Mediagazer: Facebook asks NYU Ad Observatory, which analyzes political ad targeting using data collected from a browser extension, to cease the practice for violating TOS (Jeff Horwitz/Wall Street Journal)

9:45 AM ET, October 26, 2020

Top News:

Sources: Trump allies including a White House lawyer first approached WSJ with their Hunter Biden story, but WSJ couldn't corroborate claims about Joe Biden — Inside the White House's secret, last-ditch effort to change the narrative, and the election — and the return of the media gatekeepers.

Kevin Roose / New York Times:

How the Falun Gong-backed Epoch Times used aggressive Facebook tactics and right-wing misinformation since 2016 to create an anti-China, pro-Trump media empire — Since 2016, the Falun Gong-backed newspaper has used aggressive Facebook tactics and right-wing misinformation to create an anti-China, pro-Trump media empire.

Oscar Schwartz / The Atavist Magazine:

An ex-Epoch Times content writer on how he became a cog in the burgeoning propaganda machine and why he stayed on even as the publication's biases became clear — I. — among other publications. Originally from Australia, he is now based in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter: @scarschwartz.

Discussion: @seywarddarby, @jonahogles, @edxjohnson, @seywarddarby, @eileenguo, @oneunderscore__, Paragraphs and @moorehn

Jeff Horwitz / Wall Street Journal:

Facebook asks NYU Ad Observatory, which analyzes political ad targeting using data collected from a browser extension, to cease the practice for violating TOS — In letter this month, Facebook says the project violates provisions in its terms of service that prohibit bulk data collection

Discussion: @alexanderabdo, Associated Press, @benedictevans, Protocol, @lauraedelson2, @juliaangwin, @2ramyakrishnan, @alexanderabdo, Politico, @carolecadwalla, @sriramk, @benedictevans, @digitalsista, @lessig, @sriramk, @jgreenblattadl, @sriramk, @katecrawford, @chrisnoessel, @sriramk, @jyuter, @alexanderabdo, MediaPost, @emilybell, @earleyedition, @profcarroll, Business Insider, @gchaslot, @doctorow, @jameeljaffer, @stilldelvingh, @random_walker, The Hill, @ilvestoomas, @jason_kint, @maasalan, @markondefense, CNET, @markscott82, @carrollbogert, @smdiehl, The Verge, Memex 1.1, ZDNet, @markwarner, @jason_kint, @karaswisher, @emilybell, @j_littlewood, @fightfortheftr, @justinhendrix, @stollmeyereu, @lauraedelson2, @alexanderabdo, @alexanderabdo, @alexanderabdo, @alexanderabdo, @lauraedelson2, @riana_crypto, @monteiro, @david_stillwell, @ethanz, @professorshaw, @nikkisunstrum, @moonalice, @carolecadwalla, @dellcam, @jeffhorwitz, @jason_kint, @digiphile, @jason_kint, @digiphile, @whotargetsme, @rmac18 and The Hill, more at Techmeme »

Wall Street Journal:

A look at Jeff Zucker's leadership at CNN, as sources say he felt blindsided by parent WarnerMedia's restructuring and has had friction with CEO Jason Kilar — Under AT&T, cable boss felt blindsided by a recent overhaul of WarnerMedia that slimmed down his role

Discussion: @benmullin, @adityasood, The Information, @moorehn, @benmullin, @asharma, @mariaressa, @richlightshed, @benmullin, @asharma, @alexweprin, @benmullin, @jbflint, @benmullin, @asharma, @benmullin, @jbflint and Mediaite

Wall Street Journal:

From Go90 and Vessel to Fullscreen, Quibi was yet another high-profile failed attempt to create a streaming platform focused on short-form content — Streaming platform pitched high-production shows in format dominated by user-generated content — The demise of the mobile-streaming platform Quibi …

Discussion: @jbflint, @wsj, @maxwellelliot and @karaswisher

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Sources: at least three large US media companies expect the number of US households with pay-TV to fall to ~50M by 2025, a drop of $25B in cable revenue — - At least three large U.S. media companies expect the number of U.S. households that subscribe to a traditional pay-TV bundle to fall to about 50 million in the next five years.

Discussion: @trengriffin, @peterasussman, @richr, @maggiomatt, @sherman4949, @richlightshed, @cnbctech, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @mattrosoff, @megancgraham and @sherman4949

Columbia Journalism Review:

A look back at the media's coverage of the Trump presidency, what has changed in the press, its failings, and how the press has simply not learned its lesson — In November 2017, the International Center for Journalists gave Fox News's Chris Wallace an award for excellence in journalism.

Discussion: @mathewi, @ericschultz, @aaschapiro, @cjr, @jon_allsop, @mlcalderone, @jon_allsop, @jon_allsop, @jon_allsop, @wesleylowery, @jon_allsop, @jon_allsop, @bypetevernon, @notaaroncraig, @jon_allsop and @cjr

Variety:

Sources: Apple, Netflix, and other streamers explored acquiring the delayed Bond movie No Time to Die, but MGM's $600M price tag for it was deemed too much — Apple, Netflix and other streaming services explored the possibility of acquiring “No Time to Die,” the upcoming James Bond movie that was originally slated to debut last April.

Discussion: @raju, Numlock News, @jonerlichman, Game Rant, Gizmodo, @martinsfp, @varadmehta, @ashkan, Bloomberg, @labuzamovies, @theamazingbeck, @paul__armstrong, @brooklynbatman_, @great_katzby, ScreenRant, Vanity Fair, The A.V. Club, UPROXX, The Playlist and 9to5Mac

Kate Knibbs / Wired:

ClickHole, whose staff became worker-owners in May, struggles to stay relevant in 2020 while reckoning with a lack of diversity and facing a financial crunch — The humor site has survived it all: new owners, layoffs, a culture war. Now a worker-owned cooperative, it needs to update its voice—and bring home the bacon.

Discussion: @knibbs, @n_j_davis, @labsplice, @sandraupson, @kyle_ryan, @laurawags, @bypatrickgeorge, @mattsaincome, @gracegthomas, @nxthompson, @kslane and @oknox

Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:

Two of four voters featured in a NYT article about Atlanta white suburban voters had paid Republican Party connections, not initially divulged in the story — The New York Times has been caught, once again, passing off Republican operatives as “regular” Republican voters in an article intended …

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

The Atlantic published a lengthy magazine story by disgraced New Republic editor Ruth Shalit as Ruth S. Barrett with no disclosure about her checkered past — A new story from the Atlantic explores the culture of niche sports in Fairfield County, Conn. — parents trying to turn their offspring …

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More News:

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
ViacomCBS International Studios launches VIS Kids to expand its offerings to kid-focused short and longform content that will be sold to third parties

William D. Cohan / Air Mail:
A look at Vice following Shane Smith's departure in late 2017, shifting from edgy coverage under Nancy Dubuc while struggling to become profitable

Discussion: @benyt, @alxthomp and @tattytats

Cahal Milmo / inews.co.uk:
A look back at 10 years of The Independent's spinoff i newspaper, initially a flop before a £3M TV ad campaign, which is now owned by DMGT

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Doug Mack / The Counter:
How the “Rust Belt Diner” genre of journalism became the “Trump Country Diner” in 2016, driven by a sense that media failed to understand the mood of rural US

Discussion: @profmusgrave, @thecounter, @douglasmack, @douglasmack, @evaholland, @billlindeke, @douglasmack, @douglasmack, @jayrosen_nyu and @douglasmack

Alex Pareene / New Republic:
Given the emergence of GOP-aligned “news” sites, paywalls have become hindrances to the mission of journalism, which is to disseminate quality news widely

Discussion: @oknox and @newrepublic

Roger Sollenberger / Salon:
FEC filings and sources show RNC may have spent over $900,000 on Sean Hannity's book Live Free or Die over the last three months

Discussion: @mollyjongfast, Yahoo News and New York Daily News

Earlier Picks:

Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Some Vogue staffers say Anna Wintour fostered a workplace that sidelined women of color and her apology was hypocritical; others say her apology was heartfelt

New York Times:
The final presidential election debate attracted roughly 63M viewers, down 10.1M from the first debate; numbers don't include streaming on digital devices

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Insights - Nielsen, Axios, The Week, @emkuhn, @cnnpr, @elistokols, Politico, USA Today, MediaPost and NBC News

Rebecca Nelson / ELLE:
Profile of Kristen Welker, the first Black woman to moderate a presidential debate since 1992, who covers the White House for NBC and who works to mentor others

New York Times:
Ken Kurson, EIC of the New York Observer from 2013-2017, has been charged by federal prosecutors with cyberstalking in connection with his divorce

Samson Amore / The Wrap:
iHeartMedia acquires Voxnest, which manages a marketplace that connects advertisers with podcasts and provides analytics to serve targeted ads

From Techmeme:

New York Times:
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner says China-linked Salt Typhoon group listened to phone calls and read texts by hacking US telecom networks

Nicola M. White / Bloomberg:
Around 56% of the $8.2B in financial remedies that the US SEC obtained in FY 2024 is attributable to a monetary judgment against Terraform Labs and Do Kwon

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: TikTok CEO Shou Chew, who has known Elon Musk for several years, has sought Musk's counsel in recent weeks on the incoming Trump administration

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