Top News:
David Gelles / New York Times:
Ben Smith is leaving the NYT to start a global news organization with Justin Smith to cater to “200M people who are college educated, who read in English” — Mr. Smith will help start a new organization with Justin Smith, the chief executive of Bloomberg Media.
Discussion:
@benyt, @reckless, @dgelles, Mediaite, The Hill, @ashleyfeinberg, Deadline, @buzzfeedben, @lebassett, @sethklamann, @alicialutes, @mhbaskin, @claireeshaffer, @ungarino, @zengerle, @meredithshiner, @rublekb, @esotericcd, @kerrymflynn, @rosiegray, @rosental, @digitalshields, @daveweigel, @lpolgreen, @jakesherman, @claremalone, @justinhendrix, @ariehkovler, @parismartineau, @natalieweiner, @yair_rosenberg, @ralstonreports, @clairevtran, @chanders, @howardkurtz, @tomgara, @tomgara, @hamiltonnolan, @robinwigg, @thekenyeung, @toley88, @bristei, @kerrymflynn, @ashleyfeinberg, @ashleyfeinberg, @s_m_i, @davegershgorn, @tomscocca, @paperhaus, @rmac18, @daisandconfused, @joshsternberg, @scottfeinberg, @michaelroston, @brianstelter, @edmundlee, @martinsfp, @carolynryan, @cliffordlevy, @susanpage, @jimwaterson, @lisatozzi, @ezwrites, @pdmcleod, @ljkawa, @mattnegrin, @tomgara, @scottnover, @samjmintz, @sonnybunch, @akarl_smith, @alexbruell, @patrickmcgee_, @jbflint, @jbflint and @kfile
Discussion:
Nilay Patel / @reckless: Hot new media startup for college-educated professionals https://twitter.com/...
David Gelles / @dgelles: NEWS: @benyt is LEAVING the NEW YORK TIMES to start a new news organization with @Justin_B_Smith. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Griffing / Mediaite: New York Times Media Columnist Ben Smith Leaving To Start a Global News Organization
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Bloomberg Media CEO, NYT columnist to form new media venture
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: immense respect to ben for just constantly telling people he absolutely intended to rectify his massive conflict of interest by selling his buzzfeed stock and then bouncing before anyone ever actually made him do it—just incredible work https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dade Hayes / Deadline: Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith Stepping Down To Form Startup; NY Times Media Columnist Ben Smith To Join
Ben Smith / @buzzfeedben: Men will literally start a global news operation catering to the 200 million college educated English speakers worldwide rather than go to therapy
Laura Bassett / @lebassett: Can't stop laughing at this https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Seth Klamann / @sethklamann: Oh thank God, somebody at a major national news organization is finally launching a fresh national news organization. https://twitter.com/...
Alicia Lutes / @alicialutes: “Details are sparse, but Ben told me that they saw their audience as the 200 million or so English speakers with college degrees who are tired of the same-old same-old in the news.” - @dgelles white men truly must be stopped. https://twitter.com/...
Morgan Baskin / @mhbaskin: “A personal dream, and a market opportunity” is the funniest quote I've ever read, no notes https://twitter.com/...
Claire Shaffer / @claireeshaffer: I've read this quote several times and I still have no fucking clue who he's talking about https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rebecca Ungarino / @ungarino: genuinely having trouble understanding what this means as a total addressable market and how it's different from existing national news orgs https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jason Zengerle / @zengerle: Huge gets for OZY relaunch. https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Shiner / @meredithshiner: yo NYT what if you hired a public editor instead of a political reporter to take on the media beat wouldn't that have more value to the institution and the republic??? https://twitter.com/...
Kayla Ruble / @rublekb: So are everyone else's media group chats collectively losing it over this quote right now or just mine? https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@esotericcd: Welp there's the answer to the question “why hasn't Smith sold his shares in Buzzfeed yet despite New York Times policy requiring it for conflict reasons?” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rosie Gray / @rosiegray: @benyt Congrats Ben. I was getting pretty worried about whether a news outlet will finally cater to the 200 million college educated English speakers worldwide
@rosental: Ben Smith Is Leaving The Times for a Global News Start-Up - It seems that @benyt wants to compete with @NYTimes for the global audience of the “200 million people who are college educated, who read in English, ... who talk to each other and talk to us...” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Shepherd Smith, Stephen A Smith, Harry Smith partnering on global news organization centered on folksy but relatable rants
David Weigel / @daveweigel: Ben's media column was the best, gonna miss it terribly https://twitter.com/...
Jake Sherman / @jakesherman: I'm so excited to see @benyt doing this. He's one of the smartest minds in media. https://twitter.com/...
Clare Malone / @claremalone: The once and future media mogul! https://twitter.com/...
Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix: Well that's a powerhouse duo if ever there was one. https://twitter.com/...
Arieh Kovler / @ariehkovler: Preemptively registering all the good publication name Twitter handles with Ben at the end of them. https://twitter.com/...
Paris Martineau / @parismartineau: ben please im begging you dont put your employer's name in ur twitter handle this time https://twitter.com/...
Natalie Weiner / @natalieweiner: who keeps giving bros money https://twitter.com/...
Yair Rosenberg / @yair_rosenberg: This will be really cool, but also, if you're reading this, pat yourself on the back at having survived Ben's media column days without him writing about you. Sigh of relief all around. https://twitter.com/...
Jon Ralston / @ralstonreports: Man, this dude can't hold a job. (Congrats, Ben!) https://twitter.com/...
Claire Trần / @clairevtran: Starting a news outlet. There are 200 million people who can't cook, all they know is mcdonalds, charge their phone, be bisexual, eat hot chip & lie, but who no one is really treating like an audience, but who talk to each other and talk to us. That's who we see as our audience.
@chanders: Also, does this mean that @benyt will have served out his tenure at the NYT without ever divesting his @BuzzFeed stock options? Pretty slick all around, if so.
Howard Kurtz / @howardkurtz: Ben Smith, going back to his netroots...a loss for the Times https://twitter.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: (FWIW I've always thought this is what kinda sets the FT apart, it's written for a pretty global audience of $$ people and nowhere near as anchored on its home audience as its US counterparts. And same goes for a lot of BBC stuff)
Tom Gara / @tomgara: I have no special insight into the Smith/Smith media startup, but so much English language media coming out of the US and UK is very provincial and written with the assumption that its audience shares the interests and priorities of Americans or Brits https://twitter.com/...
Hamilton Nolan / @hamiltonnolan: For a high six figure check even the most ferocious media critics will embrace absolutely any theory of what will work in media and that includes me, pls DM me offers
Robin Wigglesworth / @robinwigg: If anyone - university-educated or otherwise - is unhappy about their media diet then 👉👉👉 https://subs.ft.com/...
Ken Yeung / @thekenyeung: Mr. & Mr. Smith
Tom Ley / @toley88: Defector's potential audience is 300 million people but 200 million people is cool too I guess https://twitter.com/...
Brian Steinberg / @bristei: I guess we'll never know if Ben Smith finally sold his Buzzfeed options.....
@kerrymflynn: “'There are 200 million people who are college educated, who read in English, but who no one is really treating like an audience...' Ben Smith said in an interview.” Genuinely confused. What does NYT / BuzzFeed / others do if not serve that audience? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: i simply cannot stop laughing—cheers to all involved
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: “what about the 200 million people who are college educated, who read in English, but who no one is really treating like an audience, but who talk to each other and talk to us?” - me, constantly
Stacy-Marie Ishmael / @s_m_i: This makes sense. https://twitter.com/...
Dave Gershgorn / @davegershgorn: wow never thought i'd see The Smiths tour again https://twitter.com/...
Tom Scocca / @tomscocca: In the end, the divestments we made were in ourselves https://www.nytimes.com/...
Daisy Alioto / @daisandconfused: Mr. Smith Goes to Mr. Smith https://twitter.com/...
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: Smith Squared! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Scott Feinberg / @scottfeinberg: He had a huge platform and was killing it. Why the hell would he do this? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Roston / @michaelroston: Well I guess that's it, the media has been equationed https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: The Smiths? https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Smith & Smith Co. https://twitter.com/...
Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp: Call it BloomFeed. https://twitter.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: .@benyt has been a superb media columnist, revolutionizing the beat by churning out scoop after stunning scoop. He's a great colleague, too. Very sorry that he is leaving the NYT, but wish him well on his next adventure. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Susan Page / @susanpage: Best media columnist ever. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: New York Times breaks news that New York Times media columnist who often breaks news about the New York Times is leaving the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lisa Tozzi / @lisatozzi: Smith² https://www.nytimes.com/...
Esther Zuckerman / @ezwrites: What does this mean? Like genuinely. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Paul McLeod / @pdmcleod: So does anyone want to work for legacy media anymore? Ben Smith is leaving the New York Times for a global news startup. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Luke Kawa / @ljkawa: “in the long run, you either end up at Bloomberg or Buzzfeed” has finally merged https://twitter.com/...
@mattnegrin: what if new york time hire extremely brilliant and honest person on twitter who always accurate with media prediction for open position at media column https://twitter.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: I think it's safe to say @benyt was a remarkable media columnist. https://twitter.com/...
Sam Mintz / @samjmintz: He'll have to change his Twitter handle yet again, I worry for the man https://twitter.com/...
Sonny Bunch / @sonnybunch: Interesting. Ben's column was one of the best regular features at the NYT. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Allan Smith / @akarl_smith: I can think of one Smith who is not going anywhere https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alexandra Bruell / @alexbruell: Mr. Smith says he sees an opportunity to help address a crisis in trust among news consumers. via @BenMullin https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Patrick McGee / @patrickmcgee_: The Smith Times https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Job opening! https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Cue series of tweets and columns on what @benyt leaving NYT says about traditional media platforms. Or just reverse engineer the ones everyone wrote when he joined NYT two years ago.
Andrew Kaczynski / @kfile: How did @benyt miss this scoop? https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith steps down effective immediately to found a media company “that serves unbiased journalism”; Scott Havens to replace him as CEO — Mr. Smith, 52, sees opportunity to help address crisis in trust among news consumers
Discussion:
Justin B. Smith / @justin_b_smith: After 8 years at Bloomberg Media, and more than 25 years in quality journalism, I've decided to pursue a personal dream, and a market opportunity, to launch a new kind of global news media company that serves unbiased journalism to a truly global audience https://www.wsj.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: New York Times' Ben Smith and Bloomberg Media's Justin Smith to Launch Global News Startup
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Justin Smith's new media venture, code-named “Project Coda,” is aiming to reach a market of 200 million people globally, David Bradley tells me: https://www.wsj.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Scott Havens is the new CEO of Bloomberg Media. -Justin Smith is starting a global, general-interest media company -He's likely going to raise significant funding -The venture will include digital publishing, newsletters, podcasts and digital video https://www.wsj.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: SCOOP: Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith is stepping down to start his own media company https://www.wsj.com/...
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post: NYT columnist Ben Smith and Bloomberg Media CEO to start new company
Parry Ravindranathan / @parryravi: Big news! @Justin_B_Smith was my long time boss at @BBGMedia and a good friend. End of another era. But no better time to do this, Justin. And congrats Scott @msh200 Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith Steps Down to Found News Startup https://www.wsj.com/...
Subrahmanyam Kvj / @sub8u: Might be me, but this is amusing, coming from the (ex) CEO of Bloomberg. The burning desire of every new media startup, small or big, to run down everything else, even that which they've been involved in is something! https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Cooper / @ryanlcooper: TIL Bloomberg Media makes ~$140m on subscription fees alone https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Robin Wigglesworth / @robinwigg: Good luck and Godspeed, but launching another news outlet dedicated to “unbiased journalism for a global audience” makes me think of this meme. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael Roston / @michaelroston: I hope the next 5 hires they announce all have the surname Smith https://www.wsj.com/...
Clare Malone / @claremalone: From the WSJ piece on the new Smiths venture...both this and the Times stub talk abt. college-educated English speakers. So is this gonna be like...The Economist but less British and w/bylines? @benyt ? https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: According to census/wikipedia, there are at least 3mil Smiths globally so that's a sizable base to launch a news media biz. In all seriousness, only the best to @Justin_B_Smith @benyt on their new venture. We'll be rooting for your success. Cheers. https://www.wsj.com/...
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter: Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith Exits, Teams With N.Y. Times' Ben Smith for Startup
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: >> @Justin_B_Smith plans to “launch a premium news business that serves unbiased journalism to a global audience and provides a high-quality platform for the best journalists in the world.” And @benyt is on board https://www.wsj.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: The Smith brothers - Justin and Ben, unrelated - leave Bloomberg and NYT respectively for a new news startup - big news for news biz https://twitter.com/...
Sean Griffey / @seangriffey: One fun part of the Justin Smith / Coda - David Bradley stating that he would invest. You can sell The Atlantic and QZ but media is a hard drug to quit. https://www.wsj.com/...
Sean Griffey / @seangriffey: Huge news: @Justin_B_Smith stepping down as CEO of Bloomberg News to launch a new startup. One of the smartest operators in media...this is #1 on my watch list now. https://www.wsj.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: I think already work for that place “My plan is to launch a premium news business that serves unbiased journalism to a global audience and provides a high-quality platform for the best journalists in the world.” From @BenMullin https://www.wsj.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: More power to Justin but I sure hope his new premium news business doesn't run quotes like that without context.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: “My plan is to launch a premium news business that serves unbiased journalism to a global audience and provides a high-quality platform for the best journalists in the world,” says the man leaving a job running a premium news business staffed by excellent journalists. https://twitter.com/...
The New York Times Company:
WaPo's David Fahrenthold, who won the 2017 Pulitzer for an investigation into Trump's charitable giving, will join NYT's DC bureau as an investigative reporter — David is joining The Times's Washington bureau as an investigative reporter. Read more in this note from Elisabeth Bumiller.
Discussion:
@fahrenthold, @farhip, @fahrenthold, @fahrenthold, @philiprucker, Poynter, @teddyschleifer, @vivian, @bgrueskin, @petersagal, @jonathantamari, @harrylitman, @dataeditor, @evanasmith, @bensoskis, @seungminkim, @jeremybowers, @mikiebarb, Mediaite, @danielsgoldman, @shearm, @cliffordlevy, @agearan, @robreich, @colbyitkowitz, @markberman, @richarddeitsch, @aaronblake, @wesleylowery, @tomwatson, @ericmgarcia, @chelsea_janes, @rkellett, @felixsalmon, @edokeefe, @jdawsey1, @ichotiner, @levinecarrie, The Guardian, The Wrap and The Hill
Discussion:
David Fahrenthold / @fahrenthold: I feel lucky to be joining the @nytimes' great investigative team. I'll write about Trump Org — and also take on a new topic, the abuse/misuse of nonprofits. That means a new set of mysteries to solve — with your help, if you're inclined. There's nothing better in the world.
Paul Farhi / @farhip: Some internal news: @Fahrenthold is leaving the @washingtonpost to join the @nytimes. Huge loss. David broke the “Access Hollywood” tape story in 2016 and won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Trump's bogus charity in 2017. Staff announcement: https://twitter.com/...
David Fahrenthold / @fahrenthold: News! https://twitter.com/...
David Fahrenthold / @fahrenthold: It's very hard to leave the @washingtonpost, especially at a time when it's thriving and growing. I've loved it for 21 years. But when yr employee ID gets old enough to drink, it *might* be time to smack yourself in the face with a new challenge.
Philip Rucker / @philiprucker: Really sorry to see @Fahrenthold leave. Dave's a star reporter, as everyone knows, but he's also been a newsroom pal for more than a decade. Our pod won't be the same without him. https://twitter.com/...
Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer: Abuse/misuse of nonprofits? Am not familiar. https://twitter.com/...
Vivian Schiller / @vivian: New @Fahrenthold beat at @nytimes: “the abuse/misuse of nonprofits”. Look out world! https://twitter.com/...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: @farhip ... Live shot of freight train bringing 8x14 legal pads to NYT warehouse https://twitter.com/...
Peter Sagal / @petersagal: They should have give him a laptop instead of forcing him to use legal pads. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Tamari / @jonathantamari: wow. major media bomb drop to start the year. one of the best in the game. https://twitter.com/...
Harry Litman / @harrylitman: Wow quite a get for the @nytimes. @Fahrenthold has led the charge on Trump corruption reporting starting since 2016 with his indefatigable chronicling of financial sleaziness. Congrats to @Fahrenthold and the Times! https://twitter.com/...
Steven Rich / @dataeditor: i have trolled @Fahrenthold on here many times over his use of legal pads instead of databases and i will continue to do so now that he is at the times https://twitter.com/...
Benjamin Soskis / @bensoskis: This is great news; @Fahrenthold is a terrific reporter. But it's notable that the Times' approach to nonprofit investigative reporting (tho not to its philanthropy beat—see @nkulish's great work) is to focus on misuse/abuse. We need broader investigative ambit than that! https://twitter.com/...
Seung Min Kim / @seungminkim: So sad @Fahrenthold is leaving us, but thrilled for his next adventure. He is not only a stellar, A+ journalist, but a wonderful colleague and friend. Thanks for all the laughter (who will prank @jdawsey1 now???) https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Bowers / @jeremybowers: Look up @NYTInteractive, @Fahrenthold, and see if they can convince you to use a database when @dataeditor could not. Congrats, though. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Barbaro / @mikiebarb: So excited to call @Fahrenthold a colleague! (Again!). What a talent. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite: Fahrenthold Gets Well-Deserved Praise. PBR is Super Cringe. New Year's Eve Was a Hot Mess, As Usual. | Winners & Losers in Today's Green Room
Daniel Goldman / @danielsgoldman: Few are more diligent and determined than @Fahrenthold and I'm especially excited for his new beat — the abuse/misuse of nonprofits — which is an area that does not get enough attention. Congrats! https://twitter.com/...
Michael D. Shear / @shearm: Having spent 18 years at the Post and now almost 12 at the Times, I can say with authority that one of the two papers should have @Fahrenthold. I can also say that I'm ecstatic that we at the Times will now have him. Welcome, David! https://twitter.com/...
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: BIG: David Fahrenthold, a terrifically innovative reporter whose work has often made us very jealous in the NYT newsroom, is joining The Times. Thrilled for him and for our readers. https://www.nytco.com/...
Anne Rumsey Gearan / @agearan: Big loss for @washingtonpost and big get for @nytimes . @Fahrenthold is a terrific reporter, great colleague and a fellow fan of the trusty yellow legal pad. Congratulations Dave. https://twitter.com/...
Rob Reich / @robreich: The @nytimes is building a fantastic team of reporters on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. @dgelles and @nkulish and now @Fahrenthold. https://twitter.com/...
Colby Itkowitz / @colbyitkowitz: I can't imagine the Post without @Fahrenthold. He was one of my first friends in the newsroom, so gracious and welcoming to the new, wide-eyed kid who couldn't believe she was sharing the same air with him and podmates like @PostRoz, @PhilipRucker, @ktumulty, @CarolLeonnig https://twitter.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: This is an incredible loss for the Post. @Fahrenthold is a wonderful person and colleague, one of the best journalists around and truly one of the nicest, best people you'll meet in a newsroom https://twitter.com/...
Richard Deitsch / @richarddeitsch: The college football transfer portal is out of control. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: A tremendous colleague and journalist. He will be deeply missed. Congrats to @nytimes. https://twitter.com/...
Wesley / @wesleylowery: congratulations to NYT, for hiring an amazing journalist and really awesome guy (even if his musical tastes are questionable l) https://twitter.com/...
Tom Watson / @tomwatson: Yeah with equal pressure - @Fahrenthold has to single-handedly change the reputation of the political journalism's New York Mets. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Michael Garcia / @ericmgarcia: Fantastic news for both @nytimes and @fahrenthold. Just an all-around good guy and one of the best reporters alive. https://twitter.com/...
Chelsea Janes / @chelsea_janes: This is the journalism equivalent of Scherzer signing with the Mets. Huge blow to the home team. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Y. Kellett / @rkellett: .@Fahrenthold made it so much easier to convince other reporters that social media could help their reporting in the earlier days https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: No better reporter to have on this hugely important yet massively undercovered beat. https://twitter.com/...
Ed O'Keefe / @edokeefe: Congrats, @Fahrenthold! A former newsroom deskmate who is kind, generous, meticulous and one of the best in our business. The @nytimes is lucky to now have you. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Dawsey / @jdawsey1: I offered to go to space if Dave would stay, but alas. On a serious note, we will miss a great colleague & a great reporter. I hope he finds someone new to prank. (If Dave puts a poetry book about birds on your desk & says the exec editor wants to see you about it, be skeptical.) https://twitter.com/...
Isaac Chotiner / @ichotiner: Ever worse news for the Post: It was actually a trade, and they got back two Frank Bruni columns per month https://twitter.com/...
Carrie Levine / @levinecarrie: Congrats to @Fahrenthold and @nytimes. Had the good fortune to cross paths with @Fahrenthold a few years ago in a chance encounter and found him to be classy, generous and warm in that and every interaction. Hope this is a great move for him. https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: David Fahrenthold, Investigative Reporter on Trump Finances, Jumps From Washington Post to NY Times
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Reporter who broke Trump ‘Access Hollywood’ story leaving WaPost for NYT
Ben Smith / New York Times:
After leaving Meta, CrowdTangle co-founder Brandon Silverman has helped a bipartisan group of US senators craft a bill to boost social networks' transparency — The co-founder of CrowdTangle has been working with Congress on legislation to make tech companies disclose their inner workings.
Discussion:
@nytimes, @daveyalba, Midday Macro, @dmccabe, @evelyndouek, @brianboland, @anthony, @travismayfield, @gchaslot, @chriscoons, Raw Story, Insider, @karaswisher, @revkin, The Full Belmonte, @sillyrobin, @donie, @daveyalba, @adrielhampton, @dangillmor, @apmckay, @elipariser, @kombiz, @justinhendrix, @benyt and @digitalshields
Discussion:
@nytimes: CrowdTangle's tools painted an unflattering portrait of Facebook, so Facebook disbanded the team that ran it. Now its co-founder is helping to write legislation to force social media companies to share more data, writes our media columnist Ben Smith. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: CrowdTangle “had increasingly become an irritant to his bosses, as it revealed the extent to which FB users engaged with hyperpartisan right-wing politics and misleading health information.” Read @brandonsilverm's first interview since departing Facebook https://www.nytimes.com/...
Midday Macro: MIDDAY MACRO - 1/4/2022 — MIDDAY MACRO - DAILY COLOR - 1/4/2022 — OVERNIGHT-MORNING RECAP / MARKET WRAP
David McCabe / @dmccabe: Latest @benyt column is about another Silicon Valley defection to Capitol Hill. And raises another interesting question: What might a law primarily meant to crack open social media reveal about an online retail marketplace? https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Evelyn Douek / @evelyndouek: This is a good piece about the need to get data out from platforms before legislating on the basis of anecdata. Pleased to see this note in it too—we shouldn't write laws based on a limited window into fb OR *just* fb https://nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brian Boland / @brianboland: A very good article about the important legislation that is needed to increase transparency from tech platforms. @brandonsilverm is a great leader and thinker on this topic. What he and the team created with CrowdTangle shows the start of what's possible. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: Crowdtangle increasingly became an irritant to Facebook. Its founder is now working to force social media platforms to provide the sort of transparency that got him marginalized at Facebook https://www.nytimes.com/...
@travismayfield: Crowdtangle has been a crucial tool for news organizations in recent years. Now it's founder is working with a bipartisan group of Senators on more transparency for social media companies >>> https://www.nytimes.com/...
Guillaume Chaslot / @gchaslot: I was one of the first big tech employees to propose to open Social Media black boxes back in 2017. What @brandonsilverm is doing with Facebook is absolutely amazing. Algorithms won't amplify his story so we have to do it ourselves 🙏 https://twitter.com/...
Senator Chris Coons / @chriscoons: Right now, social media companies have tons of data about how their products impact us - but only they get to use it. We need more data and research to fully understand and address the way these platforms affect us, our families, and our democracy. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story: Former Facebook exec handing lawmakers a roadmap that will expose the tech giant's secrets
Tasmin Lockwood / Insider: Ex-Facebook executive and CrowdTangle cofounder Brandon Silverman quits Silicon Valley for Capitol Hill to craft laws to make social media more transparent
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: This is exactly the right approach — more platform transparency — by former CrowdTangle dude https://www.nytimes.com/...
@revkin: “[F]iguring out ways to both help and, in some cases, force, large platforms to be more transparent with news and civic content as it's in the process of being disseminated can ultimately help make social platforms better homes for public discourse.” Follow @brandonsilverm. https://twitter.com/...
Laura Belmonte / The Full Belmonte: The Full Belmonte, 1/3/22 — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican representing Georgia …
@sillyrobin: Helluva way to kick off '22 🥂🎉 “Facebook may live to regret the energy it spent working to shut Mr. Silverman's window into the platform. But I suspect many of us will be grateful to rest the high-stakes debate about social media on shared facts, available in real time.” https://twitter.com/...
Donie O'Sullivan / @donie: CrowdTangle has been a pain in Facebook's ass since the company acquired it. Its founder @brandonsilverm recently quit, but still seems adamant to remain a pain in Facebook's ass. He talks to @benyt. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: I will also say that *anecdotally* using CrowdTangle in the last week has become near-impossible. The tool is extremely buggy now—it times out, dies in the middle of searches. I've heard from researchers & others who say it's probably the beginning of the end for CrowdTangle. https://twitter.com/...
Adriel Hampton / @adrielhampton: CrowdTangle was the No. 1 social media monitoring and improvemen tool for activists and Facebook killed it because it exposed their right-wing bias. Facebook/Meta is a monumental disaster for society. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Founder of Crowdtangle (owned by Facebook), @brandonsilverm, is working on a super-important policy project to force more transparency by social media companies. @benyt has the story: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Andrew McKay / @apmckay: I mean, this “transparency” is what Crowdtangle was great at - before it sold itself to the company that Silverman is complaining about. https://twitter.com/...
Eli Pariser / @elipariser: Kudos to @brandonsilverm for this smart regulatory approach and @benyt for covering it. Lots of complicated choices in social media regulation but this ain't one of them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kombiz Lavasany / @kombiz: It's so clear facebook hates crowdtangle. I've asked on behalf of large civic organizations for a deeper level of access for years that used to be a no brainer and have been told that no, no one is being added on. https://twitter.com/...
Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix: Good to see @brandonsilverm advising on transparency legislation. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Vania Andre / THE CITY:
NYC-based nonprofit news site The City appoints Richard Kim as EIC; Kim was previously HuffPost's executive editor — THE CITY, an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to serving the people of New York, is delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Kim as editor in chief.
Discussion:
@richardkimnyc, @hilella, @lpolgreen, @moorehn, @jere_hester, @nicdawes, @j__velasquez and @sulliview
Discussion:
Richard Kim / @richardkimnyc: I've spent 25+ years in NYC & seen up close what happens when local news disappears. Luckily, there's a kickass, award-winning newsroom brilliantly filling the space & I'm thrilled & humbled to join @THECITYNY in Feb as EIC: https://www.thecity.nyc/...
Hillary Frey / @hilella: There is no one better for this job! So happy for @RichardKimNYC & @THECITYNY!!! https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: An excellent hire for The City: https://twitter.com/...
@jere_hester: This is great news for our city and @THECITYNY. Welcome @RichardKimNYC — looking forward to watching you lead our incredible team to the next phase and beyond! https://www.thecity.nyc/...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: I am thrilled that @RichardKimNYC is the next editor in chief of @THECITYNY https://www.thecity.nyc/...
Gideon Lichfield / Wired:
Wired merges its US and UK websites, but will still publish two separate print editions, as it vows to reject “the optimist and pessimist views of tech” — The future begins here—again. — In the next few decades, virtually every financial, social, and governmental institution …
Discussion:
CNN, @glichfield, @glichfield, @lpramsey, @derektmead, @bmorrissey, @joonian, @tsnvaa, @jtemple, @mikejcasey, @kerrymflynn, @d_jaishankar, @kharijohnson, @gmochkofsky, @glichfield, @laurengoode, @ibogost, @caitlin__kelly, @jeffjarvis, @jeremywired, @parismarx, @avantgame, @wired, @fvogelstein, @jeffjarvis, @michaelzimmer, @jillianpstead and @jeffjarvis
Discussion:
Gideon Lichfield / @glichfield: At its core, though, I say @WIRED isn't about tech: it's about the world's biggest challenges and how to solve them. “Fundamentally, WIRED has always been about a question: What would it take to build a better future? We exist to inspire people who want to build that future.”
Gideon Lichfield / @glichfield: Today we publish my manifesto for @WIRED, an attempt to answer the question: what should a publication born as the bible of techno-optimism do in an age when attitudes to tech have become a lot more negative? https://www.wired.com/...
Lisa P Ramsey / @lpramsey: Recommend this story on tech: “The lesson of the last 30-odd years is not that we were wrong to think tech could make the world a better place. Rather, it's that we were wrong to think tech itself was the solution—and that we'd now be equally wrong to treat tech as the problem.” https://twitter.com/...
@derektmead: It is pleasing to see that Motherboard has brainwashed another formerly august publication
Brian Morrissey / @bmorrissey: Publications would do well to strive to be simply rational instead of trying to be “evenhanded” https://www.wired.com/...
Wong Joon Ian / @joonian: might re-up wired subscription for first time in many years 👀 https://twitter.com/...
Sarah T. Hamid / @tsnvaa: what a bizarre, anodyne, and ultimately disorganizing posture: “it's that we were wrong to think tech itself was the solution—and that we'd now be equally wrong to treat tech as the problem” still, this is a significant document. the critical terrain is shifting. https://twitter.com/...
James Temple / @jtemple: This is a good essay on the new direction of Wired, the state of tech journalism, and the difficult, delicate balance between skepticism and cynicism. https://twitter.com/...
Michael J. Casey / @mikejcasey: I was pleased to see @glichfield open this excellent piece on @WIRED's future with a blockchain reference. As the most important media outlet of the crypto era, we at @CoinDesk face similar challenges grappling with a divisive good v. bad binary around technology... https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Today's my first day at @Axios But I have one last story with @CNN that went up this AM: A conversation with @glichfield, Wired's global editorial director, on his plans for the publication and what he believes to be the biggest tech stories of 2022 https://www.cnn.com/...
Dhruva Jaishankar / @d_jaishankar: .@glichfield: “It's not only possible, but normal, for a technology to do both good and harm at the same time...As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, an intelligent person should be able to hold opposed ideas in their mind simultaneously and still function."https://www.wired.com/ ...
Khari Johnson / @kharijohnson: “..we exist to do the basic hard work of journalism—following the important news, explaining how to think about it, and holding power, particularly tech power, accountable.” https://twitter.com/...
Graciela Mochkofsky / @gmochkofsky: “What's clearer today than ever is that it's people who create change, both good and bad. You cannot explain the impacts of technology on the world without deeply understanding the motives, incentives, and limitations of the people who build and use it.” https://twitter.com/...
Gideon Lichfield / @glichfield: My answer begins by rejecting the “good/bad” binary that frames the discussion about so much of technology (and many other issues). It isn't helpful for understanding where we are and where we're going, and it overlooks the role that people play in the outcome.
Lauren Goode / @laurengoode: “Our subject matter isn't technology...It's those challenges—like climate change, health care, security, the future of democracy, the future of the economy, and the dizzying speed of cultural change as our offline and online worlds mingle.” @glichfield https://www.wired.com/...
Ian Bogost / @ibogost: I dunno man. https://www.wired.com/...
Caitlin Kelly / @caitlin__kelly: I'm also glad to embark on this new adventure at an exciting time for WIRED more generally, as our EIC @gideon wrote about earlier today. His vision is also worth reading if you want some more insight into where we're going this year and beyond: https://www.wired.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: I second the motion. That is journalism's larger job. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy White / @jeremywired: “Critical but not cynical; skeptical but not defeatist. We won't tell you what to think about the future, but how to think about it” and “Where the human and the technological meet: That's where @WIRED lives.” Amen to that. You can/should read @glichfield's full manifesto here https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: Fascinating admission of Wired's past failures by its editor-in-chief, signalling a change in its perspective to recognize the political and social systems that tech is embedded within and shaped by. Yet the rejection of pessimism also seems misguided. https://twitter.com/...
Jane McGonigal / @avantgame: “The future begins here - again.” A refreshing, revitalizing manifesto for how to imagine the future of technology as something WE get to shape. https://twitter.com/...
@wired: Find out what it means to be WIRED, a publication born to celebrate technology in an age when tech is often demonized. The future begins here—again. https://www.wired.com/...
Fred Vogelstein / @fvogelstein: Tech used to be the pirates. Then it became “the man” - a bit like the auto industry from the 1920s to the 1960s. @glichfield eloquently explains what that means for Wired and the world. https://www.wired.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: I've been fearing for Wired, as it seemed to take a dystopian, Guardianesque turn, making up for last snark about technology. But I'm heartened by @glichfield's manifesto concentrating on large problems & tech's role in them vs tech-as-solution-or-problem. https://www.wired.com/...
Michael Zimmer / @michaelzimmer: Framing decades of critical technology studies as “negative” attitudes is much too simplistic and reductive, but I guess that's on-brand. https://twitter.com/...
Jillian P. Stead / @jillianpstead: This. This this this. All of it. Innovators - please read. “As F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, an intelligent person should be able to hold opposed ideas in their mind simultaneously and still function.” As I said a few days back: let this be a guiding principle in 2022. https://twitter.com/...
Helen Davidson / The Guardian:
Independent Hong Kong news outlet Citizen News will close on Tuesday, citing “the rapid changes in society and worsening environment for media” — Independent online news portal to cease operations amid ‘worsening environment for media’ in city
Discussion:
@hkcnews_com: We announced with a heavy heart that CitizenNews will cease operation starting from Jan 4 (Tue). To our subscribers and readers, we sincerely thank you for your support. We shall always treasure this incredible journey in the past five years. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Grundy / @tomgrundy: 1/ Hong Kong media outlet Citizen News has said its decision to close was prompted by the crackdown on fellow newsroom Stand News & staff safety. “We cannot rule out that our reports or articles in the past few years” have broken laws, chief writer Chris Yeung. https://twitter.com/...
@hk_watch: Citizen News, another prominent pro-democracy online media in HK, has announced their closure just days after #HK police raided Stand News, arrested 7 and charged 2 of them with publishing seditious contents. https://twitter.com/...
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Hong Kong's Carrie Lam rebuffs claims of press freedom ‘chilling effect,’ says closure of media outlets unrelated to security law
Jerry Borrell / T&I AsiaWatch: T&I AsiaWatch for January 4th, 2022
Austin Ramzy / @austinramzy: Another independent Chinese-language outlet, Citizen News, closes in Hong Kong. “You know there is a red line, but at the same time you don't know what that line actually is,” chief editor Daisy Li told me last year https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Yuen Chan / @xinwenxiaojie: Hong Kong Citizen News, an independent media outlet founded in 2017 by news industry veterans, says it will stop operating on Tuesday, and that content will be removed some time afterwards. Another huge blow. It's hard to find the words, except thank you. https://www.facebook.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lokman Tsui / @lokmantsui: as a former journalism professor in hong kong, it's been heartbreaking to see the last couple of critical and independent news organizations close down in just a few days time. stand news. citizen news.
Dimsum Daily: Hong Kong Citizen News to suspend operations from 4th January, website removed since 9.30pm (Updated: 10.30pm)
Kari Soo Lindberg / Bloomberg: Third Pro-Democracy News Outlet to Close in Hong Kong During Security Law Fears
Sara Fischer / Axios:
NPR says it will launch an on-demand podcast bundle in H2 as a benefit of membership to local stations, and adds more shows and subscriber-only benefits to NPR+ — Today's Media Trends is 1,486 words, a 6-minute read. Sign up here. — 1 big thing: NPR's new pod push — Expand chart
Discussion:
Isabel Lara / @isalara: “The big picture: NPR has been experimenting with podcasts for well over a decade, but it's pushing more aggressively to produce podcasts, particularly daily shows, that it can include in subscription efforts.” @axios https://www.axios.com/...
Steve Inskeep / @nprinskeep: Good write up here. https://www.axios.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: For the first time, NPR is adding some paywalled content to its podcast subscription — Noteworthy b/c NPR's mission to inform the public limits how much it can put behind a paywall — It's also testing adding exclusive unedited interviews, events, etc. https://www.axios.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: NEW: @NPR plans to launch on-demand podcast bundle as a benefit of membership to local stations in the 2nd half of 2022 — It's adding several new shows & subscriber-only bonus content to NPR+ — “Consider This” & “Up First” extending further to weekends https://www.axios.com/...
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter completes its $1.05B sale of MoPub to AppLovin, which expects its unified platform with MoPub to process $15B+ of annualized advertiser spend by 2023 — Twitter announced today it has completed the sale of its mobile ad platform, MoPub, to the mobile game maker and marketing software …
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
A look at publishers' NFT experiments in 2021, including Decrypt Studios, Yahoo's NFT New York Fashion Week ad deal, and Turner Sports' NFT-based golf game — Many publishers closed out 2020 in a better financial position than they expected early on in the pandemic, giving them the flexibility …
Heidi Chung / Variety:
2022 media trend predictions: subscription video streaming and global digital ad revenue will likely remain growth stories, and the M&A fever will rage on — Though the economy wasn't completely shut down in 2021, life and business were hardly normal. Despite those less-than-normal conditions …
Tyler O'Neil / Fox Business:
Facebook reinstates the ad account of conservative children's book publisher Heroes of Liberty, saying the account was permanently disabled in error — Heroes of Liberty publishes books about Amy Coney Barrett, Ronald Reagan and Thomas Sowell — Facebook has “permanently disabled” …
Discussion:
Christina Maas / Reclaim The Net: Facebook says permanent ban of conservative kids' book publisher “shouldn't have happened”
Jane Hampton Cook / Jane Hampton Cook’s Substack: In a World Gone Mad, Launching a New Year
@beccaturmo: The moral outrage by @tedcruz on a total Hogwash story is something. He like me could have gone to the Heroes of Liberty Facebook page which has ad transparency and would have known @bethanyshondark simply refused simple instructions (a thread about honesty and transparency) https://twitter.com/...
Grayson Quay / The Week: Children's book publisher claims ‘anti-American’ bias after Facebook disables account
Robert P. George / @mccormickprof: Beyond outrageous. I assume Facebook's decision will be reversed by its Oversight Board (assuming that board still exists and remains active). But it should not even be an issue. Do you remember Mark Zuckerberg's solemn promises to respect free speech and reject ideological bias? https://twitter.com/...
@foxbusiness: Facebook reverses course after ‘permanently’ locking account of conservative children's book publisher https://www.foxbusiness.com/ ...
Mary Katharine Ham / @mkhammer: This is such cowardly nonsense and abuse of the rules to lock them out of their account for this content, which doesn't violate anything but delicate ideological sensibilities of those in charge of censoring. BUT it reminds me to buy them immediately. https://heroesofliberty.com/ https://twitter.com/...
Michael Shermer / @michaelshermer: There's another way to curtail the sale of books by conservative publishers you don't like: don't buy their books. https://www.foxbusiness.com/ ...
Megyn Kelly / @megynkelly: This is outrageous! Our copies of these books just arrived today and they are terrific. Thomas Sowell... President Reagan ...Justice Coney-Barrett are too controversial to write books about, Facebook? This is truly nuts. https://twitter.com/...
Andy Stone / @andymstone: @brithume This should not have happened. It was an error and the ad account's been restored.
Bethany S. Mandel / @bethanyshondark: Thread: My new children's book publishing company, @HeroesOfLiberty, was dealt a real blow going into the New Year, when we were banned by Facebook. We're a new literary start-up that publishes quality illustrated biographies of great Americans. https://www.foxbusiness.com/ ...
Brit Hume / @brithume: This is sickening. The books were about Ronald Reagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Sowell. Facebook blocked ads for them claiming they violate a policy against “low-quality or disruptive” content. What bullsh*t. https://twitter.com/...
Sen. Marsha Blackburn / @marshablackburn: Facebook has permanently locked the account of a publisher that published books on Justice Barrett and President Reagan. They want to erase conservative ideas and control your speech. https://www.foxbusiness.com/ ...
Seth Mandel / @sethamandel: These are the children's books Facebook bans—after hearing from commenters who said to literally burn the books: bios of Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Sowell, etc. In case you were wondering why Bethany's work is so important. https://twitter.com/...
Rudy Takala / Mediaite: Facebook Bans Publishing House for Conservative Children's Books, Calls it ‘Disruptive’
Bethany Mandel / New York Post: Facebook shut down our hopes for an anti-woke book world for children