Top News:
Dawn Chmielewski / Reuters:
Spotify acquires Kinzen, which identifies misinformation and hate speech; the Dublin-based company partnered with Spotify in 2020, initially on election content — Audio-streaming service Spotify Technology SA (SPOT.N) on Wednesday said it has acquired Kinzen, a firm that has helped it identify harmful content on the platform.
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
An interview with Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke on the company's big The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power bet and plans to invest more in film and TV — Jennifer Salke entered the Second Age in London. — The head of Amazon Studios spent the 72 hours leading up to the launch of …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, SlashFilm, ScreenRant, Insider, The Playlist, New York Post, @great_katzby, Collider, CNET, Hollywood Life and Tiago's Random Thoughts
Nieman Lab:
A study interviewing 64 US political journalists found many view their outlets' political endorsements as ineffective and jeopardizing editorial independence — Endorsements for politicians have a long history in U.S. newspapers, which until the 20th century were usually explicitly aligned with one political party or faction.
Discussion:
@jjoyce, New Jersey Online, @gregperreault, @slulay2 and @niemanlab
Chloe Melas / CNN:
Alec Baldwin and Rust Productions settle with Halyna Hutchins' family after the cinematographer was killed on set in 2021; production resumes in January 2023 — The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed on the “Rust” movie set in 2021, and Alec Baldwin have reached …
Discussion:
Variety, SlashFilm, Deadline, @reuters, Bloomberg, E! Online, Decider, ScreenRant, @noelclarke, The Playlist, Los Angeles Times, TMZ.com, NPR, @usweekly, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Breitbart, The Week, Insider, New York Times, The Guardian, WKRG-TV, New York Post, The A.V. Club, The Hollywood Reporter, @edmorrissey, @four4thefire, The Wrap, @jessehawken, KTLA, Page Six, Rolling Stone, IndieWire, New York Daily News, Consequence and Fox News
Anna Edgerton / Bloomberg:
Experts say political ads on Facebook no longer result in a good ROI, due to a stagnating user base and policy changes that make it harder to target voters — Beth Becker had just finished teaching Democrats how to use Facebook's digital tools at the Netroots conference in Pittsburgh …
Discussion:
@jason_kint, more at Techmeme »
Jalen Brown / CNN:
US Government Accountability Office's study: Hispanic workers are underrepresented in the media industry, growing from 11% in 2010 to 12% in 2019 — Latinos remain grossly underrepresented in the media industry and are significantly more likely to perform service roles …
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Wrap, @edercampuzano and U.S. Government …
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
A look at Russian-language news startup Helpdesk, a team of ~50 Russian and Ukrainian journalists answering questions on the invasion, mobilizations, and more — “My son might be mobilized. I am panicking. What can I do?” “Can I cross the border in a car that isn't registered in my name?”
Discussion:
@janebsinger, @dmitryshishkin, @sarahscire and @_arianna
The Hollywood Reporter:
After Trevor Noah's shock exit, sources say MTV Entertainment CEO Chris McCarthy is more interested in squeezing margins than cultivating talent or hit shows — ‘The Daily Show’ host's shocking departure leaves the brand in an unfunny place, lacking vision for the streaming era under leadership …
Discussion:
@erik_hayden, @snoodit and @laceyvrose
Bill Girdner / Courthouse News Service:
Austin's Travis County District Court becomes the first Texas state court to let journalists access new civil complaints as they are received electronically — The main court in Austin became the first Texas state court to open a review queue Monday, allowing journalists to see new cases …
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Research: Alex Wagner's show had 304,000 viewers in September in the 25-54 demo, down 50% YoY from Rachel Maddow's audience in 2021; total viewers were down 34% — New York CNN Business — On Monday night, inside the upscale Parisian restaurant L'Avenue at Saks in midtown Manhattan …
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, @keitholbermann and @57mcm
Meseret Ambachew / Adweek:
iHeartMedia's Triton Digital revamps its ad server platform Tap, adding precise geotargeting, grouping publisher podcast content into a one campaign, and more — Users experience fewer clicks to execute a campaign, company said — Wednesday iHeartMedia subsidiary Triton Digital launched …
Discussion:
RAIN News and Inside Radio
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
A lawsuit argues Google broke a Minnesota law requiring firms to destroy video rental records since Google preserves data from the Play Store, YouTube, and more — A Minnesota man is suing Google for purportedly violating a state law that requires video rental companies to destroy certain purchase records.
Thanks:@matthewkeyslive