Top News:
Jessica McMaster / KSHB-TV:
The Marion County attorney withdraws the search warrant that served as the basis for the raid on the Marion County Record; all seized items have been returned — MARION, Kan. — A search warrant that cleared the way for the raid of a Kansas newspaper last Friday has been withdrawn …
Discussion:
Kansas Reflector, Washington Post, CNN, @arictoler, KSHB-TV, NewsNation, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @jessmcmasterkc, The Rural Blog, New York Post, @jbenton, @jessmcmasterkc, @sdkstl, Newser, @benmullin, @brianstelter, Kansas City Star, Freedom of the Press …, Reporters Without Borders, New York Times, @BatsInLavender@hcommons …, @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com, @LorrieW@mstdn.social, @johnmcquaid@journa.host, @bluebookvalue.bsky.social, @MylesRyden@social.vivaldi.net, Daily Mail, CBS News and It seemed like a good idea …
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Paramount drops its plans to sell a majority stake in BET Media, concluding that a sale wouldn't lead to a meaningful deleveraging of its balance sheet — The entertainment conglomerate concluded a sale wouldn't result in any meaningful deleveraging of its balance sheet.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap, @tvgrimreaper, @2xaught7.bsky.social and The Desk
Alex Mahadevan / Poynter:
The AP releases guidance on how the news agency uses generative AI tools and plans to update its stylebook, saying outputs are like “unvetted source material” — Weeks after announcing a partnership with OpenAI, The Associated Press urges caution in using — and reporting on — generative AI tools.
Discussion:
The Verge, AP Definitive Source, MediaNama, Associated Press, @swiftstories, Nieman Lab and MediaPost
Calum Marsh / New York Times:
Documentaries about the annual CrossFit Games from CrossFit's media team have become consistent streaming hits due to their niche fitness community audience — A series of films about the annual CrossFit Games, enthusiastically embraced by the niche fitness community, have become surprise hits on streaming platforms.
Vitalik Buterin / Vitalik Buterin's website:
A deep dive into X's Community Notes, including how the algorithm works, whether the feature actually fights polarization, and its use in high-stakes situations — Special thanks to Dennis Pourteaux and Jay Baxter for feedback and review. — The last two years of Twitter X have been tumultuous, to say the least.
Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:
Six days after making brand safety assurances, X placed ads for The Athletic, MLB, USA Today, and others on a pro-Hitler account, before suspending the account — Following Media Matters' report, X finally suspended the account — Update 2 (8/16/23, 8:15 p.m.): CNN's Clare Duffy …
Reggie Ugwu / New York Times:
A look at “MovieTok” influencers like Maddi Moo and Straw Hat Goofy, who reach millions of people on TikTok by reviewing, analyzing, or promoting movies — On MovieTok, reviewers can reach an audience of millions and earn tens of thousands of dollars per post. “Critics,” they say, are old news.
Discussion:
@rpbradley1, @sonnybunch, @ezwrites, @uugwuu, @markharrisnyc, @projectseestra, @samfbiddle and New York Times
The Hollywood Reporter:
Hasbro names three former eOne execs to lead Hasbro Entertainment: Olivier Dumont as president, Zev Foreman as head of film, and Gabriel Marano as head of TV — Olivier Dumont becomes president of Hasbro Entertainment, while Zev Foreman and Gabriel Marano will head up film and TV divisions, respectively.
Discussion:
Variety, WORLD SCREEN, The Wrap, Media Play News and Deadline
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Struum, an aggregator that used a ClassPass model for streaming content and was backed by Michael Eisner's investment firm, quietly shut down in June 2022 — The service ran out of cash in June 2022, and quietly dismantled from that point on. — The service ran out of cash in June 2022, and quietly dismantled from that point on.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google adds AI-powered article summaries for free articles, not paywalled ones, to its Search Generative Experience and says publishers can block the feature — Google today is rolling out a few new updates to its nearly three-month-old Search Generative Experience (SGE) …
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Sources: The New York Times' lawyers are exploring suing OpenAI to protect the news outlet's IP rights, after tense negotiations over a potential licensing deal — The New York Times and OpenAI could end up in court. — Lawyers for the newspaper are exploring whether to sue OpenAI …
Discussion:
@npr_bot@m.ai6yr.org, Popular Science and Vanity Fair
Alex Cranz / The Verge:
YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips pauses production after accusations of theft, ethical lapses, and sexual harassment, and plans to hire an outside investigator — Linus Sebastian's Linus Media Group YouTube empire is currently in crisis, with accusations of theft, lapses in ethics, and most recently, allegations of sexual harassment.