Top News:
Jason Hancock / Missouri Independent:
Missouri's governor vows to prosecute a reporter he labeled a hacker after the reporter alerted the state to a website flaw that exposed teachers' SSNs — On Tuesday, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch alerted the state that Social Security numbers of school teachers and administrators …
Discussion:
@govparsonmo, @govparsonmo, Washington Post, NPR, Washington Post, @johnleschen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, @govparsonmo, The Verge, @evacide, @aman4allsaisons, Metacurity, Techdirt, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, @hayesbrown, @profcarroll, @wongmjane, @bengoerz, @greg_doucette, @arkansasblog, @rcfp, @quinnypig, @bengoerz, @racheltobac, @racheltobac, @aishas, @jeremiahg, @dataeditor, @tonylovasco, @k8em0, @digiphile, @albertocairo, @greg_doucette, @tessa_weinberg, @hacks4pancakes, @laura_nelson, @jamiedupree, @webster, @mattdpearce, @harrymccracken, Newser, @manjusrii, @hacks4pancakes, @shanselman, @hacks4pancakes, @infosec_taylor, blacktechdaily.com, @dangillmor, @jeremiahg, @wbm312, @rachelwalexande, @webster, @jonrosenberg, @patio11, @mat, @snlyngaas, @mattblaze, @helenkennedy, @spj_tweets, @vickerysec, @kurteichenwald, @jgamblin, @dangillmor, @jdmar3, @sarhutch, @gamescan, @pry0cc, @sarhutch, @marissaaevans, @malwaretechblog, @jgamblin, @litmoose, @jeremiahg, @govparsonmo, @davidcayj, @gabrieljr, @losowsky, @jadelson, @properlyzuri, @jadelson, @charlesminshew, @jeffstone500, @capitolwatch, @mackenziehuck, @jaspar, @markberman, CNN, @petersterne, @averygwilks, @totally_t_bomb, @celestebott, @ilanakeller, @westbywest, @codysandusky, @hootnhollerpod, @hootnhollerpod, @swiftonsecurity, @sengregrazer, @jribas, @allie_kite, @fakebenjay, @mtdukes, @charlesminshew, @mtdukes, ZDNet, @armystrang, @sdkstl, Mediaite, Robots In Plain English, Rolling Stone, The Hill, Engadget and Boing Boing
Discussion:
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: Through a multi-step process, an individual took the records of at least three educators, decoded the HTML source code, and viewed the SSN of those specific educators. We notified the Cole County prosecutor and the Highway Patrol's Digital Forensic Unit will investigate. https://twitter.com/...
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: We want to be clear, this DESE hack was more than a simple “right click.” THE FACTS: An individual accessed source code and then went a step further to convert and decode that data in order to obtain Missouri teachers' personal information. (1/3) https://twitter.com/...
Elahe Izadi / Washington Post: Missouri governor accuses journalist who warned state about cybersecurity flaw of criminal ‘hacking’
Rachel Treisman / NPR: A Missouri newspaper told the state about a security risk. Now it faces prosecution
Philip Bump / Washington Post: A newspaper informed Missouri about a website flaw. The governor accused it of ‘hacking.’
John Leschen / @johnleschen: @GovParsonMO https://twitter.com/...
Josh Renaud / St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri teachers' Social Security numbers at risk on state agency's website
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: This morning, at 9:45 a.m., I will hold a press conference regarding the recent hacking of @MOEducation's website. We will outline the state's efforts to strengthen data security and the steps that will be taken to hold those involved accountable. https://twitter.com/...
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: Missouri governor threatens reporter who discovered state site spilling private info
Eva / @evacide: “View source” is not a crime. Prosecuting people for reporting security flaws in your website is vile. https://twitter.com/...
@aman4allsaisons: “View Source Is Not A Crime” deserved a sticker. Feel free to make your own. https://www.zazzle.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / Metacurity: Missouri Governor Seeks to Prosecute Journalist for Responsibly Reporting Flaw in State's Website
Mike Masnick / Techdirt: Journalists In St. Louis Discover State Agency Is Revealing Teacher Social Security Numbers; Governors Vows To Prosecute Journalists As Hackers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Parson issues legal threat against Post-Dispatch after database flaws exposed
Hayes Brown / @hayesbrown: “Multi-step process” is my favorite part of this. step 1) right-click page step 2) click “view source” step 3) have eyes https://twitter.com/...
David Carroll / @profcarroll: Selecting View Source from a browser menu is not a crime! Decoding URL encoding is not a crime! This is the most dangerous kind of lawmaker tech illiteracy force multiplied by public IT being bad at privacy because extreme negligence with personal data is not a crime! https://twitter.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: oh wow ,,HTML sounds scary. i will include my credit card number in my bio and sue anybody for pointing it out 😤😤😤😤 https://twitter.com/...
Ben Goerz / @bengoerz: @gamescan @GovParsonMO Key here: ENCODING is not ENCRYPTION. Encoding is reversible without a password. It is never sufficient to protect sensitive data like SSNs. Displaying encoded (but not encrypted) SSNs publicly online is negligent. The developer and state may be liable. https://www.packetlabs.net/...
T. Greg Doucette / @greg_doucette: “decoded the HTML source code” is not a thing... https://twitter.com/...
@arkansasblog: Missouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website. Shades of Asa, bonus baby Mike and our badly flawed jobless benefit website. https://www.rawstory.com/...
@rcfp: When a government official threatens to prosecute a journalist for doing their job... 🚩🚩🚩 https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Corey Quinn / @quinnypig: This is about as illegal as right-clicking an NFT! https://twitter.com/...
Ben Goerz / @bengoerz: @gamescan @GovParsonMO This is more than a “security blunder”. @GovParsonsMO, your web developers encoded (without encryption) SSNs and displayed them openly on the web. You have a massive data breach here. You need to engage a competent Incident Response firm & legal counsel immediately.
Rachel Tobac / @racheltobac: This person reported a vulnerability — a big data leak issue that anyone could see — and took time out of their day to report it to keep people safe. Changes were made to protect data, *and now they want to slap that person with criminal charges?* Absolutely not. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Tobac / @racheltobac: Hitting F12 in a browser is not hacking. If your code leaks personal data via public development tools that any person can see by simply pressing F12 on a keyboard then you have a huge data leak issue, not a hacking situation, on your hands. Fix your website. https://twitter.com/...
Aisha Sultan / @aishas: There's a word for political leaders who threaten journalists with criminal prosecution because they uncover information that embarrasses the state. Remind me of that term.
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: I'll tell you exactly why many of us in Tech and InfoSec are especially sensitive about complete BS like this and react accordingly. Aaron Swartz. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Rich / @dataeditor: this whole situation is like dropping your wallet without realizing, a stranger picking it up and handing it back to you and you calling the cops to report that person for robbery https://twitter.com/...
Rep. Tony Lovasco / @tonylovasco: It's clear the Governor's office has a fundamental misunderstanding of both web technology and industry standard procedures for reporting security vulnerabilities. Journalists responsibly sounding an alarm on data privacy is not criminal hacking. #moleg https://www.stltoday.com/...
Katie Moussouris / @k8em0: That SSNs were embedded in the webpage demonstrates a low hanging fruit vulnerability that should have been prevented in the 1st place or at least found in a security assessment. Prose-killing the messenger only scares other security messengers away. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: 👎 @GovParsonMO doubled down on his bogus claim that a reporter who found & reported a flaw in a .gov that exposed state employee PII “hacked” it: https://twitter.com/... Data journalism is not a crime, Governor! @stltoday informed Missourians of government error. Please retract. https://twitter.com/...
Alberto Cairo / @albertocairo: It doesn't get more idiotic than this—the “hacking” was reading an HTML file—but this guy is a GOP heavyweight, so idiocy is a requirement in the job description: https://missouriindependent.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
T. Greg Doucette / @greg_doucette: Wow, it's somehow even dumber than I thought 😳 https://twitter.com/...
Tessa Weinberg / @tessa_weinberg: “Putting Social Security numbers within HTML, even if it's ‘non-display rendering’ HTML, is a stupid thing for the Missouri website to do and is a type of boneheaded mistake that has been around since day one of the Internet...” https://missouriindependent.com/ ... via @J_Hancock #MoLeg
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: @GovParsonMO Narrator voice: what he just described is “freely available”
Laura J. Nelson / @laura_nelson: So, to recap, a @stltoday journalist found gaping holes in a Missouri website that left teachers' Social Security numbers exposed and told the state before running the story. In response, the governor has launched a police investigation into the reporter. https://www.stltoday.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jamie Dupree / @jamiedupree: This Governor reminds me of old fart members of Congress who aren't really up to speed on how the internet works. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Tony Webster / @webster: Gov. Parson is threatening to prosecute a journalist who 100% did the ethical thing by telling the state they were publishing teacher SSNs online, then holding publication of the story until after the state fixed it. That's the gold standard for reporting security failures. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: in seriousness: headlines like these undersell the real scandalousness of what Parson is doing. the state published teachers' Social Security Numbers online and is now threatening to prosecute a journalist who tried to protect the teachers' privacy. that's *two* scandals, not one https://twitter.com/...
Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken: If View Source is outlawed, only outlaws will use View Source. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Belinda Barnet / @manjusrii: BREAKING: If you go to a website and select “view source” on the browser you're officially a hacker! https://twitter.com/...
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: He's continuing to dig an even deeper hole with legal and technical misinformation. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Hanselman / @shanselman: Hey @GovParsonMO open your browser and press F12. You're a hacker now. (Spoiler: you're not) https://twitter.com/...
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: To be abundantly clear - the data was wide open on the web - simple decrypting, decoding, and parsing on the client side is irrelevant to this.
Ashley / @infosec_taylor: That's called a misconfiguration and that is an insider threat. It was publicly available information. No hacking needed. Either you are getting bad advice from your IT staff or you are GROSSLY misrepresenting what they are telling you. https://twitter.com/...
J.D. Smith / blacktechdaily.com: Missouri Governor Wants to Prosecute Journalist for Warning That State Left Teachers' Data Exposed
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: The governor of Missouri is in super-demagogue mode. Will journalists in Missouri — especially TV reporters — know enough about tech to understand how completely bogus his statements are? This is a test of local/regional journalism. (Also a test of CNN et al.) https://twitter.com/...
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: Thinking one step forward, whatever person or company built this app... find out what other websites they built and it'll probably have the exact same problems. Highly unlikely this is a one-off.
Whitney Merrill / @wbm312: Whatever “award” or “recognition” for misguided security response was given to the Dallas County Sheriff for the Coalfire pentest arrest should also go to Governor Parson. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Alexander / @rachelwalexande: “Decoded the HTML source code” My dude, perhaps learn how the Internet works before you start prosecuting journalists for exposing massive security breaches in your state's IT infrastructure. https://twitter.com/...
Tony Webster / @webster: I have questions about [*gestures at Gov. Parson's entire law enforcement career*] https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Patrick McKenzie / @patio11: For geeks who have not heard @tqbf et al mention this: not every org in the world is a tech company with a bug bounty, and you might want to conclude “absence of an explicit bug bounty is a sign that sending in details of an exploit, even in good faith, is a risky endeavor.” https://twitter.com/...
Mat Honan / @mat: This is like a Labrador Retriever explaining a vacuum cleaner https://twitter.com/...
Sean Lyngaas / @snlyngaas: “If this is a crime, the law is on the wrong side of cybersecurity.” -@HarleyGeiger
Matt Blaze / @mattblaze: Don't encode SSNs of people in the HTML of publicly available webpages. And if you do, don't call the cops if someone notices and (quite responsibly) warns you. https://twitter.com/...
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: It seems idiots in Missouri put 100k teachers' social security numbers online in HTML source, which a child can access. (Like, um, right clicking on “view page source.") The Post Dispatch did a story on the vulnerability, now the gov wants to prosecute them for “hacking.” https://twitter.com/...
@spj_tweets: “The newspaper agreed to hold off publishing any story while the department fixed the problem and protected the private information of teachers...Gov. Mike Parson was labeling the Post-Dispatch reporter a ‘hacker’ and vowing to seek criminal prosecution.” https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Chris Vickery / @vickerysec: This mentality is the reason why cybersecurity is terrible everywhere. Someone responsibly notified the State of Missouri about an agency exposing personal data to the public internet. And now the Governor of Missouri is trying to prosecute the person who notified the State. https://twitter.com/...
Kurt Eichenwald / @kurteichenwald: This stunt by @GovParsonMO is like a bank president calling for a bank robbery charges when someone finds cash lying all over the lobby of the bank & notifies tellers it should be in the vault. @stltoday should sue the state if he goes through with this. https://www.rawstory.com/...
Jerry Gamblin / @jgamblin: Hey, @EFF can you make sure you look out for @kirkman? https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Missouri's governor is on a rampage against the press, and journalists need to be clear that he's making entirely bogus charges against the St. Louis newspaper that discovered abysmal security practices on a state-run computer — and acted responsibly.
@jdmar3: My dude, if someone can right click “view source” and see a SSN for an employee, that is on your web developers. I've seen that kind of amateur shit before, so it's definitely possible, but it looks like the problem might be on your end. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Hutchins / @sarhutch: This is a ✨ classic ✨ example of bad database design. In fact, Shaji Khan, the excellent cybersecurity prof. quoted by @stltoday, taught a whole class on how this stuff happens when I got my master's in data science. https://www.stltoday.com/...
Adam Pavlacka / @gamescan: @GovParsonMO To be CLEAR, HTML source code is FREELY available on a web page. It is NEVER secure. THE FACTS: If your devs put PII (such as SS numbers) in HTML source code, then they made a massive security blunder. The problem is with the developer of the app, not the reporter.
Pry / @pry0cc: This is what happens when y'all say HTML is a programming language and not markup 😭🤣 https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Hutchins / @sarhutch: “The bigger problem...is that the sensitive data was there at all.” It wasn't the P-D that decided to put SSNs on a publicly accessible site. https://twitter.com/...
Marissa / @marissaaevans: I really want to be surprised but members of the public don't realize how terrible and outdated these governmental websites are from a user experience and security standpoint. https://twitter.com/...
@malwaretechblog: This is like if a bank mailed someone an envelope full of cash and then accused them of bank robbery for opening it. Either the governor has no understanding of how computers work or is just trying to distract from their screw up (probably both). https://twitter.com/...
Jerry Gamblin / @jgamblin: Ok @ebellis, everything you said about Missouri was true. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Moose / @litmoose: Growing up Floridian, I was used to the worst of all the news. If someone was horrendously wrong, or awful, or things went politically askew, it was always my home state. That extra breeze through your window tonight is the collective sigh of all FL infosec: “He's not ours!” https://twitter.com/...
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: At the appropriate time, someone will also need to inform the Missouri Governor and Cole County Prosecutor about Google Cache and the Wayback Machine.
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: This data was not freely available, and by the actors own admission, the data had to be taken through eight separate steps in order to generate a SSN. (2/3)
David Cay Johnston / @davidcayj: 1/Missouri @GovParsonMO vows to prosecute @stltoday reporter Josh @Kirkman Renaud, who found sensitive data exposed on a state website, reported it to authorities, held off running a story until the state protected the info. Parson then... https://www.rawstory.com/...
Gabe Rosenberg / @gabrieljr: This is both poor logic, and dangerous. @GovParsonMO is trying to prosecute a reporter for doing their job, and you can read what's actually happening here: https://missouriindependent.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Losowsky / @losowsky: The reporter clicked “view source” on the browser. Demonizing the press like this for doing a public service responsibly is dangerous and scary https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Adelson / @jadelson: Congratulations. Y'all just “hacked” the Missouri state website https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Zuri Davis / @properlyzuri: Since the good governor clearly has a lot of time on his hands to do silly things, you think he'd take a moment to pardon an innocent Lamar Johnson for a homicide even prosecutors admit he couldn't have committed. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Adelson / @jadelson: JFC. This is an insane threat against a reporter who went out of their way to notify the state it had screwed up and put personal information at risk. And viewing source code of gov websites is a standard part of reporting (hell, I was doing that as I saw this) https://twitter.com/...
Charles Minshew / @charlesminshew: [saves what I originally wanted to say to drafts...] https://twitter.com/...
@jeffstone500: Lawsuits like this aren't even about winning. This + the ShotSpotter harassment against @VICE are only latest designed to intimidate journalists by driving up organizational costs and making reporters think twice about doing quality investigative work. https://twitter.com/...
Daniela Altimari / @capitolwatch: This is a wild story. Instead of criminal prosecution, the reporter deserves a public service Pulitzer!! https://twitter.com/...
Mackenzie Huck / @mackenziehuck: Oh, Missouri. Do better. Give the reporter an award, not legal action! https://twitter.com/...
@jaspar: Absolute clown shit. The reporter did nothing wrong. The website was publishing SSNs! https://twitter.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: “The newspaper delayed publishing this report to give the department time to take steps to protect teachers' private information, and to allow the state to ensure no other agencies' web applications contained similar vulnerabilities.” https://www.stltoday.com/...
Sean Lyngaas / CNN: Missouri governor threatens legal action against journalist who found flaw that exposed Social Security numbers
Peter Sterne / @petersterne: This is a press freedom issue. The government is threatening to prosecute a journalist who reported on a government agency's mistake. cc @rcfp @pressfreedom @FreedomofPress https://twitter.com/...
Avery Wilks / @averygwilks: Speaking of stories that cause grown adults to behave like children https://twitter.com/...
@totally_t_bomb: If looking at HTML source code is a crime then I'm pretty much Al Capone https://twitter.com/...
Celeste Bott / @celestebott: They HELD OFF PUBLICATION until the state could fix the error, but ok https://twitter.com/...
Ilana Keller / @ilanakeller: Jeeeeeez. Tell me you're continuing the onslaught against “the media” without ... well, you know the rest. https://twitter.com/...
Ben West / @westbywest: .@GovParsonMO The felony was violation of RSMo Section 610.035 in exposing up to 100k teacher SSNs. I'll submit an invoice shortly so you needn't waste that $50M. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Cody Sandusky / @codysandusky: @MO_Independent @GovParsonMO I encourage everyone seeing this tweet to call the gov's office and share their thoughts on this banal investigation. I just got off the phone to discuss it, warning that ransomware attacks and other cybercrime is on the rise - attacking this type of action is bad and dangerous.
@hootnhollerpod: holy shit 1) state fucks up thing they've been warned for fucking up before 2) reporter notices fuck up and reports to state 3) state claims they've been hacked by reporter 4) governor seeks criminal charges against reporter https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
@hootnhollerpod: the post dispatch even held the story while the state fixed the problem so as not to publicize the data vulnerability.
@swiftonsecurity: Sometimes you just need people hitting F12 and seeing if there's a hidden column for social security numbers on your site. Computer security, especially data disclosure, is hugely about assurance against mistakes. https://twitter.com/...
State Senator Greg Razer / @sengregrazer: Seeking criminal prosecution of a journalist who pointed out the vulnerability to the state is an abuse of power. Also, it's very embarrassing to call this a “hack.” Moral of the story: Missouri has not adequately invested in IT infrastructure. #moleg https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Allison Kite / @allie_kite: On Tuesday, a @stltoday reporter alerted the state of a data vulnerability. The paper agreed to hold off publication until it was fixed. By Thursday, @GovParsonMO labeled the reporter a “hacker” and vowed to seek prosecution. https://missouriindependent.com/ ... #moleg
@fakebenjay: First and foremost, fuck the governor of Missouri. Second, I never thought I'd hear of anything stupider than “the Sony hacks happened because passwords were stored in plaintext in passwords.txt”, but “Missouri teacher SSNs were stored in the browser dev tools” might top it. https://twitter.com/...
Charles Minshew / @charlesminshew: This is what we tell journalism students not to do... take one side of the story and run with it. Read more about this from the @stltoday: https://www.stltoday.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tyler Dukes / @mtdukes: “No private information was publicly visible, but teacher Social Security numbers were contained in HTML source code of the pages.” https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Greig / ZDNet: Missouri governor faces backlash and ridicule for threatening reporter who discovered exposed teacher SSNs
American Propagandist / @armystrang: My dipshit governor wants to put a journalist in jail for pointing out how bad their IT system is https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Staci D Kramer / @sdkstl: A flaw in publicly accessible code in an app for public use. They held the story to give the state time to fix it. The payback from a governor projecting his own behavior onto others: claim they were “attempting to embarrass the state and sell headlines for their news outlet.” https://twitter.com/...
Michael Luciano / Mediaite: Missouri's Governor Is Threatening Hacking Charges Against a Newspaper Because He Has No Clue How the Internet Works
Sudheer Apte / Robots In Plain English: Blame and Shame — Missouri Governor Mike Parson today said that a newspaper reporter was a …
Peter Wade / Rolling Stone: Missouri Governor Is Extremely Confused About What Constitutes ‘Hacking’
Lexi Lonas / The Hill: Missouri education department calls journalist ‘hacker’ for flagging security flaws on state website
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:
@sulliview, Media Nation, New York Times, Robert Feder, @amlwhere, Poynter, @mmcphate, @lizbowie, @nyguild, @rexhuppke, Tortoise, @nickconfessore, @jeremyjojola, @mmasnick, @brynstole, @rexhuppke, @byrobinepley, @awinston, @garyharki, @rexhuppke, @rexhuppke, @jamesfallows, @lrozen, @raylong, @jeremypgordon, @jeffreygoldberg, @priyadesai, @mstaradowdell, @mayakauf, @zmiller547, @bikeblisschick, @vinp27, @jimdaleywrites, @zacharyos, @akamisterjayem, @danahull, @milehighrobert, @jones_mattryan, @mdgbmore, @patbagley, @davealtimari, @tjortenzi, @brettmmurphy, @ellierushing, @mediaevan, @royalpratt, @nickbaumann, @mmcintire, @losowsky, @felixsalmon, @nicolesandler, @davidfolkenflik, @petersagal, Today in Tabs, Substack and @mckaycoppins
Discussion:
@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/ ...
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: An elegant, comprehensive takedown of how Alden pillages local newspapers
Marc Tracy / New York Times: The executive who tried to buy The Baltimore Sun plans a rival news outlet.
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/...
Tom Jones / Poynter: Poynter Power Rankings: Who influenced the media this week? Kristof, Coppins, Facebook and more.
@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/...
@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/ ...
@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/ ...
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.
Giles Whittell / Tortoise: Sensemaker: Cop flop?
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Shot: @mckaycoppins on the secretive investor and his protégé who are getting rich by gutting newspapers around America: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Chaser: The protégé, Heath Freeman, bought a $19 million oceanfront mansion last month: https://nypost.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/ ...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Anyway, now that Harvard Biz has deleted that paragraph about how hedge funds may be rainbows and ice cream for local news, you should probably read this deeply reported Mckay Coppins article about what those hedge funds are ACTUALLY doing. https://twitter.com/...
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/...
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/ ...
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/...
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/...
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/...
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.
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/ ...
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/...
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/...
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: Hard proof of the obvious — the slow destruction of a national press has been a coordinated effort by the worst people alive — and yet dozens of unserious jokers will continue to get rich by insisting mean tweets and woke college students are our biggest threat to free speech https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey Goldberg / @jeffreygoldberg: An incisive investigation of the men who are killing America's newspapers, from @mckaycoppins (via @TheAtlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@priyadesai: This is a searing deep dive into the destruction of local newspapers. It's gut wrenching, but then their are laughable moments like this: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Maya Kaufman / @mayakauf: Between this fascinating @mckaycoppins deep dive and @elainejgodfrey's recent piece on Gannett's role on the collapse of local newspapers, the Atlantic is doing excellent work to expand our understanding of the crisis. https://twitter.com/...
Zack Miller / @zmiller547: I really don't have any words after reading this. Everyone inside the industry knew it was bad but I'm begging the non-journalists that follow me to read this. It's terrifying and heart-wrenching. This is a deep dive into how wealthy hedge funds are destroying the 4th estate. https://twitter.com/...
Cherilyn DeVries / @bikeblisschick: One of the reasons local papers are dying. Financial operatives are intentionally harming them. https://twitter.com/...
Vinnie P. / @vinp27: Pick up a razor-thin Boston Herald and you can see Alden's hatchet work on display. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Nightly Frights / @jimdaleywrites: This is a great article, but to read it you wouldn't know Chicago has another daily—the @Suntimes—as well as a vibrant ecosystem of nonprofit alternative newsrooms poised to step into the breach https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Oren Smith / @zacharyos: Where have I heard this before: “These papers were in many cases left for dead by local families not willing to make the tough but appropriate decisions to get these news organizations to sustainability. These papers would have been liquidated if not for us stepping up.” https://twitter.com/...
@akamisterjayem: It's deeply unsettling to see a warning about an awful thing that has already befallen you. https://twitter.com/...
@danahull: “You could look to Oakland, California, where the East Bay Times laid off 20 people one week after the paper won a Pulitzer.” https://twitter.com/...
Robert Sanchez / @milehighrobert: Not a lot new here, but still well worth the read. And please remember that @5280magazine, a city mag, had this story five years ago: https://www.5280.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Jones / @jones_mattryan: If you haven't worked for Alden, it's hard to understand *how* bad they are. Sure, it's hard everywhere for newspapers. But Alden is a whole other thing. If you need proof, just ask any of us who have left the @virginianpilot and @Daily_Press this year. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew D. Gallagher / @mdgbmore: Very important read about the fate or future of newspapers and local journalism. I'm still betting on Bainum and The Baltimore Banner. https://twitter.com/...
Pat Bagley / @patbagley: .@mckaycoppins commits another act of stellar journalism. The Salt Lake Tribune is one of the very few newspapers that escaped Alden's greedy clutches. This is personal to me https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dave Altimari / @davealtimari: The reporter used the Chicago Tribune as the lead to this story but easily could have used The Courant the oldest paper in the country. What this hedge fund has done to journalism is criminal frankly. Destroyed by the third string kicker for Duke. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
T.J. Ortenzi / @tjortenzi: Baltimore is getting a new news org: “Next year, Bainum will launch The @BaltimoreBanner, an all-digital, nonprofit news outlet. He told me it will begin with an annual operating budget of $15 million, unprecedented for an outfit of this kind.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Brett Murphy / @brettmmurphy: “They call Alden a vulture hedge fund, and I think that's honestly a misnomer. ... A vulture doesn't hold a wounded animal's head underwater.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Ellie Rushing / @ellierushing: “If you want to know what it's like when Alden Capital buys your local newspaper, you could look to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where coverage of local elections in more than a dozen communities falls to a single reporter working out of his attic.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Evan DeSimone / @mediaevan: Everyone has a baseline awareness of what Alden is and some destructive ways that it operates, but seeing it all laid out is really demoralizing. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Gregory Pratt / @royalpratt: It's important for me to say: @chicagotribune is still a strong newspaper doing great journalism that needs your support. But what's happening across the country with Alden is terrible and this piece really puts it into perspective https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Nick Baumann / @nickbaumann: The thing @mckaycoppins unfairly elides here is that while all this stuff may *seem* bad, some brave investors and forward-thinking investment managers are going to get really rich because of it! Inspiring stuff, in my opinion. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mike McIntire / @mmcintire: Galling examination of the ongoing bust-out of local journalism by Wall Streeters more interested in selling off the furniture than shoring up democracy https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Andrew Losowsky / @losowsky: “In legal filings, Alden has acknowledged diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from its newspapers into risky bets on commercial real estate, a bankrupt pharmacy chain, and Greek debt bonds” https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: Really fantastic, detailed profile of Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund killing newspapers, by @mckaycoppins. I'd love to see some estimates of the possible profits, though. That's the one missing piece. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Nicole Sandler / @nicolesandler: Important story. Where I live, the Miami Herald used to be a not very good paper. Now, under Alden ownership, we still get it delivered, but it's truly awful. Didn't think it could get much worse, but now know that anything is possible. https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: In deep dive on Alden, the owner of & threat to some 200 papers, @mckaycoppins notes its takeover of Tribune was financed by Cerebus— a private-equity firm which owned security outfit that trained Saudi operatives who helped murder Jamal Khashoggi. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Peter Sagal / @petersagal: Decided after some reflection not to make one of my amusing little jests about this. Just read it. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: Needle in a Tabstack — In the good old days (or as we used to call them “the bad times") …
Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft is shutting down the Chinese version of LinkedIn and replacing it with a job board stripped of social media features or news — LinkedIn cites challenging operating environment, as retreat marks the biggest departure from China by a major tech company in years
Discussion:
New York Times, Official LinkedIn Blog, Search Engine Land, @stuwoo, Gotrade Daily, @nytimestech, @film_girl, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, @paulmozur, @greggsmith0351, Agence France-Presse, @danharris, @rlheinrichs, @pressfreedom, @pressfreedom, @janelytv, @apmassaro3, @ferdeline, @tiffanycli, @davidpaulk, @ruima, @emilyrauhala, BetaNews, @paulmozur, @emilydparker, @bethanyallenebr, @wongmjane, @stuwoo, @pekingmike, Wired, @sarafischer, Mediaite, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Daily Herald, Associated Press, Engadget, Beyond Search, Japan Times, New York Post and CNBC, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Official LinkedIn Blog: China: Sunset of Localized Version of LinkedIn and Launch of New InJobs App Later This Year
Carolyn Lyden / Search Engine Land: The possibilities are infinite (or at least the mobile SERPs are); Friday's daily brief
Stu Woo / @stuwoo: Huge news from China: LinkedIn says it is closing its professional-networking site in China. This comes after the Microsoft-owned service blocked the profiles of journalists and human-rights activists in China for prohibited content. w/@lizalinwsj https://www.wsj.com/...
@nytimestech: .@kyweise and @paulmozur write that the shutdown of LinkedIn's networking service in China cleaves apart one of the last social media bridges that linked China's internet to the rest of the world, even if in a censored fashion. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Chriscreama Warren / @film_girl: Good. One of the most ethical things Google ever did was to leave China in 2010 b/c of censorship (among other things). Glad to see LinkedIn admit that you can't “win” in the CCP. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@paulmozur: A few other points on LinkedIn's departure from China: Data security law likely a factor as LinkedIn would have to store much more data on users in China. Also, in LinkedIn's China announcement, they make no mention of regulatory issues. So a censored exit for their censoring. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Harris / @danharris: The CCP's tightening grip (on everything) is further accelerating decoupling. How many years until China is a massive North Korea? https://www.wsj.com/...
Rebeccah Heinrichs / @rlheinrichs: Doing Xi's bidding on censorship, surveillance, etc shld always come w/ a huge cost- at the v least in reputation but that's likely not enough https://twitter.com/...
@pressfreedom: LinkedIn's leaving #China will at least thwart one avenue China was using to impose censorship beyond its borders. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@pressfreedom: #LinkedIn's decision to abandon the China market for its main platform is an unfortunate but inevitable result of #China's increasingly heavy handed censorship. @LinkedIn $MSFT https://www.wsj.com/...
Jane Lytvynenko / @janelytv: Hmmmm misleading headline considering LinkedIn's just gonna make a new app. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Paul Massaro / @apmassaro3: Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn China after censoring profiles on behalf of the CCP. This is the right move. If it is between complicity with authoritarian crimes or market exit, market exit is the obvious choice https://twitter.com/...
Ayden Férdeline / @ferdeline: @emilyrauhala Or perhaps poses too much of a reputational/compliance issue for Microsoft? Even if LinkedIn is profitable in the Chinese market, they have so many other business units that could be exposed and vulnerable if China became too upset...
Tiffany C. Li / @tiffanycli: LinkedIn to shut down in China, citing “a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements.” Interesting to see when companies comply w/China's censorship policies vs. when they decide (or are forced) to pull out https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Paulk / @davidpaulk: Amid mounting censorship complaints, #LinkedIn has announced it will shutter the version of its site operating in China. In March, China's internet regulator had told LinkedIn staff to better regulate the platform's content, setting a 30-day deadline. https://www.wsj.com/...
@ruima: Seems to me LinkedIn could theoretically comply but doesn't want to bear risks & costs, which is very rational, bc I think it's pretty much only used by export import folks & MNC employees. At 50mm registered users it's <half of leader Maimai (110mm+) as of 2020 & way less active https://twitter.com/...
Emily Rauhala / @emilyrauhala: Surprised. LinkedIn has been crossing lines in China for a while. Must not be making money? https://twitter.com/...
Wayne Williams / BetaNews: Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn... in China
@paulmozur: LinkedIn's China operations were once a tentative model for foreign internet firms to follow. Partner with a savvy VC firm, censor content as lightly as possible, and get access to China. Seven years on, the experiment has proven a failure. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Emily Parker / @emilydparker: LinkedIn: “While we've found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunity, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed” Translation: Censorship became unmanageable https://blog.linkedin.com/...
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: NEW: Huge move by LinkedIn just weeks after they censored US journalists' profiles — they are going to phase out LinkedIn's China-based website and create a new China-only app. Major implications for future of US companies trying to operate in both China and US. https://twitter.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: “We're also facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China” https://blog.linkedin.com/...
Stu Woo / @stuwoo: Here's the LinkedIn statement. It acknowldeges the company made compromises to operate in China, and indicates that it concluded that it's no longer worth it. https://blog.linkedin.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Forsythe / @pekingmike: Is it OK to have mixed feelings about this? LinkedIn's censoring of accounts was rightly condemned but the direct message function is great for reaching out to potential sources inside China. A valuable tool for journalists. https://twitter.com/...
Will Knight / Wired: LinkedIn's Exit From China Cuts Another East-West Bridge
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: 🚨 🚨🚨 In a stunning move, @LinkedIn says it will sunset of localized version of its app and will launch a new job boards app called “InJobs” — Comes weeks after @BethanyAllenEbr reported that LinkedIn blocked profiles of several U.S. journalists https://www.axios.com/...
Kris Holt / Engadget: Microsoft to shut down LinkedIn in China over ‘challenging operating environment’
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: Apple: Oh, One More Thing
Theo Wayt / New York Post: Microsoft kills LinkedIn China after platform censored posts at government's request
David Bauder / Associated Press:
News Leaders Association extends deadline for its survey about newsroom staff diversity to Oct. 31, as it's received less than 250 responses and hopes for 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, @delanomassey, @marissaaevans, @webjournalist, @niemanlab, @kmtorralva, @emmacarew, @rasmus_kleis, @sciwrialicia, @kaitwells and @laelaps
Discussion:
@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/...
@niemanlab: Because we're us, we've documented the struggles of this journalism industry diversity survey for a few years. It is still struggling: https://apnews.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/...
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/...
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/...
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Axios HQ, Axios' SaaS tools to teach companies to write in its short style, has earned $1M from licensing, $2M from professional services, and has 150 clients — Axios has spun up a seven-figure software licensing business in less than a year. — In February, Axios launched Axios HQ …
Brent Lang / Variety:
IATSE, the union representing backstage movie and TV workers, says that unless an agreement is reached, its 60K members will go on strike starting October 18 — Negotiations to prevent a strike that could bring the film and television production business to its knees are going down to the wire.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @ashleyn1cole, @iatse, Vulture, The Guardian, @theryank and Hollywood Reporter
Discussion:
Ashley Nicole Black / @ashleyn1cole: Period. If you've ever enjoyed any show or movie, you should too. The people who make the content you love are potentially striking for things like lunch breaks and not to have to work such long hours they regularly get into car accidents falling asleep on the drive home. https://twitter.com/...
@iatse: In response to our strike deadline announcement this week, we are getting reports some studios are scheduling unplanned sixth and seventh days and additional overtime. (THREAD)
Rebecca Alter / Vulture: 60,000 IATSE Workers Will Strike on Monday if Deal Isn't Reached
Michael Sainato / The Guardian: ‘We are not machines’: Hollywood workers ready to strike for better conditions
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
A look at OneLog, which lets readers use a single login across some of the largest Swiss media websites and expects to reach 2M active accounts by 2022 — OneLog brings together some of the largest and most trusted Swiss media companies. Their single sign-on solution will reach 2 million active accounts …
Discussion:
Wong Joon Ian / @joonian: this is cool but make it crypto https://twitter.com/...
@niemanlab: “In our newsrooms, they said there's going to be a huge shitstorm because users don't like to register. If you *mention* the word login, there's going to be a shitstorm. Nothing like that happened.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@risj_oxford: Swiss news organisations have joined forces to allow readers to use a single login across their news sites. The system has brought together the largest and most trusted news outlets to reach 2 million active users (or 1/4 of Swiss population) in 2022 https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Aron Pilhofer / @pilhofer: Some day, US publishers will realize the singular value of single sign-on. But not just any SSO, managed for the benefit of some startup or another... but SSO managed by a trusted third party (like the @LocalMediaAssoc or @LMConsortium). Magic will happen. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Kenneth Li / Reuters:
Thomson Reuters launches a $100M fund to invest in early stage companies that serve business audiences in news media, law, tax and accounting — Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO) is launching a $100 million venture capital fund to invest in early stage companies that serve professional audiences in the legal …
Discussion:
Mariam Ahmed / Talking Biz News: Thomson Reuters launches venture capital fund
Ax Sharma / Ars Technica:
A US hacker says he built a network of “news” sites and Facebook Groups in 2015 to push bogus stories after a company hired him to “stop Hillary Clinton” — He was hired to build a fake news op but now wants to put things right. — This is the story of the mastermind behind …
Discussion:
@jasonnationsays, @seth_hettena, @nash076, @chafkin, @msbrumfield, @_tweedge, @rej_ex, @__phantomderp, @cho0b, @jennicide, @fark, @msbrumfield, @datumomnom, @msbrumfield, @byrnehobart, @ladysplainer, @thephreck, @nash076, @nash076, @rayredacted, @cameronwilson, @czedwards, @cstross, @blackamazon, @dangillmor, @brooklynmarie, @ax_sharma and @rej_ex, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jason Nation / @jasonnationsays: We're really going to need to know which company this “undisclosed company” is. https://twitter.com/...
Seth Hettena / @seth_hettena: While Robert Willis has identified himself as “Hacker X,” he's not naming the secretive firm he worked for (confusingly identified in the story with the fake name Koala Media). https://twitter.com/...
@nash076: And you gave him glowing, fawning coverage. This is a terrible piece. https://twitter.com/...
Max Chafkin / @chafkin: this is a crazy, weird story. also: dying to know the actual name of the company https://arstechnica.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: Here's the post that the hacker himself, Robert Willis, wrote about what he did. https://robertwillishacking.com/ ...
Chris Partridge / @_tweedge: @rej_ex Can you explain how you are going to reconcile describing yourself as a hacker with hacker ethics, such as “computers can change your life for the better?” I don't really see you address the moral and ethical impact of what you've done beyond how it's hurt your father.
Björk / @__phantomderp: ... Wait a second. The person who runs much of Austin's DEFCON group is the dude who helped build all that misinformation infrastructure?
@cho0b: My comment here about sakura samurai feels more true every day. Their @rej_ex was a right-wing tech bro who created a vast fake news empire in support of Trump. https://arstechnica.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jennicide: Man says “sorry” for spreading manipulated and false information for monetary gain and the ‘lulz’ because it hits too close to home. https://arstechnica.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Farkenstein / @fark: Jackwagon who greatly contributed to the hellscape we're living in now wants to put things right. So, we're all cool, yeah? https://fark.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: So many interesting passages in Willis' post, but in light of Facebook's massive role in disseminating false political information favoring Trump, this bit of Willis' post is fascinating. https://twitter.com/...
CofS Exit Zone / @datumomnom: WTF is this shit? Robert Willis is NOT a whistleblower until he doxxes the websites, web ring, and owners. Full disclosure mofo or GTFO. Just because you failed to undo the harm fake news did to your family, doesn't mean others can't be helped. People have died. You can do better https://twitter.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: You must read this blockbuster scoop by @Ax_Sharma in Ars Technica about a hacker who built a massive disinformation campaign for an unnamed company that shoveled out fake pro-Trump news to 30 million readers per week during the 2016 campaign. https://arstechnica.com/...
Byrne Hobart / @byrnehobart: https://arstechnica.com/... Further evidence for the thesis that fake news is hard to stamp out because producing it is incredibly fun.
@ladysplainer: Hey @arstechnica, this note about not naming the actual company behind the fake news empire created by Robert Willis is such a cop-out. Who these people are, and who's funding them, is actually more important than keeping Willis happy. https://arstechnica.com/...
@thephreck: Oh hey. We know this guy. @rej_ex telling his piece in the recent weaponizing of disinfo and social media. https://arstechnica.com/...
@nash076: And when I say it's a terrible piece, it's a terrible piece. Why is this here? Was this fact checked, or did you just take your subject's word for it? What magical dump let him source enough parts to build a PC? Was the sky the color of dead television there? https://twitter.com/...
@nash076: Um. @arstechnica. You let your subject make this claim without any kind of pushback or disclaimer about its veracity. What the hell. This is revolting. https://twitter.com/...
Cammyboo / @cameronwilson: this story is unbelievable. i mean that kinda literally, it's setting off alarm bells in my head that make it sound to good to be true. https://arstechnica.com/...
@czedwards: Why “Social liberal, fiscal conservative” tech bros are sewer slime, part 75,396. Also, I want receipts from this dickweed. What city and state did Democrats literally destroy? May his every shit be constipation or diarrhea, for the rest of his life. https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Brain Worms Stross / @cstross: “Hacker X”—the American who built a pro-Trump fake news empire—unmasks himself. He was hired to build a fake news op but now wants to put things right: https://arstechnica.com/...
@blackamazon: I... I am . I am I ..... I just scanned it . I am going to read it read it. But the DATES. The DATES alone ... My hands are actually shaking . https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: This story raises tons of questions, including ones about journalism. The company behind this scam remains unidentified (at least in the article), which strikes me as an unfortunate journalistic compromise — at best. https://twitter.com/...
Brooke Binkowski / @brooklynmarie: “After carefully studying the Facebook pages maintained by Koala staff, which were reaching about 3 million people weekly, Willis began using information-warfare tactics...” https://arstechnica.com/...
Ax Sharma / @ax_sharma: EXCLUSIVE: Ringleader of a massive fake news empire, ‘Hacker X’ comes out. Through extensive efforts, he created an untraceable webring of HUNDREDS of ‘news’ sites to spread conspiracy theories, propaganda to tip the 2016 US Election in Trump's favor. https://arstechnica.com/...
Geoff Weiss / Tubefilter:
Netflix is launching the Netflix Book Club, videos on Facebook and YouTube highlighting books it is adapting into series and films, starting November 16 — Netflix has unveiled a virtual book club that will highlight titles it's adapting into series and films.
Ian Mohr / Page Six:
NYT's Michael Grynbaum sells Empire of the Elite, a book on the history of Condé Nast to Simon & Schuster — The New York Times' Michael Grynbaum has sold a book on the history of Condé Nast to Simon & Schuster, Page Six has exclusively learned. — The tome will be called “Empire of the Elite.”
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Ted Sarandos' memo to all Netflix staff on Chappelle's show: “We have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm” — Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos sent a lengthy missive to the entire company following the mounting controversy around a new original special from comic Dave Chappelle.
Discussion:
Insider, The Wrap, @theeashleyray, Rolling Stone, Decider, @aaronsibarium, @mizdanaclaire, @999saudsalman, @cmclymer, @ayoariellegrace, Digital TV Europe, TVLine, @sunraysunray, @bryanfuller, @nickgillespie, @keyon, @mohanadelshieky, @oglakyn, Vox, @mohanadelshieky, blacktechdaily.com, UPROXX, Vanity Fair, The Root, The Playlist, Input, @variety and @variety
Discussion:
Travis Clark / Insider: Comedian Hannah Gadsby tore into Netflix's ‘amoral algorithm cult’ after its co-CEO defended releasing Chappelle's new special
Tony Maglio / The Wrap: Hannah Gadsby Shreds Ted Sarandos for Backing Dave Chappelle: ‘F- You and Your Amoral Algorithm Cult’
@theeashleyray: do you remember when Netflix re-cut 13 Reasons Why to have suicide warnings and PSAs because people told them it would directly translate to real-world teens harming themselves? https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone: Hannah Gadsby Slams Netflix CEO Over Response to Dave Chappelle's ‘The Closer’
Abby Monteil / Decider: Hannah Gadsby Slams Netflix's “Amoral Algorithm Cult” Amid Dave Chappelle's ‘The Closer’ Controversy
Aaron Sibarium / @aaronsibarium: The fact that this even needs to be said, and in the context of such an anodyne routine, is proof of immense civilizational rot. https://twitter.com/...
@mizdanaclaire: My existence is not an “issue” that anyone needed to “expose.” You wouldn't talk this way about a special where someone went off on a minority racial group for an hour. https://twitter.com/...
@999saudsalman: @MohanadElshieky Becuase there's a clear distinction between discomfort at jokes and a politically motivated agenda. Hasan Minhaj could've spoken about a vast array of issues yet was fixated on one specific country! Don't compare apples to oranges 🤷♂️ https://twitter.com/...
@cmclymer: This is a demonstrably false statement, and @Netflix should be ashamed for putting it out. Horrible. https://twitter.com/...
@ayoariellegrace: Ppl like to pretend that popular portrayals of fiction cannot and do not shape reality; that's incredibly ahistorical and inaccurate. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: Sarandos writes second Dave Chappelle-defending memo: 'We'll always have titles some members and employees dislike'
Michael Ausiello / TVLine: Hannah Gadsby Assails Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Over Dave Chappelle Defense: ‘F—k You and Your Amoral Algorithm Cult’
Bhaskar Sunkara / @sunraysunray: Smdh at “first party shooter games” https://variety.com/...
Bryan Fuller / @bryanfuller: “We have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm,” says the platform that streams @Lavernecox's @Disclosure_Doc that clearly states and proves content on screen directly translates to real world harm for the trans community. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Gillespie / @nickgillespie: “Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse - or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy - without it causing them to harm others.” @netflix CEO Ted Sarandos standing up for free expression. Kudos. https://variety.com/...
Mohanad Elshieky / @mohanadelshieky: Then why did Netflix remove Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act episode about Saudi Arabia from their platform in Saudi if comedians are supposed to expose issues that are uncomfortable? https://twitter.com/...
@oglakyn: Disclosure, available on Netflix literally right now, it's a documentary about depictions of trans people in media and it comes to the exact opposite conclusion except with actual research and facts. Ted should check it out. https://twitter.com/...
Aja Romano / Vox: Dave Chappelle vs. trans people vs. Netflix
Mohanad Elshieky / @mohanadelshieky: Then why did Netflix remove Hasan Minhaj's Patriot act episode about Saudi Arabia since you believe it's ok for content to expose issues that are uncomfortable? https://twitter.com/...
J.D. Smith / blacktechdaily.com: 1,000 Netflix Employees Are Reportedly Planning Walkout to Protest New Chappelle Special
Jennifer Wood / UPROXX: LGBTQ Advocacy Group GLAAD Blasts Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Over His Claim That 'Content On Screen Doesn't Directly Translate To Real-World Harm'
Savannah Walsh / Vanity Fair: Netflix's Ted Sarandos Just Keeps Defending Dave Chappelle
Shanelle Genai / The Root: Netflix Employees Plan Walkout Over Dave Chappelle's Special as Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Doubles Down in Support
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: Netflix CEO Continues To Defend Dave Chappelle And Says ‘The Closer’ Jokes Won't “Directly Translate To Real-World Harm”
@variety: “GLAAD was founded 36 years ago because media representation has consequences for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD said in a statement. https://variety.com/...
@variety: After addressing top leadership, Sarandos sent a lengthy missive on Monday to the entire company — some of whom have increasingly expressed outrage over jokes about the trans community in “The Closer,” and have scheduled a walkout protest in response. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Netflix reinstates a trans employee and two others suspended for crashing a top executive meeting; trans staffers still plan to walk out on October 20
Netflix reinstates a trans employee and two others suspended for crashing a top executive meeting; trans staffers still plan to walk out on October 20
Discussion:
IndieWire, Bloomberg, Hollywood Reporter, Wired, Variety, Vanity Fair, @rainofterra, Protocol, @lucas_shaw, ScreenRant, @slatzism, TheBlaze, @angryblacklady, UPROXX, @briannawu, Insider, @nicolearbour, @zyoritv and @drkarlynb
Discussion:
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter: Hannah Gadsby Tears Into Ted Sarandos for Defending Dave Chappelle, Netflix's “Amoral Algorithm Cult”
Angela Watercutter / Wired: Dave Chappelle and the Problem of Popularity
Naman Ramachandran / Variety: Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby Attacks Ted Sarandos After Being Referenced in Dave Chappelle Memo
Sonia Saraiya / Vanity Fair: Why Is Netflix Gaslighting Us About Dave Chappelle's Transphobic Special?
Terra Field / @rainofterra: Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting. I've included the statement I requested below. I'm going to take a few days off to decompress and try to figure out where I'm at. At the very least, I feel vindicated. https://twitter.com/...
David Pierce / Protocol: Tech's big bad morale problem
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: I have obtained internal documents disclosing the cost and financial performance of several Netflix shows. The Dave Chappelle special cost $24.1M. “Sticks & Stones” cost $23.6M. Both of those specials cost more than an entire season of Squid Game.
Spooky Pill Pagliacci / @slatzism: out of curiosity did any Netflix employees stage a walk out when Cuties was was premiering or is this a “child sexual exploitation is ok but we draw the line at transphobia” sort of thing https://twitter.com/...
Phil Shiver / TheBlaze: Netflix CEO shuts down internal critics threatening walkout over Dave Chappelle: Stand-up comedy does not incite ‘real-world harm’
@angryblacklady: i'm not sure if the trans employee was actually an activist or we're just doing that thing where we call anyone who's just trying to live comfortably in their own skin without being attacked for it is an “activist” https://twitter.com/...
Mike Redmond / UPROXX: ‘Squid Game’ Sure Turned Out To Be A (Relatively) Inexpensive Hit For Netflix
Brianna Wu / @briannawu: My favorite part is how two cis dudes heard the outcry from trans employees, watched the special and were like, “This is fine!” Maybe other people might have a more informed perspective. Just saying! https://twitter.com/...
Travis Clark / Insider: Netflix's co-CEO said content doesn't ‘translate to real-world harm’ in defense of Chappelle's new special. A Netflix documentary suggests otherwise.
Nicole Arbour / @nicolearbour: We can make jokes about everybody or nobody. Those are the rules of comedy, and freedom. https://twitter.com/...
Los Angeles Times:
Court docs: in 2011, ESPN's Adam Schefter referred to Washington Football Team exec Bruce Allen as “Mr. Editor” and sought feedback on an unpublished story — Several inflammatory emails by Jon Gruden were filed as exhibits in federal court by attorneys for Washington Football …
Discussion:
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review: Ted Lasso, the Jon Gruden story, and ethics in sports media
Amanda Marcotte / Salon: Jon Gruden's censorship: Why conservatives decry the consequences of free speech
Des Bieler / Washington Post: ESPN's Adam Schefter says running completed story by Bruce Allen was ‘a step too far’
Ryan Gaydos / Fox News: Washington's Jack Del Rio on Jon Gruden emails: 'I don't have much respect for it'
Michael Harriot / The Root: A Conspiracy of Whiteness: Did an ESPN Insider's Email Inadvertently Reveal How the NFL Blackballed Colin Kaepernick?
Kevin Draper / @kevinmdraper: I am not exactly sure what this statement from ESPN is doing, but it's certainly not a condemnation of a blatantly unethical journalistic practice. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Draper / @kevinmdraper: . @AdamSchefter sent Bruce Allen an unpublished draft of a story and called him “Mr. Editor” according to court filings the LA Times uncovered. https://www.latimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Madeline Coleman / Sports Illustrated: WFT President Issues Apology About Timing of Sean Taylor Jersey Retirement
Danny O'Neil / @dannyoneil: This L.A. Times story answers one of the biggest questions about the disclosure of Jon Gruden's emails, namely, “Why did the NFL leak the contents of those emails out of the 650,000 that were reviewed?” https://www.latimes.com/...
Bernie Zilio / RADAR: Jon Gruden Email Scandal Continues: Washington Football Team Cheerleaders Are ‘Traumatized’ By Topless Photo Nightmare
Jenna Lemoncelli / New York Post: Washington Football Team is making a mess of Sean Taylor's jersey retirement
@mikebellatl: This is news? How do you think “insiders” get their inside information... by fostering relationships with league execs and coaches. https://twitter.com/...
Tyler Lauletta / Insider: The NFL is under increasing pressure to release more emails from investigation that led to Jon Gruden's resignation
Nathan P. Gibson / ScreenRant: Madden 22 Is Removing Raiders Coach Jon Gruden After Email Comments
RELATED:
Rudy Takala / Mediaite:
Q&A with Sam Ro, who has reported on financial news for Axios, Yahoo Finance, and Business Insider, about why he is launching a Substack newsletter — Former Axios markets reporter Sam Ro announced Thursday that he was becoming the latest journalist to join the growing number …
Discussion:
@samro: Anyways, sign up! At least try out the FREE sub. And if it's not for you, unsubscribe! No hard feelings! https://tker.co/
@samro: ...It's nothing against traditional media. But for more casual consumers of financial news content, your outlook is gonna be colored by what random days you decide to check in...
@samro: ...to be clear, I've got nothing against traditional digital news. I'm a huge news junkie and I subscribe to all of it! I'm just here help that audience who are trying to keep up.