Top News:
Will Sommer / Washington Post:
Most of the six members of Tenet's “talent” team claim they did not know the money they were paid allegedly came from Russia; Lauren Southern has not commented — Even some of the right-wing stars hired by the group last year wondered why it existed. Now, a new federal indictment claims it was a propaganda front.
Discussion:
@pkafka@threads.net, NBC News, Public Notice, @davidfrum, @anneapplebaum, @davidfrum, @anneapplebaum, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @urbanachievr, Crikey, @renee.diresta@threads.net, Adweek, @crumbler@threads.net, @drewharwell@threads.net, Fox News, Chicago Sun Times, Fortune, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @angiebaby@mas.to, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, Boing Boing, The Guardian and emptywheel
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Reuters:
YouTube terminates Tenet Media's channel and four channels operated by Tenet owner Lauren Chen — Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube said on Thursday it was terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by Tenet owner Lauren Chen, following an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Discussion:
New York Times, NewsBytes, @chickenpuppet.bsky.social, Forbes and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
Anna Merlan / Mother Jones:
A Tenet Media contributor tweeted that Tenet “has ended”; its X, Instagram, TikTok, and Rumble pages are online but haven't been updated since the indictment — Nothing to see here! — A contributor for Tenet Media announced on Twitter Thursday night that the company has abruptly shuttered …
Discussion:
Reuters, NBC News, @annamerlan, @annamerlan, @taylerusa and @researchbuzz@researchbuzz …
Ben Smith / Semafor:
Blaze Media's CEO says it has ended its contract with BlazeTV contributor Lauren Chen of Tenet Media, which is alleged to have been funded by Russia
Blaze Media's CEO says it has ended its contract with BlazeTV contributor Lauren Chen of Tenet Media, which is alleged to have been funded by Russia
CNN:
Source: Tenet Media is the Tennessee-based company the US DOJ alleges was being funded by Russia; Benny Johnson and Tim Pool say they were victims of the scheme
Source: Tenet Media is the Tennessee-based company the US DOJ alleges was being funded by Russia; Benny Johnson and Tim Pool say they were victims of the scheme
Discussion:
Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter, Mediaite, Byline Times, @bennyjohnson, @jayinkyiv, @ok_post_guy, The Hollywood Reporter, @ariehkovler, @youranonnews, @luke_metro, @joohnchoe, @gravitysra1nbow, @very__regular, @kenklippenstein, @luke_metro, @mattgertz, The Daily Dot, @aridrennen@threads.net, New Republic, New York Daily News, @timcast, Newser, @igorsushko, @markhertling, @markhertling, @davidsacks, @joshtpm, @lawindsor, @jaredlholt, Forbes, Gizmodo, @rob_lowy912, Variety, @cturnbull1968, @meidastouch, @joshtpm, @joshtpm, @heerjeet, Rolling Stone, @michaeldweiss, @nashvilleresist, @mattgertz, @mattgertz, @mattgertz, @ariehkovler, @ariehkovler, @ariehkovler, @lukeoneil47, @ariehkovler, @farhip, @taliaotg, @willsommer, @willsommer, @donie, @taylorlorenz, @joeperticone, @justinbaragona, @oneunderscore__, @andycat3, @capitolhunters, @capitolhunters, @bradmossesq, @alecluhn, @ariehkovler, @jaredlholt, @lopezmotorscars, @emptywheel, @itsmelissabrown, @itsmelissabrown, @itsmelissabrown, @aaronblake, @emptywheel, @emptywheel, @thejusticedept, @amydentata@tech.lgbt, @Doreen32128@universeodon.com, @deedotknudsen.bsky.social, @vastarien.bsky.social, @wxdylan.bsky.social, CBS News, @totallynomadic.bsky.social, @texaspaulschroder@threads.net, The Daily Beast, Wired, @greg.doucette@threads.net, @greg.doucette@threads.net, HuffPost, @oldskoolguitar.bsky.social, Tampa Free Press, @rjdeal.bsky.social, @furnace.bsky.social, @mollyknight.bsky.social, @crj418.bsky.social, Associated Press, @wiczipedia@threads.net, @wiczipedia@threads.net, @wiczipedia@threads.net, @wiczipedia@threads.net, @coachfinstock.bsky.social, @bangatank.bsky.social, @mathandstuff.bsky.social, @r.v.cx, @georebekahjones@threads.net, @striderhlc.bsky.social, Mother Jones, @tommyg.bsky.social, Associated Press, @markbarrington.bsky.social, @franklinjay.bsky.social, @theferocity.bsky.social, Mediaite, @protecttruth@mastodon.online, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, New Republic, @metacurity@infosec.exchange, The Independent, The Daily Dot, The Tennessean and @mollyknight.bsky.social
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
FCC filing: Larry Ellison will own 77.5% of Paramount Global parent company National Amusements after his son David completes Skydance's Paramount acquisition — Paramount Global, the parent of CBS, will be controlled by software billionaire Larry Ellison after a group led by his son David completes …
RELATED:
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
Sources: Shari Redstone will get $180M in severance and other benefits on top of $350M from the sale of her 20% stake in National Amusements — Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global, will get $180 million in severance and other benefits on top of hundreds of millions from the sale …
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Quartz, Financial Times and Reuters
A.G. Sulzberger / Washington Post:
US politicians could curtail the free press using tactics common among some foreign leaders, but the press must resist being baited into taking a political side — Some foreign leaders have ruthlessly curtailed journalism. U.S. politicians could draw from their playbook.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, Dan Gillmor, Adweek, Poynter, @brucewilson, @robertbalkovich, @maloney4nassau, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @nytimespr, @robertbalkovich, @albertemartinez, @nxthompson, @jeffjarvis, @brianstelter, @mbrauchli@threads.net, @bgrueskin, Axios, @scarylawyerguy, New York Times, @robertbalkovich, @froomkin, The Hill, Cristina Tardáguila on LinkedIn, Newsbusters, Warwick Sabin on LinkedIn, Anne Applebaum on LinkedIn, Nicholas Thompson on LinkedIn, @davmicrot@threads.net, @tomgara@threads.net, @kevinmkruse@threads.net, Campaign Trails, CNN, Mediaite, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @KathyLK@universeodon.com, @SohanDsouza@mstdn.social, @mastodonmigration …, Fox News, @edmundlee@threads.net, Media Nation, @brianstelter@threads.net, @dankennedy_nu@journa.host, @jackcarterbenjamin …, @WarnerCrocker@mastodon.social and r/Journalism
Jake Lahut / Columbia Journalism Review:
The decline of local news has made it harder for political campaigns to connect to locals and forced them to run on national issues to get cable news attention — At a post-Memorial Day event earlier this year, Elissa Slotkin, one of the nation's top Democratic candidates for US Senate …
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
The INN approved 48% of newsrooms that applied for its membership in 2023, as others failed to meet its standards which include prohibitions on “dark money” — Here's a nugget from the Institute for Nonprofit News that might come up as we creep ever closer to the 2024 elections.
Ben Werdmuller / Werd I/O:
Meta not disclosing which select creators it pays to post on Threads undermines trust in everyone's motivations, as users assume others are “engagement farming” — Yesterday the Internet Archive lost its appeal in the digital lending case it's been fighting for the last few years.
Discussion:
@willoremus@threads.net, @jampacksam@threads.net, @scojjac@threads.net, @ben.werdmuller@threads.net, @guillecummings@threads.net, @jenvalentino_nyt@threads.net, @joanwestenberg@threads.net, @katienotopoulos@threads.net, @baldur@toot.cafe, @alterelefant@mastodontech.de, @CWSmith@social …, @shansterable@c.im, @BigAngBlack@fosstodon.org and @matt@oslo.town, more at Techmeme »
Kaya Yurieff / The Information:
Filing: OnlyFans revenue rose 20% YoY to ~$1.31B for the FY ending November 2023; creator accounts grew 29% YoY to ~4.1M and gross payments reached $6.6B — OnlyFans revenue rose 20% to about $1.31 billion for the fiscal year ending November 2023, compared to the previous year.
Discussion:
Fortune, Forbes, @jimwaterson and @ballmatthew, more at Techmeme »
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
The UK CMA objects to Google's ad tech practices, and says Google's “self-preferences” on its own ad exchange harms competition, advertisers, and publishers — LONDON — Britain's competition watchdog on Friday issued a statement of objections over Google's ad tech practices …
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
In a financial report, All3Media declares a £90.3M cash injection from RedBird IMI, which bought the British production company for £1.15B in February 2024 — All3Media disclosed the liquidity boost in its first set of earnings since being acquired for £1.15B by RedBird IMI …