Top News:
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
The Recount, a three-year-old news startup founded by John Battelle and John Heilemann, launches a three-hour, daily live news show on Twitch — The Recount, a three-year-old news organization founded by journalists John Battelle and John Heilemann, is debuting a three-hour-long …
Discussion:
@slade: Big day at @therecount: Launching a daily news livestream at 4 pm ET and then another episode of our news game show at 6 pm ET — contestants today will be @pbump, @SarahKomedy and @sesantos plus YOU play in the chat. https://www.twitch.tv/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Markham Nolan / @markham: Big day for us at @therecount! Join @Mosheh and @feministabulous on the stream at 4PM, stick around for news game show Chatterbrain with @slade at 6! https://www.twitch.tv/... https://twitter.com/...
@therecount: We have something big dropping today 👀 Big thanks to @SPGuaglione of @Digiday for helping us announce it! Learn about our new stream Recount Live: https://digiday.com/...
The Markup:
The Markup names ex-Reuters EIC Stephen Adler as interim EIC, replacing founder Julia Angwin as she transitions into a new role as editor-at-large — Ex-Reuters EIC Adler brings more than 30 years of editorial leadership to The Markup's rapidly growing newsroom
Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
A look at the slew of challenges facing Substack, including a writer exodus, content moderation, subscription fatigue, and rivals like Ghost — The publishing platform's founders want Substack to be an “alternate universe on the internet.” But it faces copycat rivals, an exodus by writers and a need to move beyond newsletters.
Discussion:
@semaforben, @matthewstoller, @elizabethbarr, @ericnewcomer, @dcherring, @marciahofmann, @lawrencehurley, @mattyglesias, @shiraovide, @alexthomp, @joshuaogundu, @alex, @joshuaogundu, @penenberg, @gtryan, @justinhendrix, @tiffkhsu, @mattwelch, @joshuahol, @scottnover, @evelyndouek, @bigmeaninternet, @damonlinker, @mattwelch, @penenberg, @kittypurrzog and @kittypurrzog
Discussion:
Ben Smith / @semaforben: If you look at who actually gets huge numbers on Substack, from the fringe like Berenson to the @ggreenwald @bariweiss side of the internet, the lack of content moderation is pretty obviously a huge asset to the company. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Substack has helped move 1M+ people into paying for news and commentary. That's pretty amazing. A better way to frame Substack's model would be to compare Substack to CNN+, which used $250M to generate fewer than 10k paying subscribers. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Elizabeth Barr / @elizabethbarr: Extracting this from its Substack context: would rather it were just an essay that made a clear argument This is where legacy media is losing readers. Faux objectivity laden w agenda & presupposition. It's sneaky, totally transparent to readers, and betrays journalism's ideals. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: can see why tech people get annoyed with “the media.” feels like there's so much negative spin on the ball in this NYT Substack piece — even though it is purportedly written in an “objective” style. would rather it were just an essay that made a clear argument
Dennis Herring / @dcherring: My kinda pain...... https://twitter.com/...
Marcia Hofmann / @marciahofmann: Substack wants to be an astronaut when it grows up https://twitter.com/...
Lawrence Hurley / @lawrencehurley: In a story as old as time, “[trendy media startup] finds itself no longer a wunderkind but a company facing a host of challenges” https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Headline: Exodus Ninth paragraph: 20-fold growth https://twitter.com/...
Shira Ovide / @shiraovide: Aside from all the specifics for Substack, I genuinely wonder if ANY marketplace (which Substack is, like Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, Instacart, and app stores) can avoid being hated by the people who rely on them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Thompson / @alexthomp: The only word missing here is “synergy” https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Josh / @joshuaogundu: Substacks biggest competition isn't the other newsletter services...but the other ways people can monetize their thoughts for an audience
@alex: Pretty fair take overall, still overall rooting for substack to make it as a writer who wants words to have value https://twitter.com/...
Josh / @joshuaogundu: But now, Substack finds itself no longer a wunderkind but a company facing a host of challenges. Depending on whom you talk to, those challenges are either standard start-up growing pains or threats to the company's future. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Adam L. Penenberg / @penenberg: Substack wants writers to do more to market their work. Every company serving writers and authors wants the customers to do more work to benefit their company. This can work for big name writers, I suppose, who can hire additional help. Not for most writers, though. 2/
Ryan Anderson / @gtryan: Interesting article about where Substack sees its future, but I have a question about this stat that was thrown in https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix: Substack considered, by @tiffkhsu. “If we agree with or like everything on Substack, that would be falling short of what a healthy intellectual climate looks like,” says its founder Charles Best, regarding its content. This is a red herring... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tiffany Hsu / @tiffkhsu: Substack touts its “master plan” to “shift how we experience culture,” to go beyond newsletters and become an “alternate universe on the internet.” But first, there's a writer exodus, content moderation woes, subscription fatigue and a slew of copycats. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Welch / @mattwelch: The NYT subhed posits “an exodus by writers,” mentions exactly 5 who left (plus a “many"), then in paragraph 9: “Paid subscriptions to its hundreds of thousands of newsletters exploded to more than one million late last year from 50,000 in mid-2019.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joshua Holland / @joshuahol: Isn't it already that? A universe where lefty college kids and comment moderation policies are massive threats to democracy but neofascist lawmakers are not? https://twitter.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: I think people underestimate newsletter fatigue and subscription fatigue. 1. I don't really want anything else in my inbox, and 2. I don't want to pay $60 a year for an independent newsletter when I can pay $60 a year for The Atlantic. https://twitter.com/...
Evelyn Douek / @evelyndouek: if there was any doubt that every user-generated content platform needs to think about content moderation as infrastructure and a core part of its business from the start, i offer this lede which discusses Substack's CoMo *before* its revenue structure https://www.nytimes.com/...
Malcolm Harris / @bigmeaninternet: Lol at the Assata book on the substack bookshelf, but also this doesn't really tell us how it's going...... https://www.nytimes.com/...
Damon Linker / @damonlinker: “Substack faces...an exodus of writers.” Par 9: “Paid subscriptions to its hundreds of thousands of newsletters exploded to more than one million late last year from 50,000 in mid-2019.” h/t @MattWelch Lol Substack's Growth Spurt Brings Growing Pains https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matt Welch / @mattwelch: Third sentence: “She disliked how the platform portrayed itself as a haven for independent writers with fewer resources while offering six-figure advances to several prominent white men.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Adam L. Penenberg / @penenberg: Substack's vision for its future: Executives “want users to create ‘personal media empires’ using text, video and audio, and communicate with subscribers through expanded comments that could feature GIF images and profiles for readers.” https://www.nytimes.com/... 1/
Katie Herzog / @kittypurrzog: Fact check. Grace Lavery isn't a popular writer on Substack or anywhere else. The few things she published on Substack got almost zero engagement and her penis book, from what I hear, has not exactly flown off the shelves (surprise, surprise) https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Bitch Media:
Bitch Media, a feminist media outlet founded 25 years ago, announces it will cease operations in June 2022; BitchMedia.org will remain accessible as an archive — Bitch Media has been an independent-media presence like no other. Since 1996, we have provided nuanced, thoughtful …
Discussion:
@bitchmedia, @jessicavalenti, @rbraceysherman, @melissafaliveno, @margotatwell, @courtneyaj, @nathantankus, @jizlee, @forkedpgh, @jessicahalem, @lebassett, @ariyarwood, @wentrogue, @awolfeful, @damemagazine, @blackamazon, @jeannakadlec, @brynntannehill, @alishabhagat, @hottestsingles, @erintothemax, @caitlinwolper, @annamerlan, @ibjiyongi, @ilanaslightly, @blairbraverman, @juwanthewriter, @brosandprose, @scarletteharris, @bitterkarella, @jeannakadlec, @mrsexsmith, @idamoj, @renireni, @emilycontois, @sfdirewolf, @mary__retta, @kdc, @melissafebos, @caitlinwolper, @demiciavalon, @thethirstywench, @lyzl, @ltbcomedy, @ericacxmpbell, @mbsycamore, @jennmorson, @scarletteharris, @arielboone, @rifewithkatie, @ms_creilly, @utahmads, @reappropriate, @comedyunism, @andreavbecker, @geekgirldiva, @drsamischalk, @jenshahade, @lanikaps, @cassmannes, @jeannakadlec, @theineffability, @freeblackgirl, @scarletteharris, @hellolanemoore, @vanessid, @leahntorres and The Wrap
Discussion:
@bitchmedia: Bitch Media's quarter-century legacy of shaping contemporary feminism through provocative dialogue comes to a close. Visit https://bitchmedia.org/ for more information. https://www.bitchmedia.org/...
Jessica Valenti / @jessicavalenti: This is so incredibly sad. https://twitter.com/...
Renee Bracey Sherman / @rbraceysherman: This is so so sad. I've loved @BitchMedia for so long. They've often been first to publish We Testify storytellers on the intersections of their lives and experiences. Thank you for all you taught us. https://twitter.com/...
Melissa Faliveno / @melissafaliveno: Absolutely devastating news. When I let all my other subscriptions lapse, this is the one that remained. Bitch has published my work, covered my work, and most important has been a beacon and a home for marginalized writers, artists, ideas. What a loss. And thank you. https://twitter.com/...
Margot Atwell / @margotatwell: Heartbreaking news. @BitchMedia and it's staff have done incredible, important work helping to create a more inclusive, more feminist media landscape for decades, and their voice and vision will be sorely missed. 💔 https://twitter.com/...
Courtney Gillette / @courtneyaj: Bitch was the first magazine I ever subscribed to, back when I was in college, and I still subscribe today. It's always been an accessible outlet for criticism and great writing and so much more. Love and gratitude to @BitchMedia forever. https://twitter.com/...
Nathan Tankus / @nathantankus: Wow this is really taking me by surprise. I subscribed in my early twenties and got a lot out of reading it at that time. Of all the media losses that have happened in the past five years, this is one that really hits. Also makes me feel a bit guilty since my subscription lapsed https://twitter.com/...
Jiz Lee / @jizlee: Thank you to everyone who wrote and worked for Bitch Magazine throughout the years. The publication was formative for me, and I am honored to have been featured within its pages. Spaces for discussion on gender and sexuality are vital. Please continue to support indie media! https://twitter.com/...
@forkedpgh: Fuck. I was reading Bitch in high school, hiding it because that was when the vibrator ads were still on the outside back cover I wrote inspired by Bitch, took college classes because of what I read in those issues. It didn't just shape my worldview, it shaped my future https://twitter.com/...
@jessicahalem: During my comedy career @BitchMedia wrote about me with authenticity. It was a huge boost to my career and I am forever grateful at being seen and understood by you!! https://twitter.com/...
Laura Bassett / @lebassett: Have never said this more earnestly: Bye, Bitch ❤️ https://twitter.com/...
Ari Yarwood / @ariyarwood: So sad to hear this. I remember reading Bitch as a teenager in the cool bookstore I had to drive two hours to get to, and being so inspired and excited by it. Bitch was my first editorial internship and my first experience with publishing. I'll miss it. https://twitter.com/...
Stacey Burns / @wentrogue: @BitchMedia The end of an era. After reading it for years, I got my niece a subscription when she turned 16. Two solid generations of @BitchMedia in my family.
April Wolfe / @awolfeful: I started reading Bitch in college, and it introduced me to so many writers and thinkers who shaped how I thought about feminism and equality, and I'm very grateful I had it when I did. 😢 https://twitter.com/...
@damemagazine: We're truly so sad about this news. What a tremendous loss for independent media. https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: This is why a lot of folks who were right assholes about their new ventures from guilt money but didn't actually shore up were so devastating They undermined long term projects and for what https://twitter.com/...
Jeanna Kadlec / @jeannakadlec: BITCH forever 💗 https://twitter.com/...
Brynn Tannehill / @brynntannehill: Well, ****. We're losing so many independent outlets. https://twitter.com/...
Alisha Bhagat / @alishabhagat: This is really sad news but I'm proud of everything we built together. The world still needs independent feminist media, now more than ever. https://twitter.com/...
@hottestsingles: A sad day. Bitch Media was a real one and it's heartbreaking to see it go. 🖤🦷 https://twitter.com/...
Erin Matson / @erintothemax: I am of a generation where, for a time, print feminist magazines meant you could get away no matter where you lived, what kind of idiocy reigned at your school, and who your family was. Bitch in particular was amazing. It was never boring or preachy. Just fun, smart, and hot. https://twitter.com/...
@caitlinwolper: @BitchMedia let me tackle repeated layoffs in media and the trauma they illicit. Such an important story that they treated with such care in their spring 2020 issue (and online) https://www.bitchmedia.org/...
Anna Merlan / @annamerlan: Bitch was so important to me as a baby feminist. I'm sure the accolades are bittersweet now, but what an amazing run.
@ibjiyongi: Wow. This is a really hard thing to read. Bitch was the first publication to publish me in long form. Many of you have read #DisorderedCosmos. It was Bitch where Physics of Melanin started. This feels like a huge loss of a venue. Thank you @BitchMedia for everything. https://twitter.com/...
Ilana Masad / @ilanaslightly: I am so so heartbroken about @BitchMedia. What an incredible publication. I'm so honored to have written for them and will miss their incredible and nuanced coverage so much.
Blair Braverman / @blairbraverman: @BitchMedia Bitch has done incredible work that's made lasting change in the world. Thank you so much, for everything. You will be very deeply missed 💔❤️
@juwanthewriter: I am disheartened by Bitch's shutdown, - in a slightly more personal way than some: I had worked on a story for weeks that I placed at Bitch and was awaiting publication for. It was one of the few bylines left I really wanted and it's slipped away. https://twitter.com/...
Ella Dawson / @brosandprose: I am absolutely devastated — beyond devastated — that @BitchMedia is closing its doors. This magazine made me a feminist. It taught me how to write and consume smart media criticism. Thank you for so many years of incredible work, Bitch. https://twitter.com/...
Scarlett Harris / @scarletteharris: My most recent and what will be final (😭😭) piece for @BitchMedia, my first working with @_RosaCartagena and @laura_june ❤️ https://www.bitchmedia.org/...
@bitterkarella: i'm sure bitch did a lot of good in its tenure, but i'll never forgive the disgusting fatphobic hit job they did on ivy davenport https://twitter.com/...
Jeanna Kadlec / @jeannakadlec: @BitchMedia Thank you for everything. No words 💗💗💗
@mrsexsmith: oh i'm just heartbroken about this. i've had a subscription since 1997. when I moved from seattle to NYC in 2005, I donated my collection of the first 10? 15? issues to my women studies college library. Bitch taught me so much about the world, feminism, media https://twitter.com/...
Ida Mojadad / @idamoj: Absolutely crushed. No publication has sharpened my critical thinking skills in the absence of formal schooling like @BitchMedia https://twitter.com/...
Reni Eddo-Lodge / @renireni: RIP to a legend https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Emily Contois / @emilycontois: So sad to hear this news. I'm very grateful to @BitchMedia for covering Diners, Dudes & Diets, and that I got to connect with @andreavbecker through that. May we all do the good and hard work to carry on their feminist legacy. https://twitter.com/...
@sfdirewolf: Thank you to @freeblackgirl for co-editing last fall's Access Issue for @BitchMedia. I'm proud of this digital series and other pieces by me that found a home at Bitch https://www.bitchmedia.org/... https://twitter.com/...
@mary__retta: There are no words to describe what @BitchMedia has meant to me over the years as a writer, reader, thinker, & feminist. I would not be the journalist I am today without this incredible community, @freeblackgirl & @RachelCharleneL especially. Bitch's legacy won't be forgotten 💜 https://twitter.com/...
@kdc: This is heartbreaking. I'll ALWAYS be grateful to @BitchMedia for being the first publication to ever publish me as a writer and for being the model that inspired @TLF_Media and so much of my writer. You changed lives, launched careers and educated so many. Thank you, Bitch. https://twitter.com/...
Melissa Febos / @melissafebos: 💔 💔💔💔💔 what a great magazine; the first place I ever published an essay. I'm grateful to have read it for this long. Thank you 🙏🏼. https://twitter.com/...
@demiciavalon: Very saddened by the @BitchMedia news. a very necessary publication for me as a reader and writer. Lots of my fav work from other writers was published here. My first album review ever was here (linked below) Hate to see the platform go. https://www.bitchmedia.org/...
@thethirstywench: I'm incredibly saddened to hear this. Bitch is an incredible publication. https://twitter.com/...
Lyz Lenz / @lyzl: We need more feminist media. Not less. This is heartbreaking. https://twitter.com/...
@ltbcomedy: My favorite @BitchMedia memory is when I was reading it on a packed DC metro train and the dude next to me looked at it and said to me “You don't look like a bitch” and I said “Interrupt me again when I'm reading and you'll see” and he burst out laughing and left me alone.
Erica Campbell / @ericacxmpbell: back in 2020, when everything shut down & no one was commissioning me @BitchMedia asked me to write for their Fall print mag I got to write about vulnerability, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Beyoncé but more importantly, I got to remember I was a writer - so sad that they're closing https://twitter.com/...
Mattilda B Sycamore / @mbsycamore: Shocking to hear that @BitchMedia is shutting down, and I hope they're going to give us a longer explanation than this one, please!!💕https://www.bitchmedia .org/ ...
Jenn Morson / @jennmorson: When I received a $500 grant from @BitchMedia the conservative Catholic press lost their damn minds and revealed that a pub called Bitch was way more offensive than sexual assault and clergy abuse in their eyes. I'm sorry to see her go.
Scarlett Harris / @scarletteharris: The end of an era 😭 Bitch helped shaped my feminism and I'm so honoured to have gotten to write for them https://twitter.com/...
Ariel Boone / @arielboone: :((((((( Very sad to see @BitchMedia go, and in awe of all the people who poured hard work and art and long hours and writing and reporting into it over the years. https://twitter.com/...
Katie Rife / @rifewithkatie: Sad about Bitch shutting down. It's one of the publications that shaped the way that I (and I assume many other people) think about media. It will be missed. https://twitter.com/...
Caroline Reilly / @ms_creilly: bitch was the first place that gave my writing on endometriosis a home. and I'm still damn proud of the nude centerfold they let me do as a disabled woman in their sick issue. this is just really truly sad ❤️🩹 https://twitter.com/...
@reappropriate: .@BitchMedia is/was a fixture of early online feminist blogging, a place where early online feminists were shaping what online feminist discourse would and could look like; still figuring out what our presence online could be.
@comedyunism: I'm honored to have gotten to write a few pieces for Bitch over the years. They provided a platform for me to talk about queer sex, porn, and medical marijuana. RIP https://twitter.com/...
@andreavbecker: @EmilyContois @BitchMedia I'm sooo sad. I got my footing as a writer at Bitch :( Always the best editors too
Sami Schalk / @drsamischalk: What a terrible loss. What an incredible run. Feminist media platforms are more important than ever. Support them before they're all gone. https://twitter.com/...
Jennifer Shahade / @jenshahade: I used to devour this magazine in my Brooklyn days, a sharp feminist analysis of culture I craved so deeply. #RIP https://twitter.com/...
Ilana Kaplan / @lanikaps: this is a bummer. i wrote some album reviews here over the years but i mostly enjoyed reading the smart takes from others https://twitter.com/...
Cassie Mannes Murray / @cassmannes: Nooooooooo this is so sad. At fourteen I bought Bitch Magazine from Barnes & Noble because I wanted to feel scandalous and then I didn't stop buying them. Bitch filled so many educational gaps for me as a teenager, and now. So much nuance in their work. https://twitter.com/...
Jeanna Kadlec / @jeannakadlec: BITCH was the first feminist mag I started reading back when I was still an evangelical teenager. it helped make a difference in how I thought, in how I began to challenge things. the latest issue just showed up at my house this week. damn. what a run.
Jordan Taliha / @theineffability: when i first began freelancing back in high school, @BitchMedia was the first place that ever paid me to write and it changed my life! i am so heartbroken that this is the final issue but nonetheless grateful to have been touched by its legacy🖤
Evette Dionne / @freeblackgirl: Heartbroken is not the word. That is all I really have to say. It is all I can say. Bitch Media, forever. https://www.bitchmedia.org/...
Scarlett Harris / @scarletteharris: Being edited by @freeblackgirl was a joy. Here are some of the pieces we worked on together, beginning with my first which was about #GLOW because of course it was https://www.bitchmedia.org/... via @BitchMedia
@hellolanemoore: Bitch Magazine was and is a truly wonderful, powerful, and essential publication. I'm heartbroken we won't have them to look to anymore, but so grateful for all the truly incredible stories, perspectives, and writers they gave us. Thank you. We need more like you.🖤 https://twitter.com/...
@vanessid: This is an incalculable loss. So many brilliant, incisive writers working today got their start here, and shaped the culture. This was one of my first paid cultural criticism publications, one of my first author interviews. Thank you, Bitch. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC names Chris Mason its political editor, replacing Laura Kuenssberg; Mason will take up the job at the end of May — Mason, a 20-year veteran at the BBC seen as a safe pair of hands, had originally declined to apply for job — Chris Mason has been named as the BBC's new political editor …
Discussion:
Adam Sherwin / The i Paper: Chris Mason wins chaotic race for BBC political editor job as Westminster outsider backed to win new viewers
Andrew Kersley / Press Gazette: Chris Mason to replace Laura Kuenssberg as BBC political editor
Naman Ramachandran / Variety: Chris Mason Replaces Laura Kuenssberg as BBC Political Editor
Laura Kuenssberg / @bbclaurak: Huge congrats and welcome to the best daily job in the business, to colleague, great friend and of course #newscaster @ChrisMasonBBC
Alan Kasujja / @kasujja: Excellent news. Brilliant choice. Best wishes @ChrisMasonBBC https://twitter.com/...
Anita Singh / Telegraph: Chris Mason appointed the BBC's new political editor
Jack Wright / Daily Mail: Chris Mason is announced as BBC's next political editor and will replace Laura Kuenssberg next month after bosses rejected all-female shortlist
Max Goldbart / Deadline: BBC News Top Job: Chris Mason Replaces Laura Kuenssberg As Political Editor
Sam Jackson / @classicjacko: What a brilliant appointment, of a journalist whose clarity, insight and humility always shine through. Congratulations, @ChrisMasonBBC 👏👏👏https:// www.theguardian.com/...
@beardedgenius: Reserve the right to change this opinion (especially considering his predecessors) but I'm currently in the ‘He actually seems alright’ camp https://twitter.com/...
Berry / @berenicehealey: Because we were short of white men in senior broadcast journalism positions... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@prolificnorth: ‘Proud Yorkshireman’ @ChrisMasonBBC to take over from Laura Kuenssberg as BBC's new political editor. https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/ ... #BBC #News #ChrisMason #Yorkshire
Joey D'Urso / @josephmdurso: Congratulations to @ChrisMasonBBC - a great journalist, as others are saying. Also, two years ago when I lost my job and felt crap, he went absolutely above and beyond to be kind and helpful to me, despite being very busy. A legend who will be a brilliant political editor!
Richard Murphy / @richardjmurphy: Which really says they struggled to find anyone to take the job.... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Spencer Kelly / @spenley: The correct decision, and really well deserved. @ChrisMasonBBC https://www.bbc.com/...
@cityjournalism: Huge congratulations to our alum @ChrisMasonBBC on his appointment to Political Editor of the BBC! Very proud and excited for you! https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:
Amazon will rebrand IMDb TV as Freevee starting April 27 and plans to grow its slate of originals by 70% in 2022 — The ad-supported streamer, home to ‘Alex Rider’ and a growing slate of original series and movies, will change its name starting April 27. — Amazon-backed IMDb TV is being rebranded.
Discussion:
Variety, TechCrunch, Deadline, LostRemote, Next TV, Engadget, @tcarmody, @tcarmody, @blowryontv, Media Play News, @lanceulanoff, @elanazak, @jessicasara, @great_katzby, @akelacooper, @lancestlaurent, @philnobilejr, @loislane79, @mgsiegler, @dylanljmartin, @kslane, @shelbbs247, CBR, @sepinwall, @brendengallager and @loudmouthjulia, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Selome Hailu / Variety: IMDb TV Rebrands to Amazon Freevee
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch: Amazon's IMDb TV changes its name to Freevee
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline: IMDb TV Streaming Service Rebrands As Amazon Freevee, Plans Launch In Germany And 70% More Originals
Jason Lynch / LostRemote: IMDb TV Rebrands as Amazon Freevee
Daniel Frankel / Next TV: IMDb TV Rebrands as Amazon Freevee
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget: Amazon is rebranding IMDb TV as ‘Freevee’
Tim Carmody / @tcarmody: Imagining the meeting: “So we're all set to call this Fire TV, right? I mean that's our budget device, our most recognized brand besides Kindle and Prime. It SOUNDS hot and memorable.... Let's do this!” SOME EXEC (maybe Andy Jassy but who knows): “Wait, wait... I've had a VISION”
Tim Carmody / @tcarmody: imdbTV (or whatever it will be called now) is a very good product that could move the needle on how streaming TV and movies get paid for. And I know we all hate new names of stuff. But Freevee feels like a Quikster/Quibi-level mistake (even though it doesn't start with Q)
Brian Lowry / @blowryontv: Biggest upset is that no + was harmed in coming up with this name. https://twitter.com/...
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: AVOD Service IMDb TV Rebranding to ‘Amazon Freevee’
Lance Ulanoff / @lanceulanoff: A rebranding that's almost crying out “Free me from this terrible renaming” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Elana Zak / @elanazak: For the love of all that is sacred, who comes up with these names? https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Jessica Derschowitz / @jessicasara: If this is the name they went with, what do you think got cut https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Brandon Katz / @great_katzby: Hey, at least “Freevee” better reflects the base appeal of FASTs. Absolutely no one I know outside of the entertainment industry knew WTF IMDb TV was 🤷🏻♂ ️ https://twitter.com/...
Akela Cooper / @akelacooper: When they should have just added the + to the end of their name. https://twitter.com/...
@lancestlaurent: Freevee, huh? I remember a time not too long ago when it was all free. https://twitter.com/...
Phil Nobile Jr / @philnobilejr: The person who came up with Freevee probably makes a six-figure salary https://twitter.com/...
Whitney Friedlander / @loislane79: This from a parent company who can't decide what to call its main streaming service https://twitter.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: IMDb TV was always a horrible name/branding. But this absolutely should be FreeV. So much cleaner. Emphasizes the key ‘Free’ more. So much less ‘Frisbee’. 📺 https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Martin / @dylanljmartin: What do you mean it's not being called Internet Movie Database TV anymore? https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Slane / @kslane: Tubi is literally shaking rn https://twitter.com/...
Shelby Elpers / @shelbbs247: I need to see the long list of rejected names ASAP https://twitter.com/...
Jon Arvedon / CBR: Amazon Rebrands IMDb TV as Ad-Supported ‘Freevee’
@brendengallager: I'm ready to give my life for Freevee. I would be a story editor on one of your series as the knight errant once was to his noble lord. Long love Freevee! https://twitter.com/...
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
National Geographic launches a $10.99/month or $109/year subscription that includes a Nat Geo digital membership, print issues, and Disney+ — National Geographic Premium with Disney+ includes print issues of Nat Geo Kids, and the ‘Year in Pictures’ special issue, digital access …
Discussion:
Matt Tamanini / The Streamable: National Geographic Launches Premium Subscription, Including Disney+
Jessica Lerner / LostRemote: National Geographic New Subscription Option Includes Disney+
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: A 134 year old print magazine brand and a 2 year old streaming video service in one subscription bundle? National Geographic and Disney are giving it a try. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
Memo: News Corp Australasia's executive editor says there is “no one News Corp view” about the upcoming election and editors can choose which party to endorse — News Corp Australasia executive chairman issues all-staff memo, with scrutiny on election coverage likely to increase
Gabriella Paiella / GQ:
Q&A with Adrian Chiles, who has built a following for his pleasant takes in The Guardian, on his fandom, getting column ideas from “sheer desperation”, and more — An interview with the internet's most delightful columnist about man bags, his writing process, and meeting his fiancée.
Discussion:
@tomgara, @martha_gill, @zeshasaleem, @mccainenl, @cephalopodsrule, @heybonanos, @brydielk, @hkesvani, @pressgazette, @chrisgayomali, @edzitron, @dwayne_media, @gmpaiella, @gqmagazine and bookforum.com
Discussion:
Tom Gara / @tomgara: “There's people better qualified than me to talk about race issues, trans issues, and politics. It's just about trying to find something that you're not going to get anywhere else and keep it upbeat because generally newspapers are full of people moaning” https://www.gq.com/...
Martha Gill / @martha_gill: Adrian Chiles as the great antidote to the West's culture wars: what do we think? https://twitter.com/...
Matthijs Krul / @mccainenl: Adrian Chiles rules because he's almost the only British newspaper columnist who is honest about his abilities and himself https://www.gq.com/...
Christopher Bonanos / @heybonanos: Clicked so fast I may have broken a finger https://twitter.com/...
Brydie Lee-Kennedy / @brydielk: Morning Adrian https://twitter.com/...
@pressgazette: Guardian columnist Adrian Chiles says of editor Katharine Viner: “I didn't get the job because of her. Not that it matters, but I didn't meet her until I got the job, three months in.” He told @BritishGQ the couple are due to be married next year https://www.gq.com/...
Chris Gayomali / @chrisgayomali: 🎯 @GMPaiella talked to the king of takes to learn how he does it https://www.gq.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: My favourite Adrian Chiles bits are “extremely specific grievance” and “extreme overreaction to relatively mundane event” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dwayne / @dwayne_media: https://twitter.com/...
Gabriella Paiella / @gmpaiella: I interviewed the king https://www.gq.com/...
Financial Times:
UK's Future says e-commerce revenue grew 36% YoY to £216M in 2021, representing more than a third of its revenue; readers buy 43.5K items per day on average — FTSE 250 group has successfully battled pressure on print media by pushing products to readers
Discussion:
Damian Burns / @damianburns: The bi-directional flow of retail businesses becoming ad businesses and ad businesses becoming retail businesses https://giftarticle.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Giulio S. / @astaniscia86: Future's in-house system automatically adds links to products from sellers that the publisher has a revenue-share agreement with. Now, on an average day, readers buy ~43,500 items after clicking on links in articles. Publishers are the new retailers. https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sara Fischer / Axios:
NPR CEO says 53% of NPR's leadership team are people of color, up from 9% in 2019; 78% of new hires for the 2021 fiscal year were POC, up from 51% in 2020 — More than half of NPR's leadership team (53%) is comprised of non-white executives, up from 9% in 2019, NPR CEO John Lansing tells Axios.
Discussion:
Cristina Silva / @cristymsilva: NPR began requiring in December that all journalists use a source-tracking program called “Dex” to ensure the newsroom wasn't overly-relying on white sources. https://www.axios.com/...
Marc Andreessen / @pmarca: Dang, this one is a rollercoaster. https://www.axios.com/...
Trey Ward / @treyward3: @RepJeffDuncan @NPR There is no truth here in this tweet. The infrastructure is government funded. It's used by public schools, Tech schools, and universities, as well for government agencies for instruction, for required continuing education for license holders. Everything else is privately funded
@st_rev: Considering NPR's well-known collapse into gibbering madness in the last few years, one might draw some terrible no-good oppressorist conclusions about the effect of diversity milestones on a media operation. I wouldn't, but one might. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
After a two-year pause, the News Leaders Association is sharing its newsroom diversity survey this week; 303 outlets participated, missing the goal of 2,500 — Meredith Clark, who has led the News Leaders Association's diversity survey in recent years, has resigned from the project.
Discussion:
@meredithdclark, @hanaatameez, @niemanlab, @amzam, @natematias, @karenkho, @dataeditor, @thenewsan, @loisbeckett, @elaheizadi, @mollydeaguiar, @vigneshr, @wagatwe, @kenyonfarrow, @lfteveryvoice, @blackamazon, @jeffjarvis, @arreglalo, @kat__stafford, @adriana_lacy, @abdallah_fayyad, @cristymsilva, @sarahkaplan48, @laurahazardowen, @anitawrites, @andreagrimes, @notinmycolour, @blackamazon, @blackamazon, @kaitwells, @sarahscire, @mar1ssamart1nez and @jesseholcomb
Discussion:
@meredithdclark: Honestly, I'm heartbroken. Beyond my quotes here, I don't know what else to say. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@hanaatameez: Unacceptable that some NEWS LEADERS refused to participate in a diversity survey with: “We're not participating in your woke diversity exercises, you snowflakes.” “What am I supposed to do, check between the legs of everyone who works for me?” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@niemanlab: “Transparency and doing the digging and the reporting — all of that is so germane to what we understand journalism to be. And we are absolutely unwilling to do it among ourselves.” Newsrooms are still not sharing stats for @NewsLeaders diversity survey: https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Amanda Zamora / @amzam: Let me get this straight. Newsrooms (yet again) fail to report diversity data b/c: — @washingtonpost @nytimes are doing their own thing — too burdensome — bad email list (great resignation?) — “we're not participating in your woke diversity exercises” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
J. Nathan Matias / @natematias: How much do news organizations care about diversity, despite what they say when hiring? Decades after the American Society of News Editors pledged to achieve demographic parity among staff, only 303 out of 2,500 bothered to even answer a survey about their data. https://twitter.com/...
Karen K. Ho / @karenkho: This article summarizes the biggest reason why I stopped doing media reporting. I was tired of learning even more about the extent of continued inequality and discrimination in an industry that seeks to hold others accountable. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Rich / @dataeditor: it's incredibly embarrassing how non-transparent the folks who run many news orgs are while they're reporters repeatedly cover others for the same shit https://twitter.com/...
Susan Gonzalez / @thenewsan: “The two-year long ‘pause’ to retool the survey didn't help. Pushing the deadline to participate back again & again didn't work. Historic protests & an industry-wide conversation about race and representation did not spontaneously prompt many more news organizations to respond.” https://twitter.com/...
Lois Beckett / @loisbeckett: “Supreme hypocrisy on the part of the journalism industry.” A survey that measures diversity within US newsrooms is struggling as news outlets continue to fail to share their own data, blocking transparency into the industry's hiring decisions: https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Elahe Izadi / @elaheizadi: In 2019, 429 news organizations participated in an annual news diversity survey. It prompted a pause due to low participation. Surely, that number must have increased post-racial recokening, right? Nope: https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Molly de Aguiar / @mollydeaguiar: I don't know how many of the newsrooms who don't participate in the survey get philanthropic funding, but funders should absolutely require participation as a condition of a grant. @knightfdn has an opportunity to lead here. https://twitter.com/...
Vignesh Ramachandran / @vigneshr: “I've been met with the kind of crushing resistance that you would expect when you're trying to do things that contribute to structural and systemic change,” she added. “I just did not expect to meet with that among leaders in journalism.” https://twitter.com/...
@wagatwe: “Other reasons newsrooms gave NLA for not participating were...that they were worried that the information would be used against them in labor negotiations, among other concerns.” Wowowowow https://twitter.com/...
Kenyon Farrow / @kenyonfarrow: This is sad. Kudos to you for doing this thankless work as long as you did. https://twitter.com/...
Lindsay Foster Thomas / @lfteveryvoice: ‘What am I supposed to do, check between the legs of everyone who works for me?’ -unnamed newsroom leader in response to being asked to participate in a diversity survey ☹️ “These are coming from people who are supposed to be upholding values of journalism as part of democracy.” https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: I would love to see folks like @craignewmark and @jeffjarvis advocate for these projects https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Shameful. ‘For Clark, being transparent is the least newsrooms can do, especially as outlets often ask businesses and other organizations to do the same. “It feels like supreme hypocrisy.”’ https://twitter.com/...
@arreglalo: Also, newsrooms have grown MORE secretive about their DEI numbers post-Reckoning. They don't believe their own rhetoric about affirmative action. https://twitter.com/...
Kat Stafford / @kat__stafford: This needs more attention. Newsrooms across the nation pledged change in the wake of the 2020 “racial reckoning.” Yet, here we are: The NLA initially hoped to have 2,500 news orgs participate in the industry's largest diversity survey. Just 303 responded. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Adriana Lacy / @adriana_lacy: Yet again, newsrooms aren't showing up to the industry's largest diversity survey. “It feels like supreme hypocrisy on the part of the journalism industry,” said @meredithdclark who has led @NewsLeaders' diversity survey in recent years. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Abdallah Fayyad / @abdallah_fayyad: White people have been telling themselves that being white hurts their chances of getting certain jobs because they don't add to diversity goals. Yet here are newsrooms once again refusing to show their stats because—spoiler alert—they're not diversifying:https://www.niemanlab.org/ ...
Cristina Silva / @cristymsilva: one newsroom sent a response along the lines of, “We're not participating in your woke diversity exercises, you snowflakes.” https://www.niemanlab.org/... via @NiemanLab
Sarah Kaplan / @sarahkaplan48: It's deeply frustrating and disappointing, if not surprising, that @washingtonpost & many other newsrooms refuse to participate in the @NewsLeaders diversity survey. How can we hold others accountable if we don't embrace accountability for ourselves? https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Laura Hazard Owen / @laurahazardowen: Year after year, news organizations have refused to participate in @NewsLeaders' annual diversity survey. It happened again this year. @meredithdclark came in to try to fix the survey and has resigned, citing “crushing resistance.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Dr. Anita Varma / @anitawrites: The pushback in survey feedback alone sounds like a qualitative study we need - that would go hand in hand with @HanaaTameez's investigation into 2020 “reckoning” hires (1/3) https://twitter.com/...
Andrea Grimes / @andreagrimes: When I conducted the Texas Writers Byline Scan (https://andreagrimes.substack.com/ ...), a key to making it possible to collect enough data for the report was that I was contacting individual journalists, not relying on newsroom/publication buy-in. It's hell out there. https://twitter.com/...
@notinmycolour: Here is one way to communicate to your entire organization that you don't care about your racialized staff https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: I notice that the great thinkers of journalism and media .. never once mentioned this survey let alone supported it And this is AFTER folks talked about how Black women were leaving in droves https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: Remember what I said about supporting black women's work ? And showing up versus just talking . And how everything got announced and Black women are leaving y'all @meredithdclark been doing this for DECADES And STILL as soon as folks stopped supporting IT EVAPORATED https://twitter.com/...
@kaitwells: They aimed for 2,500 media outlets to participate. Only 303 organizations responded. 303. “Diversity can never be a measure of goodwill. You don't get to transparency about diversity by relying on people's goodwill,” said the survey's lead Meredith Clark. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Sarah Scire / @sarahscire: Journalism needs a mirror, and it's never been more clear it won't get one by relying on goodwill alone. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Marissa Martinez / @mar1ssamart1nez: “You don't get to transparency about diversity by relying on people's goodwill,” said @meredithdclark. disappointing to see newsrooms continue to not participate in this desperately needed survey — we need to acknowledge our current state to fix it: https://www.niemanlab.org/...