Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Memo: Mark Thompson says CNN is cutting about 100 jobs, plans to launch its first CNN.com subscription product later in 2024, but offers few details, and more — CEO Mark Thompson said it was “a logical possibility” that CNN might pursue a subscription bundle similar to what the New York Times offers.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Los Angeles Times, The Media Mix, Variety, The Verge, New York Times, Jeremy Moore on LinkedIn, The Media Leader, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, The Information, New York Post, @alexweprin, @pressgazette, @brianstelter, @bristei, @rasmus_kleis, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News and @bristei
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Claire Atkinson / The Media Mix:
Sources: CNN lays off the team producing its Opinion section, with an end date of August 9; source: Senior Editor Sheena McKenzie is among those cut — Staff told current operations are winding down. — The CNN team working on the news network's Opinion output was let go today.
Discussion:
@newspolitics
Andrew Marchand / New York Times:
Sources: the NBA finalizes contracts with new partners NBC and Amazon Prime Video, while maintaining ABC/ESPN for the NBA Finals; TNT could still match — The NBA and network executives finalized contracts that will make NBC and Amazon Prime Video new partners, while maintaining ABC/ESPN …
Discussion:
The Streamable, Variety, Awful Announcing, Front Office Sports, Barrett Media and UPROXX
TMZ.com:
George Stephanopoulos replies to a pedestrian on Biden, saying “I don't think he can serve four more years”; ABC says “George expressed his own point of view” — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS BIDEN CAN'T SERVE 4 MORE YEARS … 6:28 PM PT — George Stephanopoulos tells TMZ …
Discussion:
@dylanbyers, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, Slate, Raw Story, New York Times, The Daily Beast, The Hill, NBC News, New Jersey Online, Washington Post, Newser, @todarorichard, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, CBS News, @redsteeze, @abbydphillip, @waylon_wc, @tmz, @themainnetwork, @collinrugg, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Mediaite, HuffPost, New Republic and The Hollywood Reporter
Associated Press:
Russia's government declares The Moscow Times an “undesirable organization”, meaning any Russian who cooperates with the outlet could get five years in prison — The Russian prosecutor general's office on Wednesday declared The Moscow Times, an online newspaper popular among …
Discussion:
Voice of America, Agence France-Presse, The Moscow Times, Reuters, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, The Daily Beast, @bbcstever, @paige_reynolds_, @kevinrothrock, @samberkhead, @bbcstever, @macktubs, @niktwick, @hejsascha, @moscowtimes, @evahartog, @tomashirstecon, @tomashirstecon and @andrew__roth
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
TUAW is back online after shutting down in 2015; the new owners seem to be using TUAW as an AI content farm, copying others' posts and using ex-writers' names — This month, “Christina Warren” started blogging again for The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), a legendary and long-dead Apple …
Discussion:
Engadget, @josephcox@infosec.exchange, @baldur@toot.cafe, @flargh@mastodon.social, @film_girl, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @kevinlovestech@mstdn.ca, @shawnhooper@fosstodon.org, @ichris@mastodon.social, @rawsoncj@threads.net, @rawsoncj@threads.net, @waxy@xoxo.zone, @film_girl@threads.net, @jasonkoebler@threads.net, AppleInsider, Six Colors and @dangillmor@mastodon.social
Clare Malone / New Yorker:
Q&A with NYT's Joe Kahn on newsroom flare-ups, defining and building NYT culture among newer employees, his family foundation donations, Gaza coverage, and more — Joe Kahn, the newspaper's executive editor, wants to incentivize his staff to take on difficult stories, even when they might engender scrutiny, or backlash.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @brianstelter, @williams_paige, @chaykak, @viktorshtrum.bsky.social, @kirk_bado and @claremalone
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
The US DOJ seized two domain names and 968 X accounts that were part of a Russian propaganda effort using fake social profiles, planned by a senior editor at RT — A Russian internet propaganda campaign backed by the Kremlin that spread disinformation in the United States and relied …
Discussion:
Reuters, Ars Technica, Semafor, Engadget, @gregotto, @thezedwards, @bing_chris, @wiczipedia@threads.net, Washington Post, US Department of Justice, The Daily Beast, The Register, SiliconANGLE, @passantino@threads.net, CNN, Decrypt, NPR, CyberScoop, PCMag, The Verge, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @kevincolliernbc@threads.net, The Record, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, MeidasTouch News, @skykiss@sfba.social and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Bill Donahue / Billboard:
The US Copyright Office finalizes a new rule aimed at ensuring that songwriters who reclaim rights to their music will actually get paid streaming royalties — The new rule clears up uncertainty about who gets paid streaming royalties when songwriters take back their music rights - a trickier question than it sounds.
Bloomberg:
WBD CEO David Zaslav calls the Paramount/Skydance deal “good for the industry” and hopes the next president embraces deregulation “so companies can consolidate” — “Getting [Paramount] in solid hands and having them funded — it's a great company and a great heritage …
Discussion:
Variety, Business Insider, New York Post, Raw Story and The Hollywood Reporter
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Ex-WSJ reporter Stephanie Armour sues the paper, alleging it sought to shed staffers who incur big health care costs by invoking “trumped up performance issues” — A disability discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday by a veteran reporter who left the Wall Street Journal …
Discussion:
Poynter, @tatecurtis, @bizwriterkristi, @iape1096, @thetrough, @allisonprang, @davidfolkenflik, The Desk, Robert Housman on LinkedIn and Talking Biz News
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Radio show and podcast This American Life plans to move its ad sales from the NYT to National Public Media on August 1, as the NYT looks to paywall its podcasts — The program will remain available through the New York Times' audio app — The long-running radio show and podcast …
Discussion:
@ashleyrcarman and Inside Radio