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Mary Meeker releases her Internet Trends 2019 report, showing US ad spending up 22% in 2018, with issues ahead for targeted ads due to GDPR and privacy concerns — Here are all the slides, plus analysis. — It's the holiday season for data nerds: That is, Mary Meeker is delivering …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Mother Jones, @bogdana, @jimpethokoukis, @jbenton, The Wrap, Quartz, @niemanlab and @emilybell, more at Techmeme »


The newspaper industry doesn't need a special antitrust exemption to help it compete with Google, Facebook; the papers are largely to blame for their downfall — The newspaper industry has crawled up Capitol Hill once again to beg for an antitrust exemption it thinks it needs in its fight …
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[Thread] News Media Alliance study relies on an offhand comment Marissa Mayer made in 2008 to extrapolate how much money Google has made from news publishers
Discussion:
@newsceo, @emilybell, Columbia Journalism Review, @jason_kint, @nancy_groves, @journalismfest, @mathewi, @dkiesow, @jordan_rubio, @tomgara, @bgrueskin and @rmac18


Sources: Zuckerberg contacted Pelosi to discuss viral misinformation, but she has not engaged, frustrated by how Facebook handled a manipulated video of her — Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg contacted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in recent weeks to discuss …


Profile of Tucker Roberts, son of Comcast's CEO, who oversees the cable giant's expansion into esports, including the Overwatch League's Philadelphia Fusion — When the Philadelphia Fusion plays, the team president, Tucker Roberts, likes to stay in the dugout, alongside the coaches and bench players.
Discussion:
@comcstspectacor, @gerryfsmith, @jonsteinberg, @felixgillette, @chafkin, @austincarr and @silviakillings, more at Techmeme »


Q&A with Mandy Jenkins, GM of the Compass Experiment, McClatchy's project to build three sustainable local news sites, funded by Google News Initiative — “A lot of this is taking advantage of what Google has to offer as a partner. They're tracking all of these interesting trends all the time …
Discussion:
The Compass Experiment, Poynter, MediaPost, @niemanlab, @ckrewson, @jimbrady, @kensands, @marklittlenews, @mjenkins, @shanbow and @maghielse


Journalist David Neiwert says Twitter suspended his account because he used a profile image that included art from his book cover showing Ku Klux Klan hoods — David Neiwert's profile features a book cover including KKK hoods. That was apparently enough to get his account blocked. He's not backing down.
Discussion:
@nickmartin, @hannahgais, @justinjm1, @nickmartin, @joshtpm and @scalzi


In the US, NPR is the only major media outlet with a full-time public editor; CJR announces appointment of four public editors for NYT, WaPo, MSNBC, and CNN — Last week at Columbia, CJR hosted more than three dozen public editors from around the world, gathered together for their annual meeting.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, Columbia Journalism Review, @meredithshiner, @gabrielsnyder, @kylepope, @kylepope, @kylepope, @mantzarlis, @mariabustillos, @emilyctamkin, @nikkiusher, @merrillbro, @emilyctamkin, @dceiver, @jcstearns, @robinhenig, @digiphile, @vinodjose, @moorehn and @kylepope


Academics introduce Grover, an AI system that writes convincing fake news based on user inputs and can help researchers detect other AI-made disinformation — “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.” — One of the biggest problems in media today is so-called “fake news,” …
Discussion:
arXiv.org, @allen_ai, GeekWire and @ingridlunden

US Congressman introduces bill seeking to make it easier for written news organizations to claim nonprofit status — A bill filed by U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., would make it easier for “written news organizations” to claim nonprofit status, “allowing them to focus on content instead …
Discussion:
@dfmworkers and Congressman Mark DeSaulnier


Russia's Internal Ministry releases Meduza journalist Ivan Golunov, citing a lack of evidence of a crime and vowing a probe into the officers who detained him — Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov is now free, after Russia's Internal Affairs Ministry said it would drop drug charges against him.
Discussion:
BBC, Press Gazette, @tessaszy, @ctvnews, @maryilyushina, @maryilyushina, @miriamelder, Newser, CNN, @nat_telepneva, @meduza_en, @bbcstever, @kevinrothrock, @dailysabah, @meduza_en, @maryilyushina, @meduza_en, @natashafatah, @mbk_center, The Moscow Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Independent and Politico


Inside the financial and management troubles at LGBTQ magazine Out, which has repeatedly failed to pay freelancers and nearly went bust during Pride Month — With the World Pride celebration in New York looming later this month, a slow-moving disaster at Out magazine, a glossy title …


Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group has acquired startup news app Zig, which offers an Instagram-style scrolling feed of photos that link to news sites — Former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer were among the app's investors.

Quake Media plans to launch a subscription-only podcast network this winter with talk radio-style programming built around people who are “household names” — At some point this winter, we will see the launch of something called Quake Media, which describes itself as a …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab