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Angry over critical coverage, tech figures discuss hitting back against journalists, on Twitter and invite-only Clubhouse, leading to harassment of NYT's Lorenz — In leaked audio from an invite-only app, venture capitalists pondered everything they think is wrong with journalism.
Discussion:
@can, The Verge, @hunterwalk, @paulg, @rossneumann, @sarahnemerson, @hshaban, @backlon, @mdudas, CNET, @stevenlevy, @dannypage, @jessica_roy, @danprimack, @vaurorapub, @digitalshields, @sivavaid, @alexhcranz, @davidbix, @aprilaser, @taylorlorenz, @psa_sitch, @alex, @pavsmo, @max_fisher, @nicoleperlroth, @rossneumann, @suhail, @jbouie, @rossneumann, @joshsternberg, @bafeldman, @brandyzadrozny, @karaswisher, @dangillmor, @a_w_gordon, @hshaban, @brandyzadrozny, @stevenlevy, @hshaban, @nishachittal, @charlesarthur, @grahamstarr, @mgsiegler, @rogerwcheng, @jenn_ruth, @fmanjoo, @nicoleperlroth, @nicoleperlroth, @a_w_gordon, @kosamari, @jason_koebler, @balajis, @televisionwhore, @taylorlorenz, @jenn_ruth, @yashar, @taylorlorenz, @mgsiegler, @heerjeet, @taylorlorenz, @jeffbercovici, @audreywatters, @gossithedog, @benfischersbj, @chwoodiwiss, @caseynewton, @taylorlorenz, @tomgara, @mat, @revrrlewis, @tlangford, @calisurf, @meena_thiru, @emilybell, @steven_strauss, @bafeldman, @sheeraf, @ericgeller, @evanchill, @chillmage, @emilybell, @maxwelltani, @albertburneko, @cherylrofer, @fmanjoo, @libshipwreck, @davidbix, @merylkornfield, @rationalwiki, @sashaperigo, @taylorlorenz, @ketchcast, @helenbrosnan, @maxwelltani and @nickconfessore, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@can: Someone on Clubhouse just said “why does press have a right to investigate private companies, let the market decide, I don't understand who gives them that right”
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge: Away says co-CEO Steph Korey will step down this year after her attacks on the media
@hunterwalk: She doesn't talk about it, but i will. @TaylorLorenz covered Charlottesville Unite the Right, livestreamed the horrific car assault & got punched while doing so. Have “state of media” discussions if you want, but don't call her a ‘styles’ reporter or soft. She's harder than you.
Paul Graham / @paulg: @StevenLevy It's true there are some very good journalists, yourself among them. But it seems to me they are disproportionately the older generation.
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: this is the dumbest concept of how media works https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Emerson / @sarahnemerson: If I controlled million of dollars I simply wouldn't use the Cartman voice https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: “The conversation essentially resembled a Gamergate chat, with people obsessing over minute drama and, at times, suggesting that Lorenz had crossed a line on Twitter and must be punished.” https://www.vice.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: <Gulps> “'You can't fucking hit somebody, attack them and just say, 'Hey, I have ovaries and therefore, you can't fight back,'” Felicia Horowitz, founder of the Horowitz Family Foundation and wife of Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz, said." https://www.vice.com/...
Steven Levy / @stevenlevy: @paulg Some of that is happening. But journalists are the ones whose job it is to actually do interviews, go through documents, etc., to dig for the truth. It would be tragic if their hard-won facts are dragged down to the level of people talking out of their ass.
Danny Page / @dannypage: Worth reading the update at the bottom, where AGAIN Korey apologized internally, but VCs are going full g*merg*te anyway. https://www.vice.com/...
@jessica_roy: “I believe in standing up for those people who don't have a voice, who cannot stand up for themselves.” Imagine earnestly saying this when you're defending a SUCCESSFUL TECH STARTUP CEO from a tech journalist!!!!!!! https://www.vice.com/...
Valerie Aurora / @vaurorapub: Ah yes, if there is one thing we have learned in 2020, it's that journalists have too much power https://www.vice.com/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Do you dopes not understand that the Times has a digital subscription model? @Suhail @balajis Look I get it, I know you're not big readers, but I thought VCs were good at understanding business models? No one there gets ‘extra money for clicks’ or whatever you think happens
Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: THIS explains so much. https://twitter.com/...
@alexhcranz: If it wasn't clear already, assuming wealth=wisdom is a bad idea! https://twitter.com/...
David Bixenspan / @davidbix: @balajis @jason_koebler Wait, why is it bad that Jason reached out to you for comment?
April Glaser / @aprilaser: the only on the record voice in this is Taylor's editor, who is doing what all great editors do: showing strong support for great reporters https://www.vice.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: “Lost in the shuffle are the employees who say this apparently powerless CEO still presides over a broken company. Thursday afternoon, a coalition of Away employees emailed Away's leadership to say that 'Steph's Comments Are Hurting Us.'” https://www.vice.com/...
Pavithra S. Mohan / @pavsmo: Yup this is as embarrassing as I expected it to be https://www.vice.com/...
Max Fisher / @max_fisher: In reporting my book on how social platforms became accelerators of misinformation, polarization, and hate, people kept telling me: You have to look at the Silicon Valley venture capitalist culture that shaped those platforms. Today was a good illustration of what they meant.
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: Make sure you stay for the part where the VC suggests a better model for journalism would be...venture capital. https://twitter.com/...
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: as someone who was once the jerk in charge of driving traffic - the cost per click of a deeply reported story that outs the stupidity of a random startup sucks
@suhail: Keep in mind: @TaylorLorenz is now stalking tech founders Instagram Stories waiting to pounce on the next hit piece she can write to twist the narrative. You attacked first, you didn't care, or ask any questions. Weak & way below the line. Give me a break.
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: these people are the biggest, blubbering babies i've ever seen https://www.vice.com/...
Ross Neumann / @rossneumann: like if this was actually a scalable way to drive traffic then why isn't there an upworthy for investigative reporting?? this is such a stupid line of thinking
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: Lots going on here, but notice the only person to go on the record was @choire, doing what an editor does for their reporters: providing necessary support. https://www.vice.com/...
Brian Feldman / @bafeldman: like, if you're gonna villainize the press, the idea that reporters are too good at pointing out all the ways you suck is unconvincing to anyone outside the sv bubble
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: Or—as numerous current lawsuits and first-hand accounts suggest—there might just be rampant abuse of vulnerable people and minorities in the tech industry. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: You think I kid about the victim mentality of the richest and most powerful people in the world who control so much of our society. This is a feature, not a bug: VICE - Silicon Valley Elite Discuss Journalists Having Too Much Power in Private App https://www.vice.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Some of Silicon Valley's “elite” need remedial education in ... just about everything other than code, silicon, and winner-take-all business practices. https://www.vice.com/...
Aaron W. Gordon / @a_w_gordon: Notice how Jones's analysis here is all about framing reporting around a market-driven process because that's all he knows. At no point does he seem to consider people can simply choose to not do shitty things that attract media attention. https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Motherboard on leaked Clubhouse audio: “The exclusive, wealthy users of Clubhouse on the call seemed to conceive of themselves as humble citizens preyed upon by corrupted elites cravenly lusting after money and power” https://www.vice.com/...
Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny: .@TaylorLorenz fought for a beat that NO ONE understood. She hustled, wrote the hell out of it, and made people care, all while raising up others and contributing to not-her-beat stuff. She's weathered goblins harassing, doxxing, & trying to push her out for years. It won't work.
Steven Levy / @stevenlevy: @paulg Disagree. I am inspired every day by the younger people I work with at @wired and read in other publications.
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: Motherboard gets leaked audio: “The call shows how Silicon Valley millionaires, who have been coddled by the press and lauded as disruptors, fundamentally misunderstand the role of journalism the moment it turns a critical eye to their industry” https://www.vice.com/...
Nisha Chittal / @nishachittal: In 2016 I traveled for election coverage and so did @TaylorLorenz and we ran into each other at every debate. Back then she was working 3 jobs for The Hill, Mic (?), and Mental Floss, trying to make a career shift from audience to reporting. No one works harder than her. https://twitter.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Great headline, great reporting from @jason_koebler, @josephfcox and @annamerlan. The headline captures it neatly. Maybe they could have got the net worth of the woe-is-me VCs in there somewhere, for spice. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Graham Starr / @grahamstarr: “Articles like the Verge's investigation into Away do not appear out of thin air. People who work at tech companies—often burdened with non-disclosure agreements—take risks to discuss labor conditions at their company.” https://www.vice.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: I will say, it feels like people now have way too much time on their hands in our COVID reality? And Twitter is there to take it and turn it into a sort of disaster porn of self-owns. We have a pandemic going on. And an election coming up. Eyes on the ball, people.
@jenn_ruth: Srinivasan “claimed that relying on the press is ‘outsourcing your information supply chain to folks who are disaligned with you.’” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo: the campaign of harassment by rich guys against @TaylorLorenz is as unsurprising as it is disgusting — she's one of the best and most original reporters covering tech there is, and the clubhouse (literally that's where they hang out) can't abide https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: @TaylorLorenz Truly disgusting Felicia would throw fuel on this.
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: Twitter user here. I've covered 3 male-dominated communities for more than a decade: infosec, natsec and Silicon Valley. But I've never seen more entitlement, disdain for accountability and mansplaining than in venture capital. See: the past 24 hours of VC Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron W. Gordon / @a_w_gordon: This is the thing right here. At this point, in 2020, if you cannot see that “building things” can have negative consequences on people's lives depending on the type of company you run and what your goals are, then you aren't fit to be building things. https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mariko Kosaka / @kosamari: As someone who thought typical VC backed startup was a place I want to work in my 20s, and have a partner who did founder stint... honestly, it's embarrassing that I once looked up to these “community” if I can even call that. I should've been better. https://www.vice.com/...
Jason Koebler / @jason_koebler: Gamergate is happening again in Silicon Valley https://www.vice.com/...
Balaji S. Srinivasan / @balajis: The only objection journalists like @jason_koebler have to “surveillance capitalism” is that they want to be the monopoly providers! This is the same guy who outed Naomi Wu (@RealSexyCyborg), by the way. https://twitter.com/...
@televisionwhore: They are up to it again. Sorry to Lorenz who is only trying to do her job. If you don't like bad coverage of your company, fucking treat your employees better, so they have no reason to tell what goes on at the company. https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This wasn't just “someone” it was apparently the CEO of a not very tiny company https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jenn_ruth: The day a journalist is “aligned” with the interests of the rich and powerful instead of the interest of holding them to account is the day they stop being a journalist. So yeah, our interests are disaligned with you, buddy. That's the whole point.
Yashar Ali / @yashar: Lmaooo god some tech people really do live in the world where they think they're gods. https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This is terrifying. And because reporters generally aren't allowed on Clubhouse, there's no accountability. cc @pdavison https://twitter.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: Not weighing in on tech press v. tech insiders because I already did, 50 years ago — er, 5 months ago, which feels like 50 years ago. The song remains the same. https://500ish.com/...
Jeet Heer / @heerjeet: @Max_Fisher Worth diving into Thiel's time in Stanford, there's stuff there that hasn't been explored.
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Someone leaked an hour of audio from Clubhouse last night where Balajis, Felicia Horowitz, and others were talking ahout the media. It's disgusting what these people will say when they think no one is listening. https://www.vice.com/...
Jeff Bercovici / @jeffbercovici: @balajis @jason_koebler @RealSexyCyborg you're equating someone leaking audio of you on Clubhouse to outing an activist living in a police state, nice
Audrey Watters / @audreywatters: Think of this story every time one of your favorite ed-tech startups raises venture capital and one of these vile people joins the board, shaping the direction and values of the company https://www.vice.com/...
Kevin Beaumont / @gossithedog: Silicon Valley elite ponder what ‘they can do’ about journalists holding them to account. https://www.vice.com/...
Ben Fischer / @benfischersbj: My favorite part is when Vice notes how dumb they all sound when they talk about journalism chasing clicks. https://www.vice.com/...
Catherine Woodiwiss / @chwoodiwiss: I, like many, didn't pay enough attention to Gamergate. Time to play catch-up. https://www.vice.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Is Clubhouse the first social startup to self-immolate over a content moderation crisis before leaving closed beta
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This was just one hour of what was actually recorded in just one room of the app. Think of what else these people have been on Clubhouse saying and what they're saying behind closed doors. The audio is shocking and everyone should listen https://www.vice.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: Among like 5,000 other things, it's amazing that the special guest apparently specialized in old school journalism ethics is Roland Martin https://www.politico.com/...
Mat Honan / @mat: Clearly one industry VCs do not understand much about is the media business: https://www.vice.com/...
Bobby Lewis / @revrrlewis: a bunch of venture capital babies, cloistered away in an invite-only social media site where they can pretend to be better than we common poors, are harassing @TaylorLorenz due to their being Offended at tepid criticism of a (shitty) luggage CEO's insta. https://www.vice.com/...
T.L. Langford / @tlangford: Reading here how put out captains of the tech industry are, by a smart woman working in a flawed, threadbare industry by comparison is*chef's kiss* all kinds of perfect. VICE - Silicon Valley Elite Discuss Journalists Having Too Much Power in Private App https://www.vice.com/...
Andy Wasklewicz / @calisurf: The quote from @balajis that made me burst out laughing: “I believe in standing up for those people who don't have a voice, who cannot stand up for themselves.” <search> Steph Korey net worth $130M. Ah, yes, standing up for the downtrodden. https://www.vice.com/...
Meena Thiruvengadam / @meena_thiru: “Silicon Valley millionaires, who have been coddled by the press and lauded as innovators and disruptors, fundamentally misunderstand the role of journalism the moment it turns a critical eye to their industry.” https://www.vice.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: ...a few weeks ago a Silicon Valley-based journalist was talking about the impending ‘culture war’ between technology companies and other media...maybe this is what they mean https://twitter.com/...
Steven Strauss / @steven_strauss: Just spitballing it, but if you talk on a social media app in 2020 and don't realize how easy it is for someone to be recording the conversation, maybe you are not very bright. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Feldman / @bafeldman: one aspect about the newest gamergate is that, in contrast, the original gamergate was at least smart enough to say it was about the press being too spineless instead of too critical https://www.vice.com/...
Sheera Frenkel / @sheeraf: I wish this was satire. There are people in Silicon Valley who actually have these thoughts in their heads, (and apparently say them out loud?) https://twitter.com/...
Eric Geller / @ericgeller: lmao these people https://twitter.com/...
Evan Hill / @evanchill: Tech has been extremely successful at convincing the public that it is unlike every other industry that came before and its top profiteers unlike any other businesspeople who came before. It'd probably be better and healthier to just start treating it like oil or finance imho. https://twitter.com/...
@chillmage: Tech leaders have boasted for years about how disruption has destroyed traditional journalism and then when they happen not to like the journalism of the moment they say journalism is too powerful. Can't have it both ways https://twitter.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: great point. in the old days, journalists were never tweeting. now, they tweet all the time. why is that? https://twitter.com/...
Albert Burneko / @albertburneko: it's fun to think about how much better off—undeniably, indisputably better off!—the world would be if the top several layers of Silicon Valley society were put on a barge in the middle of the ocean and left there https://www.vice.com/...
Cheryl Rofer / @cherylrofer: If you, like me, have been seeing scraps of this fight pop up in your feed, here's the (very long) explanation. Also a good set of reasons to tax Silicon Valley and venture capitalists down to a single mansion. https://www.vice.com/...
Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo: The extra crazy thing about this stupid story is I really can't think of a reporter whose work more often shows the positive, zany, unexpected and hopeful effects of tech than @TaylorLorenz — like the whole dumb idea on this call that she epitomizes “anti-tech media” is insane
Librarianshipwreck / @libshipwreck: It may seem like an oversimplification to say that critics have been warning about the anti-democratic bias embedded in SV's ideology for years...but critics have been warning about the anti-democratic bias embedded in SV's ideology for years. https://www.vice.com/...
David Bixenspan / @davidbix: @devilninja777 @balajis @jason_koebler But...getting several audio recordings is a thing that reporters are supposed to do, as is reaching out for comment.
Meryl Kornfield / @merylkornfield: The one where an exec says “the entire tech press was complicit in covering up the threat of COVID-19,” and claimed relying on the press is “outsourcing your information supply chain to folks who are disaligned with you.” https://twitter.com/...
@rationalwiki: this is why @balajis is being so obnoxious to journalists lately, particularly female ones, that people are noticing it's organised of course, he's not very bright, so even the super rich guys turn out to be as competent as gamergate mk 1 https://twitter.com/...
Sasha Perigo / @sashaperigo: what do tech guys think “the market” is? wrong answers only https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: So, when Steph Korey pulls the woman card it's correct, when a female journalist gets harassed she is “using her ovaries.” Just trying to get it straight here https://twitter.com/...
John Ketchum / @ketchcast: This is a wild story but not at all surprising. A lot of tech CEOs/founders love the media until we're critical of them and tell stories about things other than how innovative they are. https://www.vice.com/...
Helen Brosnan / @helenbrosnan: this has to be the top 10 funniest sentence I've ever read in my life https://twitter.com/...
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: Based on a forensic study of this audio, I've concluded that actually it is unclear whether these are VCs or freshmen enrolled in Introduction to Mass Communication at George Washington University https://twitter.com/...

LA Times' Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong responds to a letter from the LAT union's Black caucus, promising to hire more Black journalists, ensure equitable pay, more — On June 23, The L.A. Times Guild lead by Black members sent Times' owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong an open letter demanding the paper address its racism and commit to do better. This is his first public response. https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
Hannah C. / @loudhannah: Now this is a start. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Silver / @jsilverinpgh: It is literally impossible to imagine such a response from Keith Burris, Karen Kane or the Block family. They can't even figure out how to say: “I'm sorry.” Instead @PGNewsGuild gets tossed out of the executive editor's office, an appearance on Laura Ingraham and an A1 screed. https://twitter.com/...


Facebook says it now finds that there is an undisclosed financial relationship between The Daily Wire and Mad World News and will temporarily demote the latter — The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Politicon) — Facebook has concluded there is an undisclosed …
Discussion:
Rat King / @mikeisaac: Facebook says it is a reflection of the real world in its defense, and that people “were worried about the printing press” when it was created, too. Manipulating traffic networks to spread your views to hundreds of millions of people, daily, is not a one-to-one comparison.
@blackamazon: Undisclosed and unknown are different. And again this style of follow the money tech reporting ? Continues to avoid passive and active racism but again , just being a racist propagandist isn't enough https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: here's a FB exec laying out what exactly The Daily Wire is doing, months ago When @JuddLegum first reported it, Gleicher noted below they couldn't prove a financial relationship. now they have it, though “taking action” apparently means “frowny face” https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Dwoskin / @lizzadwoskin: So many takeaways from this detailed investigation of a network of FB pages that have reached insane traffic (like bigger than Wapo) by stoking fear. @JuddLegum is doing Fb's work for them. https://popular.info/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: and it seems like one particular group is allowed to do that with no real consequences. Why write policies if all you do is rewrite them or dont enforce them when one political group breaks the rules?
Lindsey Barrett / @lam_barrett: “you luddites would be shrieking about the printing press &/or phonebook, be grateful for our sage prescience” is not only myopic for the distinctions mike's highlighted, it is Extremely Tired as a rhetorical device, & disingenuous analogies can be inapt OR boring but not both https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Mac / @rmac18: Facebook has been using the printing press comparison for nearly two years since Sheryl Sandberg debuted it at Davos in 2019. It has a lot of holes, but they still continue to apply it widely. https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: 9. I've also found evidence that @benshapiro and The Daily Wire have similar financial deals with other large Facebook pages, some of which have millions of followers. Facebook says it's investigating. https://popular.info/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: i would say im shocked that Facebook lets shapiro off with a stern warning for a bannable offense but who are we kidding https://popular.info/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Reminds me of the Wash Post reporting earlier this week on Facebook making accommodations for the President. There is a circle of influencers who it's likely Joel Kaplan will advise against poking too hard. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Imagine if strong network effects had given one guy a dominant, hard-to-contest position in the entire global market for printed matter. That would've been a big deal and worth worrying about. https://twitter.com/...
Paul Adelstein / @adelsteinpaul: Facebook is dangerous. We will look back on this like we do on big tobacco. The irresponsibility is disgusting. https://twitter.com/...
Aymann Ismail / @aymanndotcom: How is it that the law and order crowd is always getting caught breaking the rules? https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Wyman / @patrick_wyman: Mike is right - this is not a valid comparison. Printers picked and chose what to publish, but this is apples and oranges. https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: 3. I've been reporting The Daily Wire's underhanded tactics since LAST OCTOBER. Up until last week, Facebook has insisted that nothing @benshapiro was doing violated its policies. They've finally conceded he's gaming the system. https://popular.info/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: 7. It's unclear, to me, why The Daily Wire is being treated differently than Mad World News when they conspired to break the same rule. Facebook says its standard protocol. But it was unable to provide other examples of this protocol being implemented https://popular.info/...
Mike Monteiro / @monteiro: Man, fuck Facebook. Fuck Zuckerberg. Fuck everyone who profits off this shit. And fuck everyone who contributes their labor to it. https://twitter.com/...
Judd Legum / @juddlegum: 4. This goes right to the heart of the argument Facebook's @nick_clegg has been making on national TV That Facebook is just a REFLECTION of society No, Facebook has allowed purveyors of the toxic content to violate its rules, magnifying their influence https://popular.info/...
@slpng_giants: .@facebook has admitted that The Daily Wire has broken their rules regarding artificial engagement. This is a rule that would get nearly anyone else banned. Why does this outlet get special cutouts? #StopHateForProfit https://twitter.com/...
Chet Faliszek / @chetfaliszek: Right wing troll is a regular dinner buddy of Zuck but this action wasn't influenced by that. It was influenced by the fact at its core Facebook the company profits from the engagement with hate and dividing people. Hate signs the paychecks at Facebook. https://twitter.com/...

Reuters has told employees that it is planning on putting many of its articles behind a subscription paywall — Reuters is planning on putting many of its articles behind a subscription paywall, the news service told employees. Reuters would become one of the last free news services …
Discussion:
Tom Dotan / @cityofthetown: New: Reuters is planning to move its stories behind a paywall next year. Probably the biggest (and last) of the big unpaywalled sites to move away from the free model. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Reuters expects to place many stores behind a paywall


A requiem for The Outline, which had a broad editorial vision with creative freedom for staff, and which closed in April after less than four years of existence — On April 3, the day The Outline was shut down and its editorial staff let go, my coworkers and I received hundreds of messages …
Discussion:
@jeremypgordon, @ktzhu, @lemonsand, @ryanvailbrown, @mikelikessports, @cjr, @mikelikessports, @outsidethenba, @chaykak, @adrjeffries, @davidsrudin, @joshuatopolsky, @rosalyster, @leahfinnegan, @jeremypgordon, @hcheadle, @suchandrikac, @brandyljensen, @cjr, @vpougy, @benyt and @jeffbercovici
Discussion:
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: The Outline shut down 3 months ago. Shortly after, @CJR asked me to write a postmortem about the site, which is up now https://www.cjr.org/...
@ktzhu: OKAY FUN FACT ABOUT JEREMY — he was my editor in college (@MedillSchool / go cats ayyeee 🤙🏽) & we recently reconnected on this godforsaken website so not everything is all bad & he's a great fucking writer & u should read his retro on The Outline 👇🏽 https://twitter.com/...
Angela Lashbrook / @lemonsand: I wrote some of my favorite work ever for The Outline and I am really sad that it's gone https://www.cjr.org/...
Mike Piellucci / @mikelikessports: @jeremypgordon Also, mega shoutout for paying me to write sports stuff even though apparently sports stuff was like the single biggest loss leader they had lol.
@cjr: New from @jeremypgordon: The good news about The Outline was that everything seemed to be of some interest. The bad news: Everything seemed to be of some interest. https://www.cjr.org/...
Mike Piellucci / @mikelikessports: This was a lovely reflection by the dude @jeremypgordon about The Outline, which was a good and essential website precisely because the only essential thing was good work. https://www.cjr.org/...
James Herbert / @outsidethenba: when @YaronWeitzman asked me where he could pitch a story about dog poop I immediately told him to try the outline https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Chayka / @chaykak: “Websites are good, and then they die: Gawker, Deadspin, The Awl, Grantland, Splinter, too many others to mention. That's just how it goes.” https://www.cjr.org/...
David Rudin / @davidsrudin: “This business really should just be that simple—pay people well to do great work—and yet, it rarely is.” https://www.cjr.org/...
Joshua Topolsky / @joshuatopolsky: Thank you @jeremypgordon for writing this. https://www.cjr.org/...
Rosa Lyster / @rosalyster: I miss the outline all the time, partly because writing for them did actually change my life, but mostly because there is not a week goes by that I don't think “I wish someone could write about this for the outline” https://twitter.com/...
Leah Finnegan / @leahfinnegan: really beautiful piece from jeremy (biased but still) 😭https://twitter.com/ ...
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: Aside from the employment it provided (underrated perk of “work,” IMO), I think “Man, I miss The Outline” several times a week because I keep coming up with “Outline pitches” that have nowhere to live https://www.cjr.org/...
Harry Cheadle / @hcheadle: this is a good piece that gets at what happens when talented editors and writers work for a publication that has, um, apparently somewhat less talented people working on the business side https://twitter.com/...
@suchandrikac: Still proud of writing my first essay on #grief for them (editor: @BrandyLJensen, always hire her): https://theoutline.com/...
Brandy Jensen / @brandyljensen: @SuchandrikaC still proud to have published it!!
@cjr: “Every publication prides itself on its versatility, but ours was driven by the freedom that comes with having no expectations besides ‘be different, and be interesting.’ There was nothing we wouldn't cover, if we thought we had a way in.” https://www.cjr.org/...
Victor Pougy / @vpougy: I really miss reading The Outline! I was one of the few websites I would type into the address bar and click away from the homepage - as opposed to clicking links on twitter. It had great stuff to read and it looked super beautiful. https://twitter.com/...


Companies have little to lose from joining a Facebook boycott during a slow month for ads amid a pandemic; they'll be back, and Facebook will emerge stronger — Every day, it seems, another major corporation joins the advertiser boycott against Facebook. First came The North Face, REI and Patagonia.
Discussion:
Pancake Brain, @joshsternberg, @iainlevine, The Wrap, @dylanbyers, @lebassett and Axios, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: Glad to see @jackshafer speaking my language. https://www.politico.com/...
Iain Levine / @iainlevine: Sparkling piece from @jackshafer who punctures a lot of self-righteousness “Asking a corporation to boycott Facebook in July 2020 is a little like asking a casual drinker to observe Lent by giving up alcohol in a dry county.” https://www.politico.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sharon Waxman / The Wrap: Facebook Boycott Leaders Call Out Hollywood Studios for Lack of Support (Exclusive)
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: New @jackshafer: “How the Facebook Boycott Could Just Make Facebook Stronger: Corporate ad boycotts have as long a tradition as corporate virtue-signaling. Don't count on either to dent the social media titan.” https://www.politico.com/...
Laura Bassett / @lebassett: Is the @Facebook ad boycott making a dent? Apparently not: “the loss of annual Facebook rev from the boycott might be as low as 5%. Every Fortune 500 advertiser on Facebook could plummet into a volcanic fissure & the company would still be minting gold.” https://www.politico.com/...
RELATED:

400+ advertisers suspend Facebook ads for a month, as sources say talks with some advertisers broke down; Zuckerberg has agreed to meet with boycott organizers
Discussion:
The Guardian, @nick_clegg, Engadget, @rmac18, @nberlat, @william_fitz, Wall Street Journal, @juliacarriew, Real Clear Politics, MediaPost, Protocol, Just The News, Forbes, @juancpedreira, @mims, @lauramandaro, CNET, @anthonyquintano, @amir, @mirabarhillel, @amahnke, @shannoncoulter, @notdan, @brendannyhan, Beyond Search, Music Ally, @riotta, @david_rudnick, @libshipwreck, @rebootedstef, @ladyhaja, @alexthomas, @justinhendrix, @zeynep, @shannonvallor, @jbenton, @kargo, @sub8u, @mikeisaac, @carolecadwalla, @arrington, @mmasnick, @katielpaul, @mikeisaac, @berthacoombs, @jayrosen_nyu and @dylanbyers, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian: Facebook says the good it does outweighs the bad. But how many ‘likes’ make up for the hate?
Nick Clegg / @nick_clegg: Facebook does not benefit from hate. My latest thoughts on how Facebook is getting better at removing hate speech. https://about.fb.com/...
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget: PlayStation is the latest to join the Facebook ad boycott
Ryan Mac / @rmac18: Today, Facebook Comms VP Nick Clegg writes that “Facebook does not profit from hate.” https://about.fb.com/... That is just not true. Yesterday we reported the company has run ads promoting civil war and violence for months. See for yourself: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Noah Berlatsky / @nberlat: this is one of the supposed right wing populists Greenwald touts, cheering on...Mark Zuckerberg. Hm. https://twitter.com/...
William Fitzgerald / @william_fitz: “It's clear that according to Facebook's moral calculus, the lives of people in the global south do not count for as much as the lives of people in its own country” Will never forget a meeting I had w/the IT Ministry in Pakistan. I was representing Google & government wanted... https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal: The Boycott Got Facebook's Attention, but a Real Fix Is Nowhere in Sight
Julia Carrie Wong / @juliacarriew: I wrote about last Thanksgiving, the last I got to spend with my grandmother, and the campaign of vicious hate, rape threats and death threats that I was experiencing throughout, in response to my reporting on Facebook and white nationalism. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Gavin O'Malley / MediaPost: Facebook: Voter Registration Efforts More Effective Than More Content Control
Shakeel Hashim / Protocol: Will the Facebook ad boycott hurt its business?
Daniel Payne / Just The News: As major Facebook advertising boycott commences, company says it ‘does not profit from hate’
Sergei Klebnikov / Forbes: Facebook's Revenue Hit From Ad Boycott Will Be ‘Minimal,’ Wall Street Firms Say
Juan Carlos Pedreira / @juancpedreira: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees he was reluctant to bow to the threats of a growing ad boycott, saying in private remarks that “my guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough - The Information https://www.theinformation.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Mims / @mims: Fun (?) fact: Even if the companies boycotting Facebook for July abandoned the service in the US forever, their entire share of Facebook's global revenue is represented by this tiny blue square https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Laura Mandaro / @lauramandaro: Scoop: After the publicly broadcast part of Facebook's town hall meeting Friday, Mark Zuckerberg talked to staff privately about the growing advertiser boycott. The remarks were far more defiant than the company's recent public messaging https://thein.fo/... via @alexeheath https://twitter.com/...
Carrie Mihalcik / CNET: Zuckerberg reluctant to change Facebook policies over ad boycott, report says
@anthonyquintano: Mark Zuckerberg on the #StopTheHateFor Profit boycott: 'bottom line is, we're not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue' https://twitter.com/...
Amir Efrati / @amir: .@alexeheath got a transcript of Zuckerberg's internal comments about the advertiser boycott. He said a lot, including the below. Full transcript here: https://www.theinformation.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mira Bar-Hillel / @mirabarhillel: We had a bellyful of “your thoughts” in 2010, you total waste of purpose. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Mahnke / @amahnke: Facebook benefits from having the largest user base possible to sell ads against. Allowing hateful, bigoted people and organizations to stay on your platform helps boost those user numbers. So yeah, you benefit from hate. https://twitter.com/...
Shannon Coulter / @shannoncoulter: Facebook had dozens of scandals in 2019 alone including one where domestic workers were being illegally bought and sold via Facebook's Instagram app. https://www.bbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brendan Nyhan / @brendannyhan: My piece on this: https://defusingdis.info/... https://twitter.com/...
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: Facebook Ad Boycott Risk: The Mark of El Zucko
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally: More than 400 brands are boycotting Facebook ads this month
Gianni Riotta / @riotta: Former UK leader Nick Clegg on @Facebook and hate. Convincing? https://twitter.com/...
Librarianshipwreck / @libshipwreck: “Arsonists do not benefit from having an easy supply of gasoline,” claims company that sells gasoline to arsonists. https://twitter.com/...
Hannah Jane Parkinson / @ladyhaja: i don't agree with nick https://twitter.com/...
Alex Thomas / @alexthomas: not only does Facebook benefit from hate, they benefit from a crumbling of democracy. https://twitter.com/...
Justin Hendrix / @justinhendrix: Apart from the ... money it makes from it.... this is probably true. https://about.fb.com/...
Zeynep Tufekci / @zeynep: This is.. a sad piece. Yes, the transition to a digital society is messy. I wrote a book about the many good things, while warning about business models, algorithmic amplification and censorship via info glut. But this? It's Upton Sinclair quote level sad. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Shannon Vallor / @shannonvallor: I have long resisted fully unloading on FB in a faint, grasping hope they would reach a late moral maturity, but this is the nail in the coffin. This is pure, aggressively dishonest horseshit from start to finish, with a cynical BLM reference tossed in for extra effect. Shameless https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: You see, Nick, some people *want* to see hateful content on Facebook, either because they don't consider it hateful or because they enjoy being hateful This is not difficult, my man https://twitter.com/...
@kargo: .@harrykargman recently spoke with @nytimes' Tiffany Hsu to discuss the true impact of the recent FB boycotts. With consumers demanding social accountability, brands need to support professional journalism, not inflammatory, user-generated misinformation. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Subrahmanyam Kvj / @sub8u: Why Facebook can stand behind their stance. For now. “The top 100 advertisers on $FB spent $4.2 billion on ads last year, or roughly 6 percent of the company's total ad revenue...More than 70 percent of Facebook's ad revenue comes from small businesses.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: @jc4p the funny thing is that was Facebook's doing In talks with advertisers FB execs convinced ad buyers to boycott other social companies too to make it an “industry wide” issue https://www.nytimes.com/...
Carole Cadwalladr / @carolecadwalla: The advertising boycott of Facebook is totally genius. Finally - *FINALLY* - something's working. It is extraordinary that it has come to this - Congress, the combined clout of 7 parliaments, the EU, FTC, SEC, nothing & no-one has been able to do this. Take a bow, all 👏👏👏 https://twitter.com/...
Michael Arrington / @arrington: I'm guessing people can get some fantastic deals on facebook ads right now. https://www.reuters.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Fascinating to watch people still insisting that because of #Section230 there are “no incentives” for websites to clean up garbage. As if the law is the only reason people do anything. And then all these companies started pulling ads from Facebook: https://www.techdirt.com/...
Katie Paul / @katielpaul: Facebook ad boycott kicks off today after the failure of last-ditch talks with advertisers, as Zuck agrees to meet with boycott organizers (after initially offering Sheryl and a newly returned Chris Cox) https://www.reuters.com/... with @Sheila_Dang
Rat King / @mikeisaac: i dont think anyone expected the FB ad boycott to take off with these huge ad buyers this quickly (least of all the organizers, some of whom we spoke with yesterday) https://twitter.com/...
Bertha Coombs / @berthacoombs: Scoop: @CVSHealth pausing ads on Facebook, Insta & Twitter for at least 30 days. $CVS tells me decision is “built around the simple principle that we won't support any platform that isn't taking meaningful steps to eliminate hate speech and misinformation” not part of boycott
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: The part in blue is a lie. Which isn't to say the rest is true, either. https://about.fb.com/... By Nick Clegg, Facebook's VP of Global Affairs and Communications. https://twitter.com/...


Refinery29 President Amy Emmerich steps down; the site's union called for her resignation in June, and Vice was probing claims of toxic behavior at Refinery29 — New York (CNN Business)Amy Emmerich, global president and chief content officer of Refinery29, announced Thursday that she is stepping down from her position immediately.
Discussion:
@kerrymflynn: Refinery29 President Amy Emmerich steps down; the site's union called for her resignation in June, and Vice was probing claims of toxic behavior at Refinery29
@kerrymflynn: Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc confirmed Amy Emmerich's departure in a separate email sent to staff on Thursday. Dubuc writes, “I want to express my gratitude to Amy for her efforts during this time. Her business focus and unwavering energy have helped take Refinery29 to the next level...” https://twitter.com/...
Connie Wang / @conniewang: 🤙 Your friendly reminder to unionize your workplace today! 🤙 https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Refinery29's union had called for Amy Emmerich's immediate resignation in a June 11 letter sent to Vice Media management https://www.cnn.com/...
Todd Spangler / Variety: Refinery29's Amy Emmerich Out at Vice Media Group
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Amy Emmerich Steps Down as Refinery29 President and Chief Content Officer


Walmart will convert 160 parking lots into drive-in movie theaters with film programming by Tribeca Enterprises from August to October — The retailer will transform its store parking lots into contact-free movie theaters, allowing viewers to have a socially distanced big-screen experience amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
Engadget, /Film, @retailprophet, @jordanbitterman, @aexm, @pitdesi, Fortune, The Daily Caller, The Verge and TechCrunch
Discussion:
Ben Pearson / /Film: Walmart Will Convert Parking Lots Into Drive-Ins This Summer, Teams with Tribeca For Touring Screening Series
Doug Stephens / @retailprophet: Pretty smart. https://twitter.com/...
Jordan Bitterman / @jordanbitterman: Been waiting for someone to do this. I thought it would be municipalities, turns out it's a company. Very smart move by Walmart: builds goodwill in communities and it's something Amazon can't match. https://twitter.com/...
Ana Milicevic / @aexm: The pandemic is giving us all license to reimagine how we use public & semi-public spaces. Sidewalk parking can be converted to restaurant seating, streets can be closed to car traffic in favor of city residents, and empty parking lots can have new uses. https://twitter.com/...
Sheel Mohnot / @pitdesi: This is awesome - Tribeca is transforming 160 Wal-Mart parking lots into drive-in theaters Aug-Oct. It'll be a fun outing for lots of folks, and they'll let you order drive-in essentials for curbside pickup https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Alec Schemmel / The Daily Caller: Walmart Announces Socially Distanced Summertime Events For Families Across America


France allows tax credit for new subscribers to current affairs outlets since the sector is “suffering enormously” due to COVID-19 crisis — Move to support newspapers and magazines follows global slump during pandemic — French MPs have voted to grant a tax credit to anyone taking …
Discussion:
Jane Singer / @janebsinger: Cash for keeping au courant: Anyone in France taking out a new subscription to a current affairs newspaper or magazine will now get a tax credit of up to 50 euros. The government move is intended to help a publishing sector that is ‘suffering enormously’. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: Great move, and a reminder policymakers can help news media, if they wish to. “French MPs have voted to grant a tax credit to anyone taking out a new subscription to a current affairs newspaper or magazine [as] the sector [is] “suffering enormously"" https://www.theguardian.com/ ...


Caffeine, which aims to compete with Twitch but focuses on content like rap battles, has raised $113M, led by Fox Corp, Cox Enterprises, and Sanabil Investments — - Fox, Cox Enterprises among investors leading funding round — Music competitions have helped attract 2 million users


Following the publication of an open letter alleging mistreatment, misconduct, and mismanagement at Essence, the outlet names Caroline Wanga interim CEO — The pioneering and still most prominent media brand for Black women will once again have one at the helm—at least, for the immediate future.
Discussion:
New York Times, @takebackessence, Black Female Anonymous, @iwriteallday_, @kerrymflynn, @jouelzy, @kerrymflynn, Page Six and The Wrap
Discussion:
Katie Robertson / New York Times: Essence Names Interim Chief After Claim of ‘Abusive Work Culture’
@takebackessence: Official Statement by #BlackFemaleAnonymous confirming exit of all C-Suite leadership at @Essence on day 4, and success of our collective efforts. #TakeBackEssence #ProtectBlackWomen https://twitter.com/...
@iwriteallday_: This is so virulently disturbing and I am glad these women are coming forward and laying it plain. Despite the risk. @Essence must make this right. https://medium.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Big update from Black Female Anonymous — calling the collective efforts a “success” as execs step down and an internal investigation will begin. More in the NYT article mentioned: https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jouelzy: The sticker in this Essence fallout is, hiring the CEO's wife to head HR, there is no defending that. https://twitter.com/...


The New Statesman says it is dropping all network advertising from its site and announces it has passed 30,000 paid subscriptions for the first time in 40 years — The New Statesman has revealed that it is dropping all network advertising from its website as Covid-19 has “accelerated a number of trends in business and society”.