Mediagazer: Some journalists have experimented with paying sources for their time in documentary work, in particular for podcasts, raising questions about ethics and power (Alex Sujong Laughlin/Defector)

12:25 AM ET, March 31, 2024

Top News:

Retail investors, who hold 40% of Disney stock, may decide the Disney-Peltz proxy fight, which is expected to be one of the most expensive in history — Individuals hold as much as 40 percent of the company's shares, and they may decide a proxy battle that is one of the most expensive in history.

Discussion: @annmlipton, @annmlipton@esq.social, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Quartz and The Wrap

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:

Q&A with war correspondent Jane Ferguson on her biggest stories, the rise of local reporters, the pressure female reporters face concerning their looks, more — Jane Ferguson, a seasoned war and conflict reporter for PBS NewsHour and a visiting professor at Princeton University …

Discussion: Diya Banerjee on LinkedIn and The Atlantic

Alex Sujong Laughlin / Defector:

Some journalists have experimented with paying sources for their time in documentary work, in particular for podcasts, raising questions about ethics and power — Someone told me years ago that as a journalist making documentary work—the kind of work I do—you should leave every interview having fallen …

Discussion: @kallipearl, @alexlaughs, @hanhopk, @femme_thoughts, @stevemullis, @iamjessshane, @alexlaughs and @audreyyyrose

James Pomfret / Reuters:

US-funded Radio Free Asia closes its Hong Kong bureau, citing concerns over staff safety after a stricter national security law came into effect on March 23 — U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia said on Friday it had closed its Hong Kong bureau citing concerns over staff safety after the enactment …

Discussion: Radio Free Asia, JURIST, NPR, Reporters Without Borders, The Guardian, Semafor, Fox News, Voice of America and New York Times

New York Times:

A look at the impact of Georgia's filming incentives on tiny Thomasville; the state paid $5.2B+ in incentives between 2015 and 2022, compared to New York's ~$7B — When movies are made in Thomasville, Ga., it welcomes celebrities and an infusion of cash. But the financial incentives that attract studios have cost the state billions.

Discussion: @rob_abiera

Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Georgia lawmakers kill a plan to cap film and TV tax credits at ~$900M annually; existing incentives let Atlanta compete with California, New York, and others

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Los Angeles Times and Deadline

Ellen Huet / Bloomberg:

Some tech CEOs are turning to friendly podcasters like Lex Fridman as a way to “go direct” and avoid traditional media, which they view as unfairly critical — Tech CEOs have a growing set of ways to sidestep traditional media. But first... Don't press

Discussion: @business, @balloneytony, @samidhas, @curiouslpc, @samidhas, @dannygroner, @martyswant, @technology, @thekenyeung, @dave@social.masto.land, @balloneytony, @nikitabier, @garrytan and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:

Several legal experts say Section 230 will not protect firms from lawsuits over the outputs of generative AI, echoing SCOTUS Justice Gorsuch's 2023 statement — Legal scholars, lawmakers and at least one Supreme Court justice agree that companies will be liable for the things their AIs say and do …

Discussion: Dr. Jeffrey Funk on LinkedIn, @nathandgregory, PJ Pereira on LinkedIn, Esther Dyson on LinkedIn, Christopher Mims on LinkedIn and @mimsical@mastodon.social, more at Techmeme »

Frank Landymore / Futurism:

Many of Amazon's Kindles are displaying ads for blatantly AI-generated books on the lock screen, with some appearing to be flagrant copies of existing works — “I've never minded the ads on them... until they became flooded with AI-generated books.” — Amazon has been a huge staging ground …

Discussion: @laurab7, @poet_economist, @i_dont_caroline, @alex_roddie@mastodon.scot, @thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »

Podnews:

Survey of Americans aged 12+: 47% of have listened to a podcast in the last month, up 12% YoY, 76% listened to online audio in the past month, and more — The portion of Americans who listen to any kind of online audio, and the portion who listen to podcasts, have both reached new record highs …

Discussion: The Verge, Edison Research, The Drum, Inside Radio, @edisonresearch, @audacycorp, Edison Research, RAIN News, On my Om and RADIO ONLINE, more at Techmeme »

Jerusalem Post:

Iran International says journalist Pouria Zeraati was hospitalized with multiple knife injuries after he was attacked by a group outside his London home — The Iranian regime has planned multiple attacks against Iran International. — Iran International announced on Friday that one of its journalists …

Discussion: Telegraph, The Times of Israel, The Independent, The Guardian, @shachar_baron, @ksadjadpour, @yashar, The Daily Beast, Daily Express, Iran International and National Union of Journalists …

Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer:

Google informs users in the US that Google Podcasts is shutting down April 2 and recommends exporting podcast subscriptions to YouTube Music — U.S. users have just a few more days to make the transition from Google Podcasts as the company moves forward with the process of discontinuing the service globally.

Discussion: TechCrunch, @carnage4life@mas.to, @killedbygoogle, @killedbygoogle, @jmwilt21, @andrewmccalip, Deadline, Google Help Center and @BleepingComputer …

Jackie Snow / Quartz:

How newsrooms like Semafor and Skift are using generative AI for internal editing, story summaries, paywalled chatbots trained on their archives, and more — Beyond high-profile wins and faceplants, understated but impactful applications of generative AI are transforming newsrooms

Discussion: @rafat, @thinkverum, @ismaelnafria and @semaforcomms

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Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
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Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
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Reuters:
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Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
How MowPod, which sells podcast advertising tools, uses mobile game ads to incentivize gamers to follow shows on Apple Podcasts in order to earn in-game tokens

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Washington Post:
Scammers are using sample videos of influencers with modest social media presence to create AI deepfake ads that often push offensive products and ideas

Discussion: @willoremus@mastodon.social, Ben Colman on LinkedIn, @nitashatiku@mastodon.social, @AnnaAnthro@mastodon.social, @pranshuverma_, @robleathern, @nitashatiku, @nitashatiku, @gentrifiedrose@mastodon … and Nigel Caplan on LinkedIn

Earlier Picks:

Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
BDG's SVP of marketing details changes amid referral traffic declines, including prioritizing quality, focusing on Instagram and TikTok, and staging events

Advanced Television:
European Audiovisual Observatory: Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ took 85% of VOD viewing time in nine EU countries from September 2022 to September 2023

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Andrew Deck / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Phoebe Connelly, The Washington Post's first-ever senior editor for AI strategy and innovation, on prompt training, anxiety about job loss, and more

Discussion: Shashidhar Nanjundaiah on LinkedIn, @niemanlab and Phoebe Connelly on LinkedIn

Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Actor Sara Poyzer says BBC is using AI instead of her voice in a documentary; the BBC says it is to recreate the voice of a dying person at a family's behest

Discussion: NME, The Guardian, @sarapoyzer, Fox News, Inside Radio, @matthewg_yoga, @nathanwyburnart, Mediaite, Observer, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, The Drum and The Hollywood Reporter

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
The Atlantic is profitable, has 1M subscribers, and revenue grew 10% in 2023 thanks to a 50% price hike, a harder paywall, and a shift to in-depth reporting

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Allison Johnson / The Verge:
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Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
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Sam Kessler / CoinDesk:
The US DOJ indicts two brothers for allegedly stealing $25M in crypto via an exploit of the MEV-Boost software used by some Ethereum validators

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