Top News:
Jack Shafer / Politico:
Q&A with Margot Susca on her new book Hedged, which details how the US chain newspapers including Gannett were purchased and squeezed by PE firms like Alden — A journalism professor blames Wall Street for the newspaper industry's collapse. — The great American newspaper ain't what it used to be.
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
HBO is delaying posting Last Week Tonight With John Oliver segments on YouTube for a few days after episodes premiere, to nudge more people to watch it on Max — The delay in posting to the video site is intended to nudge more people to watch the show on Max.
Discussion:
@iamjohnoliver, Variety, @tvgrimreaper, @aagave, CarterMatt, 9to5Google, The Desk, The Wrap, @ernie@writing.exchange, Deadline, @tvgrimreaper, TVLine, Decider and Cord Cutters News
Emily Smith / The Wrap:
Media experts and former CNN executives say CEO Mark Thompson needs to cut costs as he remakes the network, and some top anchor salaries will likely be pruned — As the cable network suffers ongoing dismal ratings, Thompson needs to cut costs — including $50 million in on-air talent
Discussion:
@durgaraghunath, Poynter, @mendlovitzmark, @jackshafer, @johnnydollar01, Simon Owens on LinkedIn, @sharonwaxman, @sharonwaxman, @sharonwaxman and Poynter
Eduardo Suárez / Reuters Institute:
Q&A with AG Sulzberger on becoming the NYT publisher, what he misses about being a reporter, the NYT's goal of reaching 15M subscribers by 2025, and more — In this exclusive interview, he discusses his role in shaping the paper and preserving its values
Samantha Chery / Washington Post:
Polk Awards: The New York Times and ProPublica both win three awards, Vice News wins for Television Reporting, Reuters wins for Business Reporting, and more — Now in its 75th year, the George Polk Awards for journalism honors stories from 2023 about wars in Ukraine and the Middle East …
Max Tani / Semafor:
A look at efforts by pro-Israel groups such as the 10/7 Project to discredit journalists like WaPo's Louisa Loveluck, who they deem to be biased against Israel — The Scoop — Pro-Israel groups, deeply critical of American news outlets such as the Washington Post over their coverage of the war in Gaza …
Discussion:
@elivalley, @fkamiah17@toot.wales, @emmavigeland, @tobiaschneider, @levinejonathan, @mehdirhasan, @semafor, @elizondogabriel, @heminator, @daveweigel and @onyadon
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The UK's National Association of Press Agencies criticizes News UK for its freelance rates remaining unchanged in 40 years; The Sun pays £20 for a news in brief — The Sun pays from £10 for a picture used online and £20 for a print news in brief.
Discussion:
@pressgazette, @charliemoloney, @pressgazette, @mediaguy19, @propertyjourn, @etansmallman, @pressgazette and @ruthbushi
Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:
AI-generated biographies, often riddled with gross grammatical and factual errors, are appearing for sale online soon after the death of well-known people — Books — often riddled with gross grammatical and factual errors — are appearing for sale online soon after the death of well-known people.
Discussion:
Don Heymann on LinkedIn and @gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The UK agrees to add safeguards to the “Snoopers' Charter”, requiring spy agencies to get an independent review before searching for journalistic material — Spy agencies will now need to secure independent review before searching for journalistic material.
Discussion:
@pressgazette, @pressgazette and National Union of Journalists …
Jude Rogers / The Guardian:
Q&A with BBC Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent Marianna Spring on her book Among the Trolls, being the target of 80% of BBC's online abuse, and more — The broadcaster on dealing with abuse, the power of the Barbie movie, and watching Spurs with her dad
Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:
Sources: the EU plans to fine Apple around €500M for allegedly breaking EU law over access to music streaming services, following a 2019 complaint by Spotify — Move is culmination of long-running European Commission antitrust probe after a complaint by Spotify
Discussion:
NBC Bay Area, Music Business Worldwide, Fortune, Total Telecom, The Overspill, The Guardian, Mashable, CMU, The Indian Express, @ugambini, @florian4gamers, @ellisitems, @carnage4life, @moo9000, Bloomberg, Music Ally, The Information, Thomas Höppner on LinkedIn, Damien Geradin on LinkedIn, CityAM, The Verge, 9to5Mac, Politico, Cord Cutters News and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Clay Risen / New York Times:
William Beecher, who as a NYT reporter revealed President Nixon's secret bombing campaign over Cambodia and Pulitzer Prize winner, died on February 9 at age 90 — His New York Times scoop enraged the Nixon White House, which ordered a tap on his phone. He later won a Pulitzer Prize at The Boston Globe.