Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Twitter plans to wind down its legacy verified program and remove legacy verified checkmarks starting on April 1, 2023 — The social network, which the mega-billionaire bought last year in a debt-heavy $44 billion deal, announced on Thursday that starting April 1, it will remove …
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@verified, The Wrap, TechCrunch, The Desk, The Verge, @allbrightnfl, @petergleick, @xiranjayzhao, @mike_petriello, @jamesfallows, @goldengateblond, Droid Life, @richsignorelli, @scalzi, @charles_gaba, @georgehahn, IGN, @wajahatali, @mattdpearce, @edzitron, The Intersect, @marshall89hd, @fordfischer, @ordinarygamers, @binchcity, @drewisgooden, @christaylor_nyc, @scottmonty, @blackamazon, @aoc, @ynb, 9to5Google, Forbes, Engadget, @davidclinchnews, @eve6, @dloesch, @adamweinstein, @rotopat, @gaufre, @maxwelltani, @variety, @ashtonpittman, @karnythia, Boing Boing, @kevinmkruse, @cowboysnation, @slooterman, @lindseyyok, @muellershewrote and Rolling Stone, more at Techmeme »
Erin Doherty / Axios:
As lawmakers ripped TikTok CEO Shou Chew in a congressional hearing on March 23, creators on the app defended the platform with the tag #tiktokhearing — It was a near-perfect split screen: As lawmakers ripped TikTok in a congressional hearing with the company's CEO on Thursday, the app's users took to the platform to defend it.
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NPR:
NPR stops producing the Invisibilia, Louder Than a Riot, Rough Translation, and Everyone & Their Mom podcasts, and cuts 10% of staff to close a $30M+ budget gap — NPR moved this week to cut 10 percent of its staff and stop production of a trio of acclaimed seasonal podcasts - Invisibilia …
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Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to spend $1B per year to produce movies for release in thousands of theaters, a big increase from years past, seeking to grow TV+ awareness — Apple Inc. plans to spend $1 billion a year to produce movies that will be released in theaters, according to people familiar …
Discussion:
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Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Fox lawyers argue the company shouldn't be found liable in the Dominion case as the Murdochs and other executives were not directly involved in Fox News content — Lawyers for the company, which faces a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, are pushing for a judge to rule in their favor before a trial.
Michael E. Kanell / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution EIC Kevin Riley is retiring, to be succeeded by Leroy Chapman Jr., the first Black editor-in-chief in the outlet's 155-year history — Managing Editor Leroy Chapman to succeed Kevin Riley as editor-in-chief. Riley announced retirement Thursday.
Discussion:
@erniesuggs, MediaPost, @theamirvera, WAGA-TV, @nicolefcarr, @tiareports, @carolynryan, @jennifer__brett, The Daily Beast, @bizwriterkristi, @mayatprabhu, @errinhaines, @bluestein, @bluestein, @shannonajc1, @niketa, @jeremylredmon, @raju, @marlonawalker, @michaelbjordan, @byjoelanderson and @educationalan
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
The FTC proposes banning difficult-to-cancel subscriptions via “click to cancel” rules requiring companies to make ending a subscription as simple as signing up — The US Federal Trade Commission is proposing a formal ban on subscriptions that are simple to start but difficult to stop.
Discussion:
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Mark Jacob / Nieman Lab:
Journalism schools aren't interested in banning Fox News, despite the Dominion case appearing to reveal that the network committed a breach of journalism ethics — Fox News appears to have committed a gross breach of journalism ethics: intentionally lying to its audience about the 2020 election.
Discussion:
@taraemcg, @froomkin, @jayrosen_nyu, @niemanlab, @markjacob16, @melanie_asu and @markjacob16
Gretchen A. Peck / Editor and Publisher:
A look at local news publishers' views on grants and government funding: one skeptic views tech company grants as “business-building projects”, not philanthropy — Publishers report revenue diversification, philanthropy and public funding key to sustainability
Nathan Grayson / Washington Post:
Current and former Twitch staff describe how the service lost its way: out-of-touch leaders, losing big creators, cost cutting, many irrelevant ads, and more — The platform's recent moves have confused and upset creators, fans and staff alike — For Twitch, the live-streaming platform watched …
Discussion:
The Information, @vahn16, @vahn16, @vahn16, @vahn16, @adribbleofink, @vahn16, @vahn16 and Kotaku
Cory Doctorow / Pluralistic:
Cory Doctorow plans to sell a third audiobook via Kickstarter after refusing to consent to Amazon's DRM for Audible, which gets 90%+ of genre audiobook sales — Red Team Blues is my next novel, a post-cyberpunk anti-finance finance thriller; it's a major title for my publishers Tor Books and Head of Zeus …
Discussion:
@doctorow, @kkomaitis, @xor, @kayinthemargins, @yanisvaroufakis, @mbanzi, @bengoldacre, @lukewsavage, @cfiesler, @rosieethor, @rushkoff, @mc_frontalot, @davidagoodman, @lessig, @doctorow, @amandapalmer, @stevesilberman, @benoonbenoon, @sivavaid, @isislovecruft, @anatosaurus, @matthewstoller, @marietjeschaake, @swodinsky, @pomeranian99, @internetarchive, @mlsif, @ryanqnorth, @wrong_shon, @ip_policy, @rcalo, @rondeibert and @kdnyhan@social.esmarconf.org
David Robb / Deadline:
WGA East members at Hearst Magazines offices in Alabama, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania held a half-day March 23 walkout and rally for a fair contract — Hundreds of WGA East members employed at Hearst Magazines Media staged a half-day walkout and rally today to demand a fair contract.
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MediaPost, al.com, @dominicknero, @joeycapparella, Lehigh Valley Live and @bombur
Sky News:
The BBC shelves its next Top Gear season after presenter Andrew Flintoff was injured in a December 2022 crash at the show's test track — The BBC is scrapping its latest Top Gear series after an investigation into an accident that injured presenter Andrew Flintoff.
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The Guardian, Deadline, London Evening Standard, Daily Mail and BBC