Top News:
New York Times:
A federal judge blocks Penguin Random House's bid to acquire Simon & Schuster, saying the DOJ demonstrated that the merger might substantially harm competition — The government's case blocked the merger of two of the United States' largest publishers and reflected a more aggressive approach to curbing consolidation.
Discussion:
@papscun, Axios, Crain's New York Business, Publishers Weekly, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, @chikisarkar, CNN, Associated Press, Sydney Morning Herald, The Independent, Politico, The Guardian, Financial Times, Variety, @davecullen, @xanalter, @joumana_khatib, @xanalter, @thr, @helaineolen, Deadline, @jeannakadlec, @sam_animeherald, Wall Street Journal, @stephenking, @leehepner, @ronmknox, @sarafischer, @peternowak, @penamerica, The Hollywood Reporter, @biblioracle, @adamconover, @sarafischer, @senwarren, @nberlat, @future_of_music, @jbflint, @zephyrteachout, @liz_a_harris, @phil_lewis_ and The Bookseller
Discussion:
Dan Papscun / @papscun: Simon & Schuster-Penguin Random House merger is blocked, Judge Pan just ruled. It's the first big trial win for DOJ's antitrust division in months, following a discouraging summer + fall. Particularly notable for future labor/monopsony cases, a new green field in antitrust. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Albanese / Publishers Weekly: Court Blocks Penguin Random House, S&S Merger
Zach Schonfeld / The Hill: Judge blocks Penguin Random House from merging with rival publisher Simon & Schuster
Chiki Sarkar / @chikisarkar: The most important news in publishing this year. I didn't really understand the arguments made in this case: largely to do with earnings of top writers. But legally the significance is this ( next tweet) : https://twitter.com/...
Graeme Massie / The Independent: Judge blocks Penguin Random House from buying rival Simon & Schuster
Dominic Rushe / The Guardian: US judge blocks $2.2bn Penguin Random House merger
Stefania Palma / Financial Times: US judge blocks Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster $2.2bn book megamerger
Dave Cullen / @davecullen: Thank God. Writers finally get a break. “Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alexandra Alter / @xanalter: Stephen King, who testified against the merger, told us tonight that he is “delighted with the outcome.""Publishing should be more focused on cultural growth and literary achievement and less on corporate balance sheets." https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joumana Khatib / @joumana_khatib: The judge said “the Justice Department had demonstrated that the merger might ‘substantially’ harm competition in the market for U.S. publishing rights to anticipated top-selling books.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alexandra Alter / @xanalter: A judge blocked Penguin Random House from buying its rival Simon & Schuster, in a significant win for the Justice Department, which has lost in some recent antitrust cases. Penguin Random House plans to appeal. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@thr: “We strongly disagree with today's decision, which is an unfortunate setback for readers and authors, and we will immediately request an expedited appeal,” Penguin Random House wrote in a statement https://thr.cm/OcuTlIR
Helaine Olen / @helaineolen: A Penguin Random House author here, and I am absolutely thrilled with this decision. No one publisher should be allowed to have this much control over the book market. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeanna Kadlec / @jeannakadlec: even though PRH and S&S executives were arrogant and unreasonable beyond belief in court, i didn't think that the merger would actually be blocked. this is so big — and such good news. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@sam_animeherald: This is very good news. A merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster would essentially hand the combined entity something like 35-40% of the entire book market. https://twitter.com/...
Stephen King / @stephenking: I am delighted that Judge Florence Pan has blocked the merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The proposed merger was never about readers and writers; it was about preserving (and growing) PRH's market share. In other words: $$$
Lee Hepner / @leehepner: A big win by @JusticeATR not just for authors but for all workers under the thumb of dominant corporations. On a related note, I personally hope @StephenKing, who testified against this merger, is having a very good and spooky Halloween. https://twitter.com/...
Ron Knox / @ronmknox: enormous win for the DOJ, authors, small presses and readers https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: NEWS: The DOJ has blocked Penguin Random House's $2.2B bid to acquire rival Simon & Schuster, setting one of the biggest antitrust precedents yet for the Biden Admisnitration. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Nowak / @peternowak: Imagine blocking harmful mergers instead of allowing them? Dare to dream, Canada. https://twitter.com/...
@penamerica: Judge Blocks a Merger of @penguinrandom and @simonschuster. The government's case blocked the merger of two of the largest US publishers and reflected a more aggressive approach to curbing consolidation. It was closely watched by the publishing industry. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter: Judge Blocks Paramount's Sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House
John Warner / @biblioracle: Well, well, well. Not surprising if you followed the judge's comments and questions during the trial. https://twitter.com/...
Adam Conover / @adamconover: In a MASSIVE win for writers and readers, a judge has BLOCKED the merger of megapublishers Penguin/Random House and Simon & Schuster, which would have reduced our choices of what to read and harmed writers' ability to make a living. A reason to celebrate! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Asst AG Jonathan Kanter said the merger “would have reduced competition, decreased author compensation, diminished the breadth, depth, and diversity of our stories and ideas, and ultimately impoverished our democracy.”
Elizabeth Warren / @senwarren: Blocking the @penguinrandom merger with @simonschuster is a significant win for workers by @TheJusticeDept. Greater corporate consolidation in book publishing would lead to fewer opportunities and lower wages for authors, and higher prices for consumers. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Noah Berlatsky / @nberlat: more aggressive anti-trust enforcement is a good thing. https://twitter.com/...
@future_of_music: An important victory for culture workers concerned about monopoly power. Notable among opponents of this proposed merger: @AuthorsGuild. https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Disney buys Fox? No problem! Amazon buys MGM? Why not! Comcast and NBCU? Sure! Discovery and Warner Bros.? You got it! Simon & Schuster and Random House? Oh hell no! https://www.wsj.com/...
Zephyr Teachout / @zephyrteachout: Very good news for writers and readers. https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth A. Harris / @liz_a_harris: A judge has blocked Penguin Random House from buying Simon & Schuster. PRH says it will appeal. (And I am writing up this news while wearing cat ears. 🎃) https://www.nytimes.com/...
Axios:
Sources: Elon Musk told Twitter engineers to work on a Vine reboot that may be ready by the end of 2022; Twitter acquired Vine in 2012 and shut it down in 2016 — Elon Musk has instructed Twitter engineers to work on a Vine reboot that could be ready by year end, multiple sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
The Verge, @danprimack, The Guardian, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, The Information, @ethank, CNET, Tubefilter, @film_girl, @vexedinthecity, ZDNet, @dwhate, The Hollywood Reporter, @igorbobic, @therealhoarse, @pandemona, @samsheffer, @film_girl, @mekkaokereke, @kairyssdal, @thomasfuchs, Protocol, @dariccott, @ryansatin, @edzitron, TechCrunch, @gpingersoll, The Wrap, @loudmouthjulia, @jpbrammer, The Verge, @luca, @jamesrbuk, The A.V. Club, @scottmonty, @bobcesca_go, @jbursz, @brendonkleen14, MacRumors, @mmasnick, @aud_bowler, @perezhilton, MIT Technology Review, Insider, AppleInsider, ScreenRant and Advanced Television, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Dan Primack / @danprimack: Scoop w/ @sarafischer: Twitter engineers have been instructed to look at the old Vine code, with hopes that Vine could be revived by year-end. https://www.axios.com/...
Dan Milmo / The Guardian: Elon Musk considers charging Twitter users $20 a month for verified accounts
Kevin T. Dugan / New York Magazine: 3 Days That Changed Twitter Forever: Takeaways From Elon Musk's Chaotic Weekend
Martin Peers / The Information: Musk's Management of Twitter May Catch Meta's and Alphabet's Attention
Ethan Kaplan / @ethank: Vine's entire source code leaked in 2016. He could have saved himself $44b instead of trying to resurrect a dead product no one used? Written in an old version of Python on a MySQL database. Imagine getting that working again https://amp.thehackernews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Sam Gutelle / Tubefilter: Is Elon Musk really going to bring back Vine?
Chriscreama Warren / @film_girl: Imagine trying to take a dormant project from 6 years ago with out of date security practices and build systems and modernize it to 2022. And by the end of the year. When all the staff that worked on it is long gone. Lmao. https://twitter.com/...
Corey Richardson / @vexedinthecity: Just what we need. Six second clips of white people using the n-word... https://twitter.com/...
Liam Tung / ZDNet: Elon Musk says Twitter verification is being ‘revamped’. So what would you pay for a blue tick?
Dan Whateley / @dwhate: If Twitter wants to get Vine in the mix quickly, they could relaunch with slightly longer vids + ads with a generous 70/30 rev share in favor of creators https://twitter.com/...
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter: Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Retained Stake in Company After Elon Musk Acquisition, Filings Show
@therealhoarse: The code hasn't been touched since 2016. Luckily, technology doesn't change at all, so, I'm sure that's fine. https://twitter.com/...
Sara Beykpour / @pandemona: some free advice, from someone who worked at Vine and also led the shutdown of Vine. This code is 6+ years old. Some of it is 10+. You don't want to look there. If you want to revive Vine, you should start over. trust me on this one guys ✌️🌱 https://twitter.com/...
Chriscreama Warren / @film_girl: Let Vine rest in nostalgia where it belongs is my unpopular take. Look, I too wish it were still 2014, but here we are. https://twitter.com/...
@mekkaokereke: Step 1: Fire Kayvon. Drive off all employees with any connection to the culture. Step 2: Drive off young women from your userbase, especially Black and brown ones. Practically shove them out the door. Step 3: Announce plans to become a culturally relevant video site! 🤡 https://twitter.com/...
Thomas Fuchs / @thomasfuchs: Space Karen ships rockets and cars half a decade late, but expects engineers to revive ancient code bases by like Tuesday, Wednesday for lunch at the most https://twitter.com/...
Lizzy Lawrence / Protocol: Elon Musk's Twitter: Everything you need to know
@dariccott: His deadlines make no logical sense, he giving these people a week to make Twitter Blue worth $20, and now this, they got two months to relaunch a whole era of the internet. https://twitter.com/...
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: I am deadly serious when I say this is going to be a business Elon pushes hard and tries to use to compete with TikTok. And I think it might work! Who knows. If I'm wrong it's not like it matters. One day we all return to the earth https://twitter.com/...
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Chief Twit, Elon Musk, signals interest in reviving Vine
Geoffrey Ingersoll / @gpingersoll: I've always thought it was incredible that Twitter bought — essentially TikTok — Vine, it was immensely popular, then they killed it, then China cloned it and renamed it, and now kids' brains are turning to pudding. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Twitter has advantage of not being a Chinese-led company, which may appeal to some advertisers/users. Short form video circulated well on Twitter without Twitter making money off it. But nostalgia alone doesn't make a user base. He has to make Vine as Twitter cool, which is hard https://twitter.com/...
Luca Hammer / @luca: - You can revive the code, but not the community. - Having engineers sift through 5-9 year old code doesn't improve morale. - How many major versions did iOS and Android have since then? https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: Wouldn't you just create a six second looping video mode on the modern Twitter architecture? That feels a lot quicker than reviving old code? https://twitter.com/...
Mary Kate Carr / The A.V. Club: Elon Musk reportedly wants you to buy your blue checkmark on Twitter
@scottmonty: Twitter should have never discontinued Vine. They would have retained many creators who fled to YouTube, Instagram, and later, TikTok. https://twitter.com/...
Jessica Bursztynsky / @jbursz: I feel like people are going to be disappointed when they realize we can never have 2014 vine again. It was fun bc it was new and exciting and a platform we had nowhere else and now we have TikTok (also, the internet is a completely different place now) https://www.axios.com/...
Brendon Kleen / @brendonkleen14: It's hilarious to me that Twitter employees are just in full Brian Scalabrine mode recording and leaking company meetings left and right https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: This reboot of Silicon Valley is way, way, way funnier than the original. https://twitter.com/...
Audrey Bowler / @aud_bowler: vine's time has come and gone. it belongs to a different and now inaccessible internet era like myspace does. elon might as well try to bring back blue heinz ketchup or like, Friends https://twitter.com/...
Perez Hilton / @perezhilton: Elon Musk wants to revive Vine! Trying to compete with TikTok? Hmm... https://www.axios.com/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / MIT Technology Review: Elon Musk's plans to revive Vine face one big problem: the reason it closed originally
Pete Syme / Insider: Elon Musk asked Twitter followers if he should bring back Vine, the cult TikTok forerunner that popularized short-form video
Nadeem Sarwar / ScreenRant: Elon Musk Bringing Back Vine Would Actually Be Pretty Great
Scroll.in:
The Wire says the Delhi Police searched its office and the homes of four editors due to a complaint by BJP's Amit Malviya alleging cheating, forgery, and more — The searches were conducted in relation to a complaint filed by BJP leader Amit Malviya, founding editor of the website MK Venu told Scroll.in.
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …, @rohini_mohan, @suchitrav, @audreytruschke, @priyamvadagopal, @sasiasolidarity, @elchaudhry, @priyashmita, @ghazalawahab, @omerbenj, Newslaundry, @samar11, @rasmus_kleis, @seemi_pasha, @ranaayyub, @sundeepdougal, @ruralindia, @cpjasia, @safoorazargar, @heerjeet and @shailjapatel
Discussion:
Committee to Protect Journalists: Delhi police raid The Wire office and homes of its editors over retracted Meta reports
Rohini Mohan / @rohini_mohan: Raiding the homes of The Wire journalists is a disproportionate response by the police. They made editorial errors & didn't spot a fraud in their midst, but the defamation/forgery case by Amit Malviya is clearly becoming a chance to harass The Wire & seize sensitive data https://twitter.com/...
Suchitra Vijayan / @suchitrav: Delhi Police raids homes of ‘The Wire’ editors Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu, Jahnavi Sen complaint by BJP's Amit Malviya
Dr. Audrey Truschke / @audreytruschke: When the law becomes a blunt weapon for the powerful, and the media are the enemy. https://scroll.in/... #India #Modi #Hindutva
Priyamvada Gopal / @priyamvadagopal: Disgraceful. The harassment of independent journalists under Modi continues. https://twitter.com/...
@sasiasolidarity: Blatant attempt to shut down independent voices and intended to intimidate journalists #Fascism Full solidarity with @svaradarajan @mkvenu1 and @jahnavi_sen https://amp.scroll.in/...
Lakshmi Chaudhry / @elchaudhry: This is appalling and wrong. In a democratic country, you sue when you think you have been libeled. You don't send in the thugs Delhi Police search ‘The Wire’ office, homes of Siddharth Varadarajan and three other editors https://scroll.in/...
Ghazala Wahab / @ghazalawahab: Absolutely shocking. But then this is Delhi police https://twitter.com/...
Omer Benjakob / @omerbenj: This is a shameful assault on free media in India. Editorial errors do not justify a police raid on journalists homes and desk https://twitter.com/...
Newslaundry: Raids on The Wire: Delhi police seized electronics, asked for passwords, refused to provide hash value
Samar Halarnkar / @samar11: This for a private complaint of defamation? Raids are also on in Mumbai at home of another Wire editor Sidharth Bhatia https://twitter.com/...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: This is really worrying. “The Delhi Police on Monday carried out searches at the homes of The Wire editors Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu and Jahnavi Sen” @scroll_in reports https://scroll.in/...
Seemi Pasha / @seemi_pasha: Because after you have been duped into publishing a story...your house needs to be raided to make sure you know your place || Delhi Police search ‘The Wire’ office, homes of Siddharth Varadarajan and three other editors https://scroll.in/...
Rana Ayyub / @ranaayyub: On Monday, officials with the Delhi police crime branch searched the New Delhi office of The Wire and the residences of editors Siddharth Vardarajan, M.K. Venu, Siddharth Bhatia, and Jahanavi Sen, and seized their electronic devices https://cpj.org/...
Sundeep Dougal / @sundeepdougal: It is not prosecution but persecution. The intent and consequence of a criminal case against the Wire editors and now coercive police searches on their houses and taking away phones, computers and iPads for cloning is nothing but a witch-hunt. https://scroll.in/...
@cpjasia: “@thewire_in has voluntarily withdrawn its reportage on Meta and Amit Malviya, apologized to its readers, and initiated an internal review. We call on authorities and politicians to cease the harassment” - @CPJAsia program coordinator @behlihyi https://cpj.org/...
Safoora Zargar / @safoorazargar: Unequivocally condemnable. The meta saga is being unfairly used to target @thewire_in for the fearless journalism it has been platforming. https://twitter.com/...
Shailja Patel / @shailjapatel: Today in fascist India https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
The Indian Express:
The Wire files a complaint with the Delhi Police against its researcher Devesh Kumar a day after police charged its journalists for alleged forgery and more
Discussion:
Scroll.in: ‘The Wire’ claims police pushed its lawyer, took away hard drives without giving cloned copies
Kevin Collier / @kevincollier: In the past few weeks the Wire has gone from doubling down on insisting their sketchy Meta coverage was right, to taking it down for “review,” to now filing a criminal complaint against their researcher for the story, saying he fabricated documents for it. https://indianexpress.com/...
Chriscreama Warren / @film_girl: The craziest journalism story in eons gets even crazier. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / Semafor:
A look at a complaint against The China Project, alleging the US-based news company acts as a “foreign agent” and China influenced its coverage, which it denies — Shannon Van Sant's career neatly tracks the American media's romance and disillusion with China.
Discussion:
@john_hudson, @andybxxx, @mccarthyryanj, @rnaudbertrand, @changxche, @limlouisa, @aadilbrar, @limlouisa, @aaronmcn, @semaforben and The China Project
Discussion:
John Hudson / @john_hudson: This new format that separates a journalist's reporting from their own analysis/take works well in this item by @semaforben on Congress's oversight of China-focused media https://www.semafor.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Andy Boreham / @andybxxx: US “China experts” are currently in a civil war. They always end up eating themselves. 😅 https://www.semafor.com/...
Ryan McCarthy / @mccarthyryanj: You have to read to the bottom of this Semafor piece on The China Project to get to the idea that there's little no proof here - there's not even alleged proof Not sure the form is helping clarify things here. https://www.semafor.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Arnaud Bertrand / @rnaudbertrand: Good summary of @thechinaproj controversy⬇️ My 2-cent: insane US gvt is after them for being “CCP agents”, I always took them for US agents 😂 They're quite negative on China. Only rabid sinophobia is acceptable now, mere criticism is seen as affinity 🤦♂️ https://www.semafor.com/...
Chang Che / @changxche: These accusations are patently false. @thechinaproj regular covers Xinjiang like very few publications (which everyone should check out) and they got pegged as “Western-backed anti-China” media just this year from Global Times, an actual state media. https://www.semafor.com/...
Louisa Lim / @limlouisa: For those following the Sinica @semaforben story, a reminder that one-third of @thechinaproj's (formerly Sinica) revenues came from content sponsorship, according to their own statements. https://ipvm.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Aadil Brar / @aadilbrar: A scandal in the China watching world. A peppy show of ‘balanced reporting’ is a thing of the past in the new Xi era. People should realize that. https://www.semafor.com/...
Louisa Lim / @limlouisa: Interesting that response to @semaforben's piece on @thechinaproj provides the defence that @SinicaPodcast team is a pay-to-play service rather than agent of influence: “Pressure to write about Walker was less about ideology and more about fundraising.” https://www.semafor.com/...
Aaron Mc Nicholas / @aaronmcn: Fair and insightful piece from @semaforben, with some novel formatting that helps set Semafor apart from its peers. “Unregistered foreign agent” may have already become a meaningless accusation in the U.S., but it's good to see some sensible discussion. https://www.semafor.com/...
Ben Smith / @semaforben: Here's a complicated story about allegations of foreign influence against a US media outlet focused on China, and their response https://www.semafor.com/...
Jeremy Goldkorn / The China Project: A response to baseless allegations
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
Chartbeat: in 2022, traffic from Google News and other aggregators fell to ~14% of traffic referred by social, search, and links, down from 18% to 20% in 2020 — Three years ago, publisher analytics firm Chartbeat saw news aggregators becoming the fastest growing traffic referral source.
ProPublica:
Analysis: how Google's ad business funnels revenue to prolific purveyors of health, election, and climate disinformation in Europe, Latin America, and Africa — Google is funneling revenue to some of the web's most prolific purveyors of false information in Europe, Latin America and Africa, a ProPublica investigation has found.
Discussion:
Jane Singer / @janebsinger: Google has publicly committed to fighting disinformation. But @propublica analysis shows it is auto-placing ads from major brands on global sites that spread false claims on such topics as vaccines, COVID-19, climate change and elections. https://www.propublica.org/... h/t @mediagazer
Craig Newman / @craignewman: The analysis found that Google placed ads on 41% of roughly 800 active online articles rated ... as publishing false claims about COVID-19. The company also served ads on 20% of articles about climate change that Science Feedback ... has rated false. https://twitter.com/...
Olivia Solon / @oliviasolon: “In one instance, Google continued to place ads on a publication in Bosnia and Herzegovina for months after the U.S. government officially imposed sanctions on the site.” https://twitter.com/...
@ekizilkaya: An important study by @propublica. As I told them: “In Turkey, disinformation pays and propaganda works. Google is still a part of this problem, despite its promises to help solve it...” 👇 https://twitter.com/...
Nandini Jammi / @nandoodles: Wow! How sobering to know that the entire global disinformation crisis is single-handedly produced and financed by @GoogleAds. This breathtaking @propublica investigation shows us exactly how uncomplicated this is. https://www.propublica.org/...
Camden Carter / Media Matters for America: Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Meta is earning revenue from political ads with claims debunked by its third-party fact-checkers
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Google's priorities: “The number one is bad PR — they are very sensitive to that. The second one is trying to avoid regulatory scrutiny or potentially regulatory action that could impact their business. And number lol three is revenue.” - former exec. https://www.propublica.org/...
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: When the Non-Googley Display Their Flaws, Miscommunication Results
Craig Silverman / @craigsilverman: We're hugely grateful to our data partners: @raskrinkavanje, @Chequeado, @teyitorg, Federal University of Rio NetLab, @AfricaCheck, @ScienceFeedback, @NewsGuardRating, @DisinfoEU, @factchecknet. The story is possible thx to their work & collaboration: https://www.propublica.org/...
Luther Lowe / @lutherlowe: Google has been a far more destructive force to democracy than Facebook. A rigorous tour de force of journalism by @propublica 👇 https://www.propublica.org/...
David Carroll / @profcarroll: “Google ads are a major source of revenue for sites that spread election disinformation in Brazil, notably false claims about the integrity of the voting system that have been advanced by the incumbent president... Voters in Brazil are going to the polls on Sunday.” https://twitter.com/...
Craig Silverman / @craigsilverman: We scanned more than 13k articles from 1000s of sites in 6+ languages to show how Google's ad business funnels revenue to prolific purveyors of health, election & climate disinfo in Europe, Latin America & Africa. w/@jeffykao & Ruth Talbot: https://www.propublica.org/...
Ben Smith / Semafor:
Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith becomes a senior advisor to Emerson Collective, one of the top local news funding sources that has given $60M+ in grants since 2016 — Evan Smith, the CEO and co-founder of the Texas Tribune, will be a senior advisor to Emerson, which has emerged …
Discussion:
@semaforben, @peterlattman, @pamelacolloff, @ralstonreports, @evanasmith, Local News Initiative, @jason_kint, @hodgman and @eramshaw
Discussion:
Ben Smith / @semaforben: News: Texas Tribune CEO @evanasmith is going to work for Laurene Powell Jobs Emerson Collective https://www.semafor.com/...
Peter Lattman / @peterlattman: Thrilled that the great @EvanASmith will be joining Emerson Collective as a senior advisor. Evan will work with us as we try to rebuild local news across the country; also can't wait to see him on stage at Atlantic live events. https://www.semafor.com/...
Pamela Colloff / @pamelacolloff: So proud of @evanasmith, who has transformed the nonprofit news landscape, and championed the work of so many local reporters over the years. His new job will make him “a kind of Johnny Appleseed of nonprofit news,” writes @semaforben: https://www.semafor.com/...
Jon Ralston / @ralstonreports: This is great news for nonprofit journalism and for a man who has been a pioneer in the field, influencing so many, including me. I consider Evan a mentor and a friend, and I could not be happier for him and for all of us who believe in the future of journalism. Godspeed. https://twitter.com/...
Evan Smith / @evanasmith: 🙋♂️🚨 NEWS ABOUT ME: As @semaforben scooped, I'm joining Emerson Collective on 1/1 as a senior advisor. Excited to partner w @laurenepowell @peterlattman @amyjlow + team to strengthen democracy by enabling reliable, credible, independent journalism https://www.semafor.com/... #txlege
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: “There's no problem in this country that cannot be solved by more and better journalism.” - @evanasmith, I love this statement. https://www.semafor.com/...
John Hodgman / @hodgman: Evan is a good one https://twitter.com/...
Lynette Rice / Deadline:
Peacock partners with Hallmark Media to stream live and on-demand programming from the Hallmark Channel, Movies & Mysteries, and Drama, its first such deal — Peacock has closed a pact with Hallmark Media to stream live and on-demand programming from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama.
Discussion:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter: Hallmark Channel Coming to Peacock in Wide-Ranging Streaming Deal
@richlightshed: So let me get this straight... @peacock sells off an Emmy-nominated original series to Netflix that Universal TV produced (#girl5eva) Then turns around and licenses third-party product from Hallmark for Peacock 🤔🤔🤔 https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Peacock to start streaming movies, shows from Hallmark
Matt Schimkowitz / The A.V. Club: The Hallmark Channel to save Peacock, Christmas
Jon Lafayette / Next TV: NBCU's Peacock To Stream Programming from Hallmark
Matt Webb Mitovich / TVLine: Peacock Adding ‘All Things Hallmark’ Hub Featuring Live Streaming of Three Channels, Library Movie Content
David Satin / The Streamable: Peacock to Launch Hallmark Movie Hub with Live Channels, On-Demand Films and Series This Week
Parker Herren / Ad Age: Why Hallmark holiday movies will soon stream on Peacock
Greta Bjornson / Decider: Hallmark Christmas Movies Coming to Peacock In New Streaming Deal
@sarahramos: On Wednesday you can watch the instant Christmas classic A Kismet Christmas starring me on Peacock! https://twitter.com/...
Wilson Chapman / IndieWire: Peacock to Become Streaming Home to Hallmark Movies and Series
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Wrote about Peacock's efforts to partner/bundle with other media companies here to bulk up their service: https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rosa Escandon / Forbes: Peacock Announces Hallmark Branded Streaming Hub
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Peacock Launching ‘Hallmark Media’ Channel
William Earl / Variety: Peacock Pacts With Hallmark for Branded Streaming Hub
Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report: A ‘Hallmark Hub’ Comes To Peacock
Daniel Rosney / BBC:
The BBC plans to cut 48 jobs in local radio, causing 39 networks in England to share programs from 2PM to 6AM, as the broadcaster prioritizes digital content — BBC local radio stations will have a significant number of programmes cut under new plans, the corporation has announced.
Discussion:
The Guardian, @imcmillan, @matchtalk, @gregscotttv, @georgeosborn, @nigelpauley, @gregscotttv, @_peterspencer, @immasonjordan, @georgia_coan, @jimwaterson, @psythor, @paulwiltshire, @nikhewitt, HoldtheFrontPage, Deadline, @paulstainton, @petebarronmedia, @ankaman616, @knibbsey, @tracey_crouch, @whenisbirths, @scottygb, @daveharrisoniom, @jamie4north, @grahamjones_mp, @eddwilson, @annaturley, Press Gazette, @chrishewgill, @sonic_screwup, @katie_cronin, @helen_ecw, @mo_bakshi, @frankie____ and @willguyatt
Discussion:
Ian McMillan / @imcmillan: This is a real shame. The BBC does local radio really well. Like lots of people, I got my start in local radio. https://twitter.com/...
David Jackson / @matchtalk: Significant cuts on the way for us in local radio. Looks like sport won't be directly affected but my thoughts are with colleagues who will be. https://www.bbc.com/...
Greg Scott / @gregscotttv: With the way that COMMERCIAL local radio has gone, BBC Local Radio serves like no other station can. This really is a travesty. A terrible decision. My love and thoughts with all the truly tremendous broadcasters who are going to be affected ❤️ https://twitter.com/...
George Osborn / @georgeosborn: Just caught up with the sad news about cuts to local radio. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet being balanced; these are scathing wounds against journalism, our local communities and the people who serve them. Thoughts with all affected. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Nigel Pauley / @nigelpauley: First local papers .. now local radio. Not good for local democracy or accountability. And BBC will regret losing its local roots ... https://twitter.com/...
Greg Scott / @gregscotttv: My take on this: 1: There are so many unnecessary costs incurred in this that and the other at the BBC, that I KNOW that the savings could be made to avoid these cuts. EASILY done. 2: BBC Local Radio should be one of the LAST things to face the chop. https://www.bbc.com/...
Peter Spencer / @_peterspencer: BBC Local Radio - once it's gone. It's gone forever! If you've ever listened to one of my interviews on the Radio, Online or read a single one of my tweets, THIS should matter to you. #SaveLocalRadio https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Mason Jordan / @immasonjordan: How wonderful to find out you and your colleagues could potentially be jobless via an article online. Wonderful. https://twitter.com/...
@georgia_coan: I'm a BIG fan of BBC local radio (mainly because I wouldn't be working at the BBC without it). Local newsrooms not only reach an audience many other parts of the BBC can't, but they also allow talented people without connections to get into the industry 📻 https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Excl: BBC local radio facing deep cuts this week. Lots more regional and even national shows predicted. Trying to keep spending down while shifting to digital. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
James O'Malley / @psythor: Grim news. It seems odd to me that they haven't attempted to build on the “-cast” brand by launching Manchestercast, Birminghamcast, Northamptoncast, etc, using local presenters/journalists on local stations, but aiming for a younger audience. https://twitter.com/...
Paul Wiltshire / @paulwiltshire: Big hugs to everyone working in BBC local radio this morning. Ironic that this comes so soon after so many of them gave masterclasses in interviewing politicians. https://twitter.com/...
Nik H / @nikhewitt: I've only started listening to local radio again since moving to NI. Our local station has announcements for obituaries and sheep sales in our village - it's THAT local - so a genuine and valued part of the community. https://twitter.com/...
David Sharman / HoldtheFrontPage: BBC to create more than 130 local news jobs - but more roles to be axed
Paul Stainton / @paulstainton: I am reliably informed that the head of BBC Local radio, Chris Burns, has just told staff, TWICE; “I don't expect local radio audiences to be upset by these cuts' Astonishing; Management, as usual, completely out of touch with the audience https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@petebarronmedia: So short-sighted. BBC local radio stations play a vital role in giving local people a strong voice with @BBCTees a leading example. https://twitter.com/...
Carl Anka / @ankaman616: You NEED local reporting. You need people on the ground within their own communities, as they are the best people to tell you what is going on within those communities. The gutting of local newspapers played a huge part in our post-consquence landscape. Awful decision. https://twitter.com/...
Steve Knibbs / @knibbsey: This is a really tough day for my friends and colleagues in #BBCLocalRadio I started my career on the radio @BBCGlos many years ago. We know that we have to do more online/digitally but many well-loved voices will disappear. https://www.bbc.com/...
Tracey Crouch / @tracey_crouch: I know I have a personal interest but even so, this is dreadful. Local radio provides really important public service on a shoestring budget. I hope this is urgently reconsidered. https://twitter.com/...
Justin Lewis / @whenisbirths: One of the sad ironies of all this (and obviously commercial radio did this ages ago): the best local radio was always distinctive and original. The BBC killed off GLR because it wasn't ‘like local radio’. https://www.bbc.com/...
Scott Bryan / @scottygb: This is a consequence of the licence fee freeze, where the BBC cannot adjust for inflation until 2024 https://www.bbc.com/...
David Harrison / @daveharrisoniom: Thinking of my former @RadioHumberside colleagues today & everyone involved in BBC local radio. These cuts would be an enormous loss for local journalism. It's a disgrace to see former colleagues have found out via a paper, rather than the employer too. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Jamie Stone MP / @jamie4north: Local radio helps us to stay connected with our communities and to report on the issues that mean the most to our area. For the most vulnerable, these cuts will mean a more isolated existence. I hope the BBC will reconsider these cuts to our services. https://www.bbc.com/...
@grahamjones_mp: Tories destroying our communities and their unique identities. ... and all because they've crashed the economy. https://twitter.com/...
Anna Turley / @annaturley: Noooo! Don't do this! Local radio is so important to our communities. It's true value really showed during the pandemic! Once it's gone it's gone. Please don't come for @BBCTees! https://twitter.com/...
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette: Net loss of 48 jobs in BBC England local news and radio shake-up
Christian Hewgill / @chrishewgill: “A fresh round of BBC cuts... with sources telling The Guardian it will herald the end of most local radio stations as distinctive standalone outlets.” Tomorrow could be a rough day for many at the BBC. I know exactly how it feels. Thoughts with you https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Sophie Petzal / @sonic_screwup: Those fantastic PM interviews were a little too close to the bone for big Tory Daddy Timmy D https://twitter.com/...
Kate Cronin / @katie_cronin: Well this is a shit idea. What's the point of local radio if it's not local? https://twitter.com/...
Helen Weatherhead / @helen_ecw: If true, this is awful news. I worked at @bbcmerseyside for 4 years and saw the power of local radio in action every single day. For some listeners, those presenter's voices and ours on the phones were the only ones they heard/spoke to in a day 💔 https://twitter.com/...
Mousumi Bakshi / @mo_bakshi: I wish reports would just call it as it is. Far easier to understand. The “bulletin for Cambridge” is Look East. There are 2. Like the multiple Look North incarnations, we are Look East (West) and we're the ones being shelved. To be replaced by Look East broadcast from Norwich https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Sluis / AdExchanger:
Bloomberg launches Audience Accelerator, a first-party ad platform built using a data lake with info about its 450,000 subscribers and 5M registered users — Bloomberg Media just turned off third-party ads on its site. But as it shuts the door to open-market programmatic, Bloomberg is opening a first-party data advertising platform.
Andrew Marchand / New York Post:
Amazon plans to launch a 12-hour daily lineup of sports talk shows, with seven shows available for free on Prime Video and its other audio and visual platforms — MORE FROM: — In its continued effort to become a full-time destination for sports, Amazon will have its own lineup …
Discussion:
Andrew Marchand / @andrewmarchand: NEWS: Amazon will have full slate of daily sports talks from morning until night, beginning tomorrow, The Post has learned. https://nypost.com/...
Andrew Marchand / @andrewmarchand: NEWS: Amazon will forgo the hot take and are going with more of “Moneyball” approach in betting mostly on up-and-comers as opposed to proven TV talkers. https://nypost.com/...
David Satin / The Streamable: Report: 12 Hours of Free, Daily Sports Talk Shows Coming to Amazon Streaming Services
Mark J. Burns / @markjburns88: News: Amazon is getting into the sports talk business with a 12-hour daily lineup, reports @AndrewMarchand. Hosts will include @CariChampion, @MadelynBurke, @iamBenLyons, @HanaOstapchuk and @JasonSpells, among others. https://nypost.com/...
Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing: Amazon is launching a lineup of Prime Video sports talk shows, airing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: ProPublica is scrambling to verify a Chinese Communist Party memoranda, after criticism that its expose about a Wuhan lab was based on a mistranslation — In the days after ProPublica published a searing expose based on a close reading of Communist Party memoranda in Mandarin …
Discussion:
@michaelworobey, @thackerpd, @jamesfallows, @haifeng_huang, @mattyglesias, @frankjacquette, @maxwelltani, @benjysarlin, @jeremykonyndyk, @k_g_andersen, @beijingpalmer, @charlesarthur, @intewig, @beyerstein, @yuanyi_z, @rottenindenmark, @stuartjdneil, @katzonearth, @angie_rasmussen, @stuartjdneil, @nycsouthpaw, @bokane, @lib_crusher, @the_law_boy, @mehdirhasan, @k_g_andersen, @nycsouthpaw, @gregggonsalves, @macaesbruno, @mattbc, @nycsouthpaw, @aricohn, @beijingpalmer, @whstancil, @novelsci, @semaforben and @gabewildau
Discussion:
Michael Worobey / @michaelworobey: Dear @KatherineEban, @jeffykao and @ProPublica: Your recent story misquotes me in multiple ways, including ones that I contacted you about multiple times. Astonishingly, you managed to ignore my corrections AND quote my concerns that you might do so! https://www.propublica.org/...
Paul D. Thacker / @thackerpd: Am hoping @semaforben can clarify what is meant by “the partisan nature of the Senate's investigation: Vanity Fair and ProPublica seemed to downplay the fact that the investigation was led by Republican minority committee staff.” Are only Republicans “partisan”? https://twitter.com/...
James Fallows / @jamesfallows: Worth reading the @maxwelltani piece, and this (and other) threads from experienced translator @bokane . https://twitter.com/...
H. Huang / @haifeng_huang: How misinformation is born: The ProPublica article misinterprets a Chinese document's general discussion of “the complex and grave situation” regarding safety, informed by many recent domestic and foreign incidents, as admission of *A* complex and grave situation in the Wuhan lab
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Would really like to see Pro Publica address (or at least acknowledge) the criticisms people have raised of the Chinese translations in their recent lab leak piece. When you make assertions about what foreign language documents say, you're asking the audience to trust you.
Frank Jacquette / @frankjacquette: Up until I saw this article and it's bizarre attempt to revive the lab leak hypothesis, I considered @ProPublica to be one of the finest examples of solid journalism out there and loudly told anyone who would listen. Not anymore. What a travesty. https://twitter.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: ProPublica published an expose based on a close reading of Communist Party memoranda in Mandarin. But in the days after the piece came out, the publication has been quietly contacting translators to see if they got it right. New from me: https://www.semafor.com/...
Benjy Sarlin / @benjysarlin: I make no presumptions about the lab leak question itself, but this @maxwelltani piece on the latest ProPublica investigation is pretty rough https://www.semafor.com/...
Jeremy Konyndyk / @jeremykonyndyk: All of this 🧵. Uncharacteristically weak work from @propublica here. The continued reliance on conspiracy tropes rather than evidence is a pretty persuasive argument against the lab leak theory. https://twitter.com/...
Kristian G. Andersen / @k_g_andersen: “Flood the zone with bullshit” is the modus operandi for the lab leak idea. Preprints, GOP ‘reports’, and now, publications from @VanityFair/@ProPublica. 👇 🧵's 💡 the misinformation: 1️⃣ Not understanding basic biosafety 2️⃣ Leaving out *key* details 3️⃣ Falsifying translations
James Palmer / @beijingpalmer: yup, it should be used as a ‘what not to do’ example for Western journalists for years to come. I hope we see some pretty serious self-examination from @propublica for how this happened. https://twitter.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Nature magazine: publishes multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers pointing very, very strongly (as does history) to natural origin for SARS-Cov-2. Vanity Fair, ProPublica, NY Mag, etc publish articles strongly hinting origin is a lab leak. Unfavourable peer review follows. https://twitter.com/...
@intewig: OMG I finally read the Propublica Chinese translation and IT'S SO BAD Seriously worried about the State Dept here https://twitter.com/...
Lindsay Beyerstein / @beyerstein: I don't know how they thought they were going to get away with scant due diligence on this one. It's not like Mandarin is some obscure language that hardly anyone knows. https://twitter.com/...
Yuan Yi Zhu / @yuanyi_z: The ProPublica thing on the Wuhan lab is being taken at face value by all my normie mtutuals and with extreme scepticism by all those who can read Chinese beyond a menu. It's quite astonishing.
Michael Hobbes / @rottenindenmark: Wait, *this* is the evidence in the ProPublica report on the lab leak theory? https://www.propublica.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Stuart Neil / @stuartjdneil: starting to sound like the interpretation of docs by Reid for the GOP senate report and the VF/PP article is terminal in the opinion of domain experts. If so i hope a correction is forthcoming, as well as acknowledgement by commentators for whom it said what they wanted to hear https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan M. Katz / @katzonearth: My initial reaction to the Vanity Fair/ProPublica “lab leak” article was that it seemed like a lot to hang on a clause in a vague memo. Turns out it was just a single word, and the Republican staffer who fed them the story didn't even understand what it means! https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Angela Rasmussen / @angie_rasmussen: And that's it! No evidence of a biocontainment breach or a biosafety failure, other than lab leak fan fiction invented by people with no clue about how biosafety actually works reading documents that reflect the daily considerations & challenges of operating a containment lab.
Stuart Neil / @stuartjdneil: Oh dear, looks like @propublica is a bit worried that eban and Kao's scoop may have seriously flaws So much so that they are scrambling around other Chinese translators and domain experts to to verify, and if this article is representative, it isn't going well. https://twitter.com/...
@nycsouthpaw: The mistranslation of Chinese in its lede storyline is the biggest flaw in this ProPublica piece, but I can't get over the attempt to launder a partisan product. The editors allowed repeated references to “the Senate HELP minority committee” in the copy, like that's a real thing. https://twitter.com/...
Brendan O'Kane / @bokane: Now that the story's out, I also was contacted by one of the journalists on Saturday morning. I've admired ProPublica's work for a long time, and I hope they'll do whatever they can to make this right. https://twitter.com/...
@lib_crusher: Would love to know just how and why propublica signed onto this story. They're usually top-notch with this stuff https://twitter.com/...
@the_law_boy: so it sort of seems like propublica put out a report purporting to validate the lab leak theory based entirely on the claims of a guy who claimed to know a secret version of chinese https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: It's not a Senate report. It's a report produced by staffers for the Republican minority on that committee. https://twitter.com/...
Kristian G. Andersen / @k_g_andersen: Issues: 1️⃣ They went with the conspiratorial narrative instead of talking to experts and engage with the science. 2️⃣ They went with the white guy in the dark room with a VPN, instead of experts. 3️⃣ *All* main points in article now invalid. Needs to be retracted @SteveEngelberg https://twitter.com/...
@nycsouthpaw: This is the report, fwiw. It states clearly enough that it's the product of the minority Republican staff and that Senator Burr, the ranking member, authorized its release. It's just obviously not a product of the full committee, chaired by Patty Murray. https://www.help.senate.gov/ ...
Gregg Gonsalves / @gregggonsalves: Good god, @propublica, you really screwed up on this one. https://twitter.com/...
Bruno Maçães / @macaesbruno: So it seems that @propublica just destroyed its reputation by completing mangling a translation. No sign it was deliberate, but you can't be amateurish on these things. Better get a native speaker next time
@mattbc: I wanted to review this, in depth, twice, before commenting. Here's the conclusion I've reached: this is shoddy journalism unworthy of @propublica, and it calls into question the outlet's credibility on all matters of public health. https://twitter.com/...
Ari Cohn / @aricohn: ProPublica has done great reporting in the past, but ever since that “Sure St. Jude does a lot of pediatric cancer research, treats kids for free and pays for a parent to be there, but why don't they pay for both parents' salaries too” article, my view has become more skeptical. https://twitter.com/...
James Palmer / @beijingpalmer: whomp whomp I would note again that it's not just a single mistranslation or two, it's also a consistent misrepresentation of the nature of the documents (as well as a couple of serious dating errors!) https://twitter.com/...
Will Stancil / @whstancil: All the people who spread the right-wing conspiracy about a lab leak shared this piece, based on a report by a right-wing politician and describing a COVID conspiracy, and said “See! How dare you call me a right-wing conspiracy theorist!” You'll never guess what happened next. https://twitter.com/...
@novelsci: I'm really bothered by @propublica's involvement in such a politically motivated report that relies upon omission of critical details to make the argument. I thought really highly of them. What happened? I can't understand this.
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