Top News:


Some journalists call on Kamala Harris to do interviews, which can be useful for stress-testing politicians' positions, though they are not always illuminating — In the three weeks since President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek reelection, the presidential race, you may have noticed …
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Daily News, The Guardian, Poynter, The Hill, @daveweigel, @atrupar, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @danprimack, New York Times, @jayrosen_nyu, @arianapekary, @newsjennifer, @jon_allsop, @drvolts, @metzgov, Breitbart, @lpolgreen, @benjysarlin, @oknox, @jdvance, New Yorker, @daveweigel, Washington Post, Fox News, TIME, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, Washington Post, Mediaite, Politico, New York Times, Associated Press, Politico, The Hill, Fox News, Fox News, Associated Press and Fox News


NYT plans to launch a Wirecutter podcast on August 21; its deputy publisher says the brand drove $1B in commerce in 2023 and its newsletter has 2.5M subscribers — - “Wirecutter is not only branching out in terms of its business model, it's also branching out in terms of its platforms,” …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The New York Times Company, Talking Biz News and Radio & Television …


A look at right-wing lawmakers' media efforts, including guest-hosting Steve Bannon's show and producing content from their offices, like Matt Gaetz's Firebrand — Steve Bannon is in prison, but his show must go on. Lucky for him, there's a Congress for that.
Discussion:
@grammasaurus@mastodon.social


Analysis: at least 293 local UK newspapers have closed since 2005, including 22 in the past two years; four print titles launched between July 2022 and now — Digital launches outweigh closures since August 2022. — Twenty-two print local newspapers have closed in the UK in the past two years.


A look at the growth of free streaming service Tubi, which does not require an account to use, is entirely dependent on ad revenue, and is not yet profitable — Tubi has exploded in popularity over the past 18 months, outpacing some competitors with much bigger budgets.
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News, @mattyglesias, @davidlaz, r/television and r/entertainment


The Harris campaign is running Google Search ads with news headlines and descriptions that are edited to make articles from major publishers appear pro-Harris — - According to Google's ad transparency center, the Trump campaign isn't running these types of ads, but this technique has been used by campaigns before.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Reason, @sarafischer, @greg_price11, New York Post, @noahcrothman, @bariweiss, @mrarenge, @edzitron, @mikenellis, @sophiacai99, @sarafischer, @eriqgardner, Breitbart and Fox News


iSpot: tech companies have spent ~$196M in 2024 through to August 8 on US TV ads related to AI, which accounts for ~50% of their total 2024 spend on TV ads — There are so. many. commercials for artificial intelligence. — If you watched the Olympics, you probably saw the commercial …


Meta shuts down CrowdTangle, less than three months before the US election, in favor of the Meta Content Library; Mozilla says 50K+ petitioned against the move — Meta has been bombarded by academics, researchers, politicians and regulators about a tool called CrowdTangle, which most people probably haven't heard of.


Sources: the US DOJ considers its options after the Google monopoly ruling, like forcing a breakup of the company or requiring it to share more data with rivals — - Antitrust enforcers soliciting input from outside companies — Judge ruled Alphabet unit monopolized online search, ads


Apple approves Spotify updating its app to show in-app pricing information for iPhone users in the EU starting today, after Spotify's yearslong legal battle — Spotify will begin showing in-app pricing information for iPhone users in the European Union starting today, following a yearslong legal battle against Apple.
Discussion:
Billboard, Reuters, Daring Fireball, TechCrunch, MacRumors and BGR, more at Techmeme »


Jeff German's accused murderer waives further searches of the reporter's electronics, removing the possibility of a fight over access to confidential reporting — Las Vegas LDS Temple decision challenged in court — Ex-NFL player sentenced for death of girlfriend's daughter, 5
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review


SAG-AFTRA strikes a deal with Narrativ for voice replicas in digital ads, letting union members add themselves to the AI startup's database and negotiate fees — Union says agreement sets ‘a new standard’ for ethical use and makes it easy to performers to give consent and get paid
Discussion:
Reuters, NPR, The Drum, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and SAG-AFTRA, more at Techmeme »

WaPo's Matt Murray says leaked Trump campaign documents “didn't seem fresh or new enough” to publish; Politico says the origins of the docs were more newsworthy — The Trump campaign said the documents from a mysterious source came from an Iranian hack. The FBI is now investigating.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Media Nation, CNN, emptywheel, @washpostpr, @willsommer and The Hill
RELATED:

Politico, the NYT, the WaPo, and others refusing to give details about leaked Trump campaign materials stands in marked contrast to Clinton's emails in 2016
Discussion:
The Washington Informer, The Nation, @warondumb, @hatr, @dbauder, @nycsouthpaw, @semaforben, Twin Cities, Mediaite, The Wrap, Columbia Journalism Review and Associated Press