Top News:
David Folkenflik / NPR:
NYT retracts the core of Caliphate after a review finds that the podcast gave too much credence to its central character and reassigns Rukmini Callimachi — Toggle more options — The New York Times has retracted the core of its hit 2018 podcast series Caliphate after an internal review found …
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, @nycjim, @laurawags, @lailaalarian, @titonka, @neilphauer, @sulliview, @mattgallowaycbc, @dparvaz, @supriyan, @hannahallam, @johnmoe, @lourdesgnavarro, @jonahdispatch, @brianstelter, @marcatracy, @katie_robertson, @salmanmasood, @marcatracy, @brianstelter and @katie_robertson
Discussion:
New York Times: Prologue: The Mission … Editors' Note [Dec. 18, 2020]: In 2018, The Times released …
Jim Roberts / @nycjim: This is a brutal self-assessment by the Executive Editor of the New York Times, Dean Baquet, of how the news department handled @rcallimachi's “Caliphate” project. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Laila Al-Arian / @lailaalarian: This is one of the biggest media failures in recent memory but it appears that no one is going to lose their job. Rukmini Callimachi, the main reporter behind the podcast, described as a “fine” reporter, will no longer cover terrorism. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Danielle Kurtzleben / @titonka: Every journalist's nightmare. Appreciate the considerable work (see thread) being put into figuring out/explaining what happened. https://twitter.com/...
Neil Hauer / @neilphauer: Wow. The @nytimes has retracted its hit podcast Caliphate after internal (but mostly external) investigations revealed it was basically all made up. Somehow the journalist behind it all, @rcallimachi, has barely faced any repercussions - just ‘reassigned.’ https://www.npr.org/...
Margaret Merry Sullivan / @sulliview: Bottom line, I guess: https://twitter.com/...
Matt Galloway / @mattgallowaycbc: “Good journalism comes from some sort of internal debate over whether or not the stuff that supports the story is more powerful than the stuff that refutes the story... We just didn't listen hard enough to the stuff that challenged the story.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dparvaz: Mind-boggling admission: “I think we were so in love with it that when when we saw evidence that maybe he was a fabulist, when we saw evidence that he was making some of it up, we didn't listen hard enough.” https://www.npr.org/...
Rosie Roti / @supriyan: I know there are some obvious offenders here. But journalism at the highest level has always actively colluded in disinformation when it comes from intelligence agencies, long before “fake news” was a thing. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Hannah Allam / @hannahallam: In an interview, Baquet tells @davidfolkenflik that the story behind Caliphate was “riddled with holes and contradictions. Even when confronting some of them, the reporting and producing team sought ways to show his story could still turn out to be true.” https://www.npr.org/...
John Moe / @johnmoe: I've been waiting for this story about NYT's investigation of its own Caliphate podcast to drop. It's way more damning than I expected but the consequences are lighter than I expected. https://twitter.com/...
Lulu / @lourdesgnavarro: This whole piece by @davidfolkenflik is WOW level on news he imparts about the problems with Caliphate @nytimes https://twitter.com/...
Jonah Goldberg / @jonahdispatch: Good for the Times. Now they should revisit their selective retroactive editing of the 1619 Project and their refusal to disclose it. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Baquet to @mikiebarb: “For the most part we've gotten everything right. But I think this fell through the cracks, because it was a different way of telling stories than the NYT is used to. We didn't have a system in place to manage that...” https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: Here is the Times's story on Shehroze Chaudhry, the man who was on the podcast describing his exploits with Islamic State. And here is a professionally taken photograph of Aleppo he passed off as his own https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: Four Times reporters, re-examining the claims of the central character, found no evidence he was an ISIS executioner https://www.nytimes.com/...
Salman Masood / @salmanmasood: This has to be one of the weirdest stories I have worked on. “A Riveting ISIS Story, Told in a Times Podcast, Falls Apart” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: NPR has a story, too. It reports that a broader review of Rukmini Callimachi's work will reveal some corrections, but nothing major on the scale of the one for “Caliphate.” https://www.npr.org/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: The NYT's newly-attached editors note says “Caliphate” “should have been substantially revised to exclude the material related to Mr. Chaudhry.” And “the podcast as a whole should not have been produced with Mr. Chaudhry as a central narrative character.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Collins / Nieman Lab:
Lots of Americans slipped into conspiracy thinking in the pandemic; we'll need news outlets and others to explain how fantasy took hold and how we can dig out — “We're going to have to learn to create a vocabulary to talk about how their friends fell down the wrong YouTube hole and came out speaking another language.”
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @oneunderscore__, @stphnfwlr, @oneunderscore__, The Daily Beast, @abbyohlheiser, @verambergen, @cwarzel, @katiejstrang, @szechuan, @joshsternberg, @cor_mike_pres, @grace_segers, @abbyohlheiser, @amandakhurley, @riogringa, @scottnover, @nayebioskoui, @jesseherlitz, @shallowbrigade, @iwriteok, @kumailn, @matteomoschella, @jesseherlitz, @scottnover and @oliverdarcy
Discussion:
Brandy Zadrozny / Nieman Lab: Misinformation fatigue sets in
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: I wrote a story about the future. I hope you read it. I Want to Talk About Ruby Freeman https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@stphnfwlr: As someone who's been in the middle of this swirling conspiracy storm in Georgia, someone with a platform to speak authoritatively about facts+someone who's had frustrating painful conversations with people like this, I beg you to read @oneunderscore__ https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__: “It turns out maybe people don't actually care about being lied to.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Abby Ohlheiser / @abbyohlheiser: This piece gets at what the media should be doing in misinfo.. But as “we also...just need to start taking this seriously before it's too late,” remember that there are many, many people out there who were sounding alarms about this literally a decade ago. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Vera Bergengruen / @verambergen: “Misinformation isn't going away, but it seems inevitable that people will stop caring.” Sad but true assessment via @BrandyZadrozny on how it turns out maybe people just don't actually care about being lied to https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel: this is the best one of these predictions that i've seen. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Katie Strang / @katiejstrang: Great piece here by one of the leading journalists on the disinformation beat, which has to be one of the toughest, bleakest spaces on the internet these days. https://twitter.com/...
Sacha Judd / @szechuan: “We're going to have to learn to create a vocabulary to talk about how their friends fell down the wrong YouTube hole and came out speaking another language.” We need to learn how to talk to (and about) accidental conspiracists - @oneunderscore__ https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: The sad/wild thing is that this isn't necessarily a prediction, but happening now. And editors need to follow the lead of @oneunderscore__ and @BrandyZadrozny and @CraigSilverman and @JaneLytv and other reporters covering the spread of disinformation https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Corey Preston / @cor_mike_pres: This piece from @oneunderscore__ on the conspiracy/misinformation crisis we're facing is tremendous. “I cover this stuff for a living and even I don't have the answers, but I know who to ask...” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Grace Segers / @grace_segers: “We're going to have to learn to create a vocabulary to talk about how their friends fell down the wrong YouTube hole and came out speaking another language.” Great piece by @oneunderscore__ on how to reach the people who fell into conspiracy theories. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Abby Ohlheiser / @abbyohlheiser: Like, a lot of the answers going forward are already there buried in the past, and were ignored or passed over at the time. More people should be taking this more seriously for sure, but there were many who already were, and you should listen to them.
Amanda Kolson Hurley / @amandakhurley: “A lot of America slipped into conspiracy thinking during this pandemic, and they got there from yoga Instagrams and NFL forums and private church choir Facebook groups that were systematically invaded by QAnon and anti-vax recruiters.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Rachel Glickhouse / @riogringa: I've been thinking about this a lot lately: what role should the media play in helping people navigate this, or help in the actual deprogramming process? Seems to me like there's a lot to be done through engagement work and solutions reporting. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: Maybe the most heartfelt and raw @NiemanLab prediction I've ever read, courtesy of @oneunderscore__ https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Michael N. Nayebi-Oskoui / @nayebioskoui: If you want to feel hopeful and sad at the same time, @oneunderscore__ delivers yet again https://twitter.com/...
Jesse James Herlitz / @jesseherlitz: This is a nice statement of the problem with not much in the way of strategies for addressing it. https://www.niemanlab.org/... I've been thinking a lot about this stuff lately. Specifically reading about how to help someone out of a cult- I think that's literally where we are.
Kim O'Connor / @shallowbrigade: “You're going to be standing next to another parent at soccer practice, watching your kid fail to kick a ball for the first time in 14 mos, and that dad is going to lean over to you and, in the most clarion, measured tone...say the most insane thing you have ever heard.” https://twitter.com/...
Robert Evans / @iwriteok: it really is it has long been a defensible hypothesis that most people do not care about being lied to Now we have confirmation https://twitter.com/...
Kumail Nanjiani / @kumailn: This is a great piece. This stuff is going to become increasingly important to deal with as we start re-entering society next year. https://twitter.com/...
Matteo Moschella / @matteomoschella: “It's going to be a rude awakening in the next few months as we find out which of our friends got sucked into truly astonishing tales of New World Orders and Great Resets that helped them cope — and just so happen to be spectacularly wrong.” https://twitter.com/...
Jesse James Herlitz / @jesseherlitz: The thing that has made the most sense to me is the “doubt shelf”. Everyone has unanswered questions they keep in the back of their mind. Reasons to doubt what they've bought in to. Put simply, our job is to keep patiently adding things to that shelf until it falls of the wall.
Scott Nover / @scottnover: Of course, it fits it perfectly with this from @BrandyZadrozny. I do think misinformation fatigue has already started happening. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: This from @oneunderscore__ is worth your time: “A lot of America slipped into conspiracy thinking during this pandemic...It's going to be a rude awakening in the next few months as we find out which of our friends got sucked into truly astonishing tales..” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Twitter:
Twitter says it will start its new verification policy on January 21 and is developing profile labels to designate bots and memorial accounts — A couple of weeks ago, we announced that we're planning to bring back our public verification program in 2021, shared a draft of our new policy …
Discussion:
@twittersupport, Gizmodo, @ecmclaughlin, @bruzanin, @maxwildstein, @mayakaczorowski, @godisrivera, @danznewz, @bluechoochoo, TechCrunch, @oliverdarcy, @lizkelley, @janelytv, @mattnavarra, @ketanj0, @hodgesmr, @wongmjane, Adweek, ScreenRant, The Verge, Mashable, The Desk, 9to5Mac, Washingtonian and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@twittersupport: Thank you for sharing feedback on our verification policy. You helped shape the version that we're sharing today. Check out the specifics of the new policy and how you can apply for verification next year: https://blog.twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo: Twitter Is Relaunching its Troubled Verification Process After a 3 Year Hiatus
@ecmclaughlin: Unless I'm mistaken, this reads as though the president could lose his verified status once he's out of office. We shall see. https://twitter.com/...
Bruna Zanin Juresic / @bruzanin: We finally have a response to the most common question I get asked! “Can I be verified?” Check our new policy and how you'll be able to apply below 👇 https://twitter.com/...
Max / @maxwildstein: looks like members of the esports community will have the chance to get verified in 2021... many big-name mlb the show content creators are very deserving of it https://twitter.com/...
Maya Kaczorowski / @mayakaczorowski: Are you seriously putting the burden for notoriety on Wikipedia? A for profit company relying on a non profit encyclopedia who doesn't want your spam? Oh, and it's not we don't know that women or other minorities are well represented in Wikipedia articles https://twitter.com/...
@godisrivera: Thank ya'll for the policy feedback! Public applications for verification will re-open early next year 🙌🏽 https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Gidlow / @danznewz: Maybe after 11 years of being on this platform, I'll finally have a chance to be verified next year! 🤞 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Andréa López / @bluechoochoo: You can tell twitter had a giant list of things to finish “before Christmas” and I relate to that.
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch: Twitter bots and memorialized users will become ‘new account types’ in 2021
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: Twitter says that under its new verification policy it may “remove verification from accounts that are found to be in severe or repeated violation of the Twitter Rules...” https://blog.twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Liz Kelley / @lizkelley: verification, but it makes sense thanks to everyone who shared feedback to help us improve our little blue badge ☑️ https://twitter.com/...
Jane Lytvynenko / @janelytv: “In 2021, we're planning to build a new account type to distinguish automated accounts from human-run accounts to make it easier for people to know what's a bot and what's not.” This could be good! Label the bots! https://twitter.com/...
Matt Navarra / @mattnavarra: Twitter has expanded its verification policy to include ‘digital content creators’ https://blog.twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Ketan Joshi / @ketanj0: Honestly I think it'd be fun to make all scientists and academics identify as activists or organisers, on Twitter's verification system. Just leave it like that, Twitter https://blog.twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Hodges / @hodgesmr: 👀 > Under our policy, we may also remove verification from accounts that are found to be in severe or repeated violation of the Twitter Rules. > We'll begin enforcing this policy on January 20, 2021 https://twitter.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: And specifically, I cannot verify you Read their updates about the new verification policy and system which will become available in 2021 https://twitter.com/...
David Cohen / Adweek: Twitter Updates Its Public Verification Process, Which Will Take Effect Jan. 20
Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac: Twitter officially relaunching verification program in January, here are the details
Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian: Twitter Will Bring Back Verification in 2021
Karissa Bell / Engadget: Twitter will reopen verification requests in 2021
RELATED:
Jack Morse / Mashable:
Twitter says it will stop prompting users to Quote Tweet, restoring the standard RT functionality, and says QT use increased but overall sharing dropped by 20%
Discussion:
@twittersupport, @twittersupport, @carolinesinders, @carnage4life, @henrymance, @robmanuel, @oliverjia1014, @javi_draws, @veronica, Adweek, Breitbart, @anthony, @jordanlperkins, @noupside, @jsstansel, @sistertoldjah, @carynrose, @luulubuu, @kevinbparry, @parkermolloy, @dacidbro, @digiphile, @twittersupport, 9to5Mac, Engadget, MacRumors, Pocket-lint, Reuters, Engadget and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@twittersupport: After learning from this product experience, we're sharing an update: today Retweet functionality will be returning to the way it was before. Here's what we saw while we prompted Quote Tweets (1/4): https://twitter.com/...
@twittersupport: Our goal with prompting QTs (instead of Retweets) was to encourage more thoughtful amplification. We don't believe that this happened, in practice. The use of Quote Tweets increased, but 45% of them included single-word affirmations and 70% had less than 25 characters. (2/4)
Caroline Sinders / @carolinesinders: I'm glad twitter is being “open” (in quotes for sarcasm bx this is the bare bare minimum) about this process. They tried something, it failed, and are interested in iterating. Cool- let's improve features for harassment mitigation (more robust reporting + better privacy filters) https://twitter.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: This is a good PM lesson in how to approach product changes. • Start with a hypothesis - Pushing quote tweets will reduce mindless sharing • Define success metrics • Roll out change. • Measure impact - It didn't. • Roll back change. https://twitter.com/...
Rob Manuel / @robmanuel: Not sure why they didn't know this before launch, in that it would be trivial and ordinary practice to launch this for say 10,000 random users and monitor how it's used. Are they really not testing this stuff? Weird. https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Jia / @oliverjia1014: All we want is the edit button and a straightforward verification process. https://twitter.com/...
@javi_draws: Twitter literally thinks the political side of twit makes up 100% of it. “Thoughtful amplification” 🙄🙄🙄🙄 https://twitter.com/...
Veronica Belmont / @veronica: I love the transparency behind how product decisions get made (and sometimes, unmade). The whole thread is super interesting. https://twitter.com/...
David Cohen / Adweek: Twitter Brings Back Its Original Retweet Functionality
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: Commendable that they were willing to try this out and reverse course when the results showed a worse outcome. https://twitter.com/...
@jordanlperkins: does no one who develops for twitter have experience using twitter https://twitter.com/...
Renee DiResta / @noupside: Twitter puts out some findings from its quote tweet experiment, finds it did not really improve The Discourse and that while quote tweets increased, 45% of them were single-word affirmations and 70% wrote almost nothing. (This tweet is an exception, in other words) https://twitter.com/...
Jon-Stephen Stansel / @jsstansel: It's really cool that they shared the data behind the decision to stop prompting quote Tweets. Read the full thread to see the details. https://twitter.com/...
Sister Toldjah / @sistertoldjah: Magically happening just a few weeks after election day. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Parry / @kevinbparry: For the two months Twitter prompted quote tweets, I had no clue you could just not add text and it would be a retweet. I didn't retweet a ton of stuff because I didn't want to add my own text to it. 🤷♂️ https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: This was an interesting experiment, I think. Seems like it was worth doing, for sure. https://twitter.com/...
David Broweleit / @dacidbro: Implying people had to use words when they previously thought not using words was fine did not increase “thoughtful” participation Okay honestly you didn't need a metric to predict this one https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Here's 3 ways to limit or modify quote-tweeting from @zeynep that May encourage healthier behavior: https://twitter.com/... Adding friction to features used in networked abuse slows it, as adding friction to disinformation defuses it. Please keep experimenting & tell us outcomes. https://twitter.com/...
@twittersupport: We'll continue to focus on encouraging more thoughtful amplification. We believe this requires multiple solutions—some of which may be more effective than others. For example, we know that prompting you to read articles leads to more informed sharing. https://twitter.com/... (4)
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors: Twitter Kills Quote Tweet Prompt, Returns Retweet Action to Original Behavior
Max Freeman-Mills / Pocket-lint: Twitter reverts its retweets method
Patience Haggin / Wall Street Journal:
As its revenue surges, Roku has become increasingly forceful in its negotiations with media companies, as evidenced by its fights with Fox and WarnerMedia — The maker of the leading streaming-media player has taken up brash negotiating tactics over its terms to carry services like HBO Max and Peacock
Discussion:
@rolfewinkler, @maxclark, @maxwellelliot, @wsj, @mylesudland, @asharma, @asharma, @mattbelloni and Variety
Discussion:
Rolfe Winkler / @rolfewinkler: Shares up 30x in three years. Another overnight success decades in the making... https://twitter.com/...
Max Clark / @maxclark: How much of this is simply due to Roku being integrated in the TV hardware? Once-scrappy Roku has become a disruptive power in video streaming, shaking up the entertainment industry. “We're often underestimated.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Maxwell Wessel / @maxwellelliot: In 2011, I was interviewing for a VC job in Washington, DC. The partner grilling me asked about his investment into ad-supported streaming media. I said, “Bad business. Sell to Roku and take stock.” He laughed me out of the room. https://www.wsj.com/...
@wsj: “We're often underestimated.” Once-scrappy Roku has become the disruptive power in video streaming, shaking up the entertainment industry. https://www.wsj.com/...
Myles Udland / @mylesudland: Walmart-Comcast co-branded hardware to take on Roku? I'm sure it'll be fine. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Amol Sharma / @asharma: Roku was worth about $1bn when it went public. Now it's valued at $42bn, more than ViacomCBS and Fox combined. And its stock has outperformed all major streaming players during the pandemic. https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ https://twitter.com/...
Amol Sharma / @asharma: Roku CEO Anthony Wood says the entertainment companies he's battling are still adapting to the new order. “No one likes to change, and there's a huge amount of change happening,” he said. “That's going to create new winners and losers, and that's hard.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Axios buys Charlotte Agenda, a North Carolina-based digital startup with a staff of 11, as part of a push into local news; sources say the deal was close to $5M — The site focuses on service journalism for North Carolina's largest city. Now it has been scooped up in a deal valued …
Discussion:
CNN, Charlotte Agenda, @milleryoho, @nathanjmurphy, @milleryoho, @thekendallbaker, @donlday, @sportsrapport, @billvoth, @billvoth, @spencerrascoff, @ckrewson, @brooksad, @emmakway, @nytimesbusiness, @jasonwbade, @eatraleigh, @hotlinejosh, @billvoth, @aliciacbell, @heidilegg, @sneddymobbin, @jeremymbarr, @benyt, @matt_mckenzie1, @ted_williams, @heyprofbow, @matt_mckenzie1, @peterhamby, @ylichterman, @maryfgross, @davemildenberg, @sarahscire, @crystalmariecom, @chaykak, @seandkennedy, @mjsolender, @nicktheandersen, @joannakakissis, @sarthakgh, @briandfrancis, @wxbrad, @katie_levans, @ssavitsky, @jbenton, @mikecooperjr, @tommytomlinson, @shanbow, @williamsjed, @bgrueskin, @emmakway, @michaelkruse, @kerrymflynn, @katieperalta, @andrew_dunn, @katie_levans, @katieperalta, @jyarow, @edmundlee and @edmundlee
Discussion:
CNN: Signs of growth — Just one time this month, I want to begin this newsletter with some good news.
Ted Williams / Charlotte Agenda: Company News: Why we're joining Axios
Miller / @milleryoho: Or the time I did a statistical analysis of the Miss NC pageant. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ...
Nathan Murphy / @nathanjmurphy: @sneddymobbin I'm amazed he got that multiple with those margins. But still, awesome.
Miller / @milleryoho: Hey @axios feel free to republish my @charlotteagenda article about Dog Tinder.
Kendall Baker / @thekendallbaker: One of the best things about being a newsletter-driven company is how easy it is to onboard/integrate a new product and its audience. When Sports Internet became Axios Sports, it was a seamless transition. Just kind of plugged it in and we were off. Charlotte's in great hands. https://twitter.com/...
@donlday: I guess there's a market for quality, digital-first local news. Who knew? https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Glasspiegel / @sportsrapport: @billvoth I'd rather places become and stay self sustaining than get gobbled into conglomerates. That's how we got into the issues with newspapers. I feel like for example @BlockClubCHI can sustain as independent. But this is a big market so I get that's harder in other places.
Bill Voth / @billvoth: RT'ing this again since it's so important. In some ways, it's similar to the hope The Athletic has brought to sports writers - only local news is 100x more important. Proper news reporters need to go somewhere. Hopefully this is a scalable life boat. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bill Voth / @billvoth: @sportsrapport @BlockClubCHI that's a fair concern. certainly could cause some unintended consequences, but yeah, margins are that much smaller in smaller markets. so IMO, keeping local journalism afloat via big guys is better than them dying.
Spencer Rascoff / @spencerrascoff: This is why we started @dotLA — there is so much happening in local business news, especially tech, that it needs focused coverage. Very proud of the work @dotLA has done in its 11 months. https://twitter.com/...
Amanda Brooks / @brooksad: This is AWESOME. When I moved to Charlotte back in 2017, I asked coworkers & neighbors what accounts I should follow & outlets I should check out. *EVERYONE* said @charlotteagenda I read it every morning & feel more informed for doing so. Fantastic news for that crew. https://twitter.com/...
Emma Way / @emmakway: Thank you, @edmundlee! Big shoutout to @SymphonyWebber for the @nytimes photo byline!!! https://twitter.com/...
@nytimesbusiness: Ted Williams, a media entrepreneur in Charlotte, N.C., started a local news site in 2015, a bad year for the journalism business. But the gamble paid off: Axios has agreed to buy his site, The Charlotte Agenda, in a deal valued at nearly $5 million. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jason Bade / @jasonwbade: Congrats @ted_williams! Validation that in the hands of good operators, local news is an extremely good business. And if the growth of local news startups using on @tryPico this year is any indication, there's 10x opportunity ahead. https://twitter.com/...
@eatraleigh: I still mourn the short-lived Raleigh Agenda. Really hoping this means good things for hyper local journalism, that eventually can come back to here https://twitter.com/...
Josh Kraushaar / @hotlinejosh: Loving that Axios is getting into the local news space, an area where investment is badly needed for the health of our democracy. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Voth / @billvoth: GREAT news for the likes of @ted_williams @michaelngraff and @katieperalta and for the flickering future of local news https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alicia Bell / @aliciacbell: Super curious about how this will impact our news ecosystem here and the other places where Axios is moving into. https://twitter.com/...
Heidi Legg / @heidilegg: Spoke and wheel approach to local news is on its way. Not sure yet how to think about this. If it brings local journalism jobs back and covers real city stories versus national brand promotions, I am all in. Hopeful. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: One of the better journalist quotes I've read, from this story about the @charlotteagenda: “It's not everywhere where you can tell your boss, 'Hey, Ted, that's a stupid idea,' and not get in trouble for it,” she said." https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: Patch's flameout in 2014 scared a lot of people off commercial local news. It's really healthy to see flickers of private investment here https://www.vulture.com/... and here https://www.nytimes.com/... . . .
Matt McKenzie / @matt_mckenzie1: .@charlotteagenda has become the #clt news source for many. Biggest move was embracing journalism & hiring @michaelngraff & @katieperalta. @_naomipaige has been a refreshing young voice as well. @ted_williams has reshaped local media, something hard to do https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ted Williams / @ted_williams: @heyprofbow Haha! Your classes changed my career/outlook. Bigger impact than you realize. Thank you!
@heyprofbow: So here's where I say Ted was a student of mine and act like I had anything to do with his success. https://twitter.com/...
Matt McKenzie / @matt_mckenzie1: Re: Agenda purchase. Real curious if the original $10,000 investors (Katie Levans, Andrew Dunn & Cristina Wilson) got a piece of the $5M. If so, that's a HEFTY ROI.
Peter Hamby / @peterhamby: brand selling point: the founder looks exactly like every dude from Charlotte https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joseph Lichterman / @ylichterman: This is exciting news in local news https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mary Gross / @maryfgross: I've been covering soft pretzels and the best bar bathrooms for @charlotteagenda since 2015 and have loved every minute of it. @ted_williams and @katie_levans should be so proud of their baby. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@davemildenberg: Axios buys @charlotteagenda for $5M, @nytimes says. Congrats @ted_williams @katieperalta @michaelngraff Will expand to Denver, Tampa, Des Moines, Minneapolis. Axios is DC-based media company backed by NBC, other big money. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sarah Scire / @sarahscire: 👀 “There is an audience — and real revenue — in cities. It's a tough nut to crack, but creating a daily habit for local readers who care deeply about local issues stirs the possibility of starting to solve the local news crisis.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Crystal Marie / @crystalmariecom: Wow, what great news for @charlotteagenda! When is the safe, socially distant, ok fine Zoom party? So proud of you all! @ted_williams @katie_levans @michaelngraff @emmakway @_naomipaige etc. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kyle Chayka / @chaykak: Axios aquires a Charlotte local news website / newsletter, $5 mil on $2.2 mil revenue / 30% profit https://www.nytimes.com/...
@seandkennedy: .@axios in local news: “If this works in these five cities (Charlotte, Tampa, Denver, Minneapolis and Des Moines), particularly if we can replicate the business success of Charlotte, we will move fast to scale it to as many cities as humanly possible.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael J. Solender / @mjsolender: Wow! Congrats to @ted_williams and team. You've executed on your vision from Day 1. Mazel tov. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Nick Andersen / @nicktheandersen: !!! congrats to @ted_williams! it has been such a pleasure to follow @charlotteagenda's growth. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joanna Kakissis / @joannakakissis: Great news for local journalism in NC! And for critical debate on story ideas: “It's not everywhere where you can tell your boss, 'Hey, that's a stupid idea,' and not get in trouble for it,” she said." https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “Axios expects to top $61 million in revenue this year — a 40 percent bump over last year — and remain profitable...The company has 1.4 million email subscribers and has raised about $57 million so far. It has been valued at over $200 million.” Woah https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Francis / @briandfrancis: Whoa. $5m. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brad Panovich / @wxbrad: Congrats @ted_williams , I can say I remember when people thought you were crazy but knew what you were doing. https://twitter.com/...
Katie Levans / @katie_levans: Told Axios the same thing I told Ted, that he completely changed the trajectory of my life (professionally and financially) and that they won't find better leadership or a team better equipped for this exact moment. Couldn't be prouder of what we built or happier for my friend.
Shane Savitsky / @ssavitsky: Very excited that the world can finally know that all of us at Axios are getting a bunch of amazing new coworkers from the @charlotteagenda. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Congratulations to @ted_williams and @charlotteagenda! Maybe an Axios exit is the new local news business model https://www.nytimes.com/...
Michael Cooper / @mikecooperjr: @tommytomlinson @michaelngraff @katieperalta @emmakway @gangrey Merry Christmas 🎁 @michaelngraff !
Tommy Tomlinson / @tommytomlinson: Best of luck to my friends @michaelngraff and @katieperalta and @emmakway on this — and @gangrey, looks like y'all need to talk. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Shannan Bowen / @shanbow: Did not see this coming but also not surprised given the Axios push into local news: https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ...
Jed Williams / @williamsjed: @shanbow Smart as hell, IMO
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: From @ted_williams, publisher of the Charlotte Agenda: “This fall, I read a WSJ article highlighting Axios's plans to enter local media. “I sent CEO @JimVandeHei an email. “He responded in 2 minutes.” https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Emma Way / @emmakway: Big news: @charlotteagenda is becoming @axios Charlotte! We're all so excited for this next stage and to continue covering stories that get readers smarter, faster. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ...
Michael Kruse / @michaelkruse: It's an interesting development for the Charlotte area and for local media in general. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ...
@kerrymflynn: 🚨 A media acquisition that didn't happen at a conference!!! https://www.charlotteagenda.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Katie Peralta / @katieperalta: Thank you for the thoughtful story, @edmundlee.
Andrew Dunn / @andrew_dunn: Congrats @ted_williams and the @charlotteagenda team! It was an honor to be a part of this local media success story https://twitter.com/...
Katie Levans / @katie_levans: Started from the bottom. https://twitter.com/...
Katie Peralta / @katieperalta: 🚨Professional news!🚨 We're pumped to join Axios as they launch in local markets. I personally can't wait to learn from and grow with this dynamic team. I am so excited about the future of local news. https://twitter.com/...
Jay Yarow / @jyarow: “I think media is a very simple business that people tend to overcomplicate.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
FT's union suspends pay negotiations after learning that ex-EIC Lionel Barber made £1.92M in 2019 despite profit falling to £1.89M from £8.2M in 2018 — Former FT editor Lionel Barber received pay and pension benefits worth £1.92m in 2019 as the FT Ltd …
RELATED:
William Turvill / Press Gazette:
A list of the 24 English language news sites with 100K+ online subscribers, featuring NYT in the lead by a wide margin, WaPo, WSJ, Gannett, FT, the Athletic
Discussion:
@kellystrib, What's New in Publishing, @ryanfaircloth, @tanedanger, @davidakin, @tombabin, @wturvill, @jayrosen_nyu, @jbenton, @jbenton, ScreenRant and @_bmturner_
Discussion:
Kelly Smith / @kellystrib: Reading and subscribing to the NYT is important, but they have 6.1 million digital subscribers. The Star Tribune has 102,000. Your local community paper probably has even fewer subscribers. #SupportLocalNews https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Faircloth / @ryanfaircloth: “Star Tribune Media was one of America's first regional news organizations to launch a paywall in 2011. It is now enjoying the fruits of its foresight, having surpassed 100,000 digital subscribers in May.” https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ... - via:@pressgazette
Tane Danger / @tanedanger: I'm really proud to call the @StarTribune my hometown newspaper. There isn't another regional paper in a comparable market doing this well. https://twitter.com/...
David Akin / @davidakin: Interesting. Also: No Cdn organizations on this list. And yet, back in the day, more than a few CDN newspapers (some I worked at!) with more than 100K paid subscriptions for the paper copy ... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Babin / @tombabin: @klaszus I look forward to @sprawlcalgary appearing on this list https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
William Turvill / @wturvill: Pleased to present @pressgazette's new 100k Club: a league table of 24 English-language publishers that have surpassed 100,000 paying digital subscribers. Research finds that, between them, these companies/ publications have more than 20m subscriptions https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: A list of news publishers that have over 100,000 digital subscribers, led of course by the New York Times with 6.1 million. https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ... It has some surprises.
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: On this list, I subscribe to 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 21. (I get 3, 6, 8, and 17 through work.) https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Most amazing number on this list of the global news brands with the most digital subscribers is News Corp Australia, which has 685,000 Given that Australia is ~1/13th the size of the U.S., that'd be like @Gannett having 9 million subs (It has 1 million) https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
Reza Chowdhury / AlleyWatch:
Comcast's FreeWheel, a TV advertising platform, buys Beeswax, a programmatic ad-tech platform founded in 2014; terms of the transaction were not disclosed — Beeswax, the programmatic ad-tech platform that offers “bidder-as-a-service”, has been acquired by FreeWheel, the digital TV advertising platform.
Discussion:
AdExchanger, MediaPost, FreeWheel, Adweek, Default HubSpot Blog, Digital TV Europe, @jbrichman, FierceVideo and Radio & Television …
Discussion:
Ryan Joe / AdExchanger: FreeWheel Buys Beeswax
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: FreeWheel To Buy Beeswax Programmatic Platform
Ronan Shields / Adweek: Comcast's Ad-Tech Arm FreeWheel to Purchase Beeswax
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: FreeWheel acquires Beeswax
Helene Fouquet / Bloomberg:
Tencent buys another 10% stake in Universal Music Group, adding to the 10% stake it bought last year, at the same valuation of €30B — - Vivendi plans to sell additional minority stakes in UMG — Deal values world's biggest music company at $30 billion euros
Discussion:
Patrick Frater / Variety: Tencent to Increase Universal Music Group Stake to 20%
Dominique Vidalon / Reuters: Tencent-led consortium buys extra 10% of Vivendi's Universal
Nushin Rashidian / Columbia Journalism Review:
Facebook and Google increased funding for news outlets during the pandemic, becoming important patrons; publishers must remain vigilant about their influence — THE PANDEMIC FUNDING PUSH — In 2019, a director at a journalism foundation who worked closely with Facebook and Google wrestled …
Patricia Nilsson / Financial Times:
An investigation into who owns MindGeek, the secretive company behind Pornhub, which had $460M in revenue in 2018 and has 115M+ daily visitors to its sites — Mario Salieri was shooting a pornographic movie in a lavish Prague villa two decades ago when he first caught sight of the computer geeks who were about to upend his industry.
Discussion:
Laila Mickelwait / @lailamickelwait: Who really owns Pornhub besides David Tasillo & Feras Antoon? No one has known this publicly until today. Bernard Bergemar, a man that's been hiding in the shadows while exposing the nude bodies of children & unwilling women to the world.#Traffickinghub https://www.ft.com/...
Jack Shafer / @jackshafer: “In the US over the past month, for example, more web searches were recorded for ‘Pornhub’ than ‘coronavirus’ or ‘Trump’, according to Google data.” FT's paywalled story on Pornhub https://www.ft.com/...
Laila Mickelwait / @lailamickelwait: Financial Times investigation exposes the primary owner of Pornhub/Mindgeek who has been hidden in the shadows until now: Bernard Bergemar Report by @patricianilsson https://www.ft.com/...
Jeff Roberts / @jeffjohnroberts: Crazy detail in FT profile of MindGeek: Cornell and JPM among those who financed Pornhub's growth—with a 20.4% interest rate https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joseph / @josephstash: Remember when Theresa May almost made MindGeek the arbiters of age verification on the internet 😬 https://www.ft.com/...
Saurabh Sharma / @ssharmaus: Thylmann was desperate for cash to expand his porn empire, then....The solution came in 2011, in the form of $362m in debt from 125 secret investors that....included Fortress Investment Group, JPMorgan Chase & Cornell University. Seize. The. Endowments. https://www.ft.com/...
Allana Akhtar / Business Insider: Pornhub is owned by a mysterious businessman through a ‘complex network of subsidiaries’ that have kept his identity a secret until now, according to a new report
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
A startup called Gawq has launched a news app that organizes 150+ news sources; the app helps users compare sources, check facts, and even rate stories — A new startup called Gawq wants to tackle the problem of fake news and the “echo chamber” problem created by social media …
Discussion:
Taylor Lorenz / Nieman Lab:
As journalists adopt influencer tactics for solo businesses, they'll see more drawbacks that influencers have faced, including reliance on fickle tech platforms — “Successful independent journalists will realize how difficult it can be to strike the right balance between cultivating enough …
Discussion:
@sophiasgaler, @petergyang, @andrewfeinberg, @radiotfb, @armano, @lpolgreen, @golikehellmachi, @radiotfb, @jaykapoornyc, @vincenzolandino, @stokel, @simonestolzoff, @taylorlorenz, @andrewfeinberg, @susannahbreslin, @micahloewinger, @taylorlorenz, @radiotfb, @dankennedy_nu, @taylorlorenz, @hunterwalk, @sachgau, @rossbarkan, @andrewfeinberg, @ibogost, @sarahsmacdonald, @mubashariqbal, @sachinrekhi, @taylorlorenz, @nwquah, @sullydish, @kattenbarge, @jamespmcleod, @nwquah, @meiragebel and TechCrunch
Discussion:
Sophia Smith Galer / @sophiasgaler: Fascinating, as per usual, from @TaylorLorenz, who shudders ‘at the thought of a journalist-influencer Hype House’. For those of us getting big on social, the lines between journalism and digital creation are increasingly blurred. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Peter Yang / @petergyang: Great post from @TaylorLorenz. Being an independent journalist is much more than writing content. You also need to: 1. Deal with burnout 2. Manage tech platform changes 3. Build a relationship with readers 4. Work with other creators https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Andrew Feinberg / @andrewfeinberg: Yes, I know @sullydish and @ggreenwald and @mattyglesias are having a grand old time with the platform, and some outlets I read (@thedispatch / @BulwarkOnline etc) are making good use of the tech for subscriptions. 2/
Josh / @radiotfb: This is a smart take, and applies to podcasters as well as writers - there is a “honeymoon period” with Patreon, Substack etc that can't last, and is arguably already fading. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
David Armano / @armano: This 👇🏼 I have never been envious of any creator or influencer who have made it their full time job To me, no amount of money is worth the pressure to one up your content on a daily basis. To scrutinize your audience at every turn Good read https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Lydia Polgreen / @lpolgreen: I am thrilled to see new platforms emerging that allow journalists to make a living for their work independently. But @TaylorLorenz is very wise about what some of the pitfalls and risks are here. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Golikecorpromachine / @golikehellmachi: seems like it might not be a great indicator for all those journalists who quit their jobs to start a substack that substack users are so over saturated that they need an RSS reader https://twitter.com/...
Josh / @radiotfb: It'll be the right choice for some creators, but not everyone, and it'll get harder to build a paid fanbase as the field gets more crowded. An independent media ecosystem can't sustain itself with thousands of atomized feeds each charging $5/mo.
Jay Kapoor / @jaykapoornyc: These are really great points by @TaylorLorenz and something a lot of Substack writers haven't considered. Then again, you really just need to get to ~3,000ppl paying $100/yr to make more as an independent than most writers at a publication will ever make https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Vincenzo Landino / @vincenzolandino: As long as there is no journalist hype house, it'll be ok. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / @stokel: People often ask me whether I would want to become an online content creator/influencer because of the stuff I cover and my answer is always “Hell no, it is far too much work” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Simone Stolzoff / @simonestolzoff: I loved this @TaylorLorenz take. I do believe newsletter audiences are a bit more portable than audiences on YouTube or IG, but it will be interesting to see the inevitable bundling and wrap-around services that arise from the Substackification. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: This year, I wrote abt the big problems this new class of journalist-creators will encounter in 2021, and the lessons that generations of YouTubers, streamers, and influencers had to learn the hard way https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Andrew Feinberg / @andrewfeinberg: (Thread) This @TaylorLorenz piece for @NiemanLab hits the nail on the head about why I am very, very skeptical of substack & those who evangelize about how it's “the future.” Frankly, I find the enthusiasm around it irrational, bordering on insane. 1/ https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Susannah Breslin / @susannahbreslin: “Perhaps the new entry-level media job will be editing a big-name writer's Substack, or helping an independent journalist with their Patreon podcast launch.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Micah Loewinger / @micahloewinger: Laughing maniacally to myself as I read this, as I furiously sketch out a 20-page plan to monetize my brand and followers. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Right now, I believe we're in a honeymoon period, with many independent journalists still starry-eyed over the promise of digital platforms like Substack, Patreon, YouTube, and more. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Josh / @radiotfb: There will be bundling, and new ad-hoc networks and platforms, and new support roles to offload some of the hard work of being an indie maker. A lot of these new feeds are very exciting! But the equilibrium isn't done shifting.
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: But the more journalists become digital creators, the more they'll become subject to the type of struggles mainstream influencers have been dealing with for years. I think there will be a bit of reckoning over this in 2021 https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Oliver Sachgau / @sachgau: So many influencers start from a position of comfort or have money already, which means that only specific kinds of journalists will have the chance to branch out to Substack & Co. https://twitter.com/...
Ross Barkan / @rossbarkan: “Tending to your fan base” also becomes a challenge for mainstream publications that chiefly base their future income growth on digital subscriptions. This isn't good or bad, just the reality of what's to come. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Feinberg / @andrewfeinberg: But speaking as a longtime resident of freelance hell, I can't see why — other than greed, arrogance, or an inability to play well w/ others — a journalist would give up the access to resources, stability, & support that comes w/ a full time gig to write one's own substack. 3/
Ian Bogost / @ibogost: Here's @TaylorLorenz on the downsides of the indie-journo-newsletter gold rush. Only a very few will benefit, maybe most of those slots are already taken, and the rest will become platform slaves and influencer servants. https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Sarah MacDonald / @sarahsmacdonald: my soul will float away and explode out of my body if i call myself a digital or a content creator. but despite it all, she's right that this is our...(only?) path https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Mubashar Iqbal / @mubashariqbal: “Journalists will learn influencing isn't easy” /by @TaylorLorenz As a maker I feel like I've learned this lesson too. https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Sachin Rekhi / @sachinrekhi: Insightful take from @TaylorLorenz on how journalists going independent will inevitably struggle with the same challenges that have plagued social media influencers more broadly https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: “Successful independent journalists will realize how difficult it can be to strike the right balance between cultivating enough of an audience to effectively monetize and becoming beholden to their whims.” Read my @NiemanLab prediction for media in 2021 https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Andrew Sullivan / @sullydish: @AndrewFeinberg Because we can't write what we believe in the MSM, because it's been captured by woke ideology.
Kat Tenbarge / @kattenbarge: All of @TaylorLorenz's predictions have been right so in preparation for this one to come true I will be organizing the NO-CLOUT HOUSE, a group of like-minded journalists who have no clout https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Nick Quah / @nwquah: catching up on 2021 nieman predictions: this @TaylorLorenz contribution is spooooot on, at least based on my own contained experience https://www.niemanlab.org/...
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