Top News:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
OpenWeb, formerly Spot.IM, used by 1,000+ publishers to manage comments and user interactions, raises a $150M Series E with NYT investing, valuing it at $1.1B — OpenWeb, a platform used by publishers to manage comments and user interactions, has raised $150 million in a series E financing round …
Discussion:
@openwebhq
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
Wirecutter staff to strike around Black Friday, the site's busiest time of the year, to protest NYT's refusal to agree to significant guaranteed wage raises — Journalists at the New York Times Co.'s Wirecutter unit plan to strike during the product review website's peak traffic period around Black Friday …
Discussion:
American Press Institute, New York Times, @wirecutterunion, @glenngabe, @andyorin, @paleofuture, @aaronhuertas, @annehelen, @wgaeast, @hedgeye, The NewsGuild - CWA, @dpcrawf, Editor and Publisher, @josheidelson, Columbia Journalism Review, @josheidelson, @flatwhistle, @michellemanafy, @rkgwork, @josheidelson, Nieman Lab and Talking Biz News
Maria Verza / Associated Press:
Mexican prosecutors say they've arrested a businessman on charges of using Pegasus spyware to spy on a journalist — MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican prosecutors said Monday they have arrested a businessman on charges he used the Pegasus spyware to spy on a journalist.
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Interview with Vox's new EIC Swati Sharma about revamping its editorial strategy to redefine “Voxxy” as the publication eliminates its Identities section — Last month, Vox.com eliminated its Identities section, which covered a range of topics, including criminal justice, race, religion, gender, and drugs.
Discussion:
@voxmedia and @niemanlab
Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:
PEN America: 11 proposed state bills this year restricting the teaching of critical race theory explicitly ban lessons based on The New York Times' 1619 Project — A report by PEN America, which surveys more than 50 bills proposed across the country, appeals to a principle that has lost its luster for many on the left and right.
Discussion:
PEN America, Mediaite, The Hill, Popular Information, @summerelopez, @wagesofwins, @penamerica, @nytimes, @nhannahjones, @jzfriedman and @penamerica
Tim Marchman / VICE:
Ben Smith's latest column is at least his fourth article mentioning NewsGuild without noting that it represents BuzzFeed workers against whom Smith negotiated — Ben Smith covers the NewsGuild a lot without mentioning his past with it or his financial interest in BuzzFeed, whose workers it represents.
Discussion:
Poynter, @lainnafader, @timmarchman and @niemanlab
Ben Smith / New York Times:
The labor beat is hot again, both at legacy news outlets and at mission-driven ones like NY-focused The Chief-Leader, whose new owner plans to double staff — At a moment of political turmoil, economic change and a pandemic-driven focus on how we work, labor has become a hot news beat.
Discussion:
@sarahljaffe, @versharma, @noamscheiber, @banditelli, @amy4thepeople, @ceodonovan, @timothys, @sarahljaffe, @alexanderrusso, @ggreenwald, @waltmossberg, @nytimesbusiness, @ejdionne, @greenhousenyt, @danbeucke, @noamscheiber, @_grendan, @raju, American Press Institute, Talking Biz News, @reuvenblau, @margotroosevelt, @dianesavino, @hondawang, @grimkim, @papscun, @greenhousenyt, @davidlsims, @prernajagadeesh, @fshakir and @benyt
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
Report: the BBC's license fee could be frozen for 2022 and 2023 to stop it from rising with inflation, hurting the BBC's ability to compete with big streamers — The BBC looks set to have its funding frozen for the next two years in a major blow to the corporation's ability to compete with the big players.
Discussion:
Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Sun, Metro.co.uk, Realscreen, The Times, @michellemanafy, Daily Express and Digital TV Europe
Tom McGeveran / What's New:
Ohio Local News Initiative raises $5.8M and announces plans to launch its first local nonprofit newsroom in 2022 in Cleveland with an expected staff of 25 — Independent newsroom in Cleveland to launch in 2022, producing daily, high-quality, community-oriented journalism as part of a new statewide network of newsrooms across Ohio
Discussion:
@jcstearns, @jasonalcorn, Daily Herald and @henryjgomez
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Clubhouse rolls out Replay on iOS and Android, letting users record live rooms and share them as a podcast or a clip on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — Clubhouse hosts and moderators will have a fresh tool in their kit today. The company is pushing a new feature live on both its iOS …
Discussion:
Engadget, Clubhouse Blog, Podcast Movement and @justiacom, more at Techmeme »
Illia Ponomarenko / @iaponomarenko:
Kyiv Post, Ukraine's only major newspaper in English, closes; staff say they were all fired after resisting attempts to infringe on editorial independence — BREAKING! @KyivPost has been killed. As simple as that. Today is officially the last day of Ukraine's only major English-language newspaper. We are all fired. This is what we all have to say about this situation. Please, please share to spread the word arond. https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
@lindseyhilsum, @scottmstedman, Agence France-Presse, @biannagolodryga, @tashecon, @zdroberts, Geo News, @paulachertok, @nicdawes, @lgaladza, @iakwasny, @mosuleye, @olganyc1211, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, @matthew_kupfer, @samberkhead, @bneeditor, @olliecarroll, @olgatokariuk, @campuscodi and KyivPost
Sarah Rappaport / Bloomberg:
Saudi Arabia, which lifted a ban on cinemas in 2018, is investing $64B in its entertainment industry and wants to become a destination for Hollywood filmmakers — The desert kingdom's becoming a destination for film makers after ending a decades-long ban on cinema.
Discussion:
@prof_chadwick and @viviannereim