Top News:
Ally Jarmanning / New Hampshire Public Radio:
The US charges addiction treatment network founder Eric Spofford with orchestrating vandalism at NHPR reporters' homes after a report into alleged sexual abuse — The founder of New Hampshire's largest network of addiction treatment centers is accused of orchestrating a conspiracy to vandalize …
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: in May 2024, Business Insider sent some staff a recommended reading list that included seemingly AI-generated books that did not appear to exist — The Scoop — Business Insider announced this week that it wants staff to better incorporate AI into its journalism.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
PBS and a public TV affiliate in Minnesota sue the Trump administration, saying his executive order to cut federal funding violated PBS' First Amendment rights — The nonprofit Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and one of its local affiliates on Friday said they sued the Trump administration …
Discussion:
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Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Taylor Swift is the most business-savvy artist alive, reacquiring her music by driving negotiations between major music groups, streamers, and social networks — Pop star regains control of albums from her early years after a long fight — Good afternoon from Los Angeles, wherever you may be.
Discussion:
FemaleFirst, Lefsetz Letter, Star Magazine, AV Club, TODAY.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Voice, Rolling Stone, The Hill, The Indian Express, Variety, E! Online, Axios, The Wrap, Just Jared, The Sun and UNILAD
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Chris Willman / Variety:
Taylor Swift acquires the rights to her first six albums from Shamrock Capital; sources say the deal was in the mid-$300M range
Taylor Swift acquires the rights to her first six albums from Shamrock Capital; sources say the deal was in the mid-$300M range
Discussion:
Le Monde, Cosmopolitan, The Official Website …, Cele|bitchy, Suggest, UPI, The Post Millennial, Elle, Billboard, TMZ.com, UNILAD, Us Weekly, Rolling Stone, @jenrara, New York Times, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @danprimack, @taylorswift13, Daily Mail, Benzinga, HELLO!, Deseret News, Page Six, Time, Fast Company, E! Online, PitchBook, CNBC, Screen Rant, GoldDerby, Socialite Life, Digital Music News, Vanity Fair, Full Feed, Just Jared, Quartz, Richard Stumpf on LinkedIn, ZeroHedge News, MLive.com, Marie Claire, Mediaite, Entrepreneur, The Hollywood Gossip, The Cut, Reuters, Bustle, @yvettenicolebrown@threads.com, @nathanchubbard@threads.com, Global News, The Verge, Plain Dealer, Washington Post, NBC Bay Area, Harper's BAZAAR, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, WALV-TV, Deadline, People, @stevekovach.bsky.social, Consequence, @mollyknight.bsky.social, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, @mattbelloni.bsky.social, Music Business Worldwide, @brianstelter.bsky.social, Extra, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Oh No They Didn't!, InStyle, WPXI-TV, Stereogum and Forbes
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: UMG, Warner Music, and Sony Music are in talks to license their work to AI music startups Udio and Suno and settle copyright infringement lawsuits — Music companies would settle lawsuits with startups they accused of copyright infringement — Major music companies are in talks …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Music Business Worldwide, Fortune, Music Ally, @lucas_shaw, Cryptopolitan and WinBuzzer, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Meta aims to help brands fully create and target ads using AI by the end of 2026, including images and budgetary goals, building on its current tools — AI-powered advertising is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision for the company's future — Meta Platforms is betting that automation is the future of ads.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, WinBuzzer, @hypervisible.bsky.social, Morningstar, Inc., Business Today, Sherwood News, Trak.in, KnowTechie and The Motley Fool
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Marc Maron plans to end WTF With Marc Maron podcast in the fall; the groundbreaking podcast helped define the medium with 1,600+ episodes after its 2009 launch — Marc Maron has announced that he and producer Brendan McDonald have decided to end “WTF With Marc Maron,” the groundbreaking podcast …
David Remnick / New Yorker:
Q&A with Lesley Stahl on the pressures at CBS News and 60 Minutes, Trump's lawsuit and likely settlement, Shari Redstone, Bill Owens stepping down, and more — The veteran journalist Lesley Stahl on the pressures at CBS News, the history of Presidential attacks on the news media, and how journalists today should respond.
Discussion:
New York Post, Fox News, TVNewsCheck, Fortune, TV Insider, Mediaite, @marcowenjones.bsky.social, @socialmedialab.ca, New York Sun, @brianstelter, @alexanderrusso, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @newyorker, TVNewsCheck, @pamspaulding.bsky.social, @csmcdaniel.bsky.social, @michaelluo.bsky.social, @shacharbaron.bsky.social, AV Club, Deadline and The Washington Free Beacon
Matthew Keys / Multicast News:
Sources: Byron Allen takes substantial steps toward selling all of his local TV stations, including those affiliated with ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC in 24+ markets — Allen has received offers for some or all of his local TV station portfolio; a divestiture allows Allen Media Group to pay down existing debt, rather than refinance it.
Discussion:
The Desk, NewsBlues.com and LateNighter
Brian Stelter / CNN:
OAN chief Pentagon correspondent Gabrielle Cuccia says she was fired after criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's media restrictions at the Pentagon — Gabrielle Cuccia criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's crackdown on press access at the Pentagon. And then, she said, she was fired.
BBC:
Syrian intelligence files show that missing American journalist Austin Tice was imprisoned by the regime of the now-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images — Top secret intelligence files uncovered by the BBC confirm …
Discussion:
@wrodgers2 and @newsguy.bsky.social
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
A profile of Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who won two regional Emmy Awards for her work in Cambodia and is now tasked with dismantling the USAGM — The former anchor won TV news Emmys years ago for work she did in Cambodia, one of the countries affected by sweeping layoffs at Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, @newsguy.bsky.social and @scottnover.bsky.social
