Mediagazer: Amazon made its debut Upfronts pitch on May 14, competing with major media networks and highlighting its push beyond digital ads and into traditional media (Annie Palmer/CNBC)

12:20 PM ET, May 15, 2024

Top News:

Joe Biden proposes two debates with Trump, ditching the bipartisan commission that has conducted presidential debates since the late 1980s; Trump accepts — The agreement does not ensure that a debate will happen. — Having spent months avoiding direct engagement on when and where to debate …

ABC News:

Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree to an ABC News presidential debate on September 10 — Biden challenged Trump to two debates, Trump said he's “ready and willing.” — President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore at Bowie State University on Nov. 7 …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, CNN, @maggienyt, @alexthomp, @joebiden, Forbes and New York Post

CNN:

CNN plans to host the Joe Biden and Donald Trump presidential debate in Georgia on June 27, after both accepted CNN's invitation — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he's accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on June 27 - challenging the former president …

Washington Post:
Biden's debate proposal asks for broadcast networks that hosted GOP debates in 2016 and Democratic debates in 2020: CNN, ABC News, Telemundo, and CBS News

Discussion: Mediaite, @kaitlancollins, @brookesingman, The Wrap, Associated Press, @jmart, The Hill, New York Post, @brianstelter, @michaelscherer, @brianstelter and @brianstelter

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Netflix strikes a three-year deal with the NFL to stream two new Christmas Day games this season, and “at least one game” in 2025 and in 2026 — The streaming giant lands the league's two new Christmas Day games, beginning this season. — Netflix will stream live NFL games, beginning this season.

Casey Newton / Platformer:

The arrival of AI search bodes ill for everyone who relies on web search to have their business discovered, their blog post read, or their journalism funded — When Sundar Pichai took the stage at Google I/O on Tuesday morning, he said that the rise of generative artificial intelligence …

Discussion: @searchliaison, Media Nation, @samfbiddle, Engadget, @andrewgiambrone, Beyond Search, @pranavdixit, Ezra Eeman on LinkedIn, @brucel, @crumbler@threads.net, @slightlyoff@toot.cafe, @inthehands@hachyderm.io, @mike@flipboard.social, TechCrunch, Search Engine Land, Wired and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Umar Shakir / The Verge:
Google expands its SynthID watermark imprinting system to AI-generated video and text; the tool can already attempt to detect AI-generated images and audio

Discussion: Google DeepMind and Engadget

Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google will roll out AI overviews in search to all US users, starting this week, and in more countries soon; they will be available to 1B+ users by end of year

Discussion: The Media Leader, Shelly Palmer, The Verge, @mishaalrahman, @sullyomarr, @bentossell, @kevinroose, @rowancheung, @reckless1280@threads.net and @joannastern@threads.net, more at Techmeme »

Max Tani / Semafor:

NYT reporters are circulating a draft of an open letter to Joe Kahn, criticizing the editor over recent comments they said were dismissive of young reporters — The Scoop — New York Times reporters are circulating a draft of an open letter to Joe Kahn, criticizing the paper's top editor …

Discussion: New York Post, @gregtsargent, @jayrosen_nyu, @emptywheel and @meyer_hm

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Bob Iger says Disney is “pretty dramatically” reducing its spending on traditional TV content and Disney+'s overinvestment “resulted in volume, not quality” — Company originally ‘invested too much’ in streaming content, which ‘resulted in volume, not quality,’

Discussion: The Hollywood Reporter

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:

The New Yorker published an article about convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby in its UK print edition, after blocking the story online due to a court order — A New Yorker story revisiting the conviction of Lucy Letby has been published in the title's print and mobile app editions despite …

Discussion: @jon_allsop, ITV News and @jon_allsop

New York Times:

Sources detail the tensions at NBC and its parent company Comcast over MSNBC's embrace of progressive politics, as NBC News strives to appeal to a mass audience — NBC's leaders have been forced to grapple with how to square its cable news network's embrace of progressive politics with the company's straight-news operation.

Discussion: @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @markhisted.org, @mrhoward.bsky.social and @jeffjarvis

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:

Sources: Jimmy Finkelstein met with potential investors to drum up interest in a new venture, which is in the planning stages, after The Messenger's failure — MESSENGER, PT. DEUX — The 76-year-old media mogul is apparently looking to clear his name after The Messenger spectacularly flopped.

David Bauder / Associated Press:

An interview with veteran entertainment journalist Jed Rosenzweig about LateNighter, his news site and newsletter launched in February to follow late-night TV — At first glance, Jed Rosenzweig's new venture would seem like a fool's errand: launching a digital news site during brutal economic times …

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Q&A with Nicholas Kristof on how security for foreign correspondents has changed, the need for more reporting and less punditry, protecting sources, and more — Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.

Discussion: Poynter

Annie Palmer / CNBC:

Amazon made its debut Upfronts pitch on May 14, competing with major media networks and highlighting its push beyond digital ads and into traditional media — Amazon has become a growing threat to digital ad incumbents Meta and Google, attracting billions of dollars a quarter from brands …

Discussion: @sherman4949, AdExchanger and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 12:20 PM ET, May 15, 2024.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

City Reporter, WA — Tacoma News Tribune

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

Education & Budget Reporter, CA — Politico

Senior Writer/Editor, FL — Gulfshore Business

Media Editor, Remote — Axios

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Politico rolls out its first consumer registration wall, as part of Axel Springer's plans to gather more reader data to use for ad and product strategies

Discussion: Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn and @politicopress

Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Lineup Publishing says Deadspin will include “betting content” but insists the outlet won't become an SEO clickfarm, and restores deleted posts

Michael Schneider / Variety:
Streamers are ordering linear-esque content, like procedurals and sitcoms, with 15- or 16-episode seasons, as they seek to avoid churn and emulate broadcasters

Discussion: Inside the Magic, H Schuster on LinkedIn, Morad Koufane on LinkedIn and Herman Phillips on LinkedIn

Clara Aberneithie / Press Gazette:
Interviews with journalists from BBC Russia, BBC Persia, and BBC Arabic about BBC World Service's 310 exiled journalists, fighting censorship, and more

Discussion: @bluechalkmedia

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Adam Mosseri says Threads “recently rolled out” its own fact-checking program after piggybacking on Instagram and Facebook's network for a few months

Discussion: Engadget and @mosseri@threads.net, more at Techmeme »

Nidhi Subbaraman / Wall Street Journal:
Fake studies have flooded publishers of scientific journals, resulting in retractions and millions of dollars in lost revenue; Wiley plans to close 19 journals

Discussion: STAT, The Overspill, @ianrosewrites@scicomm.xyz, @Wolven@ourislandgeorgia.net and @cbecker@hci.social

Anthony DePalma / New York Times:
Canadian author Alice Munro, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 and was referred to as “a master of the contemporary short story”, dies at 92

Washington Post:
Eight TikTok creators sue the US government over the law forcing a sale or ban of TikTok, arguing the move violates their First Amendment rights

Discussion: New York Times, CMU, Associated Press, The Hill, @yoda, @artofangles, @taylorlorenz, MediaNama, @taliacadet, CNBC, NBC News, Reuters, The Verge, The Information, CBS News, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, NPR and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Ty Pendlebury / CNET:
Google unveils Music AI Sandbox, a suite of music tools that include the ability to create loops via text, without disclosing when it will be publicly available

Discussion: Music Ally, Google DeepMind, @facesofhaiti_, @reach_vb, @googledeepmind, @googledeepmind, @aggualaqisaaq@mastodon …, BGR and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Jeffrey Dastin / Reuters:
YouTube says it will comply with a Hong Kong court order to block 32 video links, after the government sought to ban the Glory to Hong Kong protest anthem

Discussion: City A.M., Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, Music Ally, Voice of America, New York Times, Financial Times, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Neel Dhanesha / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with NPR's David Folkenflik and Floodlight's Miranda Green on uncovering how The Richmond Standard, a local newspaper, was set up as Chevron's mouthpiece

Discussion: American Press Institute, @davidfolkenflik, @sarahscire, @dabeard, @twrling@sfba.social and @michellemanafy@journa.host

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Reddit launches new tools for its Ask Me Anything Q&A feature, including a dedicated AMA tab, support for up to five guest hosts, and promotional options

Discussion: Reddit Upvoted

Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Reddit's stock closed up 7.13% on May 14, as posts on r/WallStreetBets drive a meme stocks rally; GameStop closed up 60.10% and AMC up 31.98%

Discussion: Axios, Quartz, CBS News, Fox Business, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, CityNews Toronto, New York Post, Know Your Meme, New York Times, USA Today, IGN and Financial Times

Kayla Cobb / The Wrap:
Nielsen launches The Media Distributor Gauge, showing TV usage ranked by company: Disney accounted for 11.5% of TV viewing in April, YouTube accounted for 9.6%

Discussion: Nielsen, MediaPost, Adweek, Amit Ghorawat on LinkedIn, Radio & Television …, Brian Fuhrer on LinkedIn, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Wall Street Journal and Forbes

Dade Hayes / Deadline:
TelevisaUnivision says Vix now has 50M MAUs, up 70% YoY, and plans to launch the previously announced ad-supported tier of Vix on May 15

Discussion: StreamTV Insider, WORLD SCREEN and Forbes

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: some conservative operatives have raised $1M+ to launch Washington Reporter, a conservative-leaning outlet aiming to rival Punchbowl and Politico

Discussion: @Jonathanglick@mstdn.social

From Techmeme:

Lee-Anne Mulholland / The Keyword:
Google files its proposed remedies in the DOJ's search antitrust lawsuit, including letting browser companies have multiple default agreements across platforms

Joseph Menn / Washington Post:
A US judge finds NSO Group liable for exploiting a bug in WhatsApp to spy on 1,400 users and that WhatsApp is entitled to sanctions against NSO

Deepa Seetharaman / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: OpenAI's GPT-5, codenamed Orion, is behind schedule and faces technical hurdles, including high computing costs and limited high-quality training data

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page