Top News:
Connie Guglielmo / CNET:
After a report, CNET explains its test for AI writing articles edited by humans, changes the byline on AI-written posts, and makes its disclosure more prominent — For over two decades, CNET has built our reputation testing new technologies and separating the hype from reality.
Discussion:
@techledes, Platformer, @raehodge, Gizmodo, Talking Biz News, Shelly Palmer, Engadget and Futurism, more at Techmeme »
Yuvraj Malik / Reuters:
WWE says it has retained Kirkland & Ellis as its legal adviser for a review of strategic alternatives for the company and The Raine Group as financial adviser — World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE.N) said on Thursday it has retained bankruptcy and restructuring powerhouse Kirkland & Ellis LLP …
Discussion:
corporate.wwe.com, CNBC, @pkafka, @sherman4949, @chriswelch, @mattbelloni, Bloomberg Law, Sportico and Quartz
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Over 54,000 people sign a letter objecting to a new planned Dungeons & Dragons game license, saying it taxes some creators at a 25% rate and stifles innovation — More than 54,000 fans signed an open letter in protest of a new game license — Once a game on the periphery for the nerdiest of nerds …
TechCrunch:
Sources: Tokyo-based aggregator website and app SmartNews, valued at $2B in 2021, laid off ~120 people, or 40% of US and China staff, with more coming in Japan — SmartNews, a Tokyo-headquartered news aggregation website and app valued at $2 billion as of 2021, today announced a 40% reduction …
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Sources: Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring a sale of its music library that could be valued at more than $1B, as part of its work to whittle down $50B in debt — Catalogue including Batman soundtracks could fetch more than $1bn for media group — Warner Bros Discovery is exploring …
Discussion:
Billboard, Cord Cutters News, @theericgoldman and @mattbelloni
Tony Stubblebine / The Official Medium Blog:
Medium launches a Mastodon instance on me.dm, promising members a service with reliable moderation, smoother onboarding, an interesting local feed, and more — The fediverse is a breath of fresh air for writers and social media — Today, Medium is launching a Mastodon instance at me.dm …
Nell Gallogly / New York Times:
A look at The New York Times' Weather Data team, formed in 2022 as part of an effort to broaden its data journalism as wilder weather becomes more frequent — Formed last year, the Weather Data team is harnessing clouds of information to share a more comprehensive forecast with readers.
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @neilkatz, @dcnorg and @michellemanafy
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Nine Reach regional brands in the UK have adopted a “newsletter-led approach”, meaning their websites are no longer their “flagship” means of content delivery — At nine brands the website will support the newsletters, rather than vice versa.
Discussion:
@pressgazette and HoldtheFrontPage
Bill Bradley / Adweek:
Netflix, which added a tier with ads in November 2022, says it will host its first ever upfront week event for ad buyers in May, taking Paramount's former slot — It's official: Netflix is joining upfront week. — The streaming giant exclusively told Adweek that it will host …
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline, @jbflint, The Hollywood Reporter, Next TV, @tvmojoe, The Information, MediaPost and Insider
Axios:
Axios hires Alex Thompson as national political correspondent for its expanding politics team, which includes recent hires Eugene Scott and editor David Lindsey — 1 big thing: Axios has hired Alex Thompson as National Political Correspondent beginning in January 2023.
Inae Oh / Mother Jones:
Letting C-SPAN choose what to film could increase transparency but would also play to some of politicians' worst instincts of grandstanding and viral content — Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.
Discussion:
@motherjones, @alibreland, @motherjones, @abigailweinberg, @eenayo, @timothypmurphy, @nhbaptiste, @motherjones and Newser
Brian Veseling / WAN-IFRA:
After enabling online subscription cancellation, Minnesota Star Tribune finds the new process retains 18.5% of customers canceling vs. 8.8% via a call center — 2023-01-12. “Our goal is to discuss retention as often as we discuss acquisition,” says Toby Collodora, Senior Manager of Retention …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab