Mediagazer: The NYT's internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz moves to The Washington Post as a columnist covering technology, online life, influencers, business, and more (Charlotte Klein/Vanity Fair)

5:25 PM ET, February 1, 2022

Top News:

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Spotify's Joe Rogan controversy shows the newfound danger for podcast platforms that have moved away from open RSS distribution to high-profile exclusive deals — Every platform should be worried — This story originally ran in Hot Pod, The Verge's preeminent audio industry newsletter.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, The Hill, @ashleyrcarman, @ashleyrcarman, @ashleyrcarman, @syracuseunews, @ultraviolet, @lucas_shaw and Newcomer

Zack Sharf / Variety:

Graham Nash and India Arie follow Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, pulling their music from Spotify to protest content on Joe Rogan's podcast — Nash said in a statement that he “completely agrees” with his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate Neil Young after “having heard the COVID disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify.”

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Billboard, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Breitbart, The Week, Los Angeles Times, Datebook, Deadline, SPIN and Stereogum

Dawn Chmielewski / Reuters:

Wendy Zukerman, host and executive producer of Gimlet's Science Vs, says she'll devote the fact-checking podcast to combating misinfo on other Spotify shows — The executive producer and host of Gimlet Media's Science Vs podcast said she would devote her fact-checking show exclusively …

Discussion: Bloomberg

Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day:

Spotify made an editorial choice by paying $100M to be Joe Rogan's publisher and can't shirk its responsibility by just adding a content warning to his episodes — Read to the end for Pumpkin Cowboy — Please Do Not Let Spotify Convince You That Joe Rogan Is A Content Moderation Problem

Sam Byford / The Verge:
Joe Rogan posts a video to Instagram defending booking contentious guests, apologizes to Spotify for the backlash, and says he may book more “experts”

The New York Times Company:

The New York Times acquires Wordle, the simple word game that has amassed “millions of daily players”, for “an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures” — Wordle, Josh Wardle's stimulating and wildly popular daily word game, is joining The New York Times's portfolio of original …

Discussion: @powerlanguish, New York Times, New York Times, @marcatracy, The Guardian, @kevinroose, @katierogers, @karaswisher, The Verge, Reuters, The Guardian, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, @isaacfitzgerald, Insider, @nytguildtech, @chuckwendig, Christopher Six's Pick Six, @staronline, @vogon, @asteadwesley, The Muffin por Mauricio …, ScreenRant, The Yay Club, @dongwon, @lpolgreen, @maxkennerly, @ellievhall, @xor, @manruss, @daveyalba, @jonporty, @benjysarlin, @janinegibson, @bafeldman, @benadida, @dharmesh, @dhchait, @levie, @dylanmatt, @maggiekb1, @jonnelledge, @sherman4949, @jeremymbarr, @daveleeft, @shalomgood, @adambvary, @teroterotero, @starfire2258, @jonrussell, @engadget, @christinemhall, @hshaban, @dcseifert, @bdsams, @phillyd, @starfire2258, @tomcoates, @kfury, @reckless, @reckless, @sherman4949, @levie, @jessicalessin, @jackmirkinson, @seanludwig, @levie, @domdelport, @zackbeauchamp, @benfritz, @scott_tobias, @helaineolen, @nrarmour, @everyteam_mark, @pjputh, @jasonschreier, @ditzkoff, @parkermolloy, @jackmirkinson, @katienotopoulos, @ofirahy, @ernietedeschi, @bombur, @emilybell, @alexweprin, @rodger, @jbflint, @wfkars, @ofirahy, @byjayking, @tonyajoriley, @grahamstarr, @stshank, @sayssimonson, @danlamothe, @andreawoo, @laurenpelley, @brennacgray, @farnazfassihi, @damiencave, @by_cjewett, @robertjimison, @fredsmith914, @rover829, @aedwardslevy, @jbflint, @jephjacques, @sherman4949, @pkafka, @sherman4949, @marcoarment, @edmundlee, @brianstelter, @budgetben, @chrisvannini, UPROXX, The Register, Nieman Lab, Semiotech, Barrett Media, NPR and Digital gefesselt, more at Techmeme »

Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:

The NYT's internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz moves to The Washington Post as a columnist covering technology, online life, influencers, business, and more — The star reporter with a massive online following thinks the Post gets the internet in ways other outlets don't.

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

Sources: Vice Media secretly organized a music festival in Saudi Arabia; staff have raised concerns about its work in the country after Jamal Khashoggi's murder — Youth media company organised March 2020 event despite pledge to stop all work in Saudi Arabia

Todd Spangler / Variety:

AT&T structures its WarnerMedia split as a spinoff, giving shareholders an estimated 0.24 shares of WarnerMedia-Discovery stock for each share of AT&T stock — The transaction will spin off 100% of AT&T's interest in WarnerMedia to AT&T's existing shareholders in a pro-rata distribution …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Light Reading, Deadline, Axios, @sherman4949, Reuters, @drewfitzgerald, Bloomberg, UPI, Media Play News, @loudobbs, Advanced Television, New York Post, Insider, Next TV, The Wrap and Hollywood Reporter

Sara Fischer / Axios:

After a disappointing IPO, Jonah Peretti tells staff BuzzFeed will limit hiring to critical positions and projects a single-digit decline in commerce sales YoY — BuzzFeed is limiting hiring to only critical positions, and will not be adding any new jobs unless there's a business-case justification …

Discussion: @michellemanafy, @joshsternberg, @ashkan, @jeremymbarr, @stevekovach and @simonowens

Claudia Morell / WBEZ Chicago:

Chicago Public Media completes its Chicago Sun-Times acquisition, after raising $61M in support for the deal; the funding is mostly pledged over five years — URL Copied! — DONATE … Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Sun-Times have made their partnership official Monday …

Discussion: Chicago Sun-Times, insideradio.com, @w_katz1, @mattmoog, @jimfriedlich, @danahoule, @davemckinney, Current, @whuntah, @mattmoog, Robert Feder and Barrett Media

Manori Ravindran / Variety:

HBO Max continues its European expansion, coming to 15 countries on March 8, including the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Croatia — HBO Max is continuing a steady roll-out in Europe with its second wave of countries. … This covers Bosnia and Herzegovina …

Discussion: TechCrunch, The Wrap, Reuters, Mashable, Advanced Television, CNET, Media Play News, 9to5Mac, The Streamable, Digital TV Europe, @jasonkilar, Broadband TV News, C21Media, Deadline, MediaPost and Next TV

Jennifer Elias / CNBC:

Google's Q4 ad revenue came in at $61.24B, up 33% YoY; YouTube's ad revenue rose to $8.63B, up 25.4% YoY — - Alphabet beat on the top and bottom lines for the fourth quarter. — The stock jumped in extended trading after the report. — The company also announced a 20-for-1 stock split.

Discussion: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, @richlightshed, @jasxnallen, @somospostpc and Wall Street Journal

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