Top News:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Miami-based Muck Rack, a database of journalists, raised a $180M Series A from Susquehanna Growth Equity, after being bootstrapped since being founded in 2009 — For any journalist who has ever googled their name, there is a good chance that one of the hits will be for Muck Rack …
Discussion:
@gregory, @anthony, Axios, @rafat, Business Wire, Insider, @muckrack, @semel and @lhm1, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Ahead of the US midterms, Twitter expands its Birdwatch fact-checking tool, adding 1,000 contributors weekly, each assigned a “rating impact” score out of five — On the heels of a report detailing how Twitter had once accidentally allowed a conspiracy theorist into its invite …
Discussion:
Insider, The Verge, @birdwatch, @willoremus and CNET, more at Techmeme »
Matt Stevens / New York Times:
Chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili settles a defamation lawsuit against Netflix over a line in The Queen's Gambit final episode saying she had “never faced men” — The fictional series had named Nona Gaprindashvili, a pioneering real-life chess champion, and falsely claimed she had “never faced men.”
Discussion:
Gizmodo, @eriqgardner, @chesscomlive, IndieWire, The A.V. Club, ComingSoon.net, Deadline, The Wrap and Variety
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Memo: Disney-owned National Geographic magazine, which has ~125 editorial staff, laid off six of its top editors last week, three months after naming a new EIC — National Geographic magazine, the venerable journal of science, history and the natural world, laid off six of its top editors …
Discussion:
bookforum.com, @nicdawes, @jayrosen_nyu, @bryanchristy, @knapsack, @knapsack, @matthewteller, @bryanchristy, @timothynoah1, @monscience, @carlosnyt, @peterbakernyt and @tomricks1
K.J. Yossman / Variety:
New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss appoints Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport; Donelan once worked for the WWE — New U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed Michelle Donelan as the new secretary of state for culture.
Discussion:
Deadline, NME, Press Gazette, Columbia Journalism Review, NME, Mediaite and Politico
RELATED:
The Hollywood Reporter:
Cineworld Group files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, saying it has around $1.94B in commitments from existing lenders — The debt-laden exhibitor, led by CEO Moshe “Mooky” Greidinger, had said in mid-August that it was eyeing unspecified strategic options.
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: as subscriber growth slows, Netflix scours its business to cut costs, including managing cloud spend, limiting corporate swag, and hiring junior staff — The streaming giant seeks to impose more financial discipline as growth stagnates — As Netflix Inc. NFLX 1.50%▲ …
Discussion:
@jtoonkel, more at Techmeme »
Legit.ng:
Source: Hong Kong Journalists Association President Ronson Chan, who was set to begin a Reuters Institute fellowship in September, was arrested on Wednesday — PAY ATTENTION: You can save a live of girl at risk. Donate to Legit Charity on Patreon. Your support matters!
Discussion:
Reuters, Committee to Protect …, Bloomberg and @jerometaylor
New York Times:
Sources: Vice is exploring a deal worth ~$50M with MBC, a media giant partially owned by the Saudi government, to launch a new content partnership in the region — The company is in talks to develop a content partnership with MBC, a Saudi Arabian media giant partially owned by the government.
Discussion:
@benmullin and @benmullin
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Cumulus Media says it is “disassociating” from the annual Podcast Movement industry conference, after a Twitter spat between the conference and The Daily Wire — Cumulus, one of the largest radio companies in the country, says it's “disassociating” from Podcast Movement …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Ad targeting and big TV ad budgets are to blame for repetitive advertising on streaming services, despite evidence repeated ads make people less likely to buy — Ads are fine, but can I get more than one? — For the last few months, Parks & Recreation has been my go-to background show.
Discussion:
@michellemanafy, @dannygroner, @pierce, @robblackwellab, @mattrly and @simonowens
Masha Borak / Rest of World:
Some Wikipedia editors in Russia have been doxxed, threatened, and arrested for not supporting Russia's war in Ukraine; some now edit less and others have quit — One Friday in March, not long after Russia invaded Ukraine, Mikhail, a Russia-based Wikipedia editor, opened the Telegram app to discover that he had been doxxed.
Discussion:
@carljackmiller, @lizzadwoskin, @jshermcyber, @restofworld, @mashaborak and Numlock News