Mediagazer: SCOTUS refuses to revive Genius' 2019 lawsuit accusing Google of scraping millions of song lyrics for search, leaving in place a ruling tossing out the lawsuit (Emily Birnbaum/Bloomberg)

6:05 AM ET, June 27, 2023

Top News:

Analysis: in May and June 2023, 141 major brands ran ads, mostly via Google Ads, across 55 low-quality sites with AI-generated articles, some posting ~1,200/day — NewsGuard identified 141 brands that are feeding programmatic ad dollars to low-quality AI-generated news and information sites operating with little to no human oversight

Discussion: MIT Technology Review, Adweek, @pesach_lattin, @nandoodles, @newsguardrating, @charlottejee, @jeffjohnroberts, @gsterling, @jimswiftdc, @accountabletech, @refocusedmedia, @jackmarshall, @jbruce218, The Verge and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »

James Vincent / The Verge:

AI is killing the web with spam sites, mass article producing “AI editors”, AI-generated junk on Etsy, Reddit, and Wikipedia that exhausts moderators, and more — In recent months, the signs and portents have been accumulating with increasing speed. Google is trying to kill the 10 blue links.

Discussion: @mmitchell_ai, @glenngabe, @paytobreed, @soldni, @nolan@toot.cafe, @ukuku@mstdn.social, @chrismoranuk, @brianroemmele, The Overspill, @harrymccracken, @darth_na, @glenngabe, @varunkrish and @waxy@xoxo.zone, more at Techmeme »

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

Fox News' new prime time: Jesse Watters takes Tucker Carlson's 8pm slot, Laura Ingraham moves to 7pm, Sean Hannity stays at 9pm, and Greg Gutfeld moves to 10pm — Fox News announced the new prime time lineup it's putting in place in the wake of Tucker Carlson's shocking ouster earlier this year.

New York Times:

As the use of AI-generated ads in political campaigns increases globally, consultants, election researchers, and lawmakers push for setting up new guardrails — Gaps in campaign rules allow politicians to spread images and messaging generated by increasingly powerful artificial intelligence technology.

Discussion: @mantzarlis, @repyvetteclarke, @brookingsgov, @danweiner329, @kevinokeefe, @samgregory, @neilturkewitz, @shonin@mastodon.world, @JamesBazan@mastodon.coffee, @penamerica, @peterdaou, @erikbryn, Inside Radio, @toddgregory.bsky.social, @carnage4life@mas.to, Insider and Fox News

Jared Diamond / Wall Street Journal:

Some question The Athletic reporter Shams Charania's commercial partnership with FanDuel after his June 22 tweet, which was wrong, moved NBA draft betting lines — Shams Charania works for both sports news site the Athletic and gambling company FanDuel. Things got complicated when he tweeted …

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Profits at the largest US entertainment companies have fallen 60%+ since 2013, despite mergers, as media companies spent record sums to build streaming services — Good afternoon from Los Angeles, wherever you may be. Thanks to those of you who came to Bloomberg's Tech Summit.

Discussion: Media Voices, @lucas_shaw, @conorsen, @stevewells11, @dkthomp, @ryanmcraver, Digital Music News, @lucas_shaw, @tiagodf and @tvgrimreaper

Max Tani / Semafor:

Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, and other podcast companies are shifting from A-list celebrities and big-budget audio narratives to professional audio talent — The News — CANNES — In 2020, Spotify's stock spiked on the news that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry signed an exclusive deal with the streaming platform.

Emily Birnbaum / Bloomberg:

SCOTUS refuses to revive Genius' 2019 lawsuit accusing Google of scraping millions of song lyrics for search, leaving in place a ruling tossing out the lawsuit — The US Supreme Court refused to revive a lawsuit by music website Genius Media Group Inc. accusing Alphabet Inc.'s Google of stealing millions of song lyrics.

Discussion: Reuters, The Register, Complete Music Update, Music Ally, Rolling Stone, The Hill, @phil_lewis_, MediaPost and Billboard

John Kang / Forbes:

An interview with Pinkfong CEO Kim Min-seok on Baby Shark Live, a live show based on the viral song, plans to expand into webtoons and theme parks, and more — Seven years after posting “Baby Shark Dance” on YouTube, Kim Min-seok, CEO and cofounder of the Korean company behind the viral video …

New York Times:

A look at review-bombing campaigns on Goodreads, which can derail a book's publication long before its release, affecting both new and established authors — The website Goodreads has become an essential avenue for building readership, but the same features that help generate excitement can also backfire.

Discussion: @dorolef, @anjalienjeti, @newblackman, @helaineolen, @zacbissonnette and @mariskreizman, more at Techmeme »

David Bauder / Associated Press:

A look at CBS News' “solutions journalism” efforts focused on people and organizations that are trying to tackle problems like mental health and climate change — A Colorado school is creating a “zen den” for troubled students. A soccer coach in Pittsburgh goes out of her way to relieve pressure on players.

Wall Street Journal:

The White House condemns the online harassment of WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui for questioning PM Modi about human rights in India at a press event last week — Biden spokesman says harassment of journalist is unacceptable after attacks by officials from Indian prime minister's party

Discussion: @andrewrestuccia, @andrewrestuccia, @sajahq, The Wire, The Hill and @mythilisk

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 6:05 AM ET, June 27, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

City Reporter, WA — Tacoma News Tribune

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

Education & Budget Reporter, CA — Politico

Senior Writer/Editor, FL — Gulfshore Business

Media Editor, Remote — Axios

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Group Black is in talks to buy a majority stake in the Arena Group, which publishes Sports Illustrated and owns 50+ publications, including TheStreet

Discussion: @alexbruell, @davidclinchnews and Awful Announcing

Stuart McGinn / Narcity:
Netflix quietly drops Basic, its cheapest ad-free tier, for “new or rejoining members” in Canada but lets current subscribers “remain on” the CA$9.99/month plan

Discussion: The Verge, TechCrunch, The Hollywood Reporter, The Streamable, TechRadar, Gizmodo, Engadget, Cord Cutters News and gHacks Technology News

Nancy Tartaglione / Deadline:
Cineworld plans to file for the administration of its listed entity Cineworld plc in the UK as part of its restructuring, but will continue operating as normal

Discussion: Reuters and Variety

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Vox Media appoints executives to new c-suite positions to focus on new revenue streams, including commerce and subscriptions, while also growing its ad business

Discussion: Vox Media, Observer, @bankoff, @sarafischer and MediaPost

Meara Isenberg / CNET:
Starz increases its ad-free subscription from $9 per month to $10 per month, the first price increase for the standalone service since its 2016 launch

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
Analysis: the UK's NUJ had 24,528 members in 2022, of whom 20,722 pay, down by 21% since 2012 and 32% since 2004; some journalists blame high subscription fees

Discussion: @nuj_leeds

Earlier Picks:

Nikkei Asia:
How the rising popularity of K-pop and K-drama drove direct South Korean investment into the US; South Korean FDI jumped 70%+ since BTS' 2016 US breakthrough

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
At Dublin's NewsXchange conference, experts discussed generative AI's impacts on journalism, including copyright infringement, misinformation risks, and more

Duke Reporters' Lab:
An annual fact-checking census finds there are 417 fact-checking sites active globally in 2023 so far, roughly the same as in 2022 and 2021, up from 151 in 2015

Discussion: @billadairduke

A.J. Katz / Adweek:
Legendary TV news producer David Bohrman, who worked at ABC, NBC, CBS, and others, and was best known for his 12 years of pioneering work at CNN, dies at 69

Discussion: @johnnydollar01, @farhip, CNN, Adweek and Next TV

Diana Falzone / Rolling Stone:
Some Newsmax staff raised privacy concerns after Newsmax allegedly told them to hand over work and personal correspondence that Smartmatic subpoenaed them over

Discussion: @joshtpm and @rollingstone

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
How an intern at Indiana newspaper The Journal Gazette in 1995 helped popularize the mashup of The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon

Discussion: @peterbakernyt, @nataliapetrzela and @nytmag

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks

Lee-Anne Mulholland / The Keyword:
Google files its proposed remedies in the DOJ's search antitrust lawsuit, including letting browser companies have multiple default agreements across platforms

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page