Top News:
Dan De Luce / NBC News:
Michael Pack, the head of USAGM who oversaw VOA and the Open Technology Fund, has resigned at the request of the Biden administration — WASHINGTON — The Trump appointee overseeing the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded broadcasters resigned on Wednesday at the request of the Biden administration …
Discussion:
@davidfolkenflik, Vox, @marcrod97, @alexwardvox, @fridaghitis, AllAccess.com, @kaedotcom, Associated Press, @dfriedman33, @zaccunningham, @davidfolkenflik, @grahambrookie, @davidfolkenflik, @grahamdavida, @dburbach, @albertomiguelf5, @kaedotcom, @w7voa, Slate, @muhammadlila, @markos, @junaidmuhammadd, @newsprof1, @jackshafer, @vivian, @jonathanwpeters, @govacctproj, @farhip, @tonyfratto, NPR, @kimmasters, @b52malmet, @waltshaub, @etbrooking, @npr, Axios, @camjourno, @wiczipedia and Government Accountability …, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: US Agency for Global Media Michael Pack resigns, effective 2pm, after waging war on his executives and the international news networks they oversee. A Trumpian legacy of ideological clashes, lawsuits and scandal. More to come.
Marc Rod / @marcrod97: Michael Pack has resigned as the head of USAGM at the request of the Biden administration
Alex Ward / @alexwardvox: Biden already made a big foreign policy move: Ousting USAGM's Michael Pack https://www.vox.com/...
Frida Ghitis / @fridaghitis: First firing of the Biden administration. Welcome back Voice of America! @VOANews https://twitter.com/...
Nick Gale Upped To / AllAccess.com: Controversial U.S. Agency For Global Media CEO Michael Pack Resigns At Biden Administration's Request
Kim Andrew Elliott / @kaedotcom: “Mr. Pack was asked by the incoming administration of President Biden to step down, despite having a three-year contract beginning in June 2020 as the first Senate-confirmed chief of the media agency.” https://www.washingtontimes.com/ ...
Dan Friedman / @dfriedman33: Confused about whether Pack and retains his position as s chairman of the boards of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia and how much that matters if so. https://www.npr.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Zac Cunningham / @zaccunningham: “According to three people with knowledge, the new Biden team appears poised to bring suspended executives back into the agency fold, replace the network chiefs appointed by Pack last month, and to appoint new boards.” https://www.npr.org/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: @jackshafer Firings, investigations, accusing them of laxity agst never specified spies, attacking his own people as deep staters, forcing foreign employees to return to home lands run by hostile regimes... rhetorical warfare but you know
Graham Brookie / @grahambrookie: Pack's words never matched his actions, but this is beyond. I hope he finds facts and a little less relevance in private life. Every one of his moves at USAGM were nakedly partisan, & he actively sought to remove protections & journalistic independence from our public media. https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: Trump's CEO over Voice of America et al - his seven month tenure defined by crisis and scandal - resigns at Biden's request. My post for NPR https://www.npr.org/...
David A. Graham / @grahamdavida: PACK MAKES TRACKS, HACKS RELAX https://twitter.com/...
David Burbach / @dburbach: Pack was an unethical partisan hack who was abusing his employees and destroying his agency, under both IG investigation for that plus *criminal* investigation by DC for pre-govt fraud. Glad Biden wasted no time in ousting. https://twitter.com/...
Alberto Miguel Fernandez / @albertomiguelf5: Hey, that Biden guy ain't all bad! 😂 https://twitter.com/...
Kim Andrew Elliott / @kaedotcom: “he attacked the request for his resignation as ‘a partisan act,’ saying the leadership of the agency and its networks ‘is meant to be non-partisan, untethered to alternations in the political regime.’” #USAGM https://www.npr.org/...
Steve Herman / @w7voa: The @USAGMgov CEO is leaving this afternoon at the request of @POTUS. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate: Biden Has Already Fired Three of Trump's Worst Appointees
Muhammad Lila / @muhammadlila: This is a big signal for how the Biden administration intends to conduct itself. Pack oversaw the exodus of some of the agency's top journalists, who refused to bow to the Trump administration's demands. Welcome news for journalists everywhere. https://twitter.com/...
Markos Moulitsas / @markos: Petulant to the end. https://twitter.com/...
Muhammad Junaid / @junaidmuhammadd: What a great news. Racist Michael Pack gone! https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Kate Wright / @newsprof1: Hey students on ‘Media and Politics’ @EdinburghPIR. The first big head has rolled following #Inauguration2021 To understand what this means, watch my lecture on soft power and propaganda, esp the section on @VOANews https://twitter.com/...
Jack Shafer / @jackshafer: @davidfolkenflik War?
Vivian Schiller / @vivian: Fired by the President in his first hour on the job.
Jonathan Peters / @jonathanwpeters: And not a moment too soon. Michael Pack dishonored in countless ways the missions of the media organizations he was putatively leading. A necessary step to safeguard such outlets as VOA and RFE/RL. https://twitter.com/...
@govacctproj: We've represented brave whistleblowers from the U.S. Agency for Global Media that have called out wrongdoing at the organization. CEO Michael Pack's resignation represents a major victory for these truth-tellers. https://www.vox.com/...
Paul Farhi / @farhip: An update to this: Biden has named @keluchao, a veteran @VOANews journalist, as Pack's interim replacement. Senate must confirm a permanent replacement. Chao: https://www.google.com/...
Tony Fratto / @tonyfratto: Fantastic news. And big thanks to @davidfolkenflik for his dogged coverage of the attempted destruction of this important institution... https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / NPR: Defined By Scandal At Voice of America, CEO Resigns At Biden's Request
Kim Masters / @kimmasters: Another monster gone. Kudos to @davidfolkenflik for great work on this story. https://twitter.com/...
Barbara Malmet / @b52malmet: I'm old enough to remember when the regime of cruelty and corruption took over Voice of America. https://twitter.com/...
Walter Shaub / @waltshaub: Good riddance to a Bannon associate who tried to create a nationalist propaganda network. https://twitter.com/...
Emerson T. Brooking / @etbrooking: Pack never summoned a fraction of this self-righteous indignation for the USAGM reporters he endangered nor the norms he stupidly sought to destroy. https://twitter.com/...
@npr: NEW: Michael Pack, the Trump-appointed CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has resigned at President Biden's request. “Pack seemed only to know how to destroy,” the agency's former general counsel said of his record. “It was wanton destruction.” https://www.npr.org/...
Camilla Schick / @camjourno: Trump USAGM CEO out: Michael Pack writes “The new admin requested my resignation”,"I continue to admire & praise USAGM's journalists" in internal emails given to CBS. He branded @VOANews' foreign journos ‘spies’, refused to renew their visas leaving them vulnerable to deportation https://twitter.com/...
Nina Jankowicz / @wiczipedia: “He leaves the U.S. Agency for Global Media with a Trumpian legacy of ideological strife, lawsuits, and scandal, his departure effective just two hours after the swearing-in of President Biden, who requested him to leave.” https://www.npr.org/...
RELATED:
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Whistleblower complaint accuses Michael Pack of spending $2M on a law firm to compile personnel dossiers on USAGM managers he had targeted for removal
Discussion:
Paul Farhi / Washington Post: Controversial head of Voice of America resigns hours after President Biden takes office
Jessica Jerreat / Voice of America: USAGM Head Resigns Following Biden Request
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter: Biden Administration Asks Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack to Resign
Rachel Sandler / Forbes: Here Are All The Actions Biden Took On His First Day In Office
Mark S. Zaid / @markszaidesq: In order to combat our representation of USAGM senior managers, agency spent $2 mil in hiring outside legal counsel! Where it found these unappropriated funds is darn good question, and possibly creates legal liability for Trump officials. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Brad Bender / The Keyword:
Google announces a global deal with Reuters for News Showcase, which pays publishers for content highlighted in panels in News, Discover, and search results — The events of this past year have proven that providing access to diverse, high-quality news sources is more important than ever.
Discussion:
Stephen J. Adler / @stephenjadler: From Google: “Today we're announcing a new global deal with Reuters for News Showcase. Their in-depth coverage from 2,500 journalists around the world is indispensable and another example of the quality news content News Showcase is bringing to users."https://blog.google/...
Jacob Shamsian / Business Insider:
Pro-Trump media outlet OAN has scrubbed stories about voting machine companies from its website without explanation, after the companies hired libel lawyers — - Far-right media outlet One America News has removed articles about Dominion without telling anyone.
Discussion:
Jacob Shamsian / @jayshams: I just got a response from Smartmatic: “Any removal of the articles by OAN at this late date has no impact on whether Smartmatic can or will pursue litigation.” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Jacob Shamsian / @jayshams: The deletions took place about a week after Dominion filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Sidney Powell, according to the @waybackmachine's records. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Jacob Shamsian / @jayshams: Legitimate news organizations usually issue retraction notices or editors' notes when they do something like this. OAN hasn't said anything. Dominion tells me they haven't been in touch with them about the deletions either. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Susan J. Demas / @sjdemas: Not a liability shield lol https://twitter.com/...
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Fox News is laying off some digital staff, including Chris Stirewalt, per source, a politics editor who oversaw the team that projected Arizona for Biden — Fox News is laying off some employees who work for its digital operations, part of an ongoing examination of its overall business …
Discussion:
@sarahellison, New York Times, Washington Post, @mattgertz, Associated Press, @justinbaragona, @grynbaum, @robertmaguire_, @juliemason, @sarahellison, The Media Nut, @anneapplebaum, MediaPost, @bbcjonsopel, Media Matters for America, @mmasnick, @donmoyn, @mattklewis, @noahcrothman, @mattgertz, @_cingraham, @mattgertz, @greenfield64, @chaznuttycombe, @schoofsfeed, @chrisdjackson, @brianstelter, @jeffjarvis, @adams, @govhowarddean, @markberman, @mehdirhasan, @gothamgirlblue, @jayrosen_nyu, @davidafrench, @poniewozik, @elongreen, @tvietor08, @slpng_giants, @danpfeiffer, @elongreen, @grudging1, @timalberta, @bristei, @bristei, @dougsmock, @mehdirhasan, @goangelo, @jvlast, @edlavacnn, @ashtonpittman, @parkermolloy, @craigsilverman, @margokingston1, @terryboutonhist, @mattgertz, @maxboot, @benyt, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times, The Right Scoop and Fox News
Discussion:
Sarah Ellison / @sarahellison: BREAKING —> Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt was laid off today alongside just under 20 Fox News staffers. Stirewalt sat on the Fox News decision desk, which has come under fire for its early call on Arizona election night. Story forthcoming...
Sarah Ellison / Washington Post: Top Fox News managers depart amid Murdoch's concerns over controversial Arizona election night projection
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: Chris Stirewalt was laid off because Fox's decision desk accurately called the race for Trump, while Maria Bartiromo may get promoted for her conspiracy theories about the election being stolen. This is what Fox News is and aspires to be: A propaganda machine.
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: NEW: Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt's exit from the network coincided with the sacking of at least 16 digital editorial staffers, including senior editors. Fox insiders said the layoffs called it a “blood bath” perpetrated by Porter Berry. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Michael M. Grynbaum / @grynbaum: More changes at Fox News: Greg GUTFELD is under consideration for a daily late-night talk show, via @RachelAbramsNY & me https://www.nytimes.com/...
Robert Maguire / @robertmaguire_: We're never going to truly get past the division and disinformation of this era if we don't reckon with a media environment that prizes clicks and eyeballs over facts and substance. We're still backsliding. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Julie Mason / @juliemason: This is shocking. @ChrisStirewalt is a top-notch journalist who was a credit to @FoxNews. I hope some smart news exec snaps him up FAST. Fox News Launches ‘Purge’ to ‘Get Rid of Real Journalists’ https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ... via @thedailybeast
Sarah Ellison / @sarahellison: Fox News correctly predicted Arizona election results earlier than anyone else. So why were the two top editorial voices involved in that projection booted from the company? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Josh Sternberg / The Media Nut: News networks give more airtime to Congress members with extreme views than to others
Anne Applebaum / @anneapplebaum: Really important story. Fox's Arizona call *only* mattered because it interfered with Trump's plan to call the election that night and ‘stop the count.’ If Fox now regrets that, then they regret not helping him steal the election. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: Fox Digital Layoffs Include Exec Involved In Calling Arizona For Biden
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: This left wing cancel culture is out of contr... Oh, wait... https://twitter.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: The Fox News election night staffers that correctly called Biden winning Arizona are out because they irritated Trump supporters. Murdoch was personally involved in the decision. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matt Lewis / @mattklewis: He was exactly right about Arizona. He was also right when Karl Rove tried to get him to reverse the Ohio call in 2012. Basically, he was always right. https://twitter.com/...
Noah Rothman / @noahcrothman: They were first. They were right. And they're being punished for it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: What exactly do Bret Baier and Chris Wallace tell themselves that they do for a living? https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Ingraham / @_cingraham: Fox launches ‘purge’ to ‘get rid of real journalists,’ in case you were feeling overly optimistic about the health of democracy in the coming years https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: **taps mic** We were right. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Jeff Greenfield / @greenfield64: Message from FOX to viewers switching to OAN and Newsmax: “We promise to get rid of anyone who accurately reports news you do not want to believe. Trust us to rinforce whatever falsehoods make you comfortable.” https://twitter.com/...
Chaz Nuttycombe / @chaznuttycombe: Arizona was a good call. The call that Democrats would pick up seats in the House was very, very, very premature, and obviously wrong. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Schoofs / @schoofsfeed: Who fires a journalist for getting it *right*? Fox News. https://www.nytimes.com/... @nytimes
Chris D. Jackson / @chrisdjackson: Fired for being right. Imagine that. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: This makes a lot of sense - my sources have been expecting changes on “The Five” at 5pm - and they've been saying Shannon Bream's 11pm hour is under scrutiny. Gutfeld could move from 5 to 11pm... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Forced out for getting a fact right. Peak Murdoch. Top Fox News managers depart amid Murdoch's concerns over controversial Arizona election night projection By Sarah Ellison https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Adam Sharp / @adams: I worked with @ChrisStirewalt on analyzing the 2012 election using Twitter data. Smart, funny, good guy. Sad for him and his colleagues. https://twitter.com/...
Howard Dean / @govhowarddean: Fox is such a cesspool. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: Rupert Murdoch is unhappy with the way Fox News mishandled the network's call of Arizona for Biden — even though the call was *correct*. The call was correct, the information conveyed to viewers accurate and early, and people got mad so he's displeased https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: Yet more evidence that Fox ‘News’ is not a news channel. It is a propaganda channel. https://twitter.com/...
@gothamgirlblue: Remember when Obama wanted to remove Fox News from the WH Briefing Room and tons of journalists threatened to protest in solidarity with a white nationalist propaganda outlet? Good times. https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Fox said Biden would win Arizona. Biden did win Arizona. Which created a crisis at Fox. Now, heads have rolled. This would never happen at a reality-based newsroom. https://twitter.com/...
David French / @davidafrench: Terrible. In the meantime, Maria Bartiromo, a person who flooded the airwaves with a firehose of falsehoods, gets a shot at prime time. https://twitter.com/...
James Poniewozik / @poniewozik: People talk about Fox News influencing/indoctrinating its audience, which it does. But Fox is also terrified of its audience, which to some extent it lost control of, not just with the election but once Trump wrested it away as his base. https://twitter.com/...
Elon Green / @elongreen: Which is not to say that Fox won't get worse. Surely it will. But let's not pretend this is some paradigm shift.
Tommy Vietor / @tvietor08: Another data point making clear why @JoeBiden and his team should not engage with Fox News. There is no news side. It's just the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
@slpng_giants: Keep in mind that Fox's “hard news” division is how they're able to convince advertisers, many of whom have ditched the racist and conspiratorial opinion shows, to stay with the network. That cover is almost gone now. Without it, they're basically Breitbart with carriage fees. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Pfeiffer / @danpfeiffer: After helping incite a violent insurrection that killed several people, the Murdoch family is doubling down on dangerous propaganda. Once again, congrats to all of the “journalists” at Fox that whitewash this dangerous behavior. https://twitter.com/...
Elon Green / @elongreen: To pivot from what now https://twitter.com/...
@grudging1: Fox is going to give Newsmax and OAN all the crazy competition they can handle. Rupert may be the most destructive individual in US history. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Alberta / @timalberta: Stirewalt is the man. One of the smartest people in political journalism. A huge (and dumbfounding) loss for Fox News. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Steinberg / @bristei: Fox News' ongoing restructuring efforts results in layoffs at its digital operations. Chris Stirewalt, a politics editor whose on-air profile tends to rise during election cycles, is among those affected https://variety.com/... via @variety
Brian Steinberg / @bristei: Another staffer tied to coverage of politics, the Washington managing editor Bill Sammon, announced Monday he would retire https://variety.com/...
Doug Smock / @dougsmock: Well, this is a crock. He was a solid political analyst at the Charleston Daily Mail and somebody I could count on at Fox to give it to us pretty straight. (Full disclosure: He once played in my fantasy football league.) https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: Hey where are all the ‘cancel culture’ folks right now? https://twitter.com/...
Angelo Carusone / @goangelo: We know direction Fox is going. They're like a meteor approaching. Heating up. They'll be worse than ever. It will make their business implode if we act. Open question remains: will it burn up and break apart or will it crash and cause massive damage. We decide by what we do. https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan V. Last / @jvlast: This is Fox's only possible path: They have to cut the OAN/Newsmax insurgency off at the knees. And to do that, they have to go harder MAGA. Anyone who thought Fox would become more responsible was delusional. Now: What do you think that means for the future of the GOP? https://twitter.com/...
Ed Lavandera / @edlavacnn: Disturbing reality for a news organization that many Americans still watch, although fewer by the week. https://twitter.com/...
Ashton Pittman / @ashtonpittman: Laid off for calling the election accurately. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: I know that some people had a bit of optimism that Fox would shift to more news/less crazy conspiracy theory stuff after the election... I hate to say I told you so... https://twitter.com/...
Craig Silverman / @craigsilverman: At most news orgs, a person who helped make a big and accurate early call, stuck to it based on data, and was proven right would be celebrated. At Fox News, he gets laid off. https://twitter.com/...
@margokingston1: Murdoch's response to Trump loss: it's gunna get way less fact based. https://twitter.com/...
Terry Bouton / @terryboutonhist: Wait, so those calls from Fox News for unity and peace weren't made in good faith? How many advertisers beyond Pillow Guy are going to bankroll Fox's further descent into post-truth madness? https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: All of Fox's staffing and programming changes are going in the same direction — they are breaking the “news” side in hopes of winning back their pro-Trump viewers. https://www.mediamatters.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Max Boot / @maxboot: Like I said, if Fox won't clean up its act, big cable operators like Charter and Spectrum should drop it. And we should start discussing how to revive the Fairness Doctrine (which never applied to cable channels, alas). In @PostOpinions: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: So they're purging the reality-based people, and elevating Maria Bartiromo, the clearest voice of Trump's lies. https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Caplan / Breitbart: Report: Fox News Political Editor Chris Stirewalt Laid Off Amid Restructuring
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times: Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt out in company restructuring
Chris Stirewalt / Fox News: Put that in your Hot Pocket
Trilby Beresford / Hollywood Reporter:
Vogue will release a limited-edition cover featuring Kamala Harris in formal attire, following backlash over its February magazine cover — This decision follows backlash earlier this month over a February magazine cover that showed Harris in casual clothes and Converse sneakers.
Discussion:
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost:
Kantar: HBO Max took 19.2% of new streaming subs in Q4, followed by Prime Video at 18.2%, with 41% of new HBO Max subs citing specific content as sign up reason — In the last three months of 2020, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video pulled in the highest number of new streaming subscription video-on-demand …
New York Times:
In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki vowed to bring “truth and transparency back to the briefing room” — Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, conducted the first news briefing of President Biden's administration on Wednesday and vowed to bring …
Discussion:
CNN, @themaxburns, @abc, @connieschultz, The Guardian, Fox News, @beschlossdc, @jelani9, Associated Press, @katierogers, @britnygottalent, Fox News, @julibriskman, @wesleylowery, @themaxburns, @donlemon, @froomkin, @themaxburns, @fpwellman, @jackshafer, @mpatrickshea, @grubreport, @joshsternberg, Axios, @libbycwatson, @nidhiprakash, @kellyo, @annamerlan, @rickwins, @froomkin, Press Watch, @barnabychuck, The Independent, @wiloceraptor, BuzzFeed News, @jenny8lee and @nysenatorrivera
Discussion:
CNN: Functioning government — “Let's do this again tomorrow,” President Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki …
Max Burns / @themaxburns: Jen Psaki is living proof that you can effectively dodge questions without resorting to lies, personal grievance, or manufactured victimhood. You do that by...being good at media relations. Imagine that!
@abc: Pressed on how she views her role as new WH press secretary, Jen Psaki says she has “deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy.” “We have a common goal: which is sharing accurate information with the American people.” https://abcnews.go.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Connie Schultz / @connieschultz: .@jrpsaki respectfully and directly answering journalists' questions as @PressSec is the democracy Americans need to see.
David Smith / The Guardian: Jen Psaki's first White House press briefing heralds return to normality
Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News: Who is Jen Psaki, Biden's White House press secretary?
Michael Beschloss / @beschlossdc: First non-weird White House Press Secretary in four years.
Jelani Cobb / @jelani9: I really should not be impressed with a calm, professional and factual press briefing but I am where I am.
Katie Rogers / @katierogers: Half of these questions seem to be about Trump, including whether the Biden White House will keep Trump's proposed Air Force One color scheme.
Britny Eubank / @britnygottalent: Got a little misty-eyed. Currently wearing my @txstudentmedia “Enemy of the American People” shirt. https://twitter.com/...
Brooke Singman / Fox News: Psaki says she will bring ‘truth and transparency back’ during first White House press briefing
Juli Briskman / @julibriskman: This first press briefing has nearly 1 million views! https://twitter.com/...
Wesley / @wesleylowery: Certainly nice to see a press briefing with information and without personal attacks. Ok, now that that's out of our system let's hold these people accountable
Max Burns / @themaxburns: @jrpsaki It shouldn't be so surprising that Jen Psaki, a professional, prepped herself for this major moment. But after four years of Press Secretaries who seemed completely lost behind the podium, even core competency is jarring.
Don Lemon / @donlemon: Took a nap and woke up to a White House briefing where questions were being addressed honestly and the media wasn't being attacked. I must be dreaming. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: That she's not constantly lying her head off and attacking the reporters is certainly a big step up. But has she actually imparted any, you know, information? Maybe tomorrow? https://twitter.com/...
Max Burns / @themaxburns: And unlike most press conferences over the past four years, I actually came away from Psaki's first presser with some handle on what is going on in the White House. Bless.
Fred Wellman / @fpwellman: Watching this briefing with Jen Psaki is just so...professional and normal. This is what we fought for. Normalcy. We never thought we would agree on everything but we wanted decency and a respectful dialogue.
Jack Shafer / @jackshafer: The job of a press sec is to make the answers to all questions seem anodyne. It's easier when the questions are anodyne.
Patrick Shea / @mpatrickshea: 4 yrs ago Sean Spicer spent his first briefing lying about the crowd size. This is a nice change. https://twitter.com/...
Stephanie Lucianovic she / @grubreport: Getting a real wry C.J. Cregg vibe from Psaki. Loving it.
Josh Sternberg / @joshsternberg: And now another question about unity. Stop stretching for a narrative. Ask better questions.
Hans Nichols / Axios: Jen Psaki: “With that I'd love to take your questions”
Libby Watson / @libbycwatson: that's still... not good... we don't want them to dodge questions... you don't have to praise them for spitting in our faces if they do it with a smile https://twitter.com/...
Nidhi Prakash / @nidhiprakash: “I have deep respect for a free and independent press in our democracy,” says @jrpsaki. She plans to hold daily briefings(!) during the week. Every week.
Kelly O'Donnell / @kellyo: And a return to more tradition! The senior wire writer in the room, today it was @AP @ZekeJMiller called the briefing with a polite “thank you” which ends the briefing and not the press secretary choosing a mic drop moment.
Anna Merlan / @annamerlan: Begging you to remember the press exists to be in constant opposition to systems of power, its part of our checks and balances, i know I sound like Schoolhouse Rock but get ahold of yourselves
Rick Winiker / @rickwins: Watching @PressSec leaves me hopeful I might be able to watch the West Wing again...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Biden's press secretary needs to throw open the windows of the White House | Press Watch https://presswatchers.org/...
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch: Biden's press secretary needs to throw open the windows of the White House
Barnaby Lo / @barnabychuck: Look at that. A presidential spokesperson does not have to be combative, can be respectful and truthful. Someone take note please? https://twitter.com/...
Alex Woodward / The Independent: Biden's White House press secretary Jen Psaki commits to transparency in first briefing
Will Isenberg / @wiloceraptor: Earnestly this is a good opportunity to abolish the WH press briefings. They do not provide useful information or news gathering. Facts of any given story speak for themselves, and any admin comment is worthless at best or obfuscatory at worst. https://twitter.com/...
Ryan Brooks / BuzzFeed News: The First White House Press Briefing Of The Biden Presidency Was Extremely Mild
Zoë Bernard / The Information:
Sources: Andreessen Horowitz to launch an opinion section on its website that will publish articles related to technology and business from outside contributors — Silicon Valley investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, which once courted attention from the news media, is ramping up its own media efforts.
Discussion:
@mathewi, @benyt, @s_m_i, @amir, @eliotwb, @edbott, @kvox, @pt, @mathewi, @dsquareddigest, @taylorlorenz, @mathewi, @parismarx, @mathewi, @alex, @bgrueskin, @emilybell, @pt, @taylorlorenz, @mathewi, @smdiehl, @robinwigg, @jason_kint, @alexisohanian, @birdyword, @espiers, @ckrewson, Talking Biz News, @gaberivera, @elidourado, @quinnypig, @bluespacecanary, @espiers, @hshaban, @shohinigupta, @mjb_sf, @pt, @eliclifton, @nbashaw, @navalang, @chrismohney, @milenarodban, @strngwys, @tomgara, @teddyschleifer, @paulbradleycarr, @blackamazon, @dangillmor, @wadhwa, @john__rosevear, @zebulgar, @amir and @amir, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: A quick note: In case you are thinking that becoming Executive Editor for a multibillion-dollar VC like a16z will mean that you get paid a big Silicon Valley salary, the range in the job ad is $43,000 to $55,000
Ben Smith / @benyt: A key venture capitol fund starting its own “pro-tech” media outlet to counter the rest of the media https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Stacy-Marie Ishmael / @s_m_i: A natural next step when you've blocked every journalist who declined to reprint your press releases or asked even mildly skeptical questions https://twitter.com/...
Amir Efrati / @amir: .@a16z is serious about being a media publisher and is looking for two senior editors to launch, among other things, an opinion section that is “unapologetically pro-tech.” @zoeSaintBernard reports. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Eliot Brown / @eliotwb: @mathewi Mission-driven
Ed Bott / @edbott: I've spent decades as an editor, including time with large, influential publications, and I can say that whoever takes the job as editor in chief of this thing is just asking for pain and misery. https://twitter.com/...
@kvox: @mathewi This already exists a lot for companies in the form of what the kids call “owned content”. It's a little different than PR efforts, per someone who has done the owned part for a long time. It's blogs, pods, social + newsletters.
Parker / @pt: @mathewi @TechmemeChatter Opinion in serious newspapers isn't redundant so much as an anachronism that debases their news content. This is what opinion should be, blogs by people with clear biased that make no bones about them.
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: On the upside, I think Marc lets you live in his pool house, which I've heard is quite spacious https://twitter.com/...
Dan Davies / @dsquareddigest: If you don't tax these people they tax themselves, and they're really bad at it https://twitter.com/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: I see media people bashing this, but they're not trying to break news, it's “unapologetically pro-tech, pro-future, pro-change” opinion coverage. That seems like what you'd expect a VC firm to publish? https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: We already have this, it's called the PR and marketing department of every tech company and all the pieces they place in publications around the country. Cutting out the middleman I guess? https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: I don't think this is a particularly good development, but it's not an unexpected one. It's important to recognize that private media has a long history of serving the interests of their owners, and that only becomes more clear as other funding erodes. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: @pt @TechmemeChatter It's not about press releases, it's presumably about coherent, well-argued analysis and opinion. Also, the WSJ opinion pages *are* redundant
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: @mathewi “It'll look great on your resume”
Emily Bell / @emilybell: the *one thing* the tech industry should take away from the past four years is that publishing is in fact *really hard* . A management time suck and reputation sinkhole for businesses that think they know what they're doing, but don't https://twitter.com/...
Parker / @pt: @mathewi @TechmemeChatter This seems a bit like declaring the WSJ opinion pages redundant because conservative politicians and think tanks can put out press releases. Press releases are boring. Opinion pages are not.
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Imo Marc and Ben can “go direct” as much as they want on whatever platform they want, but they'll never do honest reporting on themselves b/c they can't. And, often in their efforts to be more “direct” (speaking candidly on CH, for instance) they only end up telling on themselves
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: @pt @TechmemeChatter Okay then, a redundant anachronism 😀
Stephen Diehl / @smdiehl: Yeah, no thanks. I've seen the so-called future they're try to build and it's not on the Golden Path. https://twitter.com/...
Robin Wigglesworth / @robinwigg: So this is basically going to be @VCBrags on steroids? https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Exactly. If they plan to have an ounce of editorial credibility, they'll need the rest of their house to start taking and answering tough questions from journalists rather than just blocking anyone who challenges them on Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
@alexisohanian: Welp, that was fast. @a16z is smart to do this: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Bird / @birdyword: Cool, I've always thought that what the media ecosystem needed was more opinion pieces https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Spiers / @espiers: Or to be more specific, at the leadership level, there's no evidence A16z itself is pro-change or pro-future on that front.
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: @espiers Yeah this popped up in my LinkedIn feed: Executive Editor https://www.linkedin.com/...
Gabe Rivera / @gaberivera: My guess is rather than countering anti-tech reporting, this could succeed in simply promoting ideas the tech press isn't interested in or capable of conveying. (Which sounds potentially good to me...) https://twitter.com/...
Eli Dourado / @elidourado: Do they sell it as an IV bag? Because I want it injected straight into my veins. https://twitter.com/...
Corey Quinn / @quinnypig: Oh shit yes, just what we all have been craving: more VC Opinions on things! https://twitter.com/...
@bluespacecanary: ah yes, Futurist political writing in service of wealthy industrialists, a thing with absolutely no historical analogues, https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Spiers / @espiers: Judging from the gender and racial composition of leadership in the Silicon Valley-based tech industry, at least two of these “pros” would be unprecedented. https://twitter.com/...
Hamza Shaban / @hshaban: ThE mArKeTpLaCe Of IdEas: https://twitter.com/...
Shohini Gupta / @shohinigupta: I don't have the words yet to describe how deeply uncomfortable this makes me. “Moving in the direction of “owned media, not earned media,” is one of those things I think will have consequences we don't perceive now. its lowkey a MUN subplot lol https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Melinda Byerley / @mjb_sf: Thank god. Those VCs are so quiet and have no other way to get their ideas out there. Bonus: no pesky rebuttals of fact! https://twitter.com/...
Parker / @pt: I'll take unapologetically pro-tech VCs over apologetically pro-tech trade pubs, but I suspect that can be a blurry line from the inside so let's hope they're mindful of it. https://twitter.com/...
Eli Clifton / @eliclifton: Ben Horowitz and his wife donated $25k to his dad's hate group, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, which ALSO has opinion pages. Here are the recent opinions Ben helped fund. https://www.frontpagemag.com/ https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Nathan Baschez / @nbashaw: Excited about this — congrats @smc90!!! https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Navneet Alang / @navalang: Pro-tech, pro-future, pro-change... so like every tech publication for most of the 21st century then? https://twitter.com/...
Chris Mohney / @chrismohney: It's just mindboggling that tech's need for absolute public deference to its mythology still has them barking up this tree, even now https://twitter.com/...
Milena Rodban / @milenarodban: Hmm, I wonder what @antoniogm thinks about this https://twitter.com/...
Roberto Baldwin / @strngwys: Remember when Verizon wanted to do this? Creating “pro-tech” tech sites is not a good look. That's said, there is an audience for this type of site. I think all of potential readers moved to Miami. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: I want to congratulate Marc Andreessen, who has inexplicably blocked me, for his commitment to investing in editorial content https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer: “Andreessen also has been known to block members of the tech press from viewing his tweets.” https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Paul Bradley Carr / @paulbradleycarr: Oh good, a billionaire Facebook board member (and major substack/clubhouse investor) is launching an “unapologetically pro-tech” opinion site. That sounds totally unsinister and certainly won't run defense for sociopaths. https://twitter.com/...
@blackamazon: 🥲*laughs heartily in being told it was feeble to ask foundations to get on this before hand * https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: They're describing basically all tech journalism until very recently. https://twitter.com/...
Vivek Wadhwa / @wadhwa: Trump may start his own political party and Andreessen how own media outlets. Maybe they should team up. https://twitter.com/...
John Rosevear / @john__rosevear: So Fox News, but for tech bros. https://twitter.com/...
Delian / @zebulgar: techies have been talking non-stop about forming their own media institutions so that we can tell our own stories unapologetically pro-tech pro-future pro-change graet to see a16z putting their money where their mouth is and building an editorial team!! https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Amir Efrati / @amir: And I have to say, some of the firm's content from people like @martin_casado is *fantastic* and useful to founders, reporters, and investors alike.
RELATED:
Eric Newcomer / Newcomer:
A look at a16z's communication efforts over the years, as the firm expands its own media operations and has largely stopped cooperating with reporters
Discussion:
@jonricecrypto, @taylorlorenz, @benyt, @ajs, @joonian, @amartino, @ajs, @tomgara, Fortune, @nmasc_, @sohear, @hkanji, Business Insider, @sarah_cone, @martinsfp, @bradydale, @bradydale, @jeffjohnroberts, @bradydale, @binarybits, @sarahcuda, @jason, @sarthakgh, @adamneumannscos, @ericnewcomer, @ericnewcomer, @ericnewcomer, @edzitron, @edzitron, @mdudas, @allisonbraley, @emrosario and @kateclarktweets
Discussion:
Jon Rice / @jonricecrypto: This is a terrific story that captures the mindset of certain CEOs in the crypto industry. Who cares if the facts are wrong, as long as the prevailing narrative is the one they choose? @EricNewcomer https://www.newcomer.co/...
Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz: Everyone should definitely read @EricNewcomer's excellent piece on a16z's PR strategy. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: And here's @EricNewcomer on the tech industry trying to “go direct” to reshape its image. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Alyson Shontell / @ajs: I'm still thinking about @EricNewcomer's article about how a16z has strategically blocked out press so the firm can build its own media operation. Startup puff may be what VCs crave, but it won't be a credible authority without critical self reflection https://www.newcomer.co/...
Wong Joon Ian / @joonian: really great piece unpacking the media's relationship with silicon valley... with a16z as a proxy https://www.newcomer.co/...
Mariano Amartino / @amartino: “This is the story of how @a16z disrupted the world of venture capital by cozying up to the media and then, how they purposefully threw that relationship away.” Esto es una gran nota, sobre PR y VCs; el UNICO en Hispam que lo entendió es @kfundvc https://www.newcomer.co/...
Alyson Shontell / @ajs: You know a story is great when you're jealous you didn't publish it. Bravo, @EricNewcomer. Fantastic and important reporting here. Very curious to watch this a16z strategy play out. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: Here's a fantastic look at the long arc of how Andreessen Horowitz has approached the media, which is also pretty representative of the Silicon Valley / media relationship in general over the last decade, complete with the recent turn to “going direct” etc https://www.newcomer.co/...
Natasha / @nmasc_: there's so much here on tech optimism, media cynicism, and the difference between press and pr in a16z's eyes v. worth a read via @EricNewcomer https://www.newcomer.co/...
Steve O'Hear / @sohear: I posit main value add/differentiator of a USA top tier VC is marketing. How do you ensure you see/have optionality on best startups? Marketing. Op. support serves as a marketable product. Track record is also marketable and self fulfilling once the marketing flywheel turns. https://twitter.com/...
Hussein Kanji / @hkanji: “A16Z is a media company that monetizes through VC.” https://www.newcomer.co/...
Lauren Johnson / Business Insider: President Biden's stimulus plan faces its first test
Sarah Cone / @sarah_cone: I say this as someone that loves journalism and journalists: there is almost no good reporting on tech anymore. Everyone covering it doesn't understand it or hates it. You have to go direct. https://twitter.com/...
Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp: This is a good bit of context for the a16z news. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Brady Dale / @bradydale: Let reporters end the dumb race for exclusivity and being “first” and instead do the real work of following up, sizing up and checking out
Brady Dale / @bradydale: Anyway, to my fellow tech reporters, I know change is scary but I too am “pro-future” and expect that a16z could be a little surprised by the media future such a move could engender
Jeff Roberts / @jeffjohnroberts: This is one of the smartest pieces on media and the tech industry I've ever read. Bravo @EricNewcomer https://www.newcomer.co/...
Brady Dale / @bradydale: Very interesting retelling @EricNewcomer Is it crazy if I find the end of press releases and requests for “desksides” invigorating? Let companies go direct with their launches and their spin https://www.newcomer.co/...
Timothy B. Lee / @binarybits: The glowing profiles of Elizabeth Holmes pre-2015 was mostly in mainstream and business publications, not the tech press. I'm not sure I even knew what Theranos was in early 2015. https://www.newcomer.co/... https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Lacy / @sarahcuda: The Unauthorized Story of Andreessen Horowitz by @EricNewcomer https://www.newcomer.co/... <- stunning must read. Sad IMHO, but I'm biased. (mostly a big reminder of why I'm very happy no longer to be a journalist)
@jason: .@EricNewcomer “I talked to Wennmachers for over an hour for this story on the condition that I wouldn't quote her. She asked me to write that she strenuously disagreed with many of this story's characterizations and facts” https://www.newcomer.co/...
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “Today, roughly 10% of the 200-person firm works on its marketing team. The company is expanding its editorial operation. Talk to anyone around the firm and Chokshi's in-house media strategy is the future of the firm.” https://www.newcomer.co/...
@adamneumannscos: Much deserved @smc90 an entire generation of founders consider a16z a legacy firm purely b/c the pod. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: This is the story of how Andreessen Horowitz disrupted the world of venture capital by cozying up to the media and then, how they purposefully threw that relationship away. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: The lead of my new story The Unauthorized Story of Andreessen Horowitz https://www.newcomer.co/... https://twitter.com/...
Eric Newcomer / @ericnewcomer: a16z is able to go direct because they care about telling stories https://www.newcomer.co/... https://twitter.com/...
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: Suspiciously leaves out the whole outcast thing and how much easier it was to do PR in those years, and also seems to come to the conclusion that uh, a16z stopped doing PR? Just a weird piece
Ed Zitron / @edzitron: Love watching people acting as if transformative PR is being able to connect a guy who everyone wants to talk to with everyone else lol https://www.newcomer.co/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: “10% of the 200-person @a16z works on its marketing team. The company is expanding its editorial operation... @smc90's in-house media strategy is the future of the firm. One communications person remarked to me, 'They've become a media company basically.'” https://www.newcomer.co/...
Allison Braley / @allisonbraley: @EricNewcomer Can't speak to a16z, but in many cases “going direct” is less an attempt to circumvent the media and more of a reaction to layoffs, and reporters going direct themselves (see: you). If your primary channel is shrinking, it's just bad marketing practice not to diversify.
Elisabeth Rosario / @emrosario: It's interesting that many of the tweets around @EricNewcomer's piece seem to celebrating it as a positive profile piece, rather than what it is - a rare call-out of the problematic actions of many comms folks who protect unethical behavior in big tech. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / Ars Technica:
How one composer got paid for unauthorized use of his work, including on China's CCTV, using YouTube's copyright claims system and lawyers — “The torrent they got the music from was just called like 123456.mp3.” — You've heard Kerry Muzzey's work (Bandcamp, Spotify), even if you haven't heard of him.
Discussion:
Angelique Lu / @angelique_lu: Super interesting #longreads about how a composer tracked down copyright infringements of his work, and took on CCTV, the Chinese state broadcaster How one musician took on the world's biggest TV network over copyright—and won https://arstechnica.com/...
Rob Pegoraro / @robpegoraro: “It was like dealing with a 12-year-old YouTuber who was coming up with every trick in the book he found through a YouTube video”: @stokel on how composer @kerrymuzzey caught China's state TV service ripping off his work—and got it to pay up. https://arstechnica.com/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / @stokel: Come for the wild story about one guy coming close to bringing down the world's biggest TV channel's YouTube account, stay for the guy in the comments trying to claim I'm an anti-China sockpuppet https://arstechnica.com/...
Chris Stokel-Walker / @stokel: Big thanks to @NathanMattise, who gave me great edits on this story
Tony Moorey / @tonymoorey: If you're the biggest TV network in the world, how do you source your music? https://arstechnica.com/... “the network admitted the way they source music is from torrent files, which contain thousands of unlabeled tracks like ‘Epic music torrent’ or ‘Best emotional music torrent’.”
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
SPJ asks Biden to undo rules that control which federal agency personnel can speak directly to reporters, saying the rules had been exacerbated under Trump — The Society of Professional Journalists in a letter Tuesday asked President-elect Joe Biden to undo rules that constrain …
Discussion:
Patti Newberry / @pattinewberry: Brilliant letter from @spj_tweets Prez Matt Hall @SDuncovered to the new administration. Well done! https://thehill.com/...
Rod Hicks / @rodhicks: “Journalists understand that some information is legitimately confidential. That does not justify silencing staff on matters of public business.” — @SDuncovered https://thehill.com/...
New York Times:
Following the Capitol attack, newsrooms have turned to journalists with experience in reporting on conflict zones to cover Biden's inauguration — Reporters and photographers who are no strangers to conflict are among those assigned to what is usually a day of pageantry.
Discussion:
@nytmedia: “I've covered protests in countries around the world, in the Middle East, in Haiti, and I think it's actually getting more dangerous to do it here,” Vice News's Washington bureau chief said https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tara Lachapelle / @taralach: Reporters and photographers with experience covering conflict zones are among those assigned to what is usually a day of pageantry https://www.nytimes.com/...
Janine di Giovanni / @janinedigi: When war reporters are sent to the capitol, you know these are not normal times “This is a country that had extremely strong institutions that protected us descending into the abyss, and to see what's happening now is disturbing beyond belief.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, says total viewing hit 2.5B hours in 2020, up 58% YoY, and half of its 33M MAUs are younger than 35 — Fox-owned streaming service Tubi said total viewing hit 2.5 billion hours in 2020, up 58% from 2019.
Discussion:
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Live Blog Editor, Remote CA — 
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