Mediagazer: How a reliance on social media traffic led to BuzzFeed News' demise; Similarweb: social channels made up 26% of its traffic in Q1 2023, vs. 13% at HuffPost (Digiday)

9:00 PM ET, April 24, 2023

Top News:

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

Fox News says the network and Tucker Carlson “have agreed to part ways”, and that Carlson's last program was on Friday, April 21 — Tucker Carlson, the top-rated host at Fox News, is exiting the network. — The abrupt departure of the controversial prime time figure comes …

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, @sarafischer, Semafor, Semafor, Wall Street Journal, @therecount, New York Times, Vanity Fair, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, New York Times, Axios, Rolling Stone, @bonchieredstate, @dylanbyers, @atrupar, @goangelo, @brianstelter, CNBC, CNN, NPR, New York Times, Variety, Insider, HuffPost, @andrewfeinberg, @megynkelly, @rt_com, @mimms, @harrymccracken, Vanity Fair, Media Matters for America, @keitholbermann, @claireatki, Forbes, @henryrodgersdc, @mattyglesias, @bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @erikwemple, @oneunderscore__, NBC News, @brianstelter, @morganisawizard, Observer, @projectlincoln, The Hill, New York Magazine, Politico, @nikkimcr, PBS NewsHour, Bloomberg, @erikwemple, The Guardian, @bad_takes, @yashar, PolitiFact, @mehdirhasan, @cwarzel, @brianstelter, @owillis, @srl, @davidfolkenflik, @jbflint, @brianstelter, @charliekirk11, The Week, @jason_pontin, @therickwilson, TVLine, New York Magazine, @bkahn@mstdn.science, @pkafka, @themaxburns, al.com, @dougjballoon, Press Gazette, @ajs, @muldowney, @carnage4life, @tedlieu, @tomcoates, @davidhogg111, @danprimack, The Wrap, @deggans, @michaelehayden, @aidnmclaughlin, Newser, @askdrruth, @mattgertz, @kendallybrown, @danprimack, @bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @alfranken, @robbystarbuck, @oliverdarcy, @junlper, @kasparov63, @danhon@dan.mastohon.com, @andylevy, Associated Press, @mk7j21, @justinbaragona, @fmanjoo, @mlcalderone, @matthewkeyslive, @petersterne, @decodingfoxnews, @ninaburleigh, @cwarzel, @sethmoulton, @jeremymbarr, Forbes, @murderxbryan, @petersterne, @antonioserrata@masto.ai, @tomaxwell, @dell@journa.host, @eriqgardner, @tomcoates, @jordanbpeterson, @oneunderscore__, @sherman4949, @thefootballnick, Bloomberg, @garbageape, Forbes, @lucas_shaw, @mgsiegler, @ktbenner, @profjeffjarviss, @normative, @cmclymer, @jeremymbarr, TMZ.com, @danprimack, @jeremymbarr, @timinhonolulu, The A.V. Club, @jeffjarvis, @mediaite, @ggreenwald, @fmanjoo, @mehdirhasan, @brianstelter, @lanceulanoff, @rvawonk, @decodingfoxnews, @mariashriver, @ggreenwald, @ndrew_lawrence, @brendonleslie, Media Nation, @colbyhall, @davewiner, @jeffjarvis, @gaberivera, Mediaite, @edmundlee, @sherman4949, @fmanjoo, @rottenindenmark, @darth, @carlbeijer, @johnjharwood, @semaforben, @lucas_shaw, @catturd2, @arusbridger, @teroterotero, @kbandersen, @brianstelter, @jeremymbarr, @colinyovng, The Desk, @taylorlorenz, @scottnover, @hamiltonnolan, @semaforben, @nemanjayvr, @brianstelter, @mikedrucker, @businessinsider, IndieWire and @oneunderscore__

Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:

Sources: the decision to fire Tucker Carlson came straight from Rupert Murdoch and is related to former Carlson producer Abby Grossberg's discrimination lawsuit — Tucker Carlson is leaving Fox News. — The network announced the departure of its top-rated and most provocative conservative prime-time host Monday with no explanation.

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:

Source: Tucker Carlson was in the midst of negotiating the renewal of his Fox News contract through 2029 and told people last week he expected it to be renewed — The prime-time star, who was recently negotiating his contract renewal through 2029, learned Monday that his top-rated 8 p.m. show was being taken off the air.

Discussion: The Wrap, The Atlantic, Mediaite, @davidjollyfl, @repmtg, @oliverdarcy, @calltoactivism, @Npars01@mstdn.social, @brianstelter and @brianstelter

Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite:
Source: Tucker Carlson's Fox News exit was “a firing” and he's “totally surprised”; sources: the newsroom is in “shock” and found out when the news broke online

Discussion: Mediaite, The Atlantic, @jimrosicafl, @tedlieu, Slate, Newser, @semafor, Sydney Morning Herald, @nycsouthpaw and Advocate

New York Times:

CNN parts ways with Don Lemon, who had been under scrutiny since making on-air remarks about women and aging in February 2023; Lemon says he was terminated — Mr. Lemon, one of the network's most recognizable stars, had been under scrutiny since an uproar over on-air remarks he made about women and aging in February.

Alex Griffing / Mediaite:
CNN rebukes Don Lemon for saying his agent “informed” him that CNN terminated him, saying Lemon “was offered an opportunity to meet” but instead took to Twitter

Discussion: The Desk, CNN, WWD, USA Today, New York Post, The Hill, The Week, Fox News, Slate, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Deadline, TVLine, Jezebel, HuffPost, National Review, TMZ.com, @nycsouthpaw, al.com and @andylevy

Digiday:

How a reliance on social media traffic led to BuzzFeed News' demise; Similarweb: social channels made up 26% of its traffic in Q1 2023, vs. 13% at HuffPost — BuzzFeed News shut down Thursday due to an “over-investment” into the social-first news site, according to an internal memo from BuzzFeed Inc's CEO and founder Jonah Peretti.

Discussion: @michaelmeckler@mastodonapp.uk

Max Tani / Semafor:

With Facebook's pivot away from news and Twitter's decay, media outlets return to digital media's foundational concepts of the early 2000s like homepage traffic — The News — What year is it? Consider the following: — The Drudge Report is the biggest political website in the country.

Discussion: @rafat, @kevinokeefe, @maxwelltani, @versharma, @azi, @jodyavirgan, @benjysarlin, @ericlach, @maxwelltani, @joeposner, @maxwelltani, @markdistef, @chaykak and @bernstein

Deadline:

CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble filed the inappropriate conduct complaint against NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell; source: Gamble had a previous relationship with Shell — EXCLUSIVE: Multiple sources tell Deadline that the woman who filed the complaint against NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, NBC News, HuffPost, New York Times, Page Six, Cablefax, Los Angeles Times, Insider, CNBC, Forbes, New York Post, Variety, Mediaite, The Wrap, @keitholbermann, @johnnydollar01, Adweek, Puck, Taipei Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Axios, The Daily Beast and Reuters

Martine Paris / Forbes:

Pop star Grimes tells fans to create AI-generated music using her voice, saying she will split 50% royalties, the same deal as “with any artist I collab with” — In the wake of the AI-generated hit Heart on My Sleeve going viral with deepfakes of Drake and The Weeknd …

Discussion: @grimezsz, NPR, Digital Music News, @grady_booch, @lucalush, Fortune, Insider, Gizmodo, Ars Technica, @philthatremains, @frantzfries, The Verge, @thechosenberg, @kelly_mckernan, @reocragun and @nickfloats, more at Techmeme »

TIME:

Time names interim EIC Sam Jacobs as its new Editor in Chief, effective immediately, and says the outlet has 105M readers globally, 45% of which are under 35 — TIME CEO Jessica Sibley sent the following note to staff on Monday: — Team, — Today, I am thrilled to announce Sam Jacobs …

Discussion: @sampjacobs, Talking Biz News, @abbydphillip, @jsibo, @efelsenthal and The Wrap

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Sources: Disney begins its second round of layoffs, expecting to cut ~4,000 jobs by the end of the week, as part of plans to lay off 7,000 staff before summer — Restructuring will continue “for the next couple of months,” Disney Entertainment chiefs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman wrote to staff Monday …

John Kruzel / Reuters:

SCOTUS agrees to hear two First Amendment cases about government officials blocking critics on social media, after a similar Donald Trump Twitter case in 2021 — The U.S. Supreme Court, exploring free speech rights in the social media era, on Monday agreed to consider whether the Constitution's …

Discussion: Knight First Amendment …, Engadget, @digiphile and CNN, more at Techmeme »

Reuters Institute:

News media distrust among marginalized groups often stems from unease about how they are represented, based on focus groups in Brazil, India, the UK, and the US — There is no single trust problem, and therefore there is no single trust solution. This point has been a common refrain …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @sarahscire, @onourradar and @trustingnews

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Ben Smith / Vanity Fair:
An inside look at Disney's offer to acquire BuzzFeed in 2013 for $450M, with the potential to earn $200M more, which BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti nearly accepted

Discussion: Fortune, @dylanbyers, @ashkan, @vanityfair, @passantino, @mediaevan and @semaforben

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