Top News:
Thomas Germain / BBC:
A look at YouTube's hidden world: most of the videos on the platform capture everyday life and have rarely been seen, with the median video having just 41 views — There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm - and it's nothing like what you know.
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
A look at YouTube's origins, growth, and domination as the platform turns 20, including an interview with CEO Neal Mohan, who is nearing 10 years at the company
A look at YouTube's origins, growth, and domination as the platform turns 20, including an interview with CEO Neal Mohan, who is nearing 10 years at the company
Discussion:
@brianros1, @egkeller, @variety, @eff, @simonowens, @nealmohan, @nealmohan, @xpangler, @ytadvertisers, @seanseaevans, @xpangler, Todd Spangler on LinkedIn, Abhinav Rastogi on LinkedIn, Eric Barradas on LinkedIn, @eff@mastodon.social, Bao Nguyen on LinkedIn, Rahul Jindal on LinkedIn, Adweek, @rachelcoyleohio.bsky.social and The Information
New York Times:
How MeidasTouch is reshaping the progressive media landscape since Trump took office, as Democrats seek to replicate the media ecosystem that the GOP has built — The company is a leader among numerous digital-first outlets that have been reshaping the progressive media landscape since President Trump took office.
Discussion:
@jacksonboaz.bsky.social, @civex, @theanthonydavis.bsky.social and @seangraf
Margi Murphy / Bloomberg:
Wikipedia editors and administrators detail the turmoil over maintaining neutrality on pages about the Israel-Hamas war and other conflicts in the Middle East — Shadow edit campaigns and political disputes have created headaches for overwhelmed editors and administrators.
BBC:
A UK court finds three Bulgarians guilty of spying for Russia; they targeted journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov, who have worked with Bellingcat — Three Bulgarian nationals have been found guilty of spying for Russia, in what police have described as “one of the largest” foreign intelligence operations in the UK.
Discussion:
Guernsey Press, The Guardian, Press Association, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, WTOP News, Mirror, CBS News, Reuters and GB News
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Anupreeta Das / New York Times:
A look at India's book festival boom, driven by young people who are increasingly reading literature in their native languages alongside books in English — From beaches to hilltops, young people are driving a boom in literary events as they read more in India's dozens of native languages.
Janko Roettgers / Fast Company:
How focusing on West Africa helped music streamer Audiomack grow alongside industry giants like Spotify; 50% of its 40M monthly listeners are from Africa — By focusing on rising stars from West Africa, Audiomack has been able to grow alongside much larger streaming music services. — Kendrick Lamar.
Saurav Rahman / Fulton Sun:
A look at Mississippi-based Carpenter Media Group, which now owns and manages 270+ media properties in the US and Canada after its recent buying spree — Jenelle Baumbach is at a crossroads in her career. — For the past few months, she's been thinking about whether she should stay in journalism or switch to something else.
Cody Boteler / The Baltimore Banner:
At least 20 journalists left The Baltimore Sun since David Smith and Armstrong Williams bought the paper a year ago; several cited concern over political slant — Sun owner David Smith has pushed a conservative agenda that has upended the city's biggest newspaper
Discussion:
@codyboteler.bsky.social and @johnemcintyre.bsky.social
Max Tani / Semafor:
The NYT shakes up its opinion desk, by rethinking the frequency and design of its editorials, the makeup of its editorial board, and its policy on endorsements — The News — The New York Times is making major changes to its opinion section, rethinking the frequency and design of its editorials …
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Many media moguls were excited for Trump, but so far the new admin has caused issues for David Ellison's Paramount deal, Comcast's spin-out plans, and new IPOs — The new administration has already caused problems for two major deals and isn't making it easy for potential IPOs.
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
A US federal judge allows the Kadrey v. Meta case, in which authors allege Meta violated IP rights by using their books to train Llama models, to move forward — A federal judge is allowing an AI-related copyright lawsuit against Meta to move forward, although he dismissed part of the suit.
Discussion:
CourtListener, @jason_kint, @jason_kint, @jason_kint, @mjbommar, @kcesq, Bloomberg Law, MLex and CourtListener, more at Techmeme »
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
After Disney, WBD, Apple, Amazon and others resumed ads on X, five US senators have asked the DOJ to probe whether Musk is pressuring businesses to return to X — Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple, Amazon, Comcast and Lionsgate, among others, have resumed advertising, some starting last year.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
MrBeast's investor pitch deck shows consumer packaged goods driving forecasted growth through 2026; its Feastables revenue matched core video business in 2024 — Leaked plans reveal the ambitions — and risk appetite — of the biggest YouTuber on earth.
Discussion:
Benzinga, @discussingfilm, @alexeheath and @reckless.bsky.social
