Top News:
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Memo: Spotify has spent less than 10% of its $100M Creator Equity Fund, announced in February 2022 to promote diversity in music after the Joe Rogan controversy — Spotify Technology SA's $100 million Creator Equity Fund, designed to promote diversity in music and podcasts following controversial comments …
Luke Plunkett / Kotaku:
Ubisoft unveils Ghostwriter, an internal AI tool saving its scriptwriters time by creating first drafts and more realistic non-player character interactions — Ubisoft Ghostwriter is described by the company as ‘an AI tool’ — Ubisoft, the publishers behind Assassin's Creed …
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Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Sources: the WGA proposes allowing writers to use AI for scripts without sharing credit or residuals, after previously considering regulating AI use in writing — The Writers Guild of America has proposed allowing artificial intelligence to write scripts, as long as it does not affect writers' credits or residuals.
Discussion:
The Verge, Insider, @sandeepparikh, @jsjdarling, @louisathelast, @bensolohope, @cadebrigade, @tedhope and @filmupdates
Sahil Patel / The Information:
Sources: Meta rehires veteran manager Nick Grudin, who left to join NFT startup Dapper Labs in August 2022, to oversee media company and creator relationships — Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg's effort to cut back on middle managers isn't stopping the company hiring more middle managers.
Discussion:
Variety, @sizpatel, @pkafka and Inc42 Media, more at Techmeme »
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
Newsmax will return to DirecTV after the companies reach a new distribution agreement — DirecTV's dispute with conservative network Newsmax — which turned bitter when the small channel enlisted support from Republican politicians — is ending with Newsmax returning to programming lineups of satellite TV customers.
Discussion:
Next TV, The Hollywood Reporter, @brianstelter, MediaPost, New York Daily News, Ars Technica, CNBC, PCMag UK, CBS News, @oliverdarcy, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, @oliverdarcy, CNN, The Streamable, Deadline, @oliverdarcy, @jbflint, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, IndieWire, Radio & Television …, The Hill and Cord Cutters News
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: at recent News Media Alliance meetings, publishing executives discussed the use of their content to train AI and how they should be compensated — Media executives want compensation for use of their content in ChatGPT, Bing and Bard — Bing With AI: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Why Search Is Changed Forever
Discussion:
@adamostrow, @niemanlab, @asharma and @jessicalessin
Max Tani / @maxwelltani:
JAF Communications, which publishes The Messenger, acquires DC-based Grid, which will be integrated into The Messenger for its May 2023 launch — Inbox: New media startup the Messenger has acquired Grid News https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Nieman Lab, @clairehoworth, @kailijoy, @sarafischer, @learmonth and @jbenton
Andrew Marchand / New York Post:
Source: ESPN fired EVP Rob King, at the company for ~20 years, after harassment accusations; King tweeted that he “decided the time is right for me to leave” — ESPN has fired executive vice president Rob King after he was accused of harassment, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
@espn_robking, @sarahspain, Variety, Poynter, Columbia Journalism Review, OutKick, Poynter, Front Office Sports, Inside Radio, Fox News and Awful Announcing
Chris Stokel-Walker / BuzzFeed News:
Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins says Midjourney banned him after he made images of a Donald Trump arrest; the company banned the word “arrested” in its tool — “I suspect it was pushing my luck when I did the [Twitter] thread,” said Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins.
Discussion:
New York Post, Mediaite, @ksergatskova, The Daily Dot, Kotaku, The Hill, Ars Technica, The Present Age, @stokel, @stokel, @glynmoody and PetaPixel, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Reach offers staff earning £60K or less a 4% raise; a source says Reach will employ ~1,200 journalists, down from 2,862 in 2022, after the planned redundancies — Reach is doubling down on growing direct audiences and data-driven digital revenues. — Reach has offered staff earning …
Celeste Katz Marston / Nieman Reports:
A look at the exiled journalists and outlets from South Sudan, Eritrea, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Mexico, Belarus, and Russia covering their countries — As press freedoms around the globe erode, journalists are building networks outside their home countries to continue reporting
Discussion:
@hraleighspeaks, @williamyang120, @icfj, @niemanfdn, @niemanfdn, @fbdnstories, @samiullahmahdi, @lnajafizada and The Guardian
Reuters Institute:
An analysis of 100 news outlets in Brazil, Germany, South Africa, the UK, and the US in 2022: 23% of the 81 top editors are POC with none in Brazil and Germany — In this Reuters Institute factsheet, continuing work started in 2020, we analyse the percentage of people of colour …
Discussion:
@risj_oxford, American Press Institute, @rasmus_kleis, @johnycassidy, @kirstenaeddy, @luizferteixeira, @rasmus_kleis and @mitalilive
Jaron Schneider / PetaPixel:
Amazon-owned digital photography site DPReview is closing on April 10; people can request to download photos or texts they've uploaded to the site until April 6 — DPReview, easily one of the most beloved publications among photography enthusiasts, will shut down and its content will be deleted.
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