Top News:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Netflix fires a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing a walkout, for allegedly leaking metrics related to the Dave Chappelle special — The company suspects they leaked metrics about the Dave Chappelle special to the press — Netflix has fired a leader …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, @koblin, Mic, Variety, Wall Street Journal, @ericnewcomer, @pkafka, @politicalmath, @pkafka, Bustle, @ericnewcomer, The Week, @dr_pete, @lesliemac, The Daily Beast, The Root, @bcmerchant, @bigblackjacobin, @bigblackjacobin, @naima, @dianelyssa, @heerjeet, @sorayamcdonald, @awkward_duck, @brownblaze, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @rlyeh, @aguirreryan, @ericdharvey, @battymamzelle, @earth_woman1, @inafried, @dtemkin, @kvanaren, @bad_dominicana, @intothemelwoods, @akilahobviously, @phil_lewis_, @femme_thoughts, @wagatwe, @hologramvin, @phil_lewis_, @sadydoyle, @jackietorrens, @worthless_bums, CNET, Essence, The A.V. Club, Insider, Gizmodo, Rolling Stone, UPROXX, New York Times, Vanity Fair and New York Times
Discussion:
John Koblin / @koblin: Hannah Gadsby calls Netflix an “amoral algorithm cult.” Ted Sarandos fielded several tough questions at an emotional virtual town hall. A staffer is fired for leaking to the press. Friday at Netflix: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kyle Turner / Mic: Netflix's queer Twitter channel reveals the impossibility of corporate authenticity
Naman Ramachandran / Variety: Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby Slams Ted Sarandos After Being Referenced in Dave Chappelle Memo
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: @Lucas_Shaw holding a company that doesn't leak to the standard that everyone has to be so happy that no one leaks otherwise they've made a strategic error is crazy to me
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @EricNewcomer @Lucas_Shaw It means something more than nothing that a company that *never* leaks even though the information has been widely distributed forever has now leaked.
PoliMath / @politicalmath: If they fired her for her activism, I would be very much in her corner But (if reports are correct) she was fired for sharing internal Netflix data, which they are *famously* closed about https://twitter.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: @EricNewcomer @Lucas_Shaw Do I think that journos covering tech worker unrest (in general) may have a motive to overplay/overestimate the scope of worker unrest? Could be! But still a thing.
Brad Witter / Bustle: Dave Chappelle's Netflix Controversy, Explained
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: @Lucas_Shaw doesn't take that many employees to leak things to the media. what percentage are actually angry. NYT portrayed this as bigger than squid game + emmys etc. will that be true in a month? these things burn hot
Brigid Kennedy / The Week: Netflix reportedly fired an organizer of trans employee walkout sparked by Dave Chappelle controversy
Dr. Pete Meyers / @dr_pete: Netflix needs a new leadership team, and they need it yesterday. https://twitter.com/...
J.L. Cook / The Root: Netflix Fires Organizer of Planned Trans Employee Walkout Over Dave Chappelle's Recent Special
Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: Yep. Our labor laws are so weak that even though this is as blatant an example of retaliation as you're ever likely to see, the best the fired worker can likely hope for from a wrongful termination suit is, like, restored back pay. No incentive for Netflix not to crush them https://twitter.com/...
Edward Ongweso Jr / @bigblackjacobin: Labor law & enforcement is such that even though it is almost certain that the firing was retaliation, they will likely beat any legal challenge (or view the consequences of losing in court as substantially smaller than failing to scare/crush/punish organizing) https://twitter.com/...
Edward Ongweso Jr / @bigblackjacobin: For most Silicon Valley firms, this calculation makes sense. Letting workers have the ability to veto managerial decisions is dangerous, it cultivates the sense that their workplaces are democracies, instead of an enlightened but absolutist space where orders come from the top
Naima Cochrane / @naima: Tell me again about “cancel culture” https://twitter.com/...
Jeet Heer / @heerjeet: there's an entire cohort of writers who have made it their career to avoid talk about the power dynamics on this issue (while pandering to those who have power). https://twitter.com/...
Big Relly / @awkward_duck: If there ever was such a thing as ‘cancel culture’ it doesn't seem to be getting who y'all say it does. https://twitter.com/...
Ashley Yates / @brownblaze: “All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge." https://twitter.com/...
@rlyeh: If someone leaks a document relevant to this, ignore it. If someone talks to the press, ignore it. Because you're not getting rid of troublemakers. You're creating a company that regards the people who care about Netflix and what it's like to work there as troublemakers. 13/
@rlyeh: This cascade will sour the best parts of your company culture and erode employee pride in working there. They won't wear your company swag as much and they won't talk glowingly about their employer, even if they love their job. 10/
@rlyeh: I want to say some things about the Netflix mess, but it will run long because staying in my lane will be tricky. 1/
@rlyeh: Absolutely nothing your trans employees do right now to criticize management and the company internally or publicly will do nearly as much damage to Netflix (as a company or brand) as penalizing (officially or not) them for doing so. 12/
@rlyeh: The suspension/reinstatement of one trans employee is a very bad sign for all Netflix employees. I can't say where, but I've seen this movie before. Unless management puts the brakes on right now, it's going to start a multi-year cascade of interactions with no good end. 9/
@rlyeh: Netflix's position content on the screen doesn't have real-world impact is hopelessly unsupported by both history and studies. Criticizing and mocking marginalized groups in media is a cornerstone of hate. There's good evidence it reduces friction for violence. 4/
@aguirreryan: “The Closer” cost almost 3 million more than Squid Game, literally HOW https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Eric Harvey / @ericdharvey: I don't know anything about anything but $24 million for a stand-special seems like a lot https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@earth_woman1: Wow, @netflix, you fired a black, trans, pregnant person for basically no reason other than you could do it to intimidate your staff from ever speaking out against bigotry. https://www.theverge.com/...
Ina Fried / @inafried: Thoughts on the Netflix-Chappelle situation from Hannah Gadsby. https://variety.com/...
Dave Temkin / @dtemkin: You actually have lost the plot, Netflix. The level that they cover for their executives while throwing a black, trans employee under the bus is in many ways, not surprising. https://www.theverge.com/...
Kathryn VanArendonk / @kvanaren: once again congrats to netflix on the TRULY stellar PR work here https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@bad_dominicana: what happened to freedom of speech? it only applies to wealthy cis hetero males? how curious! https://twitter.com/...
Mel Woods / @intothemelwoods: Good lord. The hole Netflix leadership is digging itself into truly knows no limit to how deep it can get. https://www.theverge.com/...
Akilah Hughes / @akilahobviously: This is really proving Dave's point about censorship, just in the real way and not his scaredy brain way. https://twitter.com/...
Philip Lewis / @phil_lewis_: Netflix has fired the organizer of the upcoming employee walkout on October 20 The employee, who is Black and pregnant, was encouraging employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix's handling of the Dave Chappelle special https://www.theverge.com/...
Sydney Bauer / @femme_thoughts: Genuinely didn't think things could have gotten worse at netflix, but it has: https://www.theverge.com/...
Wagatwe Wan-spooky / @wagatwe: Bigots profit while everyone else pays the price. https://twitter.com/...
@hologramvin: its important to note with this just happening that a) the white trans employees have been able to somewhat speak publicly on this, b) the person who was *actually fired* now is a Black trans person who had not spoken publicly on it at all! https://www.theverge.com/...
Philip Lewis / @phil_lewis_: “The employee was terminated on suspicion of leaking metrics to the press related to the Dave Chappelle special.” https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jackie Torrens / @jackietorrens: “The employee, who is Black and currently pregnant, asked not to be named for fear of online harassment. They have been encouraging trans employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix's handling of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer.” https://www.theverge.com/...
@worthless_bums: “All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Laura Hautala / CNET: Amid Chappelle controversy, Netflix reportedly fires employee who helped plan walkout
William Hughes / The A.V. Club: Netflix fires organizer of upcoming trans walkout for allegedly leaking data
Francis Agustin / Insider: Netflix fires the organizer of a trans employee walkout
Brianna Provenzano / Gizmodo: Netflix Has Fired a Pregnant Organizer of the Trans Employee Walkout
Jon Blistein / Rolling Stone: Netflix Employee Organizing Chappelle Walkout Fired for Leaking Info to Press
Mike Redmond / UPROXX: Netflix Has Fired The Organizer Of A Trans Employee Walkout That Was Sparked By The Dave Chappelle Controversy
Sonia Saraiya / Vanity Fair: Why Is Netflix Gaslighting Us About Dave Chappelle's Transphobic Special?
RELATED:
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Leaked Netflix documents of metrics evaluating shows indicate $24.1M spent on Chappelle's The Closer vs. $21.4M on Squid Game — The company is dealing with an internal outcry unprecedented in its history. — Netflix Inc. employees raised concerns about offensive material in Dave Chappelle's …
Discussion:
The Guardian, @mikeisaac, @carnage4life, @brendengallager, @nataliegroman, @jedigoodman, @itsmechriswade, Engadget, Vanity Fair, Out of Scope, New York Times, PC Gamer, blacktechdaily.com, Los Angeles Times, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, The Entertainment Strategy Guy, NME, Decider, The Wrap, Deadline, Variety, NPR, TheBlaze, IndieWire, The Daily Beast, Insider, Wired, Protocol, Hollywood Reporter and The A.V. Club
Discussion:
Kari Paul / The Guardian: Netflix fires employee trans activist for allegedly leaking internal documents
Rat King / @mikeisaac: extremely rare leak of internal metrics from Netflix, which is currently in turmoil over the decision to air the new Chappelle special fascinating definitions of value via @Lucas_Shaw https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Particularly interesting that Netflix has a methodology to calculate how much value they make per standup specials versus cost. Dave Chappelle's “Sticks & Stones” cost $23.6M and $19.4M in impact value. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Brenden Gallagher / @brendengallager: Another of the many great arguments why “internal metrics” (we used to call them ratings) should be transparent. https://twitter.com/...
@nataliegroman: Wait, so Inside only cost $3.9 Million? Like ostensibly the most important piece of art to come out of COVID, had 1/5 of the talent budget with so much more to say and so much more production value? What the hell is goin on over there? https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jed I. Goodman / @jedigoodman: “Netflix spent $24.1 million on the “The Closer,” slightly more than the $23.6 million it paid for Chappelle's 2019 special, “Sticks & Stones.” “The nine-episode “Squid Game,” which delivered the best debut in Netflix history, cost $21.4 million.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Ghostopher Wraith / @itsmechriswade: “[Netflix] also evaluates its programs by “efficiency,” which balances a show's reach with its price-tag. On that scale, Chappelle's [Sticks & Stones] scored 0.8 — less than the break-even score of 1.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jessica Conditt / Engadget: Netflix fires employee for leaking data about controversial Dave Chappelle special
Savannah Walsh / Vanity Fair: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Information About Dave Chappelle Specials
Emily Schienvar / Out of Scope: Out of Scope Issue 37: Merch Drops Gone Wild
Kara Swisher / New York Times: Chappelle's Netflix Show Just Isn't Funny
Andy Chalk / PC Gamer: Netflix boss claims violent videogames prove Dave Chappelle's latest standup special is harmless
J.D. Smith / blacktechdaily.com: Netflix fired the employee who organized a walkout in solidarity with trans workers
Nardine Saad / Los Angeles Times: Netflix fires employee for leaking ‘sensitive’ information about Chappelle special
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Was able to see a few pages back when I was a reporter, and it truly is a wild amount of data that any and every employee has access to. It's surprising there aren't more leaks all things considered. Those data points are as complex as they are simplified in presentable form.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Great, detailed report on the issues inside Netflix. Also looks at the numerous data points Netflix uses, including impact, to determine whether a title is successful or not. Netflix title pages contain tons of valuable metrics used to look at key, specific success indicators. https://twitter.com/...
Abby Monteil / Decider: Netflix Reportedly Fires Organizer of Trans Employee Walkout for Leaking Financial Data
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Financial Info on Dave Chappelle's ‘Sticks & Stones’ Special
Dominic Patten / Deadline: Dave Chappelle ‘Closer’ Controversy Blast Radius Grows As Netflix Pink Slips Dismayed Staffer Over Leak
Todd Spangler / Variety: Netflix Fires Employee for Sharing Confidential Data About Dave Chappelle Stand-Up Special Outside the Company
Andrew Limbong / NPR: Netflix fires employee as internal conflicts over latest Dave Chappelle special grow
Paul Sacca / TheBlaze: Netflix fires organizer of trans employee walkout over leak of confidential data related to Dave Chappelle's special
Ryan Lattanzio / IndieWire: Netflix Fires Employee for Leaking Confidential Data About Dave Chappelle Special ‘The Closer’
Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast: Hannah Gadsby Goes Off on Netflix Head Ted Sarandos for Using Her to Defend Chappelle
Travis Clark / Insider: Comedian Hannah Gadsby tore into Netflix's ‘amoral algorithm cult’ after its co-CEO defended releasing Chappelle's new special
Angela Watercutter / Wired: Dave Chappelle and the Problem of Popularity
David Pierce / Protocol: Tech's big bad morale problem
Deadline:
IATSE and AMPTP reach a deal on a new contract, avoiding a strike that would have shut film and TV production; contract needs to be ratified by IATSE members — EXCLUSIVE: With Hollywood on edge and picket signs at the ready, IATSE and the AMPTP have reached an agreement on a new film and TV contract …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, The Wrap, Adweek, SlashFilm, WSVN-TV, @pattonoswalt, NBC News, @thejonlindstrom, @uptotask, @jonahfurman, @moreperfectus, @heatherfink, IndieWire, TVLine, @deadlinedominic, @alexnpress, @sarayublue, @grimkim, Los Angeles Times and Page Six
Discussion:
Gene Maddaus / Variety: IATSE and AMPTP Have Reached a Deal to Avert a Strike
Harper Lambert / The Wrap: Hollywood Strike Averted, a Relieved Industry Reacts: ‘Thank God ... IATSE !!!!’
Hannah Shaw-Williams / SlashFilm: Hollywood Narrowly Avoids Strike As IATSE And AMPTP Reach A Deal
Rubén Rosario / WSVN-TV: Strike dodged with deal between film and TV crews, studios
Patton Oswalt / @pattonoswalt: Good for @IATSE for standing your ground. And don't forget we got your back anytime you need us #IASolidarity https://twitter.com/...
Jon Lindstrom / @thejonlindstrom: The power of face-to-face talk. Strike averted! Way to go! #IATSE #AMPTP https://twitter.com/...
Jonah Furman / @jonahfurman: If the John Deere strike taught us anything — wait for the ratification vote... https://twitter.com/...
@moreperfectus: The deal now needs to be approved by IATSE members, who won major concessions from Netflix, Amazon, and other studios after threatening to strike. https://deadline.com/...
Heather Fink / @heatherfink: Joint statement from the 13 Hollywood IATSE locals: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
IndieWire: IATSE Strike Averted: Hollywood Shutdown Halted as New AMPTP Film and TV Contract Reached
Nick Caruso / TVLine: IATSE and AMPTP Negotiate New Three-Year Deal, Preventing Industry-Wide TV/Film Strike — Get Details
Dominic Patten / @deadlinedominic: BREAKING - #IASolidarity - Hollywood strike adverted with just over 24 hrs before deadline https://deadline.com/...
Alex Press / @alexnpress: lol people keep noting how these stories have been sourced from the producer side and oof does it show with the “Time to break out the cigars” quote in here https://twitter.com/...
Sarayu Blue / @sarayublue: This happened because of the extraordinary efforts of @IATSE and their union members mobilizing in the fight for #IAReasonableRest and more. This is so long overdue. I hope it's truly a fair deal & one that gives our crews the humane work conditions they so deserve. #IASolidarity https://twitter.com/...
Bojan Pancevski / Wall Street Journal:
Axel Springer CEO details plans for Politico, including expanding staff from 900 to 1,000, publishing in several languages, and eventually adding a paywall — Axel Springer, whose $1 billion acquisition of Politico is expected to close next week, also eyes foreign-language editions
Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @armandondk, @tomwrightasia, @kendrawrites, @lisamccray, @laurawags, @jimwaterson, @mcbyrne, @laurawags, @adriana_lacy, @timmarchman, @tysonbrody, @drewsav, @keitholbermann, @jamespindell, @evanasmith, @jonbernhardt, @mattdpearce, @sewellchan, @evale72, @richardgrenell and @mikertrice
Discussion:
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: They should teach these three paragraphs in journalism school. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Armando / @armandondk: This is great news! The less people who see it the better. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Wright / @tomwrightasia: The WSJ is the highest standard of reporting based on facts, staffed by an experienced crew of reporters, many of whom built their skills and reputations over years. https://twitter.com/...
@kendrawrites: Apparently another news outlets make you sign something attesting you believe in the principles of the fair market which 1. very much a sign of objective journalism 🙄and 2. should be disclosed to their readers https://twitter.com/...
Lisa Snowden / @lisamccray: I have never seen unbiased reporting from Politico. Or any news org really. https://twitter.com/...
Laura Wagner / @laurawags: @TomWrightAsia it's too late in the day to get into my spiel about objectivity but i'm not impugning the reputations of any individual journalists https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Axel Springer's boss setting out the values it expects Politico journalists to adhere to when it completes its purchase of the news outlet. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@mcbyrne: Wait. We're supposed to pay to read about the tweets @WHCOS likes each day? https://twitter.com/...
Laura Wagner / @laurawags: I understand it's the Wall Street Journal but it is flatly insane to let this claim stand in a story in which the CEO says that reporters who don't share certain political and ideological “values” should “not work for” the company. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: Clearly it's important for reporters to be unbiased and nonpartisan and also to be against a mixed economy, putting them substantially to the right of any U.S. politician of any prominence. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tyson Brody / @tysonbrody: what if you built the whole plane out of politico pro https://twitter.com/...
@drewsav: Maybe I'm wrong but wasn't Politico's appeal when it launched was that it wasn't like the conventional newspapers? https://twitter.com/...
Keith Olbermann / @keitholbermann: Cool. Doesn't he first have to make the content something other than rewritten press releases? https://twitter.com/...
James Pindell / @jamespindell: In order words, Politico will complete their transition to being National Journal. https://twitter.com/...
Nathan Bernhardt / @jonbernhardt: going to be very funny when everyone at Politico UK just gets a blanket pass on point the first, which supporting Brexit is in clear violation of. Iron-hard, bedrock principles, except for the carve outs here and here and here and here and well it's just to keep Those Sorts out https://twitter.com/...
@mattdpearce: I think it's good for journalists to have clearly stated values, like supporting life, democracy and equality. We should have a reason for being here and doing all this stuff. But pretending that your values aren't an ideology, like Axel Springer, is just public relations.
Sewell Chan / @sewellchan: Hard to imagine a media owner in the US saying this: “There will be no restructuring, no synergies, no mergers and no cost-cutting.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Eddie Vale / @evale72: Expecting unbiased & nonpartisan reporting would appear to be in conflict with demanding your reporters also adhere to the owners positions on a list of specific issues?? https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Richard Grenell / @richardgrenell: German media company that has complained about the woke state of US media buys @politico. Expect changes. #balance Watch @nytimes & lefty publications complain about Axel Springer's move. Springer demands employees be pro-capitalism & pro-Israel. https://www.wsj.com/...
Priyanjana Bengani / Columbia Journalism Review:
Metric Media, a pink slime operation of 1,200+ local US “news” sites, has ties to founders of the Tea Party movement, Donors Trust, and other right-wing groups — This is the first part of a two-part investigation. The second piece can be found here.
Discussion:
@cjr: NEW: Until now, little was known about the finances or partners of Metric Media, a network that runs over 1,200 local news sites. A new investigation by the @TowCenter examines the network's financial ties and the non-profits funding them. https://www.cjr.org/...
Priyanjana Bengani / Columbia Journalism Review: Advocacy groups and Metric Media collaborate on local ‘community news’
Emily Bell / @emilybell: New from our ace computational journalism researcher @acookiecrumbles , a remarkably detailed update on the ‘pink slime’ network of local news, how it used the appearance and tools of local journalism throughout the 2020 election cycle and how it has morphed since @TowCenter https://twitter.com/...
Anne Nelson / @anelsona: Crucial report on major stealth media operation to displace legitimate local news in our communities. NB: State Policy Network is headed by a member of #CNP. #ShadowNetwork https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: How advocacy groups use a ‘community news’ platform to influence the public, new research from @TowCenter @CJR https://www.cjr.org/...
Kevin Loker / @kevinloker: Good to see more exploration from @acookiecrumbles of local “pink slime” Catholic “news” sites and how they operate. I don't know how anyone reads something like this and doesn't think we need more religion reporting, and to better support faith-based media. https://twitter.com/...
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Disney shares briefly rose ~3% on Friday after a Puck report said the company might spin off ESPN; a Disney source later said the story was inaccurate — Shares of Disney jumped as much as 3 percent Friday after a report said the company was considering a spinoff of its ESPN sports networks.
Discussion:
@cnbcnow, Puck, @sarthakgh, @modestproposal1, @dylanbyers, @renan, @jboorstin, @sbjsbd, @larrys32, @seannyberg, @markstonks, @davidpoland, @ourand_sbj, @darrenrovell, @mgsiegler, Awful Announcing, The Streamable and Barrett Media
Discussion:
@cnbcnow: After Disney shares jumped to session high on a report that said the company is looking into potentially exploring an ESPN spinoff, a source tells CNBC the report is inaccurate. The source tells CNBC the company aims to pursue further value through ESPN+ and sports betting. https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / Puck: Will Disney and ESPN Consciously Uncouple?
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “It has inched toward...fantasy sports, but actual gambling is...more consequential. Imagine it as the Robinhood of sports. Currently, this option to transition from the declining cable business to the lucrative gambling space doesn't fully exist for ESPN.” https://puck.news/...
Modest Proposal / @modestproposal1: Disney is presumably constantly exploring this https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: 100% respect for @JBoorstin & @CNBC, my former colleagues (seriously). But a few things... - The “source” here (Z? J?) had 48+ hours to deny this on the record, and didn't. - Disney will of course pursue further value until they decide to spin it off, or not It's real, folks. https://twitter.com/...
Renan Borelli / @renan: investors hate the concept of linear television so much that disney's financial ceiling is capped for simply *owning* the extremely profitable ESPN https://puck.news/... https://twitter.com/...
Julia Boorstin / @jboorstin: As I said Dylan- and mad respect for you too- I spoke to one source- and that person denied the report and pointed to @espn's various recent investments including sports betting and NHL. What I didn't say is that Disney analysts have been suggesting this for some time! https://twitter.com/...
@sbjsbd: “If Bob Chapek was sitting here right now he would say he's completely committed to sports. He sees the value of live sports.” @espn President Jimmy Pitaro addressed the topic earlier this week at #SBJWCOS. https://sbjsbd.biz/... https://twitter.com/...
Larry Shapiro / @larrys32: @modestproposal1 As you know, this kind of exploration happens EVERY year !
@seannyberg: ESPN makes roughly $30 per cable subscription, regardless if the customer ever watches it. If Disney sticks with $15 for ESPN+ and EVERY person with cable gets a subscription (they won't), Disney's revenue is still cut in half. That's best case scenario. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Stonks / @markstonks: @SeanNyberg Interesting. Fox Sports Australia (not included in $DIS acquisition) had this problem a few years ago. They released a streaming service called Kayo, charged $25-$35 per month, and loaded it with advertisements. The platform was a major success. https://twitter.com/...
David Poland / @davidpoland: Good Dylan Byers piece. But again and again and again... trying to get Wall St to price you like Netflix is madness. If ESPN can throw off more spun off, worth considering. Not for stock price. Will Disney and ESPN Consciously Uncouple? - Puck https://puck.news/...
John Ourand / @ourand_sbj: I asked Jimmy Pitaro about an ESPN spin-off: We're succeeding in the DTC space. It's a big priority for Disney. Live sports rights are so important. “I believe that the Walt Disney Co. is completely committed to ESPN for the future.” https://twitter.com/...
Darren Rovell / @darrenrovell: Then they can do the sports betting thing — four years late. https://twitter.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: “There are only two ways to make money in business...” https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rigdon / Awful Announcing: Disney refutes report on a potential ESPN spinoff, stock surges anyway
Russ Heltman / Barrett Media: CNBC Report: Disney Not Trying To Spin ESPN Off
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Alden's treatment of outlets is utterly predatory; rivals like Stewart Bainum's all-digital Baltimore Banner, to launch next year, could provide an alternative — The Tribune Tower rises above the streets of downtown Chicago in a majestic snarl of Gothic spires and flying buttresses that were designed to exude power and prestige.
Discussion:
New York Times, @sulliview, @connorasheets, @jeffreygoldberg, @jeffreygoldberg, @picardonhealth, @davidubben, @adamserwer, @bobmcgovernjr, @mckaycoppins, @evanhill, @slulay2, Robert Feder, MediaPost, @amlwhere, @byrobinepley, Media Nation, @garyharki, Tortoise, Poynter, @jamesfallows, @mmcphate, @awinston, @raylong, @rexhuppke, @rexhuppke, @rexhuppke, @brynstole, @lizbowie, @rexhuppke, @nyguild, @lrozen, @jeremyjojola, @mmasnick and @nickconfessore
Discussion:
Marc Tracy / New York Times: The executive who tried to buy The Baltimore Sun plans a rival news outlet.
@sulliview: I've read (and written) a lot about the demise of local newspapers but very little as searing as this @mckaycoppins piece in @TheAtlantic which includes an interview with Alden's elusive villain, Heath Freeman https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Connor Sheets / @connorasheets: This piece is one of the starkest looks yet at the decimation of local news at the hands of vulture capitalists. Read it if you care about newspapers and are ready to be tremendously sad about the state of this industry in 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jeffrey Goldberg / @jeffreygoldberg: “Freeman rarely visited his newspapers. When he did, he exhibited a casual contempt for the journalists who worked there. On more than one occasion.... he asked aloud, ‘What do all these people do?’” Read @mckaycoppins on Heath Freeman and Alden Capital: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Jeffrey Goldberg / @jeffreygoldberg: On the Heath Freeman model of newspaper ownership: “The profits generated by Alden's newspapers did not go toward rebuilding newsrooms. Instead, the money was used to finance the hedge fund's other ventures.” From this @mckaycoppins' story: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@picardonhealth: The hedge fund gutting America's newspapers has a simple formula: Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, and wring as much cash as possible out of the property until it folds, by @mckaycoppins https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... via @TheAtlantic #journalism
David Ubben / @davidubben: On the long list of things that are eroding the fabric of America, this practice is very high. Seeing what they did to the Denver Post was eye-opening https://twitter.com/...
Adam Serwer / @adamserwer: Read this great @mckaycoppins story on how “investors” are destroying great newsrooms the same way so many other American industries have been strip mined and hollowed out https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Bob McGovern / @bobmcgovernjr: I want to preface this with: I love my job, who I work for and our awesome mission. That being said, journalism has been my passion since I was a teenager working for my local paper. Digital First and its methods took that from me and so many others. This is a must-read: https://twitter.com/...
McKay Coppins / @mckaycoppins: He's right about this: The reporters who have stayed at the Chicago Tribune (and all of Alden's newspapers) are working extremely hard and deserve credit for that work. To understand the circumstances in which they're laboring, read our story: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Stephanie Lulay / @slulay2: This is what we're up against. Local news can adapt, creating new models built to serve communities. Or we can have our head held under water by a hedge fund. https://twitter.com/...
Robert Feder: Robservations: Melissa McGurren sues The Mix; fourth woman targets Eric Ferguson; Rick Party joins 104.3 JAMS
Ann Marie Lipinski / @amlwhere: I've been gone from the Chicago Tribune a long time and sometimes think I'm inured, but this paragraph and this story evoked such sorrow. What tragic, cynical stewardship. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Robin Epley but spooky / @byrobinepley: Someone ask me what it was like to run two Alden properties by myself for 18 months. Go on. Ask. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: An elegant, comprehensive takedown of how Alden pillages local newspapers
Gary Harki / @garyharki: I think everyone I know who has left an Alden paper, whether they left for another job in journalism, retired or left the industry, has felt an enormous sense of relief at not having to deal with this vile, predatory hedge fund. https://twitter.com/...
Giles Whittell / Tortoise: Sensemaker: Cop flop?
Tom Jones / Poynter: Poynter Power Rankings: Who influenced the media this week? Kristof, Coppins, Facebook and more.
James Fallows / @jamesfallows: Excellent piece by @mckaycoppins on the two people who have done more than Rupert Murdoch to destroy the civic purpose of American journalism: Randall Smith and Heath Freeman. (See also: https://www.ourtownsfoundation.org/ ... ) https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@mmcphate: 1/ California newspapers owned by Alden: Orange County Register Long Beach Press-Telegram Los Angeles Daily News Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Redlands Daily Facts Torrance Daily Breeze San Gabriel Valley Tribune Whittier Daily News Riverside Press-Enterprise https://twitter.com/...
Ali Winston / @awinston: Alden decimated Northern California newspapers and has control of the New York Daily News. Very little of this is new, but the hedge fund's actions are incredibly detrimental to society https://twitter.com/...
Ray Long / @raylong: Kiss my mistletoe! This article fails to appreciate great journalists who turned down buyouts and still kick ass. We all miss folks that left, but we broke many, many Madigan stories, added an editor with Illinois roots and a Pulitzer on his resume, and filled the statehouse gig. https://twitter.com/...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 4/ ...ignored in virtually all coverage of Alden's takeover of our paper. As the staggeringly talented people who took the buyout left, they deserved 100% of the attention and kudos, along with the justifiable hand-wringing about where the paper was heading.
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 3/ But I think what bothers those of us who stayed at the Tribune after the Mass Exodus of 2021 is this: We're still here. And I believe the size, quality and ferociousness of the remaining Tribune staff was considerably underplayed in The Atlantic piece, AND has been largely...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 6/ But as Ray alluded to in his tweet, maybe let's hold off on throwing dirt on our casket. Far more people stayed than left, and the staff of the Chicago Tribune continues its longtime habit of kicking ass.
Bryn Stole / @brynstole: And it's among the few newspapers in the chain (along w/ the Baltimore Sun) that still have any kind of newsroom at all. https://twitter.com/...
@lizbowie: Stewart Bainum will launch an all-digital, non-profit news outlet, with 50 journalists an annual budget of $15 million. No matter what happens, this publication will be good for the city and state, creating jobs and a much more competitive news ecosystem. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 1/ OK, to anyone who cares about or covers Chicago media, I guess I have something to say about this. And I'm dovetailing a bit off a tweet my esteemed colleague @RayLong sent earlier, which I just retweeted prior to this thread. Buckle up. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@nyguild: “What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption or abstract market forces. They're being targeted by investors who have figured out how to get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits.” How Alden Global Capital kills newspapers: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Laura Rozen / @lrozen: “What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption...They're being targeted by investors who.. get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits. The model is simple: Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, &wring as much cash as possible out https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Jojola / @jeremyjojola: Greedy hedge fund companies are poison for journalism. We saw this happen with the Denver Post. And it's getting worse. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Karolle Rabarison / Online Journalism Awards:
2021 Online Journalism Awards winners include The NYT, ProPublica, PublicSource, and Grist; WaPo won for its pandemic coverage — PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 15, 2021 — Inspiring journalism projects covering climate change, Himalaya's ghost cats, political crisis in Hong Kong and the U.S. public health system …
Discussion:
@ginaskchua, @rubinafillion, @jessetnichols, @cbaxter1, @ona, San Francisco Chronicle and FRONTLINE
Discussion:
Gina Chua / @ginaskchua: Here are my remarks accepting the award - we should be rethinking news and newsworthiness to make not just newsrooms reflective of the communities we serve but our coverage more reflective of the world we live in. https://twitter.com/...
Rubina Madan Fillion / @rubinafillion: Absolutely thrilled that @GinaSKChua is the inaugural recipient of the Impact Award at the Online Journalism Awards (#OJA21). Congratulations, Gina! #ONAInsights https://twitter.com/...
Jesse Nichols / @jessetnichols: Exciting news: our team took home an Online Journalism Award (aka a “nerd knife") for our story on climate tipping points! Congrats to the whole project team: @HerrCaitlin, @shannonosaka, @themadstone, @heypenner, and everyone else who helped the project come to life https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Baxter / @cbaxter1: Two national investigative journalism awards in one week for @SpotlightPA, which two years ago was nothing but a great idea. Absolutely incredible. This team is 🔥. Congrats @RebeccaKMoss, @Daniel_SR and all those involved in this project. https://twitter.com/...
@ona: WINNER: The Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, Small Newsroom: @SpotlightPA for At Risk, In the Dark https://awards.journalists.org/ ... #OJA21 https://twitter.com/...
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Chronicle wins third straight Online News Association award for breaking news coverage
Anne Husted Series Publicity / FRONTLINE: “The Last Call” Honored with 2021 Online Journalism Award
Justin Peters / Slate:
Ben Smith has been transparent about his BuzzFeed stock options, but his shifting divestment deadline and their fluctuating value erode trust in his reporting — On Sept. 26, New York Times media columnist Ben Smith broke a big story. In a column headlined “Goldman Sachs …
Discussion:
Emma Carew Grovum / @emmacarew: The Slate piece breaking down Ben Smith's massive conflict of interest is very good: https://slate.com/... but doesn't address the fact that a non-straight/white/male journalist would NOT be given the same privileges and leeway.
Keegan Hamilton / @keegan_hamilton: “It was a mistake for journalists to ever pretend that it was valuable or even possible to suppress their own beliefs, knowledge, and perspectives in pursuit of absolute neutrality in every story they ever report.” https://slate.com/... via @justintrevett
Evan DeSimone / @mediaevan: From a technical ethics perspective I suppose this matters, but I find it hard to believe that many people see this as a real issue. https://slate.com/...
Katie Notopoulos / @katienotopoulos: I disagree here with the core implication that Ben, as a reporter, is motivated by money. I've spent a lot of my adult life wondering “what makes Ben Smith tick” and it's nothing so banal. When it comes to making content, he's far, far sicker than that https://slate.com/...
Jonathan L. Fischer / @jon_fischer: This is a good question! https://slate.com/...
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: good blog: https://slate.com/...
Jack Crosbie / @jscros: the very short answer to this (good) blog is that once you attain a certain level of status at the times the paper's standards do not apply to you https://slate.com/...
Eoin Higgins / @eoinhiggins_: Looks like @nytimes is facing some thorny ethical questions with respect to @benyt—an issue that could easily be dispensed with if he sold his stock. But 10 months after the first deadline to do so, the Times now says he gets more time. Why? https://slate.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@choire: How high would you have to be to turn down millions of BuzzFeed SPACbucks for a NYT blogging job. https://slate.com/...
Emma Sarappo / @emmasarappo: I say this every Sunday, thank you @justintrevett!! “The fact that the possibility exists is enough to give readers reason to wonder ... whether the Times' media columnist is free to cover every important story that comes his way.” https://slate.com/...
David Bauder / Associated Press:
News Leaders Association extends deadline for its newsroom staff diversity survey to October 31, after receiving less than 250 responses when it wants 1,500 — NEW YORK (AP) — More than a year after George Floyd's killing focused attention on efforts to diversify newsrooms, the ability to measure real progress is proving elusive.
Discussion:
@ap, @emilyrnunn, @kharijohnson, @devishastri, @alexanderrusso, @delanomassey, @marissaaevans, @webjournalist, @kmtorralva, @emmacarew, @sciwrialicia, @kaitwells, @laelaps, @rasmus_kleis and @niemanlab
Discussion:
Emily Nunn / @emilyrnunn: I WONDER WHY https://twitter.com/...
Khari Johnson / @kharijohnson: I cannot wait for journalists to bring this up when they get job offers https://twitter.com/...
Devi Shastri / @devishastri: “There is no pipeline problem,” said Robert Hernandez, a professor at the (USC)'s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “We are producing diverse students. The reality is they're not being hired, they're not being retained, they're not being promoted.” https://twitter.com/...
Alexander / @alexanderrusso: Journalism demands accountability from others, but struggles to provide it https://apnews.com/...
@delanomassey: “A lack of diversity can reveal itself in many news decisions ...” ☝🏽 that says a lot https://apnews.com/...
Marissa / @marissaaevans: It's a shame these newsrooms will beg for names and lists of journalists of color to recruit but won't respond to an industry survey so a journalist of color can have an accurate understanding of the newsroom they're walking into. https://twitter.com/...
Robert Hernandez / @webjournalist: I would love for news guild/unions and Latinx/Black/Asian/Indigenous and allies ask the news org leadership to due annual audits. Perhaps we should create a template for staffers at news orgs to gather internal signatures of support for this?? https://twitter.com/...
Krista M. Torralva / @kmtorralva: Probably because they know they didn't do any better over the last two years. https://twitter.com/...
Emma Carew Grovum / @emmacarew: A survey is only as good as its data, which means newsrooms need to start reporting their data publicly. If your newsroom doesn't have an annual diversity report and doesn't participate in industry studies, then it's time to name and shame. https://twitter.com/...
Alicia Chang / @sciwrialicia: “The @AP reported that 76% of its full-time news employees in the United States are white, 8% are Latino, 7% are Black and 6% are Asian. News management is 81% white.” https://apnews.com/...
@kaitwells: It took @wirecutterunion an ENTIRE year of bargaining, a human rights reckoning & gobs of NYT money to a consultant before Wirecutter agreed to our DEI proposal and to publicly disclose diversity stats. And that transparency still lacks intersectionality. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@laelaps: “As a researcher and a journalist, I am deeply discouraged that the journalism industry isn't as transparent about its workforce in the way that it expects other industries to be transparent about theirs.” https://twitter.com/...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: US @NewsLeaders Association has extended the deadline for its survey about employment practices at news organisations after few revealed the diversity of their staff. The association was hoping for responses from 5,900 newsrooms. It's had fewer than 250 https://apnews.com/...
Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson will appear before an Australian Senate inquiry into media diversity; Lachlan Murdoch turned down a request to appear last month — New York-based boss of News Corp set to be asked about private meeting with Scott Morrison and company's new campaign for climate action
Discussion:
Nikki Usher / Nieman Lab:
With two-thirds of NPR's stations licensed to colleges, which are vulnerable to culture wars, stronger walls between license holders and newsrooms are needed — For many who are concerned about declines in local news, shoring up the existing journalism infrastructure for public media in communities seems like a no-duh solution.
Discussion:
Nikki Usher / @nikkiusher: Wrote about the coming (and present) culture wars that we'll see between public media and higher ed. As public media becomes more important than ever, we need to fix its vulnerabilities-which include, surprisingly, university governance and procedure https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Laura Hazard Owen / @laurahazardowen: lotta “wait what?!” moments in this good article by @nikkiusher on how public radio gets tangled up with university boards https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Laura Hazard Owen / @laurahazardowen: @nikkiusher @NiemanLab So with higher ed increasingly at the crossroads of the culture wars, public media is vulnerable to growing political interference over its operations, in both red and blue states. If you know of more examples, let us know @NiemanLab. (5/5) https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: Really important warning from @nikkiusher about the governance structures at university-based public radio stations, crucial bastions of local reporting with real vulnerabilities to interference. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Laura Hazard Owen / @laurahazardowen: In 2019, @nprillinois reported with @propublica on sexual harassment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. And then this happened. (3/ https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Laura Hazard Owen / @laurahazardowen: This year UNC Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees appointed 2 new board members to NC Public Radio (@wunc). One had called student protesters of a campus Confederate statue “criminals” and “entitled wimps” and voted against Nikole Hannah-Jones' tenure (1/ https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Charles Ornstein / @charlesornstein: Good Q by @nikkiusher: Higher ed and public radio are enmeshed. So what happens when the culture wars come? https://www.niemanlab.org/... via @NiemanLab
Nikki Usher / @nikkiusher: And the potential for censorship and self-censorship is really worrisome, even in blue states. At my own university @illinois_alma, sexual misconduct could not be investigated by pub media w.o revealing sources https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Brock E.W. Turner / @brockewturner: This is something I think about a lot: “If public media is to be part of the solution for helping to bolster the availability of local journalism...there needs to be a stronger wall between who holds the license and who runs the newsroom.” Via @NiemanLab https://www.niemanlab.org/...
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