Top News:
Max Tani / Semafor:
Slate says 2023 was the most profitable year in its 27 year history, with revenue up 28% YoY through investments and growth in its podcasts and website — The Scoop — Amid a difficult year for news media last year, at least one legacy digital media company has quietly been moving the other direction.
Discussion:
@saletan, @benjysarlin, @paldhous, Chris Peterson on LinkedIn, @rafat, @annasale, @katie_rayford and @maxwelltani
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
How generative AI is transforming the advertising industry; WPP and Publicis plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to embed AI in their businesses — At the start of the year, every single one of the roughly 100,000 people working for advertising giant Publicis received a video message …
Washington Post:
Some news creators and journalists, who moved from X to Threads, criticize Meta for planning to stop recommending political content on Instagram and Threads — The platform announced it won't recommend “social commentary” or political news. — Meta announced on Friday …
Discussion:
Mississippi Free Press, Julia Rosen on LinkedIn, Reclaim The Net, BGR, Media Nation, @Wolven@ourislandgeorgia.net, @ashtonpittman, @hashtagcpt, Instagram, @carnage4life, Quartz, Political Wire, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @dead.place, @Laukidh@infosec.exchange, Axios, @jonasd@threads.net, @aaronhuertas_de@threads.net, @moskov@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @karissabe@threads.net, @goldman@threads.net, The Verge, MediaPost, The Hill and Variety
RELATED:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Meta begins testing “top topics” on Threads in the US, surfaced in the app on the Search page and in the For You feed, that can feature political content — After acknowledging last week that Meta's X competitor Threads would not actively recommend political content …
Discussion:
The Verge, Engadget, @petrikajander and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Interviews with the four co-founders of 404 Media, who each own 25% of the tech news outlet, which they say is profitable six months after launch — “Owning our own work, and being beholden to no one but our readers and colleagues — as opposed to say, investors, venture capitalists …
Discussion:
@jpalfrey and @digiphile
Felix M. Simon / Columbia Journalism Review:
A report on the use of AI in news organizations, based on 170 interviews with employees at 35 publishers in the US, UK, and Germany and international experts — Executive Summary — Despite growing interest, the effects of AI on the news industry and our information environment — the public arena — remain poorly understood.
Emilia David / The Verge:
Fandom faces criticism from fan Wiki creators after its new generative AI feature Quick Answers gives inaccurate answers to fan questions — Fandom, which hosts wikis for many fandoms, will roll out generative AI features that it previously tested but now promises users will be able to opt out.
Discussion:
@cityhoosier, @glenngabe, @aires@tiggi.es and @dangillmor@mastodon.social
Clara Aberneithie / Press Gazette:
An interview with The Times' Paul Morgan-Bentley on going undercover with British Gas debt collectors as part of an investigation into pre-payment energy meters — Getting something “badly wrong” is what keeps head of investigations Morgan-Bentley up at night.
Discussion:
@pressgazette
Bloomberg:
X plans to let advertisers run ads before creators' videos starting later this month, and says it will offer a revenue split but doesn't disclose any details — Elon Musk's X is adding new advertiser targeting features to better entice video creators and compete against YouTube.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Reuters, CNBC, Rolling Stone, Tubefilter and MediaPost
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
An interview with Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon on changes in the UK's broadcast TV market, cuts to the network's program budget, and a gradual shift to streaming — The network boss believes production companies that underpin Britain's global reputation face being forced out of business
Discussion:
Melissa Carr on LinkedIn, Stephen Arnell on LinkedIn, Alex Mahon on LinkedIn and CityAM
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
A look at the uncertain future of TalkTV as its star presenter Piers Morgan moves to YouTube, saying his daily show had become an “unnecessary straitjacket” — Outspoken presenter is moving his ‘Uncensored’ show from TalkTV to YouTube — Piers Morgan, the outspoken presenter …
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Malaysia sentences British anti-corruption reporter Clare Rewcastle Brown to two years in prison in absentia for criminal defamation over her 1MDB reporting — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Malaysian authorities to reverse the decision to sentence British anti-corruption …
Discussion:
BBC and Malay Mail
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