Mediagazer: 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 (Sara Fischer/Axios)

9:15 AM ET, June 27, 2023

Top News:

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

NewsGuard:

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, MediaPost, @jeffjohnroberts, @pesach_lattin, @gsterling, @jimswiftdc, @jackmarshall, @nandoodles, @accountabletech, @newsguardrating, @charlottejee, @jbruce218, @refocusedmedia and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Kirsten Eddy / Nieman Lab:

Reuters' 2023 Digital News Report: 22% of news consumers actively participate via posts or comments, down 11 percentage points from 2018; 47% don't participate — “We find that news users who say their experiences engaging with news online are negative (21%) are nearly four times as likely …

Discussion: Axios, @beachwoodreport, @bloodravenlib, @thewelcomepac, What's New in Publishing, @albertojourno, @niemanlab, @dylanbouscher, @posselist and @rasmus_kleis

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.

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Roku and CBS Sports buy US media rights for Formula E; Roku plans to stream 11 races per season on the Roku Channel, its first foray into live sports — The company is sharing the rights with CBS Sports, which will televise 5 races annually as part of the multi-year deal.

Discussion: Variety, The Streamable, Sports Business Journal and Cord Cutters News

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

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 — Black-owned media network has sought other acquisitions, though a deal hasn't materialized — Group Black is in talks to buy …

Discussion: @alexbruell, @davidclinchnews and Awful Announcing

Jake Kanter / Deadline:

Documents: the BBC's Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official the day he suspended Gary Lineker, raising questions about government pressure — EXCLUSIVE: BBC Director General Tim Davie was in contact with a senior government official on the day he suspended Gary Lineker …

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Thomson Reuters agrees to acquire YC-backed Casetext, which builds AI-powered workflows and tools for lawyers, for $650M in cash, expected to close in H2 2023 — Thomson Reuters has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Casetext, a Y Combinator-backed legal tech startup.

Discussion: Reuters and Castext, more at Techmeme »

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, Poynter, @andrewrestuccia, @sajahq, @bainjal, The Wire, @kenroth, @mythilisk, Mediaite and The Hill

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 …

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.

Discussion: @spj_tweets

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 9:15 AM ET, June 27, 2023.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — Reuters

Energy Markets Reporter, London — WSJ

Oil Reporter, Singapore — Bloomberg

Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — AP

Business Reporter, SC — Post & Courier

State Government Reporter, WA — Seattle Times

Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Community Engagement Mgr., DC — Freedom Forum

Staff Writer - Business, NY — WIRED

Editor, MA — Nieman Reports

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Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — Newcomer

Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — The Verge

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Private Credit Reporter, NY — Debtwire

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Reporter, PA — Tribune-Review

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More News:

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

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

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, Broadband TV News, TechCrunch, TechRadar, The Streamable, The Hollywood Reporter, Gizmodo, Engadget and Cord Cutters 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

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

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

Earlier Picks:

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

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

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

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

From Techmeme:

Dave Liedtka / Bloomberg:
MicroStrategy bought ~51,780 bitcoin for ~$4.6B between November 11 and November 17, its largest purchase since starting in 2020, and now holds $29B+ in bitcoin

Sarah E. Needleman / Wall Street Journal:
Roblox debuts new parental controls and gatekeeping features, like letting parents link accounts to a child's and banning text chat for under 13s outside games

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
How Tim Cook may navigate Trump's presidency, a closer look at Apple's upcoming smart home command center, sources detail a new AirTag coming in 2025, and more

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