Mediagazer: Instagram ditches the IGTV brand and combines IGTV's long-form videos and Instagram Feed videos into a new Instagram Video format; Reels is unaffected (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

4:35 PM ET, October 5, 2021

Top News:

Ozy investor LifeLine sues the outlet, claiming it failed to disclose pertinent information in February, prior to LifeLine's $2M+ investment — A fund manager that invested more than $2 million in Ozy Media filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming that the company “engaged in fraudulent, deceptive and illegal conduct.”

Discussion: Insider, The Wrap, New York Times, @katie_robertson, New York Magazine, Deadline, @benyt, Axios, @pomeranian99, Bloomberg, @benyt, @danprimack, @danprimack, The Daily Beast, Poynter and Variety

Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:

Carlos Watson says Ozy Media is not shutting down after having “good conversations” with investors and advertisers and Friday's announcement was “premature” — - Ozy Media isn't shutting down, CEO and co-founder Carlos Watson told CNBC on Monday.

Discussion: @todayshow, @benyt, @sarafischer, Nieman Lab, New York Times, Axios, @digidave, @sarafischer, @brianstelter, @mccarthyryanj, MarketWatch, @alexweprin, Poynter, Los Angeles Times, Axios, MediaPost, @jason_kint, CNN, @craigsilverman, @film_girl, @jbarro, @noahshachtman, @sarafischer, @mathewi, @andrewpauljoyce, @maxwelltani, @_cingraham, @brianstelter, @chrislhayes, @kaidiekmann, @jeremymbarr, @neontaster, @benyt, @brianstelter, Defector, @joefav, @brianstelter, @sarafischer, @digitalshields, @sarafischer, @chronotope, @kerrymflynn, @marisakabas, @bmorrissey, @digitalshields, @craigsilverman, @sarafischer, @sarafischer, @jayrosen_nyu, @nycjim, @sherman4949, @phkeane, @alexweprin, @juddlegum, @danprimack, @sherman4949, @alexweprin, @alexyoung, @squawkcnbc, @tomgara, @goldietaylor, @cnbc, @millie, The Hollywood Reporter, @sarafischer, Ad Age, @brianstelter, Associated Press, Substack, Quartz, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, TVNewser, bookforum.com, The Daily Beast, Variety and Insider

Eugene S. Robinson / Look What You Made Me Do:
Ozy's former editor-at-large recalls Carlos Watson's abusive management style and says there was a white Ozy and a Black Ozy, where employees were treated worse

Discussion: @ismashfizzle, @paulwaldman1, @blakehounshell, @seamushughes, @matthaber, @rachelsklar, @razibkhan, @delecewrites, @mjrobbins, @kausmickey, @imgarysuarez, @byjoelanderson, @jdesmondharris, @isabelslone, @annamerlan and @brosandprose

Ben Smith / New York Times:
How the charm of Ozy's chief, Carlos Watson, helped persuade investors into putting millions toward a media dream before conducting sufficient due diligence

Discussion: New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, @craigsilverman, @justinjm1, Mediaite, @craigsilverman, @byjoelanderson, @youngsinick, The Wrap, @heerjeet, @benyt, @talkopan, @ketanj0, @benyt, @lyssaslounge, @rameeztase, @trungtphan, @craigsilverman, @jamesrbuk, @nkulw, TODAY.com, The Commercial Experience, insideradio.com, Today in Tabs, @sarafischer, @benyt, @rolandsmartin, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @reckless, @mattwelch, @jduffyrice, @jdesmondharris, @chrisecrowley, American Press Institute, @jeremymbarr, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, New York Magazine, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, @craigsilverman, YouTube, @jodyavirgan, @geedee215, @amlwhere, @gentlemanstimes, @lpolgreen, @daveweigel, @jeremymbarr, @felixsalmon, @jessicalessin, @donlday, @akbarth3great, @jswatz, @annehelen, @jswatz, @bendwalsh, @escarry, @sharonwaxman, @aymanm, @oliverdarcy, @sonnybunch, @davepell, @ccadelago, @vivian, @benyt, Newser, Boing Boing, @craigsilverman and Media Voices

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:

Twitter is shutting down Scroll in about 30 days, will roll the ad-free subscription web service into its Twitter Blue subscription as Ad-Free Articles — Scroll won't be available as an independent service anymore — Scroll's ad-free subscription web service is shutting down as an independent entity in …

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

In a deposition, Rudy Giuliani says OANN reporter Christina Bobb, who also volunteered for the Trump legal team, had to run any stories she had by the campaign — The ex-New York City mayor said in a deposition that Christina Bobb, who volunteered for the Trump legal team after the election, had to run her stories by the campaign.

Discussion: Mediaite, @dangillmor, @mattsheffield and @joshuahol

Defector:

In annual report, Defector says 80%+ of subscribers are on annual plans, of which ~85% renewed subscriptions, and advertising on Twitter was “very unpleasant” — Purpose of this report — Annual reports are usually created to provide insight into a company's business operations …

Discussion: @_claireconnelly, @olgakhazan, @scottbrodbeck, @saksappeal, @saahil_desai, Boing Boing, @jeremylittau, @jameslfredrick and @choire

Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:

The disruption of global supply chains has reached the publishing industry, causing shipping delays and printer backups, exacerbated by worker shortages — Shipping delays, printer backups and worker shortages are forcing publishers to postpone new titles and leaving booksellers in a lurch for some old ones.

Discussion: @petersgoodman, @studiojjk, @vermontgmg, @benjysarlin, @nicolesjchung, @johnghendy, @likaluca and bookforum.com

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Instagram ditches the IGTV brand and combines IGTV's long-form videos and Instagram Feed videos into a new Instagram Video format; Reels is unaffected — Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently said was “no longer a photo-sharing app,” noting the company was prioritizing a shift …

Discussion: CNET, Adweek, The Verge and 9to5Mac

Michael Karam / Report for the World:

Report for the World launches in Brazil and partners with two more newsrooms in India and Nigeria, bringing the total corps size to 15 journalists — BOSTON — Report for the World announced today that it has more than doubled the size of its program, less than a year since launching in February …

Discussion: @report4theworld and @report4theworld

Rachel Pannett / Washington Post:

Singapore's parliament passes a law that will compel ISPs and social media platforms to block content and applications used to spread content it deems hostile — Singapore's parliament has passed a law aimed at countering foreign interference that is potentially so powerful rights groups …

Discussion: @taiwanplusmedia, @reaproy, South China Morning Post, @renew_democracy, Wall Street Journal and @reaproy, more at Techmeme »

Adam Johnson / The Column:

Major networks' coverage of the reconciliation bill has focused on the “showdown” between progressives and moderates, rather than on the bill's contents — The public is left with vague reporting about a “$3.5 trillion” “price tag” that should be “slimmed down,” …

Discussion: New York Daily News, @adamjohnsonnyc, @spencerdcole, Media Matters for America and Mediaite

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Q&A with Endeavor chairman Patrick Whitesell on the transition to streaming, HBO Max's success, which services pay the most, and more — If there's one thing Patrick Whitesell knows how to do, it's cut a deal. — Whitesell, the executive chairman of Endeavor, represents …

Discussion: @business, @lucas_shaw and @lucas_shaw

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Seven foreign journalists fired from USAGM during former CEO Michael Pack's term sue the agency for breach of contract and wrongful termination — Seven foreign journalists working for the U.S. Agency for Global Media who were fired by the Trump administration have sued the agency for breach of contract and wrongful termination.

Discussion: Voice of America, @ewong, @dlippman, @dlippman and @dlippman