Top News:
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Substack says it has reached 1M paying subscribers, up from 250,000 last December — Many top journalists have left legacy media to go it alone on publishing platform — Newsletter start-up Substack has reached 1m paying subscribers, underlining the growing power of à la carte journalism …
Discussion:
Substack, Axios, Nieman Lab, @ljin18, @apompliano, @annaknicolaou, @hamishmckenzie, Forbes, @niubi, @ike_saul, @substackinc, @carnage4life, @llsethj, @tsoh_investing, @ggreenwald and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
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Delia Cai / Vanity Fair:
Q&A with newsletter writers Charlie Warzel, Casey Lewis, and Nick Quah on moving back to legacy outlets, losing independence, handling refunds, and more — As burnout and new opportunities beckon, newsletter writers navigate the awkward matter of quitting—and issuing refunds.
Clio Chang / New York Magazine:
Inside Felicia Sonmez's lawsuit against the Washington Post that alleges discrimination and cruel, baffling persecution of Sonmez by the paper's highest editors — Why was a reporter punished for speaking up about sexual assault? — In February 2020, the leadership of the Washington Post was in the midst of an internal crisis.
Discussion:
@cliomiso, @wesleylowery, @alex_shephard, @blairdayton16, @halbritz, @laraeparker, @caitlinrcruz, @jayrosen_nyu, @grace_segers, @gabemschneider, @meghanbkelly, @jenzerb, @lainnafader, @lmlauramarsh, @theleoji, @terawhunter, @neenareports, @jayrosen_nyu, @drewmagary, @nymag, @dylanmatt, @damemagazine, @samadlerbell, @mattnegrin, @jayrosen_nyu, @feliciasonmez and @feliciasonmez
Elizabeth Williamson / New York Times:
US judge finds Alex Jones liable by default in Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits after he refused to turn over documents ordered by the courts — A Connecticut judge's ruling combines with decisions in Texas to grant a clean sweep for families of shooting victims in their cases against the Infowars host.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Hartford Courant, Associated Press, Law & Crime, Mediaite, Deadline, Gizmodo, @richardmarx, New York Post, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, UPI, CNN, The Wrap, The Week, Forbes, VICE, @brianstelter, @kylegriffin1, Insider, @frankconniff, @aaronblake, New York Magazine and The Hill
Jem Aswad / Variety:
Snap signs a licensing deal with Sony Music, following its deals with UMG, WMG, and others, and will add its Sounds on Snap feature to AR Lenses — Snap has struck a licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment — which means the music of all three major labels/ publishers and many indies …
Discussion:
Snap Newsroom, Billboard, Adweek, Digital Music News, Music Business Worldwide, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
The FTC recently announced plans to crack down on companies, including news publishers, using “dark patterns that trick or trap consumers into subscriptions” — Most U.S. news organizations won't let readers cancel online. The Federal Trade Commission wants that to change.
Discussion:
@sarahscire, @andygawt, @jbenton, @jaspar, @_cingraham, @ndiakopoulos, @davelucas and @faduda
The Guardian:
Myanmar releases US journalist Danny Fenster from prison, three days after sentencing him to 11 years for incitement and breaches of terrorism laws — Fenster freed three days after he was sentenced to 11 years in jail — The American journalist Danny Fenster has been released from prison in Myanmar …
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
IATSE members vote to ratify a three-year agreement with a 54-hour weekend rest period, 3% annual raise, and more, ending the threat of a strike — The membership of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has voted to ratify a new three-year agreement …
Discussion:
Observer, SlashFilm, IATSE, The Wrap, Gizmodo, Wall Street Journal, Adweek, @iatse, @awolfeful, @robhatchmiller, @carriecnh12, @adequateemily, @jamieson, @jessdrawz, @childbearer, @jbflint, Forbes, @variety, @mizteefranklin, dot.LA, @variety, @variety_cynthia, @kateaurthur and @hesherman
Ezra Klein / New York Times:
Q&A with Jay Rosen on how US political coverage is now a choice between pro- and anti-democratic forces, what a pro-democracy media might look like, and more — I'm Ezra Klein, and this is “The Ezra Klein Show.” — Hey, it's Ezra. While I'm on paternity leave, we have got an All-Star team sitting in for me.
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC's no-bias policy is being pushed to its limits as staff grapple with who gets to choose topics where impartiality matters, such as transgender rights — Analysis: from anti-racism protests to trans rights, who gets to choose topics where impartiality matters is a live issue
Ben Smith / New York Times:
World's editor resigns after 27 years, as the Christian pub known for watchdog journalism debuts a secular opinion section on topics like Biden's spending plans — A clash over culture and politics comes to World, a groundbreaking journalistic institution that covers evangelical Christians.
Discussion:
@kebrightbill, @martinimade, @eschor, @nancyafrench, @estherofreilly, @bernybelvedere, @publicroad, @jeffchu, @mattdpearce, @markcoddington, @megbasham, @philipdbunn, @nytimes, @samthielman, @drantbradley, @jbouie, @elizabethjdias, @dru_johnson, @_silversmith, @davidafrench, @ddiamond, @marvinolasky and @aaron_renn
Todd Spangler / Variety:
NBCU says Peacock will be available as a free add-on for Sky's satellite TV customers in the UK and Ireland starting on November 16 — According to NBCU, after the “soft launch” in the U.K. and Ireland, Peacock will continue to roll out across Sky platforms in territories including Germany …
Discussion:
Light Reading, The Streamable, Engadget, Broadband TV News and nexttv.com