face.” https://cnn.com/...
Elizabeth Lopatto / @mslopatto: huge week for ozy fulfilling its mission (the mighty looking on its works and despairing) https://twitter.com/...
Eferighe / @jman23j: This was my life for 1.5 years. Still recovering. Still finding myself. Former Ozy staffers say it was like a ‘cult’ that used people up - CNN https://www.cnn.com/...
David M. Perry / @lollardfish: again, I had a positive experience in my one interaction with Ozy, but ... this is crap. https://twitter.com/...
Gautham Nagesh / @gnagesh: So apparently Samir Rao of Ozy doesn't just impersonate Google execs; he also pretended to be in HR in order to gain access to an employee's medical records(!) https://www.google.com/...
Rob Price / @robaeprice: just totally normal c-suite behaviour https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Axios:
Ozy Media chairman Marc Lasry resigns and steps down from Ozy's board, saying he lacks expertise in crisis management and investigations; he remains an investor — Marc Lasry, the billionaire businessman and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, said in a statement provided that he has stepped down from Ozy Media's board.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @schwartzbcnbc, @craigsilverman, @retheauditors, @danprimack, @russellbrandom, @schwartzbcnbc, Variety, @danprimack, @rjcc, @mslopatto, @jeffjarvis, @katierosman, @janinegibson, @blackamazon, CNBC, @nycsouthpaw, The Hill, midrange.tedium.co, Hollywood Reporter, @willsommer and TechCrunch
Discussion:
Brian Schwartz / @schwartzbcnbc: Scoop: Carlos Watson, the CEO of OzyMedia,came on CNBC in 2019 to claim that Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne were investors into his company after a year-long legal battle. He said they were friends. Sharon Osbourne tells me none of that is true https://www.cnbc.com/...
Craig Silverman / @craigsilverman: This is significant — it was not long ago that Lasry was trotted out to press as being totally personally and financially committed to Ozy. He could easily appoint a board committee and hire experts to help with these issues. Instead, he walked. https://twitter.com/...
Francine McKenna / @retheauditors: @benyt Ha. “Ozy requires experience digging out of a pile of sh*t instead of just shoveling it and I don't have that temperament or skill set.”
Dan Primack / @danprimack: Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry steps down from Ozy Media's board following scandal https://www.axios.com/...
Russell Brandom / @russellbrandom: “My experience is mostly in sowing, so it's better if someone else takes over the reaping” https://twitter.com/...
Brian Schwartz / @schwartzbcnbc: NEW: Osbourne said that while they were in a legal fight with OzyMedia Watson attempted to intimidate her over the phone and then once tried to offer her shares of the company. She was not interested. NEW details of their legal settlement with OzyMedia 👇 https://www.cnbc.com/...
Michael Schneider / Variety: Ozy Media Chairman Marc Lasry Resigns, as Company Faces More Scrutiny
Dan Primack / @danprimack: More on Ozy: Lasry is off the board. Axel Springer says it no longer has a board seat. @laurenepowell left the board too. From what I can tell, the only *possible* outside director is GSV Ventures' Michael Moe.
Richard Lawler / @rjcc: @russellbrandom Lasry's actually rich from other stuff, I think he just liked being able to tell people he was a media mogul and had no idea what they did there
Elizabeth Lopatto / @mslopatto: you should have heard the noise I made when @dcseifert showed this to me https://www.cnbc.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Congratulations to @benyt for harpooning his Tronc, his white whale, his Moby — nay, Ozy — Dick. https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: Lord , we need to have ways to do these that don't rely on leaks alone https://twitter.com/...
Steve Kovach / CNBC: Marc Lasry resigns as chair of Ozy Media after 3 weeks, following reports of alleged misconduct at firm
Ernie Smith / midrange.tedium.co: More Thoughts on Ozy 🗞 — The problem with Ozy is that it existed to raise up one man's career …
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter: Ozy Media Chairman Marc Lasry Resigns
Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Sharon Osbourne says Carlos Watson lied in a 2019 TV interview when he said Ozzy and Sharon invested in Ozy Media, after the Osbournes settled a trademark suit — - Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson boasted on CNBC in 2019 that Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne had invested in his company.
Discussion:
@davidfolkenflik, @dougheye, @dcseifert, @parismartineau, @jeffihaza, @levynews, @thedextriarchy, @jenn_elias and @mattrosoff
Discussion:
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: @schwartzbCNBC now reports Watson wrongly told cnbc viewers Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne had become investors. https://www.cnbc.com/... Media outlets are generally built on a foundation of credibility. Doesn't work when that unravels. My talk from last night: https://www.npr.org/...
Doug Heye / @dougheye: Sharon Osbourne nails what everyone who had been anywhere near Ozy asked themselves, “What do you do?” https://twitter.com/...
Dan Seifert / @dcseifert: i'm SCREAMING this is the best Ozy media story this even beats the guy pretending to be the owner of youtube in the investor call https://www.cnbc.com/...
Paris Martineau / @parismartineau: inject this into my veins https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Ihaza / @jeffihaza: Seems weird that no one at CNBC looked into this for **two years** despite someone telling a flat out lie on live TV https://www.cnbc.com/...?
Ari Levy / @levynews: Was only a matter of time before the Ozy Osbourne jokes were no longer ... jokes https://www.cnbc.com/...
Adi Robertson / @thedextriarchy: @dcseifert @TonyRomm well, it wasn't a conference call but i got pretty close https://www.cnbc.com/...
Jennifer Elias / @jenn_elias: “This guy is the biggest shyster I have ever seen in my life,” Osbourne said, referring to Watson. 🥴 https://www.cnbc.com/...
Matt Rosoff / @mattrosoff: Ozy meets Ozzy: https://www.cnbc.com/...
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Ford, Airbnb, Goldman Sachs, and Target are among advertisers that froze their ad campaigns with Ozy Media
Discussion:
Evan McMurry / @evanmcmurry: The upshot of @benyt's piece was it was likely few real readers were seeing these ads to begin with. https://www.wsj.com/...
Danny Gold / @dgisserious: the fact that they even had major advertising campaigns that generated $5 million in revenue...how are any businesses still in existence https://twitter.com/...
Lara O'Reilly / Insider: Ozy draws advertiser scrutiny
New York Times:
Katty Kay, a former BBC anchor who recently joined Ozy, resigns, citing NYT's reporting on the company
Discussion:
@kattykay_, The Rebooting, @chomskybartlett, @dudejohan, @iwriteok, @bmorrissey, @benyt, @dceiver, @kantrowitz, @film_girl, @heoj, @stephenfhayes, @ckrewson, @jeffjarvis, @nprinskeep, @katie_robertson, @bmorrissey, @nick4iezos, @nick4iezos, @sonia_26, @sonia_26, @danielpmalloy, @danielpmalloy, @rolandsmartin, @joenbc, @benlabolt, @cliffordlevy, @willoremus, @jackmirkinson, @bbcjonsopel, @daveweigel, @silviakillings, @jimwaterson, @gregorynyc, @edwardgluce, @keitholbermann, @biannagolodryga, @mikebarnicle, @brianstelter, Digiday, @benyt, Vanity Fair, Ad Age, @dudejohan, @bariweiss, Mediaite and The Wrap
Discussion:
Katty Kay / @kattykay_: Yesterday morning I handed in my resignation to Ozy Media. I was looking forward to working with the talented young reporters but I did not expect this! https://twitter.com/...
Brian Morrissey / The Rebooting: The media business has a bigger Ozy problem
Susan Bartlett / @chomskybartlett: @KattyKay_ My daughter has worked for them for 7 months doing 12 hour days and resigned yesterday. She doesnt have your profile unfortunately and so begins a lengthy and depressing job hunt. Whilst the media pile in on the CEO and COO spare a thought for the hardworking journos
Johan Moreno / @dudejohan: I just wanted to amplify this tweet — from what I've heard, tons of @OZY staffers are genuinely talented people who were sold into a lie — and worked under unfavorable conditions. Many working overtime without pay. And almost all are under very strict NDAs... https://twitter.com/...
Robert Evans / @iwriteok: the funniest thing about Ozy is how the co-founder bragged that our times were so tumultuous that the people NEED an interviewer like Carlos Watson to bring them the fresh, world-changing perspective of people like *checks notes* ...Condoleezza Rice https://twitter.com/...
Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: The reason the Ozy story has resonated so much with “media people” is the details are cartoonish versions of the vacuousness and dishonesty regularly peddled as a normal course of business. https://therebooting.substack.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: A&E had taped a mental health special, co-produced with Ozy, and hosted by Carlos Watson. The pulled it soon before it was to air Monday night. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jason Linkins / @dceiver: since I stopped watching the Sunday shows I sort of lost track of Katty Kay but I learned today she was working for Ozy, which is still 20,000 leagues better than being on a Sunday show; anyway, cancel MEET THE PRESS https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: “Underpinning all of this is the fuel of digital media: the expectation to show hockey-stick growth. But publishing doesn't work like that. Building sustainable brands, built on trust and habit, takes a long time.” https://therebooting.substack.com/ ...
Christina Warren / @film_girl: Kudos to Katty on her integrity here. https://twitter.com/...
Holly Ojalvo / @heoj: 🧵 notable for news hiring managers who may see reporter & editor applicants who have Ozy on their resumes (the separation we all prize between newsroom & business side applies) https://twitter.com/...
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: Is anyone else weirded out how much of Ozy's content is really about Carlos Watson https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: At Ozy Media, a Star Journalist (Katty Kay) Quits, and a Key Investor Backs Away https://www.nytimes.com/...
Steve Inskeep / @nprinskeep: The speed of this implosion after the @benyt story is striking. https://twitter.com/...
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: New from @benyt and me: A&E canceled the second part of a series on mental health hosted by Ozy Media's Carlos Watson as the fallout continues https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: New edition of The Rebooting is about how Ozy is an inevitable result of the media industry's high tolerance for complete bullshit at every possible level. https://therebooting.substack.com/ ...
@nick4iezos: There are too many people and pieces to mention. OZY was plagued by unethical leadership, yet somehow its staff produced meaningful journalism from across the globe, about people and places many outlets glossed over. I am incredibly grateful for my colleagues' work under duress.
@nick4iezos: OZY should cease to exist. But the journalism — by some of the smartest, most ethical, hardworking reporters I've met under intense pressure — should live on. Here is some of it, in case you aren't one of the thousands of people (or millions of bots) that read us.
Sonia Sarkar / @sonia_26: Having filed almost 8 stories for @ozy - from India, Vietnam and Singapore- and having worked with its many editors including @CharuKasturi & @DanielPMalloy, I can say, this platform gave solid space to reporters who had a convincing story to tell. https://twitter.com/...
Sonia Sarkar / @sonia_26: I wish the best to all editors and reporters working there and I sincerely feel that their reputation should not be tarnished because of this one controversy.
Daniel Malloy / @danielpmalloy: I hope the journo world embraces the reporters and editors who pulled off this strong work the same way it has others who have been part of mismanaged or now-defunct newsrooms. The work was real, even if trendy media types didn't see it in the moment.
Daniel Malloy / @danielpmalloy: I am trying to stay out of the @ozy fray this week but just want to say that regardless of some decisions at the top, the journalism pulled off there was real, and often good. (1/7)
@rolandsmartin: Wow. @KattyKay_ resigns from @carloswatson's @ozy. This is huge. Guess what's next? Advertising agencies demanding an independent forensic audit of all of their platform numbers. They spent a ton of dough with @Ozy. I guarantee there is major blowback at ad agencies from clients. https://twitter.com/...
Joe Scarborough / @joenbc: Katty, Mika and I are proud to be your friends. Your work at the @BBC and building The Confidence Code for women and girls has been inspiring to watch. We hope to see you much more on MJ! @KattyKay_ https://twitter.com/...
Ben LaBolt / @benlabolt: Good for Katty, who is as smart and experienced as they come, and who didn't deserve this craziness https://twitter.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: NEW: Embattled digital media company Ozy lost one of its biggest stars when Katty Kay, former BBC anchor, announced her resignation. “The allegations in the NYT, which caught me be surprise, are serious and deeply troubling.” By @katie_robertson https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jack Mirkinson / @jackmirkinson: love the irony of resigning from an imploding digital scam company by posting a picture of a printed out statement https://twitter.com/...
Jon Sopel / @bbcjonsopel: A predictably classy and principled response from you @KattyKay_ The allegations are beyond crazy. But - if I may say - your integrity shines even brighter https://twitter.com/...
Dave Weigel / @daveweigel: Watching this sweater unravel after @benyt pulled a few threads is amazing https://twitter.com/...
Silvia Killingsworth / @silviakillings: phone pic of a printout is a brave new genre and I'm here for it https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Ooooofph, longstanding BBC correspondent Katty Kay quit this summer to join Ozy. Now has quit. https://twitter.com/...
Gregory Schmidt / @gregorynyc: BREAKING: Katty Kay, one of Ozy Media's biggest stars, resigned from the company after a Times report raised questions about its business practices, reports @katie_robertson. https://www.nytimes.com/... @nytimesbusiness
Edward Luce / @edwardgluce: More bad news for Ozy but good decision by Katty, who will have no trouble finding a better outlet for her talents. https://twitter.com/...
Keith Olbermann / @keitholbermann: The most gullible person in international media just found out she did another gullible https://twitter.com/...
Bianna Golodryga / @biannagolodryga: You're a class act and incredible journalist, @KattyKay_. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Barnicle / @mikebarnicle: It would be hard for any legit media outlet to find anyone with more experience, a smarter, more current-outlook or a more insightful global perspective than @KattyKay_ https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “I had no choice but to end my relationship with the company” 👇🏼 https://twitter.com/...
Caleb Ecarma / Vanity Fair: Ozy's Digital Media Meltdown Is Just Getting Started
Johan Moreno / @dudejohan: I've been tracking @ozy's questionable ad claims for YEARS! Here are my favorites: 1/ When this magazine-style ad supplement said @DEADLINE wrote that he was the “Best Interviewer on TV.” This was actually a quote from Ozy co-founder Samir Rao > https://deadline.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: This is so delicious. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rudy Takala / Mediaite: MSNBC Contributor Katty Kay Resigns From Ozy Over ‘Deeply Troubling’ Allegations Against Fledgling Media Company
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Katty Kay Resigns as Ozy Media Exec Producer Following NY Times Exposé
Axios:
Sources: in an extremely rare move, SV Angel, led by VC Ron Conway, informed Ozy that it will give up stock acquired in 2012
Discussion:
@gerryfsmith, Bloomberg, @danprimack, CNN, @markgongloff, @crayton_h, @glenrdixon, New York Magazine, @haleaziz, @jayrosen_nyu, The Wrap, @sonnybunch, @jayrosen_nyu, @pebonilla, @robaeprice, @brienneofsnark_, @danprimack, @danprimack, @kevinmdraper, @davidcorndc, @charlesarthur, @jimvandehei, @mccarthyryanj, @jaredbkeller, @sarafischer, @alexweprin, @lawrencehurley, @fka_tabs, @mimms, Today in Tabs, @brizzyc, @justinjm1, @readdanwrite, @hanaatameez, @dataeditor and The Hill
Discussion:
Gerry Smith / @gerryfsmith: Ozy Media employees felt pressure from management to accept stock options instead of higher salaries. They describe a workplace culture of long hours and unrealistic demands that left them vulnerable to burnout. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Dan Primack / @danprimack: NEW from me and @sarafischer: One of OZY Media's earliest investors, Ron Conway, has surrendered his shares in the company. This is VERY rare in venture capital land. https://www.axios.com/...
Mark Gongloff / @markgongloff: OZY struggles to understand why its overworked employees don't want stock options instead of actual money - @gerryfsmith and @ClaraMolot https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Crayton Harrison / @crayton_h: “You can't buy gas or groceries with stock options.” Former Ozy employees felt pressure to forgo cash raises. Now they can't figure out how much their options are worth, @gerryfsmith & Clara Molot report. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Glen Dixon / @glenrdixon: What OZY is saying: Nothing. At least not to Axios. OZY co-founder and CEO Carlos Watson did set up a call with us for yesterday morning, and said that chairman Marc Lasry would also participate. But the scheduled time came and went, and our follow-up messages went unanswered. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Stieb / New York Magazine: Look Upon Ozy's Mess and Despair
Hamed Aleaziz / @haleaziz: “Ozy's reporters were expected to produce three to four in-depth features each week, a pace that many said they found to be unsustainable.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Meltdown: Led by venture capitalist Ron Conway, SV Angel told OZY yesterday that it no longer wants the stock it acquired back in 2012. “It is extremely rare for a VC firm to surrender shares; a rebuke several levels above choosing not to invest further.” https://www.axios.com/...
Sonny Bunch / @sonnybunch: Imagine fucking up so bad one of your investors is just like “you know what, not only do I not want to invest, I don't even want the stock I already paid for, just take it back.” https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “Press releases noting how amazingly successful it is, how it has a quintillion viewers an hour [and] the creeping realization that you've never actually come across any Ozy content online, shared by anyone you know, ever.” https://www.niemanlab.org/... My interest in this story is 11.
Peter Bonilla / @pebonilla: I've said it before and I'll say it again: getting fact-checked by @mcmoynihan is a bad way to go through life https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Rob Price / @robaeprice: Scandal-hit OZY promised to explain things to Axios in an interview... and then just ghosted them. https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@brienneofsnark_: One of the funniest things I have read about how a company defines a subscriber. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Primack / @danprimack: 4/ There was no press release or public statement, which wasn't in keeping w/ OZY or Carlos' past strategy for fundings. 5/ One investor says they got info in May that a round was in process, but didn't get an update. 6/ No VC firm reported to PitchBook or other data provider.
Dan Primack / @danprimack: Reporters keep chasing details on the “new” OZY round. What we know: 1/ There's no Form D filing. 2/ Several passive investors tell me they weren't informed of it, or given opportunity to invest. 3/ OZY got a 2nd draw PPP loan in Feb, around when the GS thing was collapsing.
Kevin Draper / @kevinmdraper: Good reporting by Axios on Ozy here, but wonder what they think about all these past Axios headlines: https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
David Corn / @davidcorndc: I'm sick & tired of magical thinking in the media world. There's no secret formula for journalism. No special sauce for VCers to throw money at. It ain't a mystery: It takes grit/hard work to get kickass stories. Did Ozy do that? Was that its sales pitch? https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: I think Ozy may quickly turn into a “gradually and then suddenly” scenario., https://twitter.com/...
Ryan McCarthy / @mccarthyryanj: Not sure I've ever seen an investor just straight up say they no longer want the shares they paid for https://www.axios.com/...
Jared Keller / @jaredbkeller: Ozy's public firestorm gets worse as early investor jumps ship https://www.axios.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: As a side note, OZY was recruiting for a new COO last fall, per a pitch-deck obtained by Axios. No word on what happened with that process. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: Ok here's my contribution to the Ozy Media chatter: At some point in the last year and a half, it appears as though the company raised a significant amount of debt financing, at an eye-watering 12.8% interest rate. Debt comes due in 2023. See page 43: https://www.sec.gov/...
Lawrence Hurley / @lawrencehurley: LOL — Ozy claims to have discovered *Brett Kavanaugh* because it had a profile of him a few days before he was nominated to the Supreme Court even though he bad been a prominent appeals court judge for more than a decade before that and had been written about thousands of times https://twitter.com/...
@fka_tabs: This article is great and very well sourced and supported, but @jbenton you should really just cut the one line you have no evidence of https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Mimms / @mimms: Every sentence in this is more gasp worthy than the last Ozy says it's great at discovering big names before the mainstream media. But is it? https://www.niemanlab.org/... via @NiemanLab
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: America Never Had a Core
Carrie Brown / @brizzyc: “this site here, Nieman Lab, gets significantly more traffic than Ozy does. Now, I happen to like this website very much, but if you told me it might be a business worth $159 million I would laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh and laugh.” - @jbenton https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Justin Miller / @justinjm1: OZY made up favorable quotes from other media outlets, such as Time Out NY, Deadline, and the Los Angeles Times https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Daniel Roberts / @readdanwrite: I had a very similar experience with Ozy years ago. they reached out about a sports editor role. but none of the people running it could answer any of my Qs about strategy or the site's most successful posts— beyond repeatedly citing a viral chocolate chip cookies recipe post. https://twitter.com/...
@hanaatameez: “The problem with all of this is that, if Ozy's audience numbers are sketchy, what it has to fall back on is its journalism. And, to a rough approximation, no one reads their journalism.” I hope I never get read for filth by @jbenton🙃 https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Steven Rich / @dataeditor: it should embarrass all the folks who just parroted every ozy press release without doing an iota of checking on simply outlandish claims https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Journalist Katty Kay resigns from Ozy Media in fallout from NYT story
Tony Arnold / WBEZ Chicago:
Chicago Public Media names Matt Moog as new CEO, as its board votes to pursue an acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times — URL Copied! — In an unprecedented maneuver to try and “secure the future” of one Chicago's two daily newspapers, Chicago Public Media's board of directors voted Wednesday …
Discussion:
Robert Feder, @lenfestinst, Chicago Business, Columbia Journalism Review, Chicago Sun-Times, What Works, @ckrewson, @michaelsobrien, New York Times, Nieman Lab, @chicagoel, @scribeguy, @danielkayhertz, @fuscochris, @mukhtaryare, @beckycarroll7, @justinkaufmann, @timakimoff, @markjacob16, @imleor, @lenfestinst, @newsjennifer, @lenfestinst, @royalpratt, @jimfriedlich, @vwpickard, Three Things, American Press Institute, The Hill, @palewire, Current, insideradio.com, @dicktofel, Editor and Publisher and Robert Feder
Discussion:
Lenfest Institute / @lenfestinst: The merger is a win for @chicagosuntimes, @WBEZ, and, most importantly, the people of Chicago, who will benefit from unparalleled public-service journalism. The Lenfest Institute was proud to serve as an advisor and support this important step. https://twitter.com/...
Ally Marotti / Chicago Business: WBEZ board OKs Sun-Times acquisition plan
Jon Seidel / Chicago Sun-Times: Sun-Times, WBEZ parent company to explore historic partnership to create country's largest local nonprofit news service
Dan Kennedy / What Works: In Chicago, public radio steps up to fill the gap created by hedge-fund ownership
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: The Chicago Sun-Times, post-bankruptcy, was losing $4.5M per year in May 2017. It later sold to local investors for $1... three years before Covid took roughly a quarter of most newspapers' circulation. “This isn't a fire sale,” though. https://www.wbez.org/...
Michael O'Brien / @michaelsobrien: Big news at the workplace. Maybe we can get No Shot Clock a 6 am Saturday morning radio slot or something? Fun times. I think this is owner number seven for me, but kinda lost count. https://chicago.suntimes.com/ ...
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab: Chicago Public Media is exploring a deal to acquire the Chicago Sun-Times
Elliott Ramos / @chicagoel: I really hope details of how content sharing and workflows get ironed out soon for both newsrooms' sake. Each create unique and vital content. The pre-Zell era of Tribune “synergy” was supposed to share content for Trib, WGN, others. https://www.wbez.org/...
Michael Hawthorne / @scribeguy: What a remarkable turn of events. These same foundations/financiers rejected pleas to save the @chicagotribune from a job-destroying hedge fund. https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Kay Hertz / @danielkayhertz: Whoa. Are there other instances of public radio entity taking over a daily newspaper? https://twitter.com/...
Chris Fusco / @fuscochris: The Bright One. The Hardest-Working Paper in America. And a new one: Chicago's Brawny Tabloid. Regardless it's @suntimes. And it's good to see so many people in America paying attention to its potential deal with the parent company of @WBEZ https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mukhtar M. Ibrahim / @mukhtaryare: The two brands would “create one of the largest local nonprofit news organizations in the nation and be a national model for the future of local journalism.” https://twitter.com/...
Becky Carroll / @beckycarroll7: As a lifelong Chicagoan who happily grew up in a two newspaper town and now works daily with every news outlet in Chicago, I'd say this is the best damn news that Chicago journalism has had in a long time. Bravo @Suntimes and @WBEZ https://www.wbez.org/...
Justin Kaufmann / @justinkaufmann: The best merger news since they put KFC and Taco Bell together under one roof. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Akimoff / @timakimoff: Today in shit I could've never possibly imagined. WBEZ was my old stomping grounds for a few years. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Jacob / @markjacob16: One of my first questions about this proposed deal to make WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times sister news orgs is whether the Sun-Times will reduce print frequency. Seems to me that has to be considered. https://www.wbez.org/...
Leor Galil / @imleor: Not the top news story here, but it's interesting that the former Trib editorial board editor, who once wrote a column wishing for an epic hurricane to hit Chicago, is now VP of a PR company whose clients have included Live Nation and Lolla https://www.robertfeder.com/ ...
Lenfest Institute / @lenfestinst: @JimFriedlich says the Institute's non-profit status has been a helpful model, and that the deal can serve as an example for other public media and local newspapers to follow. https://www.wbez.org/...
Jennifer Schulze / @newsjennifer: Hoping this @WBEZ takeover not only helps keep the @Suntimes afloat but also inspires it to continue working on diversity. As others have pointed out, white men still make most of the editorial decisions there while WBEZ has a team that better represents the city it covers. https://twitter.com/...
Lenfest Institute / @lenfestinst: “(Chicago's) news capacity has been ravaged over the years by out-of-town hedge fund owners, the secular decline of print, and a failure to invest in the digital transformation of local news products,” said @JimFriedlich. https://www.wbez.org/...
Gregory Pratt / @royalpratt: Media consolidation is always a concern — we need more journalism, not less. Whatever happens between @WBEZ and @Suntimes, I hope both entities have long, vibrant futures, whether it's in some form together or not https://chicago.suntimes.com/ ...
Jim Friedlich / @jimfriedlich: GREAT NEWS FOR LOCAL NEWS: On the heels of sharp cutbacks at @chicagotribune, today's @Suntimes @wbez announcement is wonderful news & a model for other public media and local newspapers to emulate. https://twitter.com/...
Victor Pickard / @vwpickard: Another intriguing public media/local newspaper partnership. Will hopefully see more of these happen. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Eby / Three Things: Three Things for September 30, 2021
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Media exploring merger as nonprofit
Ben Welsh / @palewire: Reporting here suggests MacArthur and Pritzer foundations provided some kind of cash bail out to seal the deal. https://twitter.com/...
Richard Tofel / @dicktofel: Fascinating development out of Chicago (and h/t to @RobertFeder on the scoop) Can't imagine @WBEZ agreeing to absorb future print losses, so wonder if @Suntimes might go all digital? https://www.wbez.org/...
Ally Marotti / Editor and Publisher: WBEZ board OKs Sun-Times acquisition plan
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Scarlett Johansson and Disney settle the lawsuit over her pay for Black Widow, released on Disney+ at the same time as in theaters; source: deal is worth $40M+ — (Updated with more details) Just days after the first court hearing in Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow profits mega-bite lawsuit …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, CNET, ScreenRant, SlashFilm, The Wrap, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, E! Online, @johncampea, Gizmodo, The Verge, TVLine, @patrickadougall, @filmupdates and @chris_notcapn
Discussion:
Steven Musil / CNET: Scarlett Johansson, Disney settle Black Widow lawsuit
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap: Scarlett Johansson Settles ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit With Disney
Anthony Breznican / Vanity Fair: Scarlett Johansson Ends Black Widow Lawsuit Against Disney
Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone: Scarlett Johansson, Disney Settle ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit
Corinne Heller / E! Online: Scarlett Johansson's Lawyer Slams Disney After Company Seeks to Push Lawsuit to Private Arbitration
John Campea / @johncampea: Bob Chapek's humiliating defeat also happens to be the first smart thing he's done since becoming CEO at Disney. https://variety.com/...
Cheryl Eddy / Gizmodo: The Black Widow Lawsuit Between Scarlett Johansson and Disney Has Been Settled... in Private
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: Disney and Scarlett Johansson have settled their lawsuit
Matt Webb Mitovich / TVLine: Scarlett Johansson, Disney Settle Breach of Contract Lawsuit Over Disney+ Release of Black Widow
Patrick Dougall / @patrickadougall: Looks like Disney finally just paid her off! Good for her... https://twitter.com/...
Aislinn Keely / The Block:
TikTok launches Top Moments, an NFT collection featuring six “culturally significant TikTok videos” from creators including Lil Nas X — TikTok is launching a non-fungible token (NFT) collection that will see its top content creators partner with top NFT creators.
Discussion:
TikTok, Variety, The Verge, GeekWire, The A.V. Club, @larakate, @carnage4life, Decrypt, TechCrunch, @blackamazon, @chipzel, Tubefilter, Bloomberg, @nbtjacklyn, @rrhoover, Rolling Stone, @rtfktstudios, Ad Age, @jowyang, CoinDesk, Adweek and @producthunt, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Todd Spangler / Variety: Lil Nas X Will Be First Artist to Drop Official TikTok NFTs
Ian Carlos Campbell / The Verge: Lil Nas X, Bella Poarch, Grimes, and more are releasing TikTok NFTs
Kurt Schlosser / GeekWire: Seattle cutout artist Rudy Willingham teaming with singer Lil Nas X for TikTok's first foray into NFTs
Sam Barsanti / The A.V. Club: NFTs are still a thing, and Lil Nas X is getting one of the first official ones from TikTok
Lara Cohen / @larakate: This WHOLE space is going to be fascinating to watch. New revenue streams for artists, new ways for fans to connect w the stars they love AND a new way of intro-ing mainstream consumers to the future of tech https://variety.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: TikTok is going to start selling NFTs of popular videos on @Immutable. It's interesting the tack various apps are taking. Twitter will verify ownership of NFT pfps. TikTok will sell videos as NFTs. As I've said before NFTs are here to stay. https://variety.com/...
Andrew Hayward / Decrypt: TikTok to Release Ethereum NFTs With Lil Nas X, Gary Vee, Grimes
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch: TikTok starts flirting with NFTs
Geoff Weiss / Tubefilter: TikTok Dropping First Official NFT Collection With Lil Nas X, Bella Poarch, Brittany Broski
Luke McGrath / Bloomberg: TikTok Wades Into NFTs With Lil Nas X Headlining Collection
Jacklyn / @nbtjacklyn: lil Nas seems to have an incredible understanding of the Internet and how to harness attention https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Hoover / @rrhoover: TikTok is dabbling with NFTs: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/ ... Will they go as far as turning every video into an NFT? Should they?
Samantha Hissong / Rolling Stone: Lil Nas X Wants You... To Own the Next Viral TikTok Moment
RTFKT Studios / @rtfktstudios: We are doing a collab with @tiktok_us 👌. What could it be? https://newsroom.tiktok.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Garett Sloane / Ad Age: TikTok explores NFTs as new way to compensate creators
Jeremiah Owyang / @jowyang: Every social network will launch, house, and offer an exchange for NFTs. Here comes TikTok https://newsroom.tiktok.com/ ...
Will Gottsegen / CoinDesk: Lil Nas X, Grimes Featured in TikTok NFT Collection
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian / Axios:
LinkedIn blocks the profiles of several US journalists on its Chinese platform, citing “prohibited content” without specifying what it was — LinkedIn blocked the profiles of several U.S. journalists from the company's China-based platform this week, citing “prohibited content.”
Discussion:
@bethanyallenebr, @repjimbanks, @rlheinrichs, @yair_rosenberg, @ewong, @elson_tong, @logan_ratick, @sanverde, @danielkorski, @aymanm, @bethanyallenebr, @hotlinejosh, @axios, @davidafrench, @votemarsha, @prchovanec, @kasparov63, @rlheinrichs, National Review, @jonathanvswan, @bethanyallenebr, @bethanyallenebr, @tanyalokot, @niccijsmith, @film_girl, Editor and Publisher and Insider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: I woke up this morning to discover that LinkedIn had blocked my profile in China. I used to have to wait for Chinese govt censors, or censors employed by Chinese companies in China, to do this kind of thing. Now a US company is paying its own employees to censor Americans. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Banks / @repjimbanks: I sent a letter to @LinkedIn about this last week. Waiting to hear back... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rebeccah Heinrichs / @rlheinrichs: The PRC squeezed Microsoft's LinkedIn and it worked. https://www.axios.com/...
Yair Rosenberg / @yair_rosenberg: This is obscene. @LinkedIn, a US company, is censoring a US journalist and her ability to reach Chinese readers at the bidding of China's censorious regime. @BethanyAllenEbr's reporting is essential, and I hope this backfires and draws even more attention to her work. https://twitter.com/...
Edward Wong / @ewong: This thread raises the persistent issue of American media / internet companies bowing to censorship pressures from China. Meanwhile, Chinese intel agencies have been using LinkedIn to try to recruit assets “on a mass scale,” as one US official said: https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Elson Tong / @elson_tong: One of the most lucid threads - considering the incentives and lack of deterrence of acting in Beijing's interests against US citizens, LinkedIn is acting 100% rationally here https://twitter.com/...
RF Parsley / @sanverde: This has been happening for the better part of a decade. Glad everyone's finally getting caught up about now~ https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Korski / @danielkorski: Is there value in requiring companies to be up-front and open when you sign up to their services and continuously about which jurisdictions they only offer a partial or government-mandated service? A sort of ‘Values of Use’ rather than only a Terms of Use. https://twitter.com/...
Ayman / @aymanm: Absolutely incredible. The censorship by internet companies to placate governments - in this case China - continues. https://twitter.com/...
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: But LinkedIn went through a thorough “rectification” earlier this year, after Chinese authorities decided its censorship was too lax. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Josh Kraushaar / @hotlinejosh: Wake up and smell the coffee. The influence that Communist China is holding over American corporations is only deepening. https://twitter.com/...
@axios: LinkedIn is one of the only large American social media platforms to agree to the Chinese government's demands to censor content, and is tasking its own employees with restricting what users in China can see. https://www.axios.com/...
David French / @davidafrench: Inexcusable. One of the great strategic and moral tasks of the next decade will be disentangling corporate America from dependence on Chinese markets. If corporations are concerned about morality, the monstrousness of the Chinese communist regime should awaken their consciences. https://twitter.com/...
Marsha Blackburn / @votemarsha: Make no mistake: Big Tech cares more about appeasing Communist China than Americans' free speech. https://www.axios.com/...
Patrick Chovanec / @prchovanec: Happening to a lot of people I know. https://twitter.com/...
Garry Kasparov / @kasparov63: More consequences of engagement with dictatorships, training US companies and employees how to censor to satisfy the Chinese Communist Party. Engagement doesn't liberalize authoritarians, it spreads corruption and totalitarianism the other way. https://twitter.com/...
Rebeccah Heinrichs / @rlheinrichs: Well this is awful and- if there is any bipartisan agreement to be found!- there shld be bipartisan condemnation of this https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Evans / National Review: LinkedIn Blocks American Journalists' Accounts in China, Citing ‘Prohibited Content’
Jonathan Swan / @jonathanvswan: US company LinkedIn now works as a censor on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, blocking my Axios colleague's profile because of her critical reporting on the CCP. You should follow Bethany. She is a diligent, ethical reporter and we are lucky to have her at Axios. https://twitter.com/...
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: The first public example of LinkedIn censoring a profile in China, that I'm aware of anyway, was Zhou Fengsuo's profile in 2019. The resulting media outcry resulted in his profile being almost immediately reinstated. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ...
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: A few months later, LinkedIn starting prolifically blocking the profiles of researchers, academics, and journalists with “prohibited” content (LinkedIn's own term). https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Tanya Lokot / @tanyalokot: More fascinating adventures in corporate responses to internet sovereignty and online censorship. Lots of great questions here that I've also been pondering re Google/Apple recent actions in Russia. https://twitter.com/...
Nicola Smith / @niccijsmith: “If LinkedIn's behavior is normalized, it sends a message to companies across the globe that it is business as usual to enforce Beijing's censorship demands globally,” PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said. @BethanyAllenEbr on LinkedIn's censorship in China https://twitter.com/...
Christina Warren / @film_girl: For not the first time, I have to ask, WTAF @LinkedIn?! This is grotesque. https://twitter.com/...
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian / Editor and Publisher: LinkedIn blocks U.S. journalists' profiles in China
Angelique Jackson / Variety:
Profile of Agnes Chu, president of Condé Nast's multimedia arm, Condé Nast Entertainment, who aims to transform the unit into a full-fledged production company — On the second Monday of September, just one week ahead of her one-year anniversary as president of Condé Nast Entertainment …
Discussion:
@kerrymflynn: Agnes Chu's senior leadership team is largely composed of women and people of color: “I'm not leaving it to other people to handle it.” Great profile by @angelique814 on the president of Condé Nast Entertainment https://variety.com/...
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
MyPillow ads return to Fox News after CEO Mike Lindell pulled them because the network blocked his ad for an event to “prove” the U.S. 2020 election was stolen — MyPillow, the direct-response sleep-support company led by entrepreneur Mike Lindell, has made a new bed for itself on Fox News Channel.
Discussion:
Alexa Corse / Wall Street Journal: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Expects Ads to Appear on Fox News Again
Katherine Huggins / Mediaite: MyPillow Ads Are Back on Fox News After a Messy Break-Up
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
Report: women make up 19.3% of sports media staff in the US and Canada, up from 17.9% last year, and POC make up 23.5%, up from 20% last year — For the sixth consecutive year, news organizations collectively received a failing grade for gender hiring practices in sports media.
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The dearth of coverage of the memo outlining how Pence could void the 2020 election points to the mainstream media's blasé attitude to the attempted coup — In a normal world, the “Eastman memo” would be infamous by now, the way “Access Hollywood” became the popular shorthand in 2016 …
Discussion:
@sulliview, @lisatozzi, @mattgertz, @jjohnsonlaw, @cappyvavoom, @mattgertz, @costareports, @mattgertz, @theplumlinegs, @mlcalderone, @jkavanagh, @donmoyn, @mollyjongfast, @kimmasters, @donmoyn, @donmoyn, @hillarywarnedus, @michaelkruse, @edbott, @froomkin, @daltonator, @owillis, CounterPunch and The Week
Discussion:
@sulliview: A Trump lawyer wrote an instruction manual for a coup. Most of the media yawned. ... My column on the John Eastman memo to Mike Pence https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Lisa Tozzi / @lisatozzi: Very good @Sulliview on how “blasé the mainstream press has become about the attempted coup in the aftermath of the 2020 election — and how easily a coup could succeed next time.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: “Why wasn't the Eastman memo treated as what it is: a flashing red alert, signaling that Trump's allies were (and almost certainly still are) plotting the end of free and fair elections in America?” - @Sulliview (feat. me) https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Janet Johnson / @jjohnsonlaw: In a normal world, the “Eastman memo” would be infamous by now, the way “Access Hollywood” became the popular shorthand in 2016 for the damning recording of Donald Trump's bragging about groping women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Dr. Cappy / @cappyvavoom: “Eastman's coup hasn't happened yet. But given the media's shrug-off, maybe all we have to do is wait.” https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: “Only cover the successful coups” is an interesting programming choice (and Pence reportedly considered it seriously enough to reach out to Quayle for advice). https://twitter.com/...
Robert Costa / @costareports: “A Trump lawyer wrote an instruction manual for a coup. Why haven't you seen it on the news?” @Sulliview on the Eastman memo, which is detailed in PERIL. Key thing our reporting shows: it was not just a memo. Eastman, Trump in Oval Jan. 4 w/ VP. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: Read our study here: https://www.mediamatters.org/ ...
Greg Sargent / @theplumlinegs: “A Trump lawyer wrote an instruction manual for a coup. Why haven't you seen it on the news?” Important from @Sulliview. These revelations show the need for Electoral Count Act reform. Media disinterest makes it less likely we'll act to protect ourselves: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Michael Calderone / @mlcalderone: Good @Sulliview piece on “how blasé the mainstream press has become about the attempted coup in the aftermath of the 2020 election — and how easily a coup could succeed next time.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jerry Kavanagh / @jkavanagh: The Eastman memo “offered Pence a detailed plan to declare the 2020 election invalid and give the presidency to Trump.” Not newsworthy, said the networks. “Eastman's coup hasn't happened yet. But given the media's shrug-off, maybe all we have to do is wait.” https://twitter.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: One possibility @Sulliview doesn't consider is whether more mundane media biases contributed: there was no juicy Trump tweet or new visuals of rioters to frame the story around. Maybe they just thought legal memo of an obscure lawyer was too boring. Gotta keep the coups exciting!
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: Why isn't the Eastman memo (where a trump lawyer who happens to be a member of the federalist society) plots a coup a bigger story????? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: The justifications for network execs for not covering the Eastman memo are amazing - and wrong: we know that Pence talked about the memo w his legal advisor and seemed torn about whether to pursue its advice in conversations w Quayle. Also, maybe, y'know, investigate the story. https://twitter.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: The idea that the President's lawyer pushed a blueprint to overturn an election is not considered news is a good sign that anti-democratic actions have been normalized https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@hillarywarnedus: “Immediately after the memo was revealed, there was no on-air news coverage - literally zero on the major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC & CBS. Not on the evening newscasts watched by more than 20M Americans, far greater than the audience for cable news.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Michael Kruse / @michaelkruse: “Trump and his ilk have flooded the zone with so many attacks on democracy that it's paradoxically become less likely for journalists to focus on any specific case,” @MattGertz tells @Sulliview. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Excellent. Also, familiar: https://presswatchers.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Rob needs sci-fi / @daltonator: I'm very curious as to why this very obviously planned coup attempt isn't all over the place. https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Willis / @owillis: “We didn't cover Mr Hitler's putsch because it didn't succeed, and honestly where's the story in an unsuccessful insurrection?” https://twitter.com/...
Mel Gurtov / CounterPunch: Donald J. Trump: Traitor
Damon Linker / The Week: An academic scuffle tests the limits of free debate
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