Top News:
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Two SAG-AFTRA board members say they voted against the new contract because it did not have enough protections against AI, though they also had other concerns — Two members of the SAG-AFTRA board said they voted against the new contract because it does not do enough to protect actors against artificial intelligence.
Discussion:
SAG-AFTRA, @ladykatebond, @ladykatebond, @ladykatebond, @alexwinter.com, NBC 7 San Diego, CBS News, Rolling Stone and The Hill
Sharon Knolle / The Wrap:
Slade Sohmer, ex-EIC of The Recount, has been charged with possession and dissemination of child porn; The Recount says he left after an October restructuring — Slade Sohmer, the editor-in-chief of the left-leaning publication The Recount, was arrested on Friday on charges of possessing …
Discussion:
The Desk, @childrenneedus_, New York Post, @levinejonathan, @joshsternberg.bsky.social, @_cingraham and The Berkshire Eagle
Rebecca Jennings / Vox:
The “deinfluencer” trend among creators, which urges people to buy less or differently, fades as the consumerism-driven content creator industry keeps growing — Influencers will never influence us to buy less stuff. It's antithetical to the job.
Discussion:
The Information, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, Business of Fashion, Rolling Stone, Ad Age, Digiday and Insider
Washington Post:
Sources: some Univision journalists are alarmed by its new approach to Trump, after top execs attended a Trump interview and Univision canceled some Biden ads — The presence of corporate executives at Mar-a-Lago raises alarm among Democrats who are used to Latino media criticism of the former president's policies
Axios:
Challenger, Gray & Christmas: the US media industry eliminated ~20,000 jobs in 2023 as of October, compared to ~3,000 cuts until October in 2022 — Media companies are cutting their workforces as volatility in the ad market persists for premium publishers.
Discussion:
Trevor Abbott on LinkedIn
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
The Knight Foundation names Gannett Media President Maribel Perez Wadsworth as its next president and CEO, starting in January 2024, succeeding Alberto Ibargüen — The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has named the newspaper executive Maribel Perez Wadsworth its next president and CEO.
Will Dunn / Press Gazette:
Investigation: a network of UK sites masquerading as local news sources display paid-for press releases as editorial content that ends up on Google News and MSN — Paid-for press releases ending up displayed as news on Google News and MSN. — A network of websites that present themselves …
Discussion:
@willydunn, @pressgazette, @anoosh_c, @aljwhite and New Statesman
Harry McCracken / Fast Company:
A profile of, and interview with, tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee on how he changed tech gadget reviews, business strategy, reaching 17.7M subscribers, and more — Marques Brownlee has rewired the way people shop for gadgets—and how companies sell them. Inside the humble workshop …
Discussion:
Jill Bernstein on LinkedIn and @harrymccracken@mastodon …, more at Techmeme »
Nathan Bomey / Axios:
Penn Entertainment launches ESPN Bet, switching from Barstool, after agreeing to pay ESPN $1.5B in cash and provide $500M in stock warrants over 10 years — - ESPN, which also got $500 million in Penn stock warrants, agreed to actively promote ESPN Bet throughout its network.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Barrett Media, The Wrap, Awful Announcing, Sportico and Front Office Sports
Diana Pearl / Business of Fashion:
Model and investor Karlie Kloss plans to acquire UK fashion outlet i-D Magazine from Vice Media Group; Kloss' Bedford Media will become i-D's parent company — With the acquisition, the model will become i-D's CEO. — Karlie Kloss, the model turned investor and entrepreneur …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Front Row, Kristine Kloss on LinkedIn, @karliekloss, Variety and WWD
Defector:
Defector reports 2023 revenue up 18% YoY to ~$4.5M, including $3.75M from subscriptions, 40K+ active subscribers, and ~$4.4M in total operating expenses — Purpose of this report — More than three years into the company's existence, Defector continues to have no outside investors and no intention of raising outside capital.
NPR:
NPR journalists say a drone hovered above them and Israeli forces aimed a gun at them while they interviewed a Palestinian farmer in Deir Istiya, the West Bank — WEST BANK - There are days when you head out to report a story, and you think you know where it's going. And then it spins in an entirely different direction.
Discussion:
@aaschapiro, @ruwa4georgia, @lydiakiesling, @meganzerez, @war_takes, @dancow, @dennismhogan, @moorehn, @tha_rami, @ajzionts and @squiddiddly1989
RELATED:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The Guardian expects $33M in US digital reader revenue in FY 2023/24, or ~57% of its US revenue, which is expected to be a little less than 20% of total revenue — The Guardian expects to make $33 million in digital reader revenue in the U.S. for its fiscal 2023/2024 year — a new record.
Discussion:
Thomas Johnson on LinkedIn, Steve Sachs on LinkedIn and Allison Rockey on LinkedIn
BBC:
The BBC says five complaints have been made about Russell Brand's behavior while he hosted radio shows from 2006 to 2008; two were made in the past two months — The BBC has said a total of five complaints have been made about Russell Brand's behaviour while he hosted radio shows between 2006 and 2008.
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