Mediagazer: 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 (Ashley Carman/Bloomberg)

7:35 PM ET, March 22, 2023

Top News:

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Discussion: @asharma, @niemanlab, @adamostrow and @jessicalessin

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 …

Discussion: The Information, @ashleyrcarman, Engadget, The Daily Beast, @lucas_shaw, @steph_guerrero, @jbfromdc89, @doctorjonpaul, @flynnwaslike, @andijarvis, @charlespulliam, @bsindia, @karenattiah, @exavierpope and @lucas_shaw, more at Techmeme »

Max Tani / @maxwelltani:

JAF Communications acquires DC-based Grid and plans to integrate the news site into The Messenger before launching the digital news media company in May 2023 — Inbox: New media startup the Messenger has acquired Grid News https://twitter.com/...

Discussion: Nieman Lab, Press Gazette, @jayrosen_nyu, @om, @froomkin, @clairehoworth, @kailijoy, @sarafischer, @learmonth and @jbenton

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 …

Discussion: Ubisoft on YouTube, Ubisoft, @charalanahzard, @ubisoft, TheGamer, Engadget, PCMag, Video Games Chronicle, Game Developer, Game Developer, @eddcoates, TechCrunch, @patrickweekes, @six6jiang and Shelly Palmer, more at Techmeme »

Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Sources: the WGA proposes letting writers use AI to write scripts without sharing credit or residuals, after previously considering regulating AI use in writing

Discussion: The Verge, Insider, Los Angeles Times, Quartz, Deadline, @sandeepparikh, @cadebrigade, @tedhope, @filmupdates, @jsjdarling, @bensolohope and @louisathelast

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 and @pkafka, more at Techmeme »

Meg James / Los Angeles Times:

Newsmax and DirecTV announce an agreement to restore the conservative network to satellite TV, U-verse, and DirecTV Stream this week; terms were not disclosed — DirecTV's dispute with conservative network Newsmax — which turned bitter when the small channel enlisted support from Republican politicians …

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Amazon introduces new Fire TVs and the cheaper TV lineup 2-Series, and says 200M+ Fire TV devices have been sold — Amazon announced today that it has sold a total of over 200 million Fire TV devices. That number is a combination of Fire TV streamers, third-party TVs that run Fire TV software …

Discussion: About Amazon, Variety, Screen Rant, Insider, Engadget, PCMag UK, TechCrunch, Light Reading, The Streamable and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »

Andrew Marchand / New York Post:

Source: ESPN fired EVP Rob King after harassment accusations; King tweeted that he “decided the time is right for me to leave the company” after nearly 20 years — ESPN has fired executive vice president Rob King after he was accused of harassment, The Post has learned.

Discussion: @espn_robking, @sarahspain, Variety, Columbia Journalism Review, Poynter, OutKick, Poynter, Front Office Sports, Inside Radio, Fox News and Awful Announcing

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: @icfj, @niemanfdn, @hraleighspeaks, @williamyang120, @kaedotcom, @niemanfdn, @fbdnstories, @gijnafrica, @samiullahmahdi, @lnajafizada and The Guardian

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 …

Sara Fischer / Axios:

MoffettNathanson predicts less spending on streaming TV shows and movies in 2023, especially by Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, and NBCUniversal — The number of new, original scripted series may start to shrink this year or next after hitting a record high in 2022, analysts warn.

Discussion: MediaPost

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: Ars Technica, @stokel, The Daily Dot, New York Post, The Hill, Kotaku, The Present Age, @stokel, @glynmoody, @ksergatskova and PetaPixel, more at Techmeme »

William Turvill / Press Gazette:

UK publishers criticize a College of Policing's guideline change giving police across England and Wales the option not to name suspects charged with offenses — The proposed guidance states that forces “can” name charged suspects. The current advice is they “should”.

Discussion: @pollyrippon, @pressgazette, @fhamiltontimes and HoldtheFrontPage

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.

Jaron Schneider / PetaPixel:
Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake, the departing YouTube hosts of DPReview TV, plan to join PetaPixel to lead its new YouTube Channel that launches in May 2023

Discussion: @lgworld, @raywongy and @jaronschneider

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Sarah Spicer / Committee to Protect Journalists:
News reports and journalists say at least 28 members of the press were obstructed, harassed, or attacked covering Nigerian elections on March 18 and March 19

Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
The Boston Globe ends its two-year partnership with The Emancipator, leaving Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research to publish the digital outlet

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Elizabeth Dilts Marshall / Billboard:
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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

Discussion: @risj_oxford, American Press Institute, @rasmus_kleis, @johnycassidy, @kirstenaeddy, @luizferteixeira, @rasmus_kleis and @mitalilive

David Robb / Deadline:
WGA East members who work for Hearst Magazines plan a half-day walkout on March 23 to demand a fair contract and supporting rallies at four Hearst office sites

Discussion: @greenhousenyt, @sfcguild, MediaPost and Radio & Television …

From Techmeme:

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Apple says Meta has made 15 interoperability requests under the EU's DMA, more than any other company, and that these could affect users' privacy and security

Reuters:
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