Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
DirecTV files FCC complaint, accusing Disney of bad faith negotiations and trying to block DirecTV from taking legal action against its anticompetitive demands — The acrimony between DirecTV and Disney in their contract fight is getting more heated, as the blackout of Disney-owned networks …
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
As the DirecTV-Disney carriage dispute continues, DirecTV nudges customers to Fubo or Sling and offers a $30 credit, and Disney offers $30 off Hulu with Live TV — DirecTV is offering discounts and a $30 credit toward Fubo or Sling, while Disney is offering $30 off the first month of Hulu with Live TV …
Discussion:
The Verge, Streaming Better, Slate, Awful Announcing, Cord Cutters News, Matthew Keys on LinkedIn, Variety, Next TV, The Wrap, Media Play News, Deadline, The Desk and Forbes
New York Times:
Insiders detail how Bob Iger undermined and outmaneuvered Bob Chapek and returned to power at Disney, as the question of how Iger misjudged Chapek still lingers — At 5 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2020, Bob Chapek and Bob Iger settled into matching directors' chairs on the Disney studio lot for a series of live media interviews.
Discussion:
Mike Dudas on LinkedIn, @kamaron, @editorialiste, Craig Garthwaite on LinkedIn, The Ankler, @dannygroner and @conorsen
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter James Grimaldi is leaving the WSJ after 12 years to become the top editor of the National Catholic Reporter — The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said he's ready to start a new chapter in his career. His exit comes at a time of turmoil at the Wall Street Journal.
Kadia Goba / Semafor:
Sources: some conservative influencers, who participated anonymously in a mysterious network, were recently paid over $20K to spread sexual smears of VP Harris — The Scoop — The organizers of a mysterious network paid influencers to promote sexual smears of Vice President Kamala Harris …
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Taylor Lorenz / Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter:
The Tenet Media case highlights both the lack of transparency in the creator economy and the threat this poses to media integrity
The Tenet Media case highlights both the lack of transparency in the creator economy and the threat this poses to media integrity
Discussion:
New York Times, Digiday, Axios, @YourNeighbor57@mastodon …, @joeabodnar@threads.net, @karaswisher@threads.net, @jvlast@threads.net, @ronaldfilipkowski@threads.net, @micah_loewinger@threads.net, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, Wired, Tubefilter, Mercury News, Zoe Scaman on LinkedIn, @jvlast@threads.net, @jvlast@threads.net, The Bulwark, Know Your Meme, Byline Times, @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social, @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social, @mastodonmigration …, Reuters and NPR
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Sinclair ousts Ken Solomon, CEO of the Tennis Channel since 2005, citing his time spent advising Dr. Phil McGraw's company as a growing distraction — As the tennis world focuses on the U.S. Open, the network is embroiled in off-court drama.
Discussion:
@benrothenberg, @bpmehlman, Deadline, @jbflint, @christophclarey, Awful Announcing, Front Office Sports, Sports Media Watch, The Desk and TVNewsCheck
Patrick Egwu / Reuters Institute:
Q&A with Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji Jr. on covering the Yevgeny Prigozhin-founded Wagner Group's activities in Africa since 2018 despite risks to his life — “Covering Wagner is dangerous. You should build contacts everywhere and have a strong sense of mind," says award-winning reporter Philip Obaji Jr.
Discussion:
@philipobaji
Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos / The Conversation:
Study: many Google News Initiative-funded projects in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East have struggled to progress or sustain themselves after launch — We've long been warned about the looming demise of traditional journalism in the face of digital disruption.
Discussion:
@conversationedu, @mathias_felipe and Sage Journals
Clay Risen / New York Times:
Nell McCafferty, whose writing on women's rights and gay rights helped turn Ireland into one of the most progressive European countries, died on Aug. 11 at 80 — Her pugnacious writing on women's rights, gay rights and other issues helped turn her country into one of the most progressive in Europe.
Discussion:
@shockproofbeats, @mcneillyeah, @ainecarson1, @hotpress, @miriamocal, @nytimesworld, @helen_charman, @vincentbrowne, @eldavldn, @irishtimes, @profcathharper, @cathmartingreen, @cmcgettrick, The Guardian, The Irish Times, TheJournal.ie, The Irish Times, Slugger O'Toole, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, The Irish Times, @virginmedianewsireland …, @amandafbelfast@threads.net, Eli's Substack, President.ie, Business Post, @lilliputpress@threads.net, @virginmedianewsireland …, TodayFM, RTÉ, @iamreddave@threads.net, Irish Examiner, BBC and Hotpress
Parker Molloy / New Republic:
Media “sanewashing”, or reframing Trump's incoherent and dangerous rhetoric as conventional political discourse, is a form of misinfo that distorts reality — Four years ago, in an article for Media Matters for America, I warned that journalists were sanitizing Donald Trump's incoherent ramblings …
Discussion:
@newrepublic, @blackamazon, @paulkrugman, Status, @mcuban, American Crisis, The Present Age, New Republic, @newsjennifer, @mikeelgan, @froomkin, @froomkin, @jamisonfoser, @mlcalderone, @ok_post_guy, @judisgarcia, @therickwilson, @langdongrant2, @riseandgrindcor, @hemantmehta, @jimwurst1, @cavandy, @briannawu, @ilpomodoro2, @parkermolloy, @atrupar, @frozencanuck@mas.to, @acwardblueridge@threads.net, @michael.chabon@threads.net, @MikeElgan@mastodon.social, It's the democracy, stupid, Boing Boing and @parkermolloy@threads.net
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
A look at the 2nd Circuit's incredibly damaging ruling favoring publishers in a copyright dispute over The Internet Archive's ebook lending program — What would you think if an author told you they would have written a book, but they wouldn't bother because it would be available to be borrowed for free from a library?
Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
Michael Lerner, the founder of Tikkun, a magazine that was a leading voice for US Jews critical of Israel's policies toward Palestinians, died on Aug. 28 at 81 — His publication, Tikkun, was a leading voice for left-wing American Jews. His ideas about “the politics of meaning” were embraced by Hillary Clinton.