Mediagazer: Ben Smith and Justin Smith plan to name their media company Semafor, which they believe is “a very viable and successful option” for trademarking globally (Sara Fischer/Axios)

7:45 PM ET, March 22, 2022

Top News:

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

BuzzFeed News EIC Mark Schoofs says he and two other top editors are leaving, as BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announces job cuts affecting ~1.7% of company staff — Mark Schoofs, the site's editor in chief, is among the departures. The company's chief executive said BuzzFeed News would need to …

Discussion: @markdistef, @jimwaterson, Axios, @jasonabbruzzese, @markstenberg3, The Daily Beast, @markstenberg3, The Wrap, @edmundlee, @sarafischer, @jane__bradley, The Hill, Gawker, @eoinhiggins_, @rebekahentralgo, @janelytv, @rmac18, @palewire, @kateaurthur, @kevincollier, @g_kayy, @cwarzel, @bradydale, @katenocera, @film_girl, @mediaevan, Vanity Fair, @nausjcaa, @robinwigg, New York Post, @thesarahkelly, @andybcampbell, @craigsilverman, @matthewstoller, Press Gazette, @sivavaid, @saba_h, @jasonabbruzzese, @joshsternberg, @ejdickson, @peternhess, @rachelysanders, @saramorrison, @jamesrbuk, @paulxharris, @ajb_powell, @moorehn, Adweek, @rmc031, @taylorlorenz, @jackmirkinson, @brandyzadrozny, @mrernestowens, @jordanzakarin, @dancow, @lainnafader, @papapishu, @patrickklepek, @nrg8000, @paolobacigalupi, @charlesornstein, @paperhaus, @sachgau and @esotericcd

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Sources: several large shareholders have urged BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to shut down the site's news division, which has ~100 employees and loses ~$10M/year — - Several large shareholders have urged BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to shut down the company's news organization.

A.J. Katz / TVNewser:

NBC News Digital names BuzzFeed News deputy EIC Tom Namako as executive editor, starting on April 25, replacing David Firestone, who is retiring after 40+ years — NBC News has named Tom Namako the new Executive Editor of NBC News Digital, beginning April 25.

Discussion: @catherinekimny, @tomnamako, Variety, Insider, @maggienyt, @mitrakalita, @claudiajo_ms, Mediaite, @lisatozzi, @benyt, @edmundlee, Crain's New York Business and Barrett Media

Will Feuer / Dow Jones Newswires:

BuzzFeed reports $40.4M in Q4 net income, up 25% YoY from $32.2M, and revenue of $145.7M, up 18% YoY, driven by 33% YoY growth in its content revenue segment — Digital-media publisher BuzzFeed Inc. said its revenue and profit rose in the three months ended Dec. 31.

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Ben Smith and Justin Smith plan to name their media company Semafor, which they believe is “a very viable and successful option” for trademarking globally — Ben and Justin Smith plan to name their new company “Semafor,” a word used to describe a method of communication via two visual signals, the pair confirmed to Axios.

Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:

A look at Compact, a new online magazine funded by unnamed investors and edited by two religious conservatives and a Marxist labor populist — Compact, a new online magazine edited by two religious conservatives and a Marxist proponent of “labor populism,” aims to challenge both “a libertine left and a libertarian right.”

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Recurrent Ventures, owner of Popular Science and MEL, acquires digital and print B2B publication Business of Home, its 25th acquisition in under five years — Recurrent Ventures, a venture equity-backed digital media company, has acquired Business of Home, a digital and print publication dedicated …

Discussion: @sarafischer, @rafat and @bmorrissey

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Ex-Trump staffers, including Donald Trump Jr., are launching a news aggregation app called MxM News, to fill a void left by the Drudge Report's waning influence — Former Trump staffers, including Donald Trump, Jr., are launching a news aggregation app called “MxM News” …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, @jbenton, @dkiesow, @laurahazardowen, @sarafischer, @surabees, @wickdchiq, @xeni, @mediaevan and The Wrap

Ken White / The Popehat Report:

The New York Times' Editorial Board essay on free speech was incoherent nonsense and its ill-defined criticisms of “cancel culture” will only inflame debate — What the NYT Cancel Culture Editorial Got Wrong, And What It Got Right — If you want to be a decent person, you should care about how you treat other people.

Discussion: Tactless, @mmasnick, The Scroll, @jackshafer, Techdirt, @dangillmor, The Attention of Fools and The Liberal Patriot

Jon Lafayette / Next TV:

NBCU says it has certified eight more Nielsen alternatives for audience measurement and audience verification, including Comscore, DoubleVerify, and Conviva — Certifies providers of audience measurement and audience verification — NBCUniversal, which has been vocal in its search …

Discussion: Ad Age and MediaPost

ProPublica:

ProPublica promotes deputy managing editor Tracy Weber to managing editor, succeeding Robin Fields, who served for nine years and is returning to reporting — ProPublica announced Monday that Tracy Weber, deputy managing editor, has been promoted to managing editor.

Discussion: @megmccloskey, @froomkin, @terryparrisjr, American Press Institute, @charlesornstein, @gingerthomp1, Associated Press, @pamelacolloff and @sisiwei

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

A look at the confusion, culture clash, and shifting goals in SiriusXM's Stitcher deal, as many shows and over 25% of Stitcher's staff left post-acquisition — SiriusXM leapt into podcasts with a $325 million deal — insiders say it's off to a messy start — Illustrations by Vincent Kilbride for The Verge

Discussion: @davemolloy, @ashleyrcarman, @chrisbchester, RAIN News, @ashleyrcarman, @simonowens and @jeff_holmes

Associated Press:

Small groups of Disney employees staged demonstrations across the US on Tuesday, protesting CEO Bob Chapek's slow response to Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill — ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Even though only a small percentage of Walt Disney Co. workers participated in a walkout Tuesday …

Discussion: Reuters, Forbes, Bloomberg, @ultraviolet, The Daily Beast, LGBTQ Nation, CBS Los Angeles, Deadline, abc7NY, New York Post, Popular Information, The Hill and NPR

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
CEO Bob Chapek tells staff that Disney made a mistake by not publicly opposing Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill; Disney considers more LGBT-aware content for kids

Discussion: New York Times, Bloomberg, @deadline, National Review, Breitbart, LGBTQ Nation, Deadline, @jbflint, @schmoofy, @scottgustin and @benmullin

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Applied XL, founded by two computational journalists to provide real-time data, raises a $3.5M seed led by Hearst Ventures, with STAT and others participating

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