Mediagazer: Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages (Karen Hao/MIT Technology Review)

10:30 PM ET, November 21, 2021

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Karen Hao / MIT Technology Review:

Investigation shows how Facebook and Google fund misinformation globally by paying millions of dollars in ad revenue to the operators of clickbait pages — A month after the fall of the democratic government. — In 2015, six of the 10 websites in Myanmar getting the most engagement …

Jennifer Meierhans / BBC:

Spotify removes the shuffle button from all album pages for premium users, so that tracks play in the order artists intended, after Adele requests the change — Adele has persuaded Spotify to take the shuffle button off all album pages so tracks play in the artist's own order.

Moiz Syed / Source:

Interview with Moiz Syed, formerly of The Intercept and ProPublica, on the lack of empathy among newsroom managers, the “straitjacket of objectivity”, and more — “Journalists are encouraged to hold the powerful accountable, but never to proclaim the larger moral lessons of their work.”

Sara Guaglione / Digiday:

A look at the product box programs offered by InStyle, The Cut, Eater, and Group Nine, as more publishers launch them as worthwhile revenue streams — InStyle and The Cut created their first product boxes for sale this month, as this line of business at Eater and Group Nine reaches their one-year anniversaries.

Discussion: @simonowens

Jim Morrill / The Assembly:

Profile of Asheville Watchdog, which produces investigative reporting in North Carolina with accomplished, volunteer journalists who “retired” to the mountains — The staff's investigative reporting has made a splash, and they'd like it to be a model—but it's unclear whether …

Discussion: @theassemblync, @barry_yeoman, @jimmorrill, @john_drescher, @coreyhutchins, @colmorrisdavis and @carolleonnig

Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:

A voter turnout group says Facebook served 36.8% of their conversion ads to iOS users after Apple's ATT change, down from 63.6% — Tatenda Musapatike is as familiar as anyone with the way Facebook's political ad system works. During the 2016 election and the 2018 midterms …

Discussion: @somospostpc, @carnage4life, @issielapowsky, @codinghorror, @protocol, @issielapowsky, @voterformation, @tatendacheryl, @issielapowsky, @saramorrison, @issielapowsky and @issielapowsky, more at Techmeme »

Renju Jose / Reuters:

Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation will help 18 Australian small news publishers negotiate collectively with Google and Facebook — Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's philanthropic organisation will help 18 small news publishers in the country collectively negotiate …

Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:

Judge orders the NYT not to publish any Project Veritas “privileged materials”, despite precedent against prior restraint; the NYT seeks an immediate review — WASHINGTON — A judge in New York on Thursday took the rare step of temporarily blocking the New York Times …

Discussion: @joshgerstein, @jesselynradack, @michellemanafy, @eriqgardner, @mathewi, @ell_en, @ggreenwald, @erikwemple, @janemayernyer, @maxkennerly, @mmasnick, @pnjaban, @pressfreedom, @kylenabecker, @asfleischman, @ronwyden, @mlcalderone, @rcfp, @erikwemple, @freedomofpress, @katie_rcfp, @jason_kint, Reason, @digby56, @emilybazelon, @jadler1969, @alfonslopeztena, Vanity Fair, @nycjim, @lisatozzi, @adamgoldmannyt, @cliffordlevy, @tristansnell, @aricohn, @matthewschafer, @keitholbermann, @trevortimm, @freedomofpress, @pnjaban, @markmazzettinyt, @adamliptak, @seth_hettena, @freedomofpress, @jswatz, @karolcummins, @rcfp, @ggreenwald, @pnjaban, @edmundlee, @davidfolkenflik, The Hill, @bradmossesq, @mr_berman, @kenbensinger, @janemayernyer, @ejeancarroll, Committee to Protect …, Reuters, @jonathanwpeters, @erikwemple, Media Nation, @erikwemple, @trevortimm and Columbia Journalism Review

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
A New York appeals court judge rejects the NYT's request to unblock it from publishing or seeking Project Veritas documents; the next hearing is on November 23

Discussion: @williamturton, @iwanttotalk_now, @gaberusk, @mmasnick, @pnjaban, @mathewi, Associated Press and Washington Post

Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal:

The US DOJ says Iranian hackers breached a media company in fall 2020 and tested how to create false news content; sources say Lee Enterprises was targeted — Computer systems of Lee Enterprises, which owns dozens of daily papers, were targeted in disinformation campaign

Discussion: @dnvolz, @dnvolz, @dkiesow, @rossacrosswi, @dnvolz, @airspaceiowa, @roncharles, @justinhendrix, @andreasharsono, @justinhendrix, @dnvolz and @dnvolz

Aubrey Allegretti / The Guardian:

Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre pulls out of the race to chair media regulator Ofcom, despite UK ministers rerunning the process to give him a second chance — Former Daily Mail editor announces decision not to proceed with second bid and takes swipe at civil service

Peter Kafka / Vox:

James Andrew Miller's new book reveals that some HBO execs pushed for selling subscriptions directly to consumers in 2005, and some wanted to buy Netflix — An alternative media history, brought to us by a new oral history of HBO. — “The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.”

Discussion: @jasonhirschhorn, @ritholtz, @gadyepstein, @pkafka, @carlquintanilla, @kbandersen, @tsuvik, @jkosner and Baraja de oro

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Spotify's Findaway acquisition will turn it into an audiobook producer, distributor, and retailer, while becoming the app for consuming all audio — This story is part of a group of stories called — Last week, Spotify announced plans to spend an undisclosed amount of money to acquire Findaway …

Discussion: @evan_greer, @simonowens, @ashleyrcarman, @adrs, @joshhunt, @alphachromeyayo and Podcast Movement

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Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day:
Thinkarete Lifestyle, cited by Facebook as Q3's most widely viewed Page in the US, seems to be a barely active drop-shipping scheme with stolen content

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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Omnicom forecasts $13.4B in CTV ad spend in 2021 vs. $9B+ in 2020, but says it's noticed “fundamental flaws” in measurement that open the door to ad fraud

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