Top News:
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
White supremacists urge supporters to use Twitter's updated Private Information Policy against journalists and activists who identify them in photos of rallies — Researchers fear the new ban on posts sharing people's private information will be ‘emboldening to the fascists’ eager to keep their identities concealed.
Discussion:
Twitter, @krisgoldsmith85, @andybcampbell, @antihateca, @drewharwell, @efjbgc, @brianfishman, @awkwordrap, @brianfishman, Media Matters for America, @digiphile, @melissalyttle, @gwensnyderphl, Gizmodo, @verambergen, @jeffjarvis, @seasono1, @heatherkelly, @parkermolloy, @emilygorcenski, American Press Institute and Geopolitical Mischief, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Kristofer Goldsmith / @krisgoldsmith85: NEW: Last night nazis of Charlottesville-riot-infamy instructed thousands of followers to mass-report accounts of 48 journalists, anti-racist activists, + anti-fascist researchers for retroactive “violations” of @TwitterSafety's new “Private Information Policy.” Some down already https://twitter.com/...
Andy Campbell / @andybcampbell: We knew immediately that the far-right would try to weaponize this policy, which was purportedly meant to help harassment victims, not the harassers themselves. But I didn't expect them to be this successful this quickly. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@antihateca: This sort of research is absolutely critical right now, and we appreciate @JaneQCitizen for putting this out there. @TwitterSafety has been forcing researchers to remove their work exposing the extreme right. This needs to stop. /3 https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Drew Harwell / @drewharwell: @chadloder ... New: Twitter says “a significant amount of coordinated and malicious reports” have flooded in re: new rule and its “enforcement teams made several errors.” Says it's fixed errors and launched an internal review to ensure rule is “used as intended” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Brian Fishman / @brianfishman: If there is a hero use case, there is a villain use case. https://twitter.com/...
Anti-Fascist Abolitionist Awk / @awkwordrap: Told you https://twitter.com/...
Brian Fishman / @brianfishman: This is an interesting case study of well-intentioned policy updates being abused. It also illustrates that coverage is driven by platforms rather than harms. Hence stories abt nazis et al sneakily abusing Twitter policy rather than the same folks coordinating openly on Telegram. https://twitter.com/...
Media Matters for America: Twitter's new privacy policy is ill-conceived, potentially helping bad actors avoid accountability
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Tech companies love “iteration” & minimum viable products. That should apply to @policy, too. @davidakaye says @Twitter's “new ‘privacy policy’ is a failure, well-intentioned (perhaps) but abused & played”-> https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Please revert, @vijaya https://twitter.com/...
Melissa Lyttle / @melissalyttle: Well that went south quickly, like we all knew it would. Good job @Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
@gwensnyderphl: I strongly suspect they still aren't going to restore that important documentation of Philly GOP officials' collaboration with Proud Boys or remove the strikes against me, though. Twitter certainly hasn't reached out or apologized to me, much less tried to make things right. https://twitter.com/...
Vera Bergengruen / @verambergen: “Researchers fear the new ban on posts sharing people's private information will be ‘emboldening to the fascists’ eager to keep their identities concealed. ‘Things now unexpectedly work more in our favor,’ one Nazi sympathizer wrote.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: As I said, as predicted: Far right is using Twitter's new rule against anti-extremism researchers https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@seasono1: Excellent article and thread that includes who is reporting so many accounts on Twitter by using/abusing new Twitter rules on posting media https://twitter.com/...
Heather Kelly / @heatherkelly: Two days later... https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: Oh man, who would have possibly seen this coming 🙃 https://twitter.com/...
Extremily Gorcenski / @emilygorcenski: Twitter is not even compliant with its own policies. Twitter's terms of service state that it must be a first party claim, meaning only the person in the photo can file the claim. This is clearly not the case. https://twitter.com/...
American Press Institute: Need to Know: December 3, 2021 — TOP NEWS THIS WEEK — Twitter has updated …
Jeff Breinholt / Geopolitical Mischief: Countering Geopolitical Mischief: Extremists & Lawfare
RELATED:
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Twitter says it mistakenly suspended 12 accounts after “coordinated and malicious reports” targeted researchers and journalists, and will review the new policy — Far-right activists had urged their followers to use a new company rule to target anti-extremism researchers and journalists
Discussion:
@medus4_cdc, @tadpr0le, CNET, @krisgoldsmith85, @supernova_style, @webradius, @jenelaina, @qwongsj, @ryanjreilly, @adjoro, @drskyskull, @jeffpropulsion, @heatherkelly, @althecat, @hoeglaw, @sarcasmorator, @dennisperkins5, @kt_so_it_goes, @hardin, @washingtonpost and @drewharwell, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Katelyn Bowden / @medus4_cdc: This was me, arguing that perhaps this was a good faith move. I consistently underestimate how absolutely awful most people are. https://twitter.com/...
Abrar Al-Heeti / CNET: Twitter says it mistakenly suspended accounts after new policy spurred ‘malicious reports’
Kristofer Goldsmith / @krisgoldsmith85: It looks like @Twitter's official statement is “oops.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@supernova_style: Dang, even I said how this would be used. @TwitterSupport you don't have a single woman on your team that came up with this idea, do you? https://twitter.com/...
A Weisburd / @webradius: Nobody doubts that the people at Twitter who design these policies are smart. That's it. That's the tweet. https://twitter.com/...
Jen / @jenelaina: We TOLD YOU Nazis would exploit your ridiculous (retroactive!) policy, @Twitter. https://www.vice.com/... Smdh https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Queenie Wong / @qwongsj: Brings back memories of that time Twitter mistakenly verified fake accounts or mislabeled tweets. How do these errors even happen? https://twitter.com/...
Ryan J. Reilly / @ryanjreilly: “Twitter spokesman Trenton Kennedy said that the company had been overwhelmed with a ‘significant amount’ of malicious reports and that its ‘enforcement teams made several errors’ in the aftermath.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Adam Rose / @adjoro: This impacted two journalists in Los Angeles that I know of. One had access restored. Not sure about other (hasn't posted yet), who works for a local newspaper. As press rights chair for @LAPressClub I reached out to @TwitterComms on Wednesday asking for dialogue. No response. https://twitter.com/...
Skullsinthestars / @drskyskull: Shocked, shocked I am that nazis would abuse twitter's stupid rules that's never happened before https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Pearce / @jeffpropulsion: “It was unclear whether all of the erroneous suspensions had been resolved.” NO. It's very clear they haven't been resolved. 😠Bring back @Stesfa, @hornofafricahub, and other Ethiopian accounts. https://twitter.com/...
Heather Kelly / @heatherkelly: EVERYONE: This will be weaponized by the far-right. TWITTER: Nah, it's for women who are harassed. ... TWITTER: “our enforcement teams made several errors” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Alastair Thompson / @althecat: This was an extremely obvious consequence of a hasty decision taken by the @Twitter board which coincided with @jack announcing his resignation. @washingtonpost has not tracked the reasons for this, and they are looking in the wrong place. #NoMore https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Richard Hoeg / @hoeglaw: Correction: I offered that it would weaponized...by everyone. Obvious out of the gate. https://twitter.com/...
Decapod December / @sarcasmorator: as someone who caught a weeklong ban recently for paraphrasing the prologue of Coppola's Dracula, I am deeply unsurprised https://twitter.com/...
Dennis Perkins / @dennisperkins5: Yeah, @TwitterSafety, we told you that's exactly what white supremacist chuds were going to do—it took them less than a day to prove us right. Either you are woefully out of touch, or you're sympathetic to the goon squad. https://twitter.com/...
@kt_so_it_goes: this is crazy talk but what if the biggest problem twitter has is not with its rules but with its enforcement team that weirdly and wildly always seems to err on the side of the nazis https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Hardin / @hardin: twitter hire me and pay me $200,000 a year to tell you, every time you introduce a new feature, that the far right is going to exploit it, because you never seem to learn this https://twitter.com/...
@washingtonpost: Twitter says it suspended accounts in error following flood of “coordinated and malicious” reports https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Drew Harwell / @drewharwell: @chadloder ... Our latest on Twitter's acknowledgement today that a flood of “coordinated and malicious” reports under its new rule led the company to mistakenly suspend accounts. The far right started targeting researchers and journalists soon after it took effect https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review:
Journalists and activists worry Twitter's new privacy policy will be weaponized and make their jobs harder, due to vague terms like “the public interest” — On Tuesday, Twitter said it is expanding its privacy policy to include what the company calls “private media.”
Discussion:
@chadloder, @gwensnyderphl, @birgittaj, @chadloder, @digiphile, @coreypein, @chadloder, @drewharwell, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @anamardoll, @chetfaliszek, @k_trendacosta, @bobarchambault, @evacide, @llauralouisiana, @krisgoldsmith85, @billyarmagh, @jsource, @donlday, @kimcrayton1, @evacide, @blackamazon, @timheuer, @berkmanonlyfans, @blackamazon, @therikeys, @vv1lder, @kenny_wallace, @dkiesow, @dkiesow, @ericajoy, @chadloder, @mathewi, @jeffjarvis and Reason, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Chad Loder / @chadloder: URGENT: As we feared, @TwitterSafety is already locking and suspending the accounts of extremism researchers under its new “Private Media” policy. The video is from September (predating the policy) and shows two right-wing extremists IN PUBLIC, planning violent assaults. https://twitter.com/...
@gwensnyderphl: Under its new “privacy” policy, Twitter locked me out of my account for a May 2019 thread documenting a public Proud Boys rally attended by the GOP Philly mayoral candidate & Capitol riot defendant Zach Rehl. The same Proud Boys who vandalized my home & threatened my family. https://twitter.com/...
Birgitta / @birgittaj: Hey @TwitterSafety - this new rule is counter productive unless you actually invest more clarity and manpower to it. Perhaps just stop implementing until you have figured out what you are trying to do. https://twitter.com/...
Chad Loder / @chadloder: NEW: Right-wing accounts are bragging about making false @TwitterSafety reports against researchers and journalists. The account @GrownHorror (ID: 1437447099331788804) has made false reports of “private media” against dozens of accounts. A predictable and avoidable disaster. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: “a well-intentioned idea that sounds like an absolute horrorshow to actually implement,” in part because social media itself has made it “incredibly thorny” to determine who is a public figure."-@Normative https://www.cjr.org/...
Corey Pein / @coreypein: Again, this was predictable and Twitter must have known it would happen. https://twitter.com/...
Chad Loder / @chadloder: NEW: Twitter has suspended one of the accounts filing false reports against researchers and journalists. I have word that @TwitterSafety is actively looking to suspend accounts making false reports under their new policy. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Drew Harwell / @drewharwell: @chadloder Update: @Twitter tells me their “teams took enforcement action in error” when they suspended @gwensnyderPHL for this tweet https://twitter.com/...
@gwensnyderphl: I documented the rise of the alt-right in Philly and the establishment of terror Telegram when only a few people anywhere were doing that work. That's valuable, important information, and now more than ever a matter of obvious public interest.
@gwensnyderphl: I'll keep screenshotting what gets deleted and try and find a new forum for it, but at this rate Twitter is going to ban me for content that was unambiguously in compliance with their policies when it was written and published.
@gwensnyderphl: I'm a new parent and I've been on Twitter since the late oughts. I don't have time to go through all my thousands of tweets and guess at what Twitter *might* side with white supremacists on as a retroactive violation of a brand new policy.
@gwensnyderphl: This was a PUBLIC rally, meant to terrorize activists at the Abolish ICE encampment. Attended by the GOP Philly mayoral candidate, who gave an award to the president and VP of the Philly Proud Boys for their “service.” There was nothing private there. It was a spectacle.
@gwensnyderphl: Applied retroactively, this policy will kill nearly every account that's done any meaningful work on combating on the ground white supremacists. Applied moving forward, it prevents us from naming violent white supremacists who are public in their hate & terrorize us personally.
@gwensnyderphl: That work obviously involves identification, which until this week was always permitted on Twitter.
Ana Mardoll / @anamardoll: So the Twitter exception saying that items of public interest, like crimes and protests, would still be allowed are not in fact being allowed? Or are they still automating the report system and being DOS attacked?? https://twitter.com/...
Chet Faliszek / @chetfaliszek: That tweets in the thread have already been removed... how do you work at a social media company and not understand brigading? Or is this the intended consequence? https://twitter.com/...
Katharine Trendacosta / @k_trendacosta: My very first thought about this policy was, uh, this exact thing. And police brutality videos. https://twitter.com/...
@bobarchambault: @KrisGoldsmith85 @chadloder Privacy laws do not apply to photos or videos taken in a public space where a person has no expectation of privacy.
Eva / @evacide: @JoeBeOne @bellingcat I would really be interested in knowing what civil society, activism, and journalism orgs they reached out to for feedback before implementing this policy.
Lauralouisiana / @llauralouisiana: @KrisGoldsmith85 @chadloder Happened to me too yesterday. For posting a political cartoon that has been shared 1000s of times. So then I went and reported someone else that shared the same cartoon, but then it was suddenly not an issue (bc it was not mass reported I assume). @TwitterSupport explain. https://twitter.com/...
Kristofer Goldsmith / @krisgoldsmith85: Check @chadloder's thread here for a list of accounts impacted by the nazi-led harassment campaign. It's pretty telling that even tweets in that very thread have been taking down for violating Twitter's new rules: https://twitter.com/...
Billy / @billyarmagh: This whole thread, JFC. @TwitterSafety's new “Private Media” policy is being used by the far-right, sexual harassers and abusers to force journalists, victims and others to delete Twitter screenshots and evidence of crimes, and having journalists' accounts targeted and locked. https://twitter.com/...
J-Source / @jsource: “The latter appears to be an attempt to create an exception for journalism, but how the company will balance newsworthiness and the public interest with its desire to protect individual privacy is unknown.” https://www.cjr.org/...
@donlday: “(T)he National Press Photographers Association, said the policy change shows a lack of understanding that “a person photographed in a public place has NO reasonable expectation of privacy.” https://twitter.com/...
@kimcrayton1: @twitter's new “privacy image” policy, in 48 hours, has caused so much harm that I've had to ask folx to stop sharing stories with me... This will continue to cause a lot of harm to the very communities they indicated they wished to protect AND I have no desire to watch it unfold https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Eva / @evacide: Well-meaning policies can have serious blowback. I'm particularly concerned about Twitter's new privacy policy because they appear to be enforcing it retroactively against tweets that predate the policy. https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: This didn't take long at all , is being unfairly applied has no transparency and falls soundly on the side of the powerful Challenging it requires a large push and funds which will favor the Nazis “Research and academia ” will do nothing This is trash @twitter https://twitter.com/...
Tim / @timheuer: This thread showing how the new policy from @TwitterSafety is basically a bot and not actually implemented as a policy but as a response to any complaint...meanwhile accounts remain locked while in appeal. File under: saw this coming from moon miles away. https://twitter.com/...
@berkmanonlyfans: This happened while I was banned and it really fucking sucks because it clearly exists only to punish antifascists such that only like blue check ADL types can post about hate group members because they need to NGO antifascism as counterinsurgency https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: By the time everyone catches up to this racist badly organized measure most of the most affected won't be around to challenge it and no one will be able to respond This is absolutely irresponsible and you'd think people would be prepared But no https://twitter.com/...
Riley Murdock / @therikeys: Everybody is freaking out about this new Twitter image sharing policy but AS USUAL, are tweeting about it without scrolling down first. You can post whatever media you want - but people depicted in it can request it be taken down AFTERwards https://twitter.com/...
Emily Wilder / @vv1lder: so the policy is also retroactive. this is really really not good. https://twitter.com/...
Kenny Wallace / @kenny_wallace: My opinion on the NEW Twitter policy.. “It's not for a individual leader or company to decide what is news or private. If it happens on the street or inside a public store then it's public. I am afraid twitter wants to control the narrative”...
Damon Kiesow / @dkiesow: If you would agree that: Journalist Public Figure Public Interest Harm Are all concepts difficult to codify in law much less corporate policy - you begin to see the problem.
Damon Kiesow / @dkiesow: And a great set of examples from the bleeding edge of the problem, as noted in the story: https://twitter.com/...
@ericajoy: really? retroactively applying policy to old tweets and then locking and suspending accounts based on the retroactive application of policy? that's what we're doing? do better, @twitter. https://twitter.com/...
Chad Loder / @chadloder: NEW: @SamBraslow, staff writer for the Beverly Hills Courier, has had his account locked by @TwitterSafety because right-wing rallygoers reported his footage of public rallies in Los Angeles. This policy is being abused to target mainstream reporters at established publications.
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: I wrote about how Twitter's new privacy policy on posting images is likely to clash with journalism. How will the company decide who is a “public figure,” or what is “in the public interest?” The answers to those and other questions remain unknown https://www.cjr.org/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Here we go, just as feared: https://twitter.com/...
The Wrap:
BuzzFeed, Inc. formally announces it has merged with a SPAC, acquired Complex Networks, and will start trading Monday on Nasdaq as BZFD — BuzzFeed's shareholders voted in favor of taking the company public on Friday as the media company completes its merger with a special purpose acquisition …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed: BuzzFeed, Inc. Announces Closing Of Business Combination With 890 5th Avenue Partners, Inc. and Acquisition Of Complex Networks
Ranjan / @ranjanxroy: Should've taken some market timing lessons from cheddar and insider https://twitter.com/...
Angela Fu / Poynter: BuzzFeed News Union members stage walkout as shareholders vote to take the company public
RELATED:
New York Times:
BuzzFeed will go public via a merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners, raising $16M from the SPAC and $150M via debt and acquiring Complex Networks for $300M
Discussion:
@benmullin, @richlightshed, Fortune, @jaycodon, @bmorrissey, @sherman4949, Axios, @edmundlee, @lizrhoffman, @wsj, SEC.gov, New York Post and Wall Street Journal
Discussion:
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: BuzzFeed confirms our scoop: about 94% of the investments were withdrawn; the company raised about $16 million from the public listing. https://twitter.com/...
@richlightshed: How many years has it been since consumers cared about @BuzzFeed $BZFD https://twitter.com/...
Declan Harty / Fortune: BuzzFeed could have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in a SPAC. Instead it got just over $16 million
@jaycodon: I'd be shocked if Bustle, Vox, Vice, Group Nine, or any of the others are able to hit the public markets next year based on this. Investors just don't have faith in these businesses. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: “A fraction” is quite a dodge for the only number that matters. 9/10 is a fraction. So is 1/10. https://www.wsj.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: The good news: Buzzfeed will have publicly traded equity to buy other companies. The bad news: A lot of investors don't seem to want that public equity. https://twitter.com/...
Sara Fischer / Axios: BuzzFeed to go public, after shareholders approve SPAC deal
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Here, @katie_robertson @uwsgeezer on the BuzzFeed redemptions ahead of its public debut: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Liz Hoffman / @lizrhoffman: Feels like time to rethink the SPAC vs traditional IPO route? Sure yes IPOs get downsized or priced below expectations but not by two thirds! https://twitter.com/...
@wsj: BuzzFeed is facing a wave of withdrawals by SPAC investors before its public listing and isn't expected to raise significant cash, people familiar say https://www.wsj.com/...
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post: BuzzFeed investors pull funds as company plans to go public via SPAC: report
Shawn McCreesh / New York Magazine:
BuzzFeed News' union holds a walkout after two years of contract negotiations, as shareholders approve a plan to take the company public via a SPAC
Discussion:
@bernstein, Puck, The Diff, @alexweprin, @aaschapiro, @alexweprin, @alexweprin, @shawnmccreesh, @shawnmccreesh, @shockleysmith, @stevenbeynon, @walldo, @bcmerchant, @joeperticone, CNN, @nicolegoodkind, @jbenmenachem, @cwarzel, @felixsalmon, @leavittalone, @matt_on_tech, @jackmirkinson, @o_ema, @mtredden, @juliareinstein, @emilybell, @edgecgroup, @louispeitzman, @brfreed, @addysbaird, @choire, @hamiltonnolan, @zoetillman, @wirecutterunion, @morroweric, @sarafischer, The Information, TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times, Nieman Lab, @bfnewsunion, American Press Institute and New York Times
Discussion:
Joe Bernstein / @bernstein: In my seven years at BuzzFeed News, I've never faced an “or-else” traffic quota. We're walking off today, in part, to make sure our journalists never do. https://twitter.com/...
William D. Cohan / Puck: Carlos Watson Has a Cold
Byrne Hobart / The Diff: BuzzFeed and the Platform Squeeze
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: Shareholders approved BuzzFeed's merger with the 890 5th ave SPAC, but yikes: The company is “expected to raise at least $166.2 million” between $150M in convertible debt and SPAC holdings. That's about a third of what they originally intended. https://www.sec.gov/...
Avi Asher-Schapiro / @aaschapiro: A major sticking point that lead to Buzzfeed News walkout seems to be management's view that $50,000 is an appropriate salary for newsroom employees in cities like San Francisco, LA, & New York. https://www.latimes.com/...
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: Buzzfeed will begin trading on the Nasdaq Monday, with the Complex deal closing that day too.
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: To put this another way: The SPAC that Buzzfeed is merging with raised more than $250M, and they will only get about $16M of that. The rest will be returned to shareholders that opted to redeem.
Shawn McCreesh / @shawnmccreesh: NEW: While BuzzFeed's shareholders vote today to take the company public, its fed up employees are walking off the job. “There is no future of BuzzFeed without the workers, no product for them to take public,” one tells me. Also, a look into that SPAC: https://nymag.com/...
Shawn McCreesh / @shawnmccreesh: One source familiar tells me “This was 100% anticipated” and is why all those convertible notes were so necessary to this deal. “Nobody at BuzzFeed is surprised.” You can read more about those convertible notes in my report from this morning, here: https://nymag.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sam Hockley-Smith / @shockleysmith: Just want to reiterate that media's obsession with dictating content based on clicks + hypothetical traffic is one of the most damaging developments to the industry I can think of https://twitter.com/...
Steve Beynon / @stevenbeynon: Traffic quotas are wild given a reporter has little control over how many people click on their content - and that it incentivizes bad content. Also, a 1% raise doesn't even match inflation, so all salaries would be lower than the previous year at that rate. https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Wall / @walldo: I stood with the BuzzFeed News Union on Day 1 and I stand with them today. Let's get this contract done. What's kept me here for six and a half years are the people; we are ALL better off because of their hard work and they deserve it. @bfnewsunion forever ❤️✊ https://twitter.com/...
Brian Merchant / @bcmerchant: After a period where it felt that policies like traffic requirements, page view quotas + subscriber conversion mandates had rightfully been discredited, seems there's a resurgent move across digital media to embrace or reinstate them. Solidarity w/ @bfnewsunion as they push back. https://twitter.com/...
Joe / @joeperticone: I remember explaining the concept of traffic quotas to a friend who worked in sales and he couldn't comprehend a system where your job is tied to a measurement that's entirely out of your control, but also that you don't get paid more if you exceed said quotas https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Goodkind / @nicolegoodkind: Traffic quotas help no one. They lead to a system where reporters don't get paid if they don't feed you clickbait... it's starve or sensationalize. Execs pretend that you can make quotas with well-reported stories. That's a lie based on false assumptions and a denial of data. https://twitter.com/...
Jon Ben-Menachem / @jbenmenachem: super interesting to me that BuzzFeed management is contesting the evaluation of writers based on engagement metrics. For traditional newsrooms at least I was under the impression that these metrics were not considered mission critical https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: this is fucked up. standing with the @bfnewsunion and the amazing journalists and people who make that place what it is https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: Wherein @addysbaird is quoted as saying, with a laugh: “If I could do math, I wouldn't be a reporter.” Ha. https://nymag.com/...
John Leavitt / @leavittalone: Hmm a rush of tech CEOs quitting followed by buzzfeed going public in a process that doesn't include releasing internal data on like, profits, while also putting draconian demands on workers hmmm https://twitter.com/...
Matthew S. Smith / @matt_on_tech: Apparently, BuzzFeed is also stiff-arming its staffers with a 1% annual wage increase. https://nymag.com/...
Jack Mirkinson / @jackmirkinson: BuzzFeed bosses offering 1% raises while planning to stuff their own pockets with new cash is almost cartoonishly gross. Solidarity with the workers refusing to let them get away with it https://twitter.com/...
Ema O'Connor / @o_ema: We walked out today because BuzzFeed proclaims it's the future of media while proposing to own our personal online activity, to be able to discipline workers for traffic, and to give raises that don't match inflation. Is that the future? https://nymag.com/...
Molly Redden / @mtredden: When management sets these ridiculously low salary floors, it's sending one of two messages: we only want to hire people from rich families, or, we don't care if our workers suffer. Solidarity with @bfnewsunion ✊ https://twitter.com/...
@juliareinstein: Proud to be walking out with my colleagues today to call for a fair union contract. BuzzFeed News would not be what it is without its workers, and it is time our executives recognize that and treat us with some respect. #BFNWalksOut https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Something happening in an increasing number of newsrooms - not just unionization which is fairly traditional if recently minimized. Or basic wages, also a long-standing issue, but the second big demand, to retain ‘creative freedom’ over posting and social media activity .... https://twitter.com/...
Jim Osman / @edgecgroup: Most SPACS are as bad as IPO's in pumping and dumping investors. We are probably the only firm who have carried out a SPAC study. Like any area, there is gold if you look in the right places. We spoke to @NYMag about key areas of the study. https://nymag-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ ...
@louispeitzman: Solidarity with the BuzzFeed News Union. (I don't have any stock options because I didn't feel like I could afford to buy mine when I was laid off after six years, but I do have plenty of resentment. That's unrelated to solidarity with the union!) https://nymag.com/...
Benjamin Freed / @brfreed: Solidarity with the BuzzFeed News workers striking today as their bosses vote to take the company public while ignoring employees' needs. https://nymag.com/...
Addy Baird / @addysbaird: @bfnewsunion I talked to NYMag about why we're taking this step today: https://nymag.com/... (and follow @bfnewsunion for more all day!) https://twitter.com/...
@choire: BuzzFeed staff is walking off the job today in part to protest any clickbait pageview requirements. https://twitter.com/...
Hamilton Nolan / @hamiltonnolan: The only reason any contract could take two years is bad faith bargaining and it should 100% be illegal https://twitter.com/...
Zoe Tillman / @zoetillman: Today I'm walking out to support my BuzzFeed News colleagues in our collective fight for a fair contract. #BFNWalksOut Follow @bfnewsunion to learn why we're walking out, what we want from management, and what you can do to show your support —> https://twitter.com/...
@wirecutterunion: Hmm, sounds familiar. We stand with @bfnewsunion as they walk off the job in protest today. Please show them the same support you showed us during our strike! #BFNWalksOut https://twitter.com/...
Eric Morrow / @morroweric: I'm proud to join my colleagues walking out today. It's been three years organizing began at BuzzFeed News and we didn't go through *all this* just to accept the embrassing wages BuzzFeed has put on the table. https://twitter.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: NEW: @BuzzFeedNews Union members plan a walk out today w “100% participation,” the same day shareholders vote whether to take the company public via SPAC IPO, per @newsguild statement. They're demanding better contract terms (wages, etc) after “two years of stalling.” More below. https://twitter.com/...
Martin Peers / The Information: BuzzFeed, Grab Run Into SPAC Buzzsaw
Shraddha Chakradhar / Nieman Lab: BuzzFeed News Union employees walk off the job, the same day as the company's shareholders vote whether to go public
@bfnewsunion: We've been bargaining our contract for almost 2 years, but BuzzFeed won't budge on critical issues like wages — all while preparing to go public and make executives even richer. So TODAY, we're walking out to send a reminder that there's no BuzzFeed News without us. #BFNWalksOut https://twitter.com/...
Jack Shafer / Politico:
With tiny audiences, the cable news industry has devolved from a useful headline service to a 24/7 eldercare operation; few would care if it disappeared — How did the cable news networks become our main stage? — Nary a day goes by without somebody saying something stupid somewhere …
Discussion:
Walter Shapiro / @mrwaltershapiro: Kudos for reminding the world that cable ratings are minuscule and its influence (even Fox) wildly over-hyped. Personally, I refuse to watch it because I envision brain cell flaking off like dandruff. If it's truly important, there will be a transcript. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Stein / @spytalker: Turn off cable news. It's bad for you. And you won't miss it, trust me. https://www.politico.com/... via @politico
Scott Nover / @scottnover: “For reasons that are personal, nobody has more reverence for the aged than I, but can we agree that cable news has devolved over time from a useful headline service (Ted Turner's original vision at CNN) to a day-to-night eldercare operation?” @jackshafer https://www.politico.com/...
Blake Hounshell / @blakehounshell: “If country music vanished in a rapture, you'd have to deal with some pretty ornery people. But if cable news disappeared tomorrow, who would notice?” https://www.politico.com/...
Steven Shepard / @politico_steve: This from @jackshafer is generally true. Although, the last time I was in the office (Nov. 2, the night of the Va. election), I changed some of the TVs to @FOXTV so I could watch Game 6 of the World Series. https://www.politico.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Chase Madar / @chasemadar: A-grade Shafer. https://www.politico.com/...
Michael J. Coren / @mj_coren: Good reality check on cable news: Less than 1% of the country tunes in. More people live in El Paso, TX than the 700,000 pople CNN primetime draws in. “If cable news disappeared tomorrow, who would notice?” https://www.politico.com/...
Michael Socolow / @michaelsocolow: “Why all this attention when cable news barely matters to most Americans?” https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / @dankennedy_nu: Cable news is a tiny medium that doesn't deserve the attention it gets, says @jackshafer. He's right. (1/2) https://www.politico.com/...
Dave Levinthal / @davelevinthal: Big ouch, from @jackshafer: “... but can we agree that cable news has devolved over time from a useful headline service (Ted Turner's original vision at CNN) to a day-to-night eldercare operation?” https://www.politico.com/...
David Uberti / @daviduberti: Shorter @jackshafer: Read the fucking newspaper. https://www.politico.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: The vast wasteland of the 2020s is cable news, and @jackshafer is on it, in a very good way. https://www.politico.com/...
Tarpley Hitt / Gawker:
Seven Chicago staffers of G/O Media's The A.V. Club are “invited” to move to Los Angeles, where EIC Scott Robson is establishing an office, or lose their jobs — The staff of the A.V. Club — the music, film, and entertainment website owned by G/O Media — was informed yesterday …
Discussion:
@justinmcurto, @tooearnest, @evanryt, @jfruh, @soniasaraiya, @futurehasbeen, @steven_hyden, @shortformernie, @baddestmamajama, @meredithlclark, @maggieserota, @ryanmer, @seanoneal, @timmarchman, @mousterpiece, @phillipstribune, @alissamarie, @chrismohney, @papapishu, @tasharobinson, @tarpleyhitt, @anniezaleski, @vincemancini, @davidehrlich, @vk_hm, @idislikestephen, @shannonl_miller, @thehighsign, @slawrites, @chrishayner, @film_girl and @juwanthewriter
Discussion:
@justinmcurto: things like music and tv happen everywhere, not just in la and new york, and we continue to lose so much by limiting who's covering them to people who (can/want to) live on the coasts https://www.gawker.com/...
Cassie da Costa / @tooearnest: Who in Chicago will hire the employees who won't be bullied into moving to one of the most horrifically designed cities in America at the whim of their EIC? https://twitter.com/...
Evan Rytlewski / @evanryt: This is cruel and callous and completely representative of the garbage leadership that has been driving this site into the ground https://www.gawker.com/...
Josh Fruhlinger / @jfruh: the thing about a website—and I say this as a man who has worked for many a website—is that you absolutely can work for one from your home https://twitter.com/...
Sonia / @soniasaraiya: AVClub's devoted readers (who i owe my career to) deserve better than their site being keelhauled by a guy from moviefone https://twitter.com/...
Steven Hyden / @steven_hyden: This is where I got my start. This was once a publication that prided itself on a proudly outsider/Midwestern POV. You really can't go home again. https://twitter.com/...
Jessica Ellis / @baddestmamajama: I don't know why I was never taught as a child that you could have a career ruining companies. https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Clark / @meredithlclark: As someone who was sad but excited when the AV Club moved from Madison to Chicago, this fucking sucks and will do nothing to help the site. https://www.gawker.com/...
Maggie Serota / @maggieserota: G/O media really excelling at ruining every publication I love to read. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Shattuck / @ryanmer: So tired of tweeting this, but this is your weekly reminder that G/O Media turns everything they touch into pigeon shit. https://twitter.com/...
Sean O'Neal / @seanoneal: The entire point of the site is that it was outsiders writing about the entertainment industry without being beholden to it, which allowed it to have a different POV from every other press release aggregator, but I guess that approach just doesn't produce enough snackable videos. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: I'm trying to imagine explaining the idea of a distinct sensibility rooted in a specific place where 97,382 other entertainment sites aren't also located, possibly with hand puppets. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Spiegel / @mousterpiece: This is quite bad! https://twitter.com/...
Michael Phillips / @phillipstribune: What the hell kind of 1953 shit is that? https://twitter.com/...
Alissa Wilkinson / @alissamarie: Absolutely ghoulish. https://www.gawker.com/...
Chris Mohney / @chrismohney: it really is impressive how everything Jim Spanfeller touches turns to shit. he's the fecal Midas https://twitter.com/...
Chris Person / @papapishu: This is one of the stupidest fucking thing I've heard of this company doing and I've heard a lot of stupid shit man. https://twitter.com/...
Tasha Robinson / @tasharobinson: Heard about The AV Club shuttering its Chicago office a few days ago, but couldn't talk about it until it was public. It feels like the end of the version of the AVC that gave me my career, that shaped how I think, talk, and write about culture. https://www.gawker.com/...
Tarpley / @tarpleyhitt: the eic of @TheAVClub told half his staff to move to LA or get fired https://www.gawker.com/...
Annie Za-yams-ki / @anniezaleski: I'm still proud to contribute to @TheAVClub and have written some of my favorite stories ever for the site. This news just completely bums me out. The staff, who are all wonderful, deserve better. Having a mix of writers in the Midwest and on coasts makes your coverage better. https://twitter.com/...
Vince Mancini / @vincemancini: Media execs: “we want our staff to reflect diverse viewpoints!” Also media execs: “we need all of our staff to reside in one of two wildly expensive metropolises while earning entry-level wages!” https://twitter.com/...
David Ehrlich / @davidehrlich: sending good vibes to the great @AADowd. Not only a fantastic writer but also a sharp and gracious editor who's kept the AV Club's film section strong throughout all sorts of shit. https://twitter.com/...
Valondar / @vk_hm: It's bizarre in an age when jobs like this can be done literally anywhere with wi-fi they want them all done in the same handful of cities https://twitter.com/...
Stephen Thompson / @idislikestephen: This move is as pointless as it is cruel: The last 21 months have taught us that the staff shouldn't need to go to its *current* offices, yet alone ones in Los Angeles. The A.V. Club's great staff deserves so much better than the leadership it's gotten. https://www.gawker.com/...
Shannon Miller / @shannonl_miller: For years, the A.V. Club has survived off of the enduring work of—no hyperbole here— the best culture writers and people that I know. They deserve leadership that actually understands the value they bring to the industry. This is vile. https://twitter.com/...
Dana Stevens / @thehighsign: The gaslighting of this response is truly jawdropping. No, of course it's not _required_ for you to leave your home and move to LA at a moment's notice!* *unless you want to keep your job https://www.gawker.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Samantha Allen / @slawrites: I promise you there is nothing in the water in New York or Los Angeles that somehow makes people write better words or develop sharper cultural criticism. Forcing everyone to move to two cities to participate in media is a great way to cultivate boring, homogeneous perspectives. https://twitter.com/...
Chris E. Hayner / @chrishayner: This is gross. And as an entertainment editor who recently left Los Angeles to work from Florida, absolutely unnecessary. https://twitter.com/...
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy:
[Thread] Crediting a move by The Verge, Quartz updates “off the record” and “on background” rules, noting no conversation is on background until Quartz agrees — Quartz updated its guidance today on the conditions under which our journalists will talk to people off the record or on background. H/t to @TheVerge for recognizing/publicizing some of the confounding new practices of tech sector PR people, which necessitate a fresh look at this
Discussion:
@heatherlandy, @heatherlandy, @katherineabell, @shareenpathak, @heatherlandy, @reckless, @scottnover, @heatherlandy, @jayrosen_nyu and @jason
Discussion:
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy: Our preference almost always is to talk with people on the record, meaning their words can be directly quoted and/or paraphrased by us, with direct attribution to them. This is the default understanding between us, as journalists, and the people we speak with.
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy: “On background, no attribution” isn't real, no matter how many times PR folks say it. Like @TheVerge, we won't talk to paid corporate spokespeople on this basis. PR folks are either on the record or off (unless speaking in a different capacity—as a whistleblower, for instance).
Katherine Bell / @katherineabell: Thanks to @HeatherLandy, Quartz's fearless leader of style and standards, for drawing these lines so clearly. https://twitter.com/...
Shareen Pathak / @shareenpathak: good to clarify these periodically. at one point in my career i covered the PR industry, which had some wild contortions when it came to what “on deep background” and “on background” meant https://twitter.com/...
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy: There are times when on-background conversations are totally appropriate. But they're not on background unless we've agreed to that first.
Nilay Patel / @reckless: A movement! (So far the effects of our background policy change are: 1. better sourcing in stories and 2. clearer expectations for the companies we cover. Your newsroom can have the same!) https://twitter.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: Going “on background” or “off the record” are agreements. Paid company spokespeople should know this. Glad our leadership at @qz is clarifying where we stand: https://twitter.com/...
Heather Landy / @heatherlandy: We'll be rigid about this with paid company spokespeople. If we request information and it's emailed to us with a note from a PR person saying it's being given on background, no dice—we have not agreed to your terms, and we will attribute this usable information as we see fit.
@jason: So anonymous sources who are spinning a positive narrative (aka PR folks on background) are no longer allowed, but corporate sources who are spinning a negative story (ie “for fear of rebuttal” team members) are allowed? Suggest forcing everyone on the record w/rare exceptions https://twitter.com/...
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
Architectural Digest shifts to a global strategy where all 10 editions around the world coordinate content, helping increase traffic and amortize costs — After experimenting with rolling out feature stories and videos globally this year, Architectural Digest will publish its first global magazine issue …
Discussion:
@spj_tweets: “@ArchDigest has tested out coordinating global ‘drops’ of feature stories that were translated into local languages and published on U.S. and international websites this year, and those pieces helped increase traffic to its sites.” https://digiday.com/...
Isaac McIntyre / Dexerto:
YouTube briefly suspended Ludwig Ahgren's livestream on Thursday, days after his publicized move from Twitch; Ahgren blames DMCA notices for playing Baby Shark — The 26-year-old has been the talk of the streaming world these past few days, after he signed an exclusive streaming deal with Twitch arch-rivals YouTube.
Discussion:
@ludwigahgren, @mhbergen, IGN, @lamarrwilson, dexerto.com, Tubefilter, Insider, Kotaku and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Mark Bergen / @mhbergen: “'Only two days on YouTube and I got banned from streaming,' he laughed” https://www.dexerto.com/...
Lamarr Wilson / @lamarrwilson: @0BurkeBlack0 and THIS is the problem with YT. https://twitter.com/...
Brent Koepp / dexerto.com: Valkyrae explains why YouTube banned Ludwig: “It would have happened on Twitch”
Geoff Weiss / Tubefilter: Ludwig Stream Temporarily Interrupted Days Into YouTube Deal, But He Wasn't Suspended Or Banned
Kieran Press-Reynolds / Insider: Streaming star Ludwig said he was suspended from YouTube days after signing an exclusive deal with the platform to abandon Twitch
Lachlan Cartwright / The Daily Beast:
Martin Clarke, DMG Media publisher and CEO/EIC of MailOnline and DailyMail.com, is leaving at the end of February 2022 after 12 years — “I wanted to pursue new challenges,” the MailOnline boss wrote in announcing his exit from the digital tabloid. — MailOnline's publisher …
Discussion:
@pressgazette, @jimwaterson, @jamesrbuk, @jamesrbuk, @brokenbottleboy, @piersmorgan, @lionelbarber, @jamesrbuk, @marksweney, Financial Times and Press Gazette
Discussion:
@pressgazette: Mail Online CEO/editor-in-chief Martin Clarke is leaving in February after building up the site to one of the biggest in the world for 12 years to “pursue new challenges” https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Martin Clarke out as editor of MailOnline after building it from nothing and then seemingly winning an internal power struggle. Erm. https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: Could that possibly suggest there's some truth to the rumours Murdoch has been soliciting him, hard? https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: Martin Clarke's departure from the Mail is far, far more significant than Geordie Greig's a few weeks ago. They're certainly supplying the drama.
Mic Wright / @brokenbottleboy: Martin Clarke out at MailOnline. That's another sociopath released into the wild.
Piers Morgan / @piersmorgan: Wow... Martin Clarke, Publisher, CEO & Editor-in-Chief of @MailOnline @DailyMail is leaving. Stunning news. He's a brilliant journalist & the most successful online newspaper editor in the world - turning the Mail into an internet behemoth. Fascinating to see what he does next. https://twitter.com/...
Lionel Barber / @lionelbarber: Paul Dacre has staged the greatest comeback since Lazarus, not only installing his guy as editor of the Daily Mail but also extending his writ into digital to the point where the autonomous and highly successful Martin Clarke walked #GameofThrones https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: The top of the Mail at the moment resembles the contents of a tumble-dryer: • Paul Dacre departs as editor in chief and chair • Geordie Greig departs unceremoniously • Paul Dacre joins as editor in chief • Martin Clarke departs, but not until February ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Alistair Gray / Financial Times: MailOnline publisher Martin Clarke to step down
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette: Martin Clarke to leave Mail Online after ‘once-in-a-lifetime ride’
Sui-Lee Wee / New York Times:
A Philippine court lets Maria Ressa travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after the government blocked her; she still needs two more courts to approve — The decision came after days of growing international pressure on the government to allow the journalist to attend the ceremony in Norway.
Discussion:
icfj.org, RAPPLER, @damiencave, @irenekhan, @kenroth, @cfwij, @antelava, @jason_kint, Washington Post, Press Gazette, Coda Story and Reuters
Discussion:
icfj.org: Ahead of Nobel Prize, #HoldTheLine Coalition Demands Charges Against Maria Ressa be Dropped
Damien Cave / @damiencave: Good news... well deserved https://twitter.com/...
Irene Khan / @irenekhan: Delighted @mariaressa can travel to @NobelPeaceOslo but string of spurious court cases still pending against her is evidence of high level of threat to #MediaFreedom in #Philippines https://www.rappler.com/...
Kenneth Roth / @kenroth: A Philippine court lets Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa travel to Oslo to receive her Peace Prize. The government tried to block her and continues to maintain trumped-up charges against her because of her intrepid reporting on Duterte's murderous “drug war.” https://www.rappler.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@cfwij: Some good news. #Philippines appeals court has now allowed @mariaressa to travel to Norway to accept her Nobel Peace Prize! 🏅This was earlier being blocked by #Philippines Govt. We're glad the appeals court ruled in the right direction. We urge them to drop all other charges too https://twitter.com/...
Natalia Antelava / @antelava: Great news but what we need is for the government to DROP ALL CHARGES against @mariaressa #HoldTheLine https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Good move by the court, not a good look otherwise - these were the benchmarks. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sammy Westfall / Washington Post: Appeals court permits journalist Maria Ressa to attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway
Press Gazette: News diary 6-12 December: Journalists collect Nobel Peace Prize and Hamilton/Verstappen championship battle ends
Isobel Cockerell / Coda Story: Ghislaine Maxwell meets Omicron in a new conspiracy theory
KABE-LP:
Univision launches Noticias Univision 24/7, the first news streaming channel on its streaming service PrendeTV — Noticias Univision 24/7 is Now Reporting Live on PrendeTV — Over 100 Univision Newsroom Jobs Announced in October Have Been Filled Throughout the U.S.
Energy & Commodities Editor, Tokyo — 
Politics Reporter, TX — 
Consumer Brands Reporter, GA — 
Deputy Editor - Health Care, VA — 
Product Editor, CA — 
Indigenous Affairs Editor, Sydney — 
China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — 
Bangor Reporter, ME — 
Commerce Editor - Health, Remote US — 
Sports Editor, MI — 
Deputy Politics Editor, CA — 
Alphaville Reporter, London — 
Trending News Reporter, NY — 
Weekend Editor, CA — 
Part-Time Reporter, AZ — 
Political Correspondent, NV — 
Sr. Reporter, Singapore — 
Evening Dep. Breaking News Ed., CA — 
Copy Editor - Miami HQ, FL — 
Police & Courts Reporter, OH — 
Senior Reporter, NM — 
Senior Editor - Ideas, Remote US — 
Morning News Producer, WA — 
Tech Correspondent, CA — 
Enterprise Journalist, WA — 
City Government Reporter, OR — 
TV & Pop Culture Critic, MA — 
Washington Correspondent, DC — 
Local Editor - Morris County, NJ — 
Service Journalism Reporter, PA — 
Senior Editor - NBA, Remote US — 
Immigration Reporter, CA — 
Senior IP Reporter, Remote TX — 
Reporter - National, Remote NY — 
