Top News:
Jason Scott / Bloomberg:
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he will hold talks with Zuckerberg to “see if there's a pathway forward”, but says news legislation will go ahead — - ‘The world is watching us very closely,’ says Treasurer — News content law expected to pass through parliament next week
Discussion:
@sarafischer, Insider, New York Times, AdNews News, BBC, @larakiara and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: NEW: @Chartbeat says outside traffic to Australian news sites has fallen day-over-day by over 20% — “And looks like it's fallen a bit more in recent hours.” — Also large drop in traffic from readers within Australia. 10 percentage pt drop of visits from within Australia since ban
Insider: Facebook's news ban has crushed traffic for Australian publishers, and news execs elsewhere are bracing for wider global fallout
Damien Cave / New York Times: Facebook's New Look in Australia: News and Hospitals Out, Aliens Still In
Mariam Cheik-Hussein / AdNews News: What the Facebook news ban means for Australian publishers
Lara O'Reilly / @larakiara: .@perlberg and I spoke to publishers about how they're watching Facebook's Australia news ban with some unease. The sense is that this won't be the last of these legal tussles globally https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Mike Cherney / Wall Street Journal: Facebook Surprises Australians With News Blackout
RELATED:
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Facebook's refusal to pay a misguided media tax, pushed by Rupert Murdoch, is a defense of the open web and criticizing it for rejecting a link tax is bizarre — None of this should have been a surprise. Back in September we wrote about Facebook publicly saying that if Australia went forward …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Associated Press, @benthompson, @hughhewitt, @hkanji, @lachlan, @evan_greer, @bobbyallyn, @randyebarnett, @mmasnick, @wexler, @mathewi and Insider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jamie Dettmer / Associated Press: Facebook Dubbed ‘Bully’ as Backlash Grows over Dispute with Australia
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: I think what is illuminating about this story is the breathtaking dishonesty of many Facebook critics. It's probably worth keeping in mind to what extent the “whatever side Facebook is on is the wrong one” heuristic applies to other more difficult to understand stories as well. https://twitter.com/...
Hugh Hewitt / @hughhewitt: I hadn't been following the @FB clash Down Under until this AM, and am glad @KateOHareWrites sent this along before I reacted. The #BigTech wars always have multiple sides to them. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Hussein Kanji / @hkanji: We can argue about whether or not Facebook is “compatible with democracy” but the simple facts of the situation are that Australia - pushed heavily by Rupert Murdoch - has decided to put in place a plan to tax Google and Facebook for any links to news https://www.techdirt.com/...
Lachlan Markay / @lachlan: “But here, a bunch of lazy newspaper execs who failed to adapt and to figure out better internet business models not only want the traffic, they also want to get paid for it.” https://www.techdirt.com/...
Evan Greer / @evan_greer: I agree that Facebook's business model is incompatible with democracy and basic human rights. But imposing a tax on linking to news articles is incompatible with an open Internet. Facebook has too much power. The Australian law is stupid. Pretty simple.. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Bobby Allyn / @bobbyallyn: “This fight was not ‘Facebook v. Australia.’ Or ‘Facebook v. journalism’ even though some ignorant or dishonest people are making it out to be the case. This was always ‘Rupert Murdoch v. the open web.’ https://twitter.com/...
Randy Barnett / @randyebarnett: “Australia is saying it wants to tax links to news on Facebook, and Facebook responds in the exact way any reasonable economist would predict: it says that's just not worth it and bans links. That's not incompatible with democracy....” https://www.techdirt.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: I got tired of responding to every bad take regarding the Facebook Australia news on Twitter, and have now written a longer post about it. Just don't try to share it on FB in Australia. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Nu Wexler / @wexler: “We may not like Facebook in the role of the defender of the open web ... But Facebook saying that it won't pay a link tax is a defense of the open web and against Rupert Murdoch. It's the right move ...” https://www.techdirt.com/...
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: I agree with @mmasnick on the law, but Facebook is the worst possible defender of the open web. It's like saying foxes are the best defenders of the chicken coop. FB has done everything possible to bury links, keep people inside their walled garden, and block interoperability https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Banning Australian news makes sense for Facebook and may prompt people to visit news sites directly; Google's payoffs, though, will invite global shakedowns — Yesterday, I wrote that Australia's News Media Bargaining Code threatened to splinter the internet.
Discussion:
The Guardian, @jayrosen_nyu, @nxthompson, @caseynewton, @caseynewton, BuzzMachine, New York Post, @emilybell, @emilybell, @sarthakgh, @emilybell, @karaswisher, @emilybell, @emilybell, American Press Institute, @s8mb, @gadyepstein, @hunterwalk, @journalismfest, Insider, @waxy, Beyond Search, @beneltham, 90 Second News, @evadienel, @_claireconnelly, @evanspw, @joshelman, @swesterman, @gaberivera, @laurenweinstein, @adamnash, Reuters and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: ... @jeffjarvis isn't having any. https://galley.cjr.org/... https://twitter.com/...
@nxthompson: “I think Facebook basically did the right thing, and Google basically did the wrong thing.” @CaseyNewton on the Australian social media news (and the misguided apoplexy it has caused) today. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: By request, I've also taken yesterday's members-only piece about Australia's bargaining code and made it free for all to read: https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: The thing about Australia's deal with Google — and one it might still reach with Facebook — is that it's bad for *journalism*. https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine: Murdoch's law and the net
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Final thought ordering on the FB/Aus issue. 1. Facebook is entirely within its rights to remove any /all links and pages from its platform so it doesn't have to pay a link tax on news.(Even though it already does exactly this for news tab, which is ad hoc and discretionary)
Emily Bell / @emilybell: 2. But the manner and timing of the removal was potentially damaging, and reckless. It removed many items that were not news (like healthcare sites, community pages) and news that is a long way outside the corporate media - eg half all pages in First Nation media network
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “I think Facebook basically did the right thing, and Google basically did the wrong thing...” Clear-eyed take! Exchange of value doesn't always have to mean getting paid directly! That traffic publishers are desperate for comes from FB's loyal userbase https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: 7. The interaction of news services with platforms, the distribution of news services, the support for journalism needs regulation. The Aus act might not be the right law, but, arguably it is better than no law. More enforceable civic obligations are needed not fewer //
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: This is exactly right. Murdoch, as always, is the satanic villain here, though FB looks bad due to its execution of this and also the distrust it has engendered over the years. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: 5. Facebook is not civically minded. It is commercially minded. It does not care about harm that flows from its actions, it cares about the commercial liability that accompanies it. And, Facebook does not care about news or misinformation. It cares about perception.
Emily Bell / @emilybell: 4. If Facebook were a civically minded company it could still legitimately withdraw news links from Australia. However in order to fulfill a basic duty of care to its users and all citizens it would have done it in an *entirely* different way. With notice, and care.
Sam Bowman / @s8mb: I mean, look at this. “Bringing an entire country to its knees” by, uh, not linking to news articles it was being forced to pay for. This is the kind of feverish nonsense that some sections of the anti-Big Tech world have embraced. It's bananas. https://twitter.com/...
Gady Epstein / @gadyepstein: This is such backwards logic. Jeff is of course right that most newspapers acted like dinosaurs (that may be an insult to dinosaurs). But a meteor was coming. And if you think starting a Next Door in one metro area was a viable biz strategy, you're misreading platform economics https://twitter.com/...
Journalism Festival / @journalismfest: “I don't know a single journalist who feels comfortable with social networks being anyone's primary source of news ... Strange to see so many people insisting that Facebook is obligated to share publishers' content, on whatever terms” writes @CaseyNewton https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Will Daniel / Insider: Facebook slips as the market eyes the social media giant's move to ban news from its platform in Australia
@waxy: Facebook calls Australia's bluff, bans external links to Australian news media: I can't believe I'm siding with Facebook on any issue, but forcing platforms to pay publishers for links to their sites... https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: Alphabet Google: Rambling, Scrambling, and Managing
Ben Eltham / @beneltham: Good analysis here by Casey Newton https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
90 Second News: ⏱Unfortunately court isn't a $GME — Good morning everyone, and welcome to National Drink Wine Day.
Eva Dienel / @evadienel: Ok, so this deeper dive is interesting and gets into political cronyism that's happening behind the scenes in Oz. Also offers some good alternatives on how to ensure money from any regulation would actually go into journalism: https://www.platformer.news/ .... https://twitter.com/...
Claire Connelly / @_claireconnelly: 'I wish Australia would take Facebook's rejection as a sign to rethink its approach to media regulation entirely. It could just tax companies based on their revenues, for example. And earmark those revenues to support journalism — nonprofit public media.' https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Peter Evans / @evanspw: Part 3 of the Casey Newton piece pretty on the money. https://twitter.com/...
@joshelman: Gosh I remember in 2009 when I first met @AndreaBreannaNY and we dreamed of what HuffingtonPost could do with Facebook to share more news and content. There was almost no news then. It has come a long way.... and now this whoa https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Scott Westerman / @swesterman: @CaseyNewton on how Facebook and Google are taking very different approaches as Australia tries to make them pay publishers for the right to share links to news content. Feels a lot like my Cable days when the sports networks held us hostage. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Lauren Weinstein / @laurenweinstein: @gaberivera This is the key point. Once you start down the road of pay-to-link, the entire underpinning of the Web collapses. Competition reduces vastly, and small players are frozen out. Users by and large don't have a clue of how much they have to lose in this battle.
Adam Nash / @adamnash: Good read on the situation w/ @Facebook @Google and Australia by @CaseyNewton. Surprised this isn't more of a diplomatic issue between the US & Australia. https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Benedict Evans:
Australia's proposal for media compensation, which covers raw link sharing, is presented as a competition case when it's actually a tech tax and media subsidy — Newspaper revenue really started to collapse well over a decade ago, and we've been discussing what to do about it for almost as long.
Discussion:
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans: No-one pays to link. No-one has ever paid to link. This was nothing to do with market power. The honest argument would be ‘we could never charge for links because the intent was too decentralised, but now there is someone big enough that we can try to make them pay’
@katebevan: This is also an interesting read (hat tip to @ruskin147 for this). I tend to agree with the view that Facebook can block links if it wants to and that forcing anyone to pay for links is insane, but the way FB has done this is outrageous. https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Moya Lothian-Mclean / @mlothianmclean: This is thanks to a wrangle in Australia over getting major news aggregating platforms like Google and Facebook to pay for news, but it seems to just be aiding the existing monopoly, not smaller outlets https://www.google.com/...
Journalism Festival / @journalismfest: “If all links have value, why should only newspapers be paid? ...newspapers are worth more to society! They deserve it! Well, perhaps they do - but ‘we like them more’ is not a competition law argument. It's an argument for a subsidy from public funds” https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Kay Jebelli / @kayjebelli: The reason no one pays to link news content isn't market power, it's because there are hundreds of other sources of content that can be linked to. You're competing with 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘵, a world of content suppliers who would gladly take that free traffic off your hands. https://twitter.com/...
David Glynne Jones / @davidglynnejon1: @mariewalsh18 @BobNew8 #auspol Here are the plain facts. Google & Facebook both pay Australian company tax at slightly above the average rate for high revenue companies (>A$100M). Between 2013 and 2019 News Australia Holdings P/L paid precisely zero tax on gross revenue of A$16 billion. https://twitter.com/...
Modest Proposal / @modestproposal1: “Meanwhile, very little of the traffic on Google or Facebook comes from news, and very little advertising appears next to news search results. Google didn't take their money, any more than Boeing took money from the ocean liners. The internet destroyed the model.” https://twitter.com/...
Eric Seufert / @eric_seufert: 2/ @benthompson's daily update is the best starting point for background on the topic. @benedictevans also provides trenchant analysis. Essentially: Google capitulated & cut a deal with News Corp, FB simply called the Australian govt's bluff https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Jack Shafer / @jackshafer: “Google and Facebook created huge new ad businesses on the internet, that advertisers prefer, and some newspaper companies think that somehow or other they should get some of that money.” —@BenedictEvans https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Phil Mercer / Voice of America: Facebook Bans Australian Users From Sharing News in Dispute Over New Law
Mike Cannon-Brookes / @mcannonbrookes: “If you do accept the novel theory that links being free for 25y is market failure... a further breach of basic logic: if links have value, why should only newspapers be paid? If links were paid, newspapers' share would be a pittance.” @benedictevans 👏🏻 https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Adam Nash / @adamnash: This post by @benedictevans eviscerates the new Australia 🇦🇺 law on paying for news links, and puts the flaws in its logic in sharp relief. https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans: Paying for news. If you want new taxes on the internet, and to subsidise news, do that. But you should be honest and debate it on that basis, instead of basing it on entirely imaginary, Alice-in-Wonderland theories of internet economics." https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Stanley Pignal / @spignal: Newspapers are hopelessly conflicted when it comes to analysing their relationship to Big Tech/paying for links. Luckily @benedictevans is there to spell out what their most lucid editorials might look like. Getting Google or FB to subsidise news is mad. https://www.ben-evans.com/...
Reuters and Associated Press:
Facebook says it generated ~5.1B free referrals to Australian publishers worth ~AU$407M last year, as Australia's Media Bargaining law passes the House
Discussion:
Andrew Brown / @andrewbrownau: Facebook has banned Facebook's own Facebook page https://twitter.com/...
Nassim Khadem / ABC: Facebook news ban could backfire as media publishers draw communities and advertisers away
Josh Taylor / The Guardian: Facebook's botched Australia news ban hits health departments, charities and its own pages
Josh Taylor / @joshgnosis: Facebook's news ban hammer having a lot of collateral damage. https://twitter.com/...
Julia Carrie Wong / @juliacarriew: Whatever you think of the proposed bill, Facebook's behavior in Australia should be a clarion call to publishers, government agencies, and any organizations with a public interest purpose that it's time to divest from Facebook as a communication platform https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Rory Medcalf / @rory_medcalf: Grateful that I have barely touched Facebook in years ... https://twitter.com/...
Meaa / @withmeaa: Credible journalism is a check on the spread of misinformation. This irresponsible move by Facebook will encourage the dissemination of fake news, which is particularly dangerous during the COVID pandemic and is a betrayal of its Australian audiences. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Mar Hicks / @histoftech: “that's a nice communications system you have there... be a shame if something happened to it.” —fb, probably https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Peter Dahlin / @peterinexile: Funny how @Facebook et al always talk about the need to adjust to local laws, usually as an argument for appeasing dictators in exchange for money. And yet.... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Kevin Rudd / @mrkrudd: Morrison's shambolic handling of Facebook demonstrates the perils of enlisting Murdoch to co-design media policy. If we want strong diverse media we need comprehensive policy guided by best evidence. Senate Inquiry on #MurdochRoyalCommission starts Friday. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Carole Cadwalladr / @carolecadwalla: This is too too good https://twitter.com/...
@slpng_giants: .@Facebook would rather ban themselves than ban Steve Bannon. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Taylor / @joshgnosis: Facebook statement just now. They're trying to undo it. https://twitter.com/...
Priyanjana Bengani / @acookiecrumbles: So one can't post Google AMP links either, but https://apple.news/ links go through. https://twitter.com/...
Nicholas McElroy / ABC:
Australian authorities in public health, weather, and other areas say Facebook has removed posts from their feeds following Facebook's news ban
Discussion:
CNN, @mikarv, @sallymcmanus, The Sun, @eamonnoneill, @yathinkn, @jennymcallister, @senator_patrick, @juliacarriew, @raecooper1, @emilygorcenski, @leesawatego, @abcnews, @nat_whiting, @anetmcc, @emilygorcenski, @andrewbeatty, @andrewbeatty, @sussanley, @sarah_collard_ and @kantrowitz, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
CNN: ‘Sort this out’: Facebook's chaotic news ban in Australia blocks pages for fire services, charities and politicians
Michael Veale / @mikarv: A lot of people are posting examples of sites and links that Facebook is blocking in Australia. I haven't seen someone actually paste the legal text from the Bill at third reading yet defining ‘news’: here it is. And FB is not wrong — *extremely* broad and vague. https://twitter.com/...
Sally McManus / @sallymcmanus: So @Facebook has blocked access to our website. We are not a news organisation. Australian workers can not now find out about their rights at work via @Facebook. This is disgraceful & needs to be reversed immediately https://twitter.com/...
Imogen Braddick / The Sun: Nick Clegg faces call to RESIGN over Facebook Aussie ban as MPs blast site's ‘staggering lack of respect’
Eamonn O'Neill / @eamonnoneill: This is what happens when a largely unaccountable social media company becomes a global behemoth with the economic resources of a small country and the swagger of a bully. It's not a virtual media war when it's having real consequences for real people. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@yathinkn: Doubt it was botched at all. FB might be saying some ‘inadvertently’ caught up, but I reckon they did on purpose in relation to the badly worded & over-reaching definition of ‘news’ in the actual legislation to prove a point. https://twitter.com/...
Senator Jenny McAllister / @jennymcallister: Women fleeing domestic violence need more information not less. The Government needs to explain why this has happened on their watch & what they're doing to ensure essential DV services are up & running on Facebook again. #auspol https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Rex Patrick / @senator_patrick: .@Facebook has done a rare thing this morning - they have united the Federal Parliament. #auspol https://www.abc.net.au/...
Julia Carrie Wong / @juliacarriew: you can't check the weather in australia but you can still spread racist propaganda based on a white nationalist conspiracy theory bc that's the facebook we know and love https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rae Cooper / @raecooper1: From what I can see here today #facebook has blocked access not only to Oz news sites but to domestic and family violence organisations, bushfire information, trade unions, weather reports. All critical services protecting the community. Facebook 🗑, Yours #australia
Leesa Watego / @leesawatego: Looking at First Nations media pages on Facebook. Can't see any NITV posts this morning. Alot of Indigenous communities rely on Facebook for information & news. Let's see how this plays out. 🤔
@abcnews: Facebook is restricting access to news content in Australia - but don't worry, we're still bringing you the latest. Download our news app here: https://www.abc.net.au/app/ https://twitter.com/...
Natalie Whiting / @nat_whiting: #PNG and pacific news watchers, Australian news currently can't be shared on Facebook, including on ABC's @radioaustralia page. With how popular Facebook is for sharing news here, please spread the word that the stories are still available on news websites https://www.abc.net.au/...
Anet McClintock / @anetmcc: Well clearly #Facebook hasn't banned all Australian news media... Pretty nervous about the fact that disinformation pages are now truly the only source of ‘news’ left on the website & the effect on growing right-wing populism in Australia https://twitter.com/...
Emily G / @emilygorcenski: Just absolutely incredible. I never want to hear about how good these people are at algorithms ever again. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Beatty / @andrewbeatty: Facebook confirms they didn't mean to knock out homepages of Australia emergency response services (in the middle of a pandemic, bushfire and flood warnings) per @robertsonholly https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Beatty / @andrewbeatty: #UPDATE @AFP (Brisbane) Several Australian emergency services have been hit by Facebook's ban on sharing news content Down Under Thursday, with official pages that carry public warnings about Covid outbreaks, bushfires and hurricanes rendered blank.
Sussan Ley / @sussanley: The Bureau of Meteorology's Facebook page has been impacted by the sudden Facebook news content restrictions. Weather info is always available at https://www.bom.gov.au/ and on the #BOM Weather app. @bom_au, @bom_qld, @bom_nsw, @bom_vic, @bom_tas, @bom_sa, @bom_wa @bom_nt
Sarah Collard / @sarah_collard_: It's not just big news orgs bearing the brunt of the News ban by @Facebook. Smaller Indigenous and community media orgs are too. Vital for getting info out about COVID, telecommunications outages and emergencies to communities. https://twitter.com/...
News Corp:
News Corp announces a multi-year, global partnership with Google to provide content from its news sites “in return for significant payments by Google”
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, MediaPost, @adamkovac, Digiday, @jeffjarvis, @mathewi, @sfmnemonic, @dicktofel, @parismarx, @raju, @s8mb, @katecrawford, Fortune, @jeffjarvis, Dana Blankenhorn, @techreview, Fast Company, Light Reading, @aaschapiro, @globalnews, @dvanboom, The Guardian, MediaNama, Financial Times, @jeffjarvis, @deccanherald, What's New in Publishing, musically.com, @laurenweinstein, @b_fung, Bloomberg, @kerrymflynn, Press Gazette, Garbage Day and @jerusalem_post
Discussion:
Rob Williams / MediaPost: Murdoch Forces Google's Hand With Payment Plan For News
Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac: Heck, @newscorp's Robert Thomson explicitly *thanked* the Australian politicians who did News Corp's bidding: https://www.businesswire.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Kate Kaye / Digiday: 'I'm afraid of repercussions': Publishing industry members question Google's motives in paying off News Corp
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: What angers me most is that *journalism* organizations had *no* shame and *no* transparency about their conflict of interest, cashing in their political capital to buy political favor and conspiracy to blackmail the tech companies. Journalism *never* reported its conflict.
Mathew Ingram / @mathewi: If you're interested in the question of whether Google should pay publishers for using their news content, tune in while I play devil's advocate with @benedictevans on this question, re Australia etc. https://galley.cjr.org/...
Mike Godwin / @sfmnemonic: .@jeffjarvis has this cri de coeur about the accommodations (that is, bribes) that market-leader tech platforms are paying traditional media companies in the hope that Techlashers will be mollified for a little while longer. (One big winner: Murdoch.) https://twitter.com/...
Richard Tofel / @dicktofel: Here's the big question coming out of the Australia Divergence: will Google pay only publishers of which they are afraid? Certainly looks that way. And there are too few of those for such deals to change the trajectory of the news business.
Paris Marx / @parismarx: tech giants media oligopoly 🤝 screwing the public for corporate gain https://www.ft.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: Would be particularly good today if university profs, who are also media critics on either side of @Facebook @Google Australia pay-for-news debate, actively disclose if/what $ they, their projects, depts and schools have/continue to receive, from said tech/social media platforms.
Sam Bowman / @s8mb: Obviously, this was a shake-down by the Australian govt, under pressure from News Corp. Google caved, Facebook didn't. Good for them - and I hope they do the same if the EU tries to bully them in the same way. https://newscorp.com/...
Kate Crawford / @katecrawford: Meanwhile, Google and New Corp just cut a HUGE international deal. Murdoch is set to benefit most from the new law, given their massive dominance of Australia media ecosystem. https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Danielle Abril / Fortune: The news Down Under — In the face of proposed regulation in Australia that would require tech giants …
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Get a load of the coverage of Facebook's bluff-calling in Australian news media. It's pure propaganda for their side. Media are not revealing their conflict of interest in their “reporting” on technology anymore. They're all Murdochs. Shocking. https://twitter.com/...
Dana F. Blankenhorn / Dana Blankenhorn: Rupert Murdoch Blackmails the Web
@techreview: This is a thread about how Australia has become the battleground for a power struggle between governments and Big Tech, as explained in today's Download newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/... https://twitter.com/...
Robert Clark / Light Reading: Facebook cuts off Australia news over new rules
Avi Asher-Schapiro / @aaschapiro: Though FB is getting much of the attention in the Australia story, this move by Google is notable: Google “buried” Australian news in search results, as part of its lobbying campaign against the social media/news law. Google called it an “experiment.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@globalnews: The outcome could be similar if Canada joins Australia and other countries in pushing Google, Facebook and other internet giants to pay publishers for news content. https://globalnews.ca/...
Daniel Van Boom / @dvanboom: The first priority of any new law: don't make things worse. Australia's attempt to make Facebook and Google pay for news risks doing exactly that. https://www.cnet.com/...
Amanda Meade / The Guardian: Prime minister Scott Morrison attacks Facebook for ‘arrogant’ move to ‘unfriend Australia’
Soumyarendra Barik / MediaNama: In Australia, Facebook and Google choose diverging paths over paying news publishers
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Google & FB won't change; they will maintain unread news features as loss makers to pay off the publishers. The publishers won't change because they got a little more money. Startups will suffer. News will suffer. Society will suffer. Well done, everyone.
@deccanherald: Just a few weeks after Google threatened to leave Australia if the govt forced tech platforms to pay for news, the search giant is suddenly showering money on its most demanding critics. https://www.deccanherald.com/ ...
What's New in Publishing: Why Google is now funnelling millions into media outlets, as Facebook pulls news for Australia
Lauren Weinstein / @laurenweinstein: This is indeed a slippery slope that could destroy the fundamental principles of the Web, wreck competition, and leave only the “big boys” standing. And it could make misinformation/disinformation problems worse as well. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Fung / @b_fung: Bet Google will hold this up as evidence Australia doesn't need a new law forcing it to share revenues with publishers. https://newscorp.com/...
@kerrymflynn: INBOX: News Corp announced today that it has agreed to an historic multi-year partnership with Google to provide trusted journalism from its news sites around the world in return for significant payments by Google. https://newscorp.com/...
William Turvill / Press Gazette: Facebook blocks news content in Australia to dodge News Media Bargaining Code
Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day: STOP exploring the Ocean
Campbell Brown / Facebook:
Facebook News Partnerships VP: Australia's planned law “fails to recognize ... the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers”
Discussion:
@campbell_brown, Sydney Morning Herald, Poynter, @campbell_brown, @rasmus_kleis, @martynmcl, @benedictevans, @mmasnick, @tomtaylormade, @karaswisher, @zaidjilani, Insider, @dailypostdan, @oliviasolon, @brooklynmarie, @matt_hopcraft, @markhennessy, @dgisserious, Talking Biz News, @emilybell, @kmbaussie, @emilybell, @emilybell, Politico, @emilybell, CNBC, @cameronwilson, @peterbale, @bobbyallyn and @campbell_brown
Discussion:
Campbell Brown / @campbell_brown: We've reluctantly made the decision to restrict the availability of news on Facebook in Australia. Our goal was to find resolution that strengthened collaboration with publishers, but the legislation fails to recognize fundamental relationship between us & news organizations
Harrison Mantas / Poynter: Facebook's fact-checking partners in Australia are blocked from posting on their own pages but can still assess content for the platform
Campbell Brown / @campbell_brown: I hope in the future, we can include news for people in Australia once again. For now, we continue to be focused on bringing Facebook News and other new products to more countries. We will continue to invest heavily in news around the world. More here: https://www.facebook.com/...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: Wow. Let's see what happens next. https://twitter.com/...
Martyn McLaughlin / @martynmcl: Facebook's contempt for journalism has always been hidden in plain sight, but this shows just how far it'll go to protect its profits at the expense of established democracies. Australia may call its bluff, but checking Big Tech's power requires a focused, multilateral effort. https://twitter.com/...
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans: The Australian newspapers are proposing that that Google and Facebook pay them 10% of revenue. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: This is literally not an admission of monopoly power. This is such a bad take. Facebook is not “threatening to bring an entire country to its knees” it's a country saying “you need to pay to link” and Facebook responding by saying “okay, that's a bad deal, so we're out.” https://twitter.com/...
Tom Taylor / @tomtaylormade: All because Murdoch wants Facebook to pay him. This government has done so much damage for their overlord. https://twitter.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: As @mmasnick says, this is a lot more complex than the first react. That said: Cloddish execution of negotiations by Facebook makes them look real evil. Which is amazing given News Corp. is run by Rupert “Uncle Satan” Murdoch . https://twitter.com/...
Zaid Jilani / @zaidjilani: Why is a capital strike by Facebook being treated as like a florist blog banning a commenter or something? Facebook has a dominating presence over the Internet and is a major component of economics and governance. Its Standard Oil or the railroads in 2021... https://twitter.com/...
Ben Gilbert / Insider: This is what Facebook looks like in Australia after the social media giant pulled all news content
Dan McGarry / @dailypostdan: You didn't ‘restrict the availability of news in Australia’. You blocked Australian news globally. You also blocked govt public health and safety, and weather sites. You blocked literary sites. You blocked Pacific islands news. But you left the anti-vax stuff. Stay classy. https://twitter.com/...
Olivia Solon / @oliviasolon: From now on, Australians will only get news via status updates from their uncle Carl who is ‘just asking questions’ about MSM https://twitter.com/...
Brooke Binkowski / @brooklynmarie: Oh look, @Facebook is so mad at the possibility of actually allowing journalists to make money off their hard work that they're taking their ball and going home lol https://twitter.com/...
@matt_hopcraft: Strange decision to say that the Bureau of Meteorology is a publisher? https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mark Hennessy / @markhennessy: This is the kind of thing that would make one favour anti-trust laws, isn't it? Too much power, too much money, and no sense of responsibility #facebook #journalismmatters https://twitter.com/...
Danny Gold / @dgisserious: Australia is the *perfect* place for Facebook to go back to its real roots as a site where people go to post vacation bathing suit photos and other people go to look at those photos https://twitter.com/...
Irina Slav / Talking Biz News: Facebook cuts news access to Australians
Emily Bell / @emilybell: @KMBAussie Fact check. Facebook toured newsrooms incentivizing news organisations to publish on their platforms
@kmbaussie: Don't believe this BS. Australian media companies tried to shake Facebook down by using the govt to force social media to party for content that they never asked to be posted on their platforms. Google compromised. Facebook wants the smoke. Instead of caving, they blocked it. https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: @evelyndouek Given literally anything on Facebook can self-certify as ‘news media’ - everything that has done so in Australia is now blocked ...that we can find ...good news! No more Epoch Times!! Bad news, your college paper, your health website, your parish magazine ....also gone!!
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Just a note my colleague reminded me of. The law Facebook is ‘reacting to’ by wiping all news-like links off its platform, including weather and health services, college papers, community news- has not been enacted yet.....
Mark Scott / Politico: In Australia, Big Tech divisions boil over
Emily Bell / @emilybell: .so.....Facebook has erased all manner of links - way beyond just news - including its own page. In a pandemic . https://twitter.com/...
Yen Nee Lee / CNBC: ‘Arrogant’ and ‘wrong’: Australia slams Facebook's move to block news as unnecessary and heavy-handed
@cameronwilson: Ironically Facebook's sudden change to its algorithm probably makes the case for forcing them to give warning about changes as per the media bargaining code
@peterbale: @rasmus_kleis It's regrettable that there'll be no journalistic counterweight to misinformation. Publishers deliberately rejected FB news tab, hoping they'd get more from ACC. Just tried to post an SMH story on misinformation. Can't. https://twitter.com/...
William Easton / About Facebook:
Ahead of proposed media law, Facebook says it's banning Australians from sharing/viewing news and all users from sharing from and viewing Australian news Pages
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Columbia Journalism Review, Insider, @dylanbyers, OneZero, CNN, Journalism.co.uk, The Guardian, @joshfrydenberg, The Wrap, New York Post, @matthewstoller, Globe and Mail, BBC, Reuters, @caseynewton, @mikeisaac, Snopes.com, ABC, Sydney Morning Herald, New Republic, Reason, @mattburgess1, TechCrunch, Marketing Land, Webworm with David Farrier, Media Nation, @davidleyonhjelm, wan-ifra.org, @mja_editor, Fast Forward, @damiancollins, The Verge, National Review, Are You Engaged?, Vox, The Status Kuo, The Muffin por Mauricio …, @jeffjarvis, Foreign Policy, CNBC, @daphnehk, @_claireconnelly, @jayrosen_nyu, MacRumors, @jonahstein, Ad Age, @belindajones68, @normative, @mikarv, @pt, @kashhill, What's New in Publishing, @itsbouquet, @jamesrbuk, @profgalloway, Digital Marketing …, @jakefmooney, @timmarchman, @juhasaarinen, @katecrawford, @jeffreyatucker and @erratarob, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab: In Australia, Facebook's ban on sharing news stories has sent publishers' traffic tumbling
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review: Google and Facebook grapple with news publishers, as Australia becomes a test case
Lauren Johnson / Insider: Publishers brace for a potential Facebook traffic crash after Australia ban
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: Facebook breaks from Google in Australia policy: “In response to Australia's proposed new Media Bargaining law, Facebook will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content.” https://about.fb.com/...
Will Oremus / OneZero: Facebook Just Banned News in Australia. Like, All of It.
Marcela Kunova / Journalism.co.uk: Facebook ban on news in Australia: “It caught us completely off guard”
The Guardian: Australia politics live: ‘Facebook was wrong’ to block pages in news ban, Josh Frydenberg says
Josh Frydenberg / @joshfrydenberg: This morning, I had a constructive discussion with Mark Zuckerberg from #Facebook. He raised a few remaining issues with the Government's news media bargaining code and we agreed to continue our conversation to try to find a pathway forward.
J. Clara Chan / The Wrap: Former Facebook Australia CEO Urges People to Delete the App After Site Blocks News Sharing
Rachel Bovard / New York Post: Australia took a stand against Facebook — and got silenced
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Facebook has also banned the ENTIRE WORLD from getting Australian news content. Holy shit. https://twitter.com/...
Byron Kaye / Reuters: Facebook ‘unfriends’ Australia: news pages go dark in test for global publishing
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Australia's dumb and bad ‘bargaining code’ with platforms is coming soon to a country near you. So we should probably talk about how dumb and bad it is https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: Big news: Hours after Google cut a deal with News Corp, Facebook pulls the trigger and restricts publishers and people from sharing news links in Australia https://about.fb.com/...
Bethania Palma / Snopes.com: Did Facebook Ban Its Own Page in Australia?
James Purtill / ABC: Facebook news ban sees anti-vaccine misinformation pages unaffected and posting in ‘information vacuum’
Zoe Samios / Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Squashed’: Smaller publishers fear fatal consequences from Facebook's news ban
Jacob Silverman / New Republic: Facebook Is a Global Mafia
Scott Shackford / Reason: Everybody's Wrong About the Facebook/Murdoch Standoff in Australia
Matt Burgess / @mattburgess1: Wow. Facebook is blocking news publishers in Australia over plans to make tech firms pay for news content. Publishers: can't share or post on their Pages People in Australia: cannot view or share Australian or international news content on Facebook https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Facebook applies overly broad content block in flex against Australia's planned news reuse law
Kim Davis / Marketing Land: The effects of Google's search choice screen, Facebook's Aussie decision: Thursday's daily brief
David Farrier / Webworm with David Farrier: Why Facebook decided to kill the news
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: The standoff in Australia shows why Google needs news more than Facebook does
David Leyonhjelm / @davidleyonhjelm: Media: You are stealing our content and must pay. Facebook: We'll stop stealing it then. Media: That's unreasonable. You must pay. https://twitter.com/...
Elizabeth Shilpa / wan-ifra.org: Facebook restricts users in Australia from sharing or viewing newslinks
@mja_editor: MJA, the country's leading peer-reviewed general medical journal, has been blocked by Facebook. Our Facebook page provides vital information - not just to doctors, academics and researchers, but also to the general public who follow our page. Dangerous precedent. Unconscionable. https://twitter.com/...
Damian Collins / @damiancollins: The spreaders of hate speech & disinformation can do their worst in Australia, it's the real news Mark Zuckerberg is stopping you from sharing. Facebook is protecting profits at the expense of democracy, so we need to stand up for each other in this fight https://www.smh.com.au/...
Casey Newton / The Verge: Why Google caved to Australia, and Facebook didn't
Zachary Evans / National Review: Facebook Bans Australians from Sharing News in Response to Law Forcing Payment for Journalism
Sara Morrison / Vox: Why Facebook banned news in Australia
Jay / The Status Kuo: Facebook Just Unfriended All of Australia. Is this a Sign of Trouble Ahead for the Company?
Mauricio Cabrera / The Muffin por Mauricio Cabrera: Facebook Antijournalism Project
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Hey, @guardian, be careful what you lobby for — especially when you do it along the devil Murdoch. Australia politics live: ‘Facebook was wrong’ to block pages in news ban, Josh Frydenberg says https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Daphne Keller / @daphnehk: I would like to see a wealth transfer from platforms to news organizations. I don't see how this system gets us to the right math for that. Not sure how this deals with the definition of worthy news orgs, either. Definitely everyone's mad though. So it has that in its favor. https://twitter.com/...
Claire Connelly / @_claireconnelly: 'Missing from almost every article I have read about the code is how it will actually benefit journalism. Based on my reading of the code, there's no requirement that any subsidy given from the platforms to the publishers be spent on news gathering at all' https://www.platformer.news/ ...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “For journalism to become more sustainable in the long run, it can't rely on handouts from the biggest tech companies of the moment to the biggest publishers of the moment.” https://www.platformer.news/ ... @CaseyNewton's smart read on the Australian law that targets the plarforms.
Jonah Stein / @jonahstein: @profgalloway All Australia is doing is forcing Facebook and Google to pay Rupert Murdock. I like the precedent here but there are no winners I can champion.
Ilyse Liffreing / Ad Age: Thousands of brands are running ads next to COVID vaccine misinformation: Thursday Wake-Up Call
@belindajones68: Well, that went well 'eh @JoshFrydenberg? Your ‘constructive’ discussions are about as successful as your mathematics. 🐝 #auspol #qt https://twitter.com/...
Julian Sanchez / @normative: The government decided to impose a cost on X; a company decided X wasn't worth that cost, so they've stopped doing it. This is not necessarily extortion; maybe the product just isn't that valuable to them. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Veale / @mikarv: try market based regulatory solutions in monopolies and, weird thing! the market (let's call him mark for short) can choose not to buy anything! https://twitter.com/...
Parker / @pt: Are we really using “deplatforming” to describe businesses reacting to bad legislation by adjusting their business to discontinue now-unprofitable lines of business? Can we please just continue calling that Capitalism? https://twitter.com/...
What's New in Publishing: Facebook has pulled the trigger on news content — and possibly shot itself in the foot
Coalition Tea Lady / @itsbouquet: That worked well ... https://twitter.com/...
James Ball / @jamesrbuk: What a backdrop for our @EJNetwork debate tomorrow night at 6:30pm - Who controls the messengers? Regulating journalism and social media while protecting free speech Feat: @jilliancyork, @arusbridger and @carolecadwalla, chair: @MeeraSelva1 https://www.eventbrite.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Scott Galloway / @profgalloway: Imagine America w/testicles 🇦🇺 https://twitter.com/...
Jake Mooney / @jakefmooney: @timmarchman Also has the phrase “with a heavy heart” ever been used in a way that felt sincere?
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: It literally has the tone of the UN regretfully announcing it's cut off oxygen shipments to the Martian colonies and it's like ... you realize you're just an app old people use not a world-bestriding power, don't you
Twenty Twenty One / @juhasaarinen: @ErrataRob No... it's a bill. Law not passed yet. Facebook is blocking Australian news for everyone, and international news for Australians. Not sure yet how far the block goes, but sharing links is certainly gone.
Kate Crawford / @katecrawford: It happened: Facebook just went off the deep end in Australia. They are blocking *all* news content to Australians, and *no* Australian media can post news. This is what showdowns between states and platforms look like. It's deplatforming at scale. https://about.fb.com/...
Jeffrey A Tucker / @jeffreyatucker: This is just incredible. It could really hurt traffic for Australian media sources. The upside is that people who turn to other aggregators — as they should have long ago. https://twitter.com/...
Nicholas Quah / Vulture:
Reply All's P.J. Vogt is leaving the show and Sruthi Pinnamaneni is stepping back from its series on Bon Appétit after staffer said they created a toxic dynamic — Oh, you like podcasts? Sign up for Vulture's new recommendation newsletter 1.5x Speed here.
Discussion:
@pjvogt, @eeddings, @sruthiri, Los Angeles Times, The Supercreator, @rosieatlarge, Washington Post, Today in Tabs, The Daily Dot, Insider, @eeddings, @memles, @nicktheandersen, New York Times, @marybeth_sb, Newser, @poorlyhidden, @judsoncollier, The Wrap, @oz_f, @andizeisler, @eeddings, @vulture, @rswirling, @mattdpearce, @vulture, @jamessurowiecki, The Plate Cleaner, @camillard, bookforum.com and Hollywood Reporter
Discussion:
PJ Vogt / @pjvogt: https://twitter.com/...
Eric Eddings / @eeddings: Last week I got an email from Sruthi about Reply All's Test Kitchen series. I had been avoiding listening but once I did I felt gaslit. The truth is RA and specifically PJ and Sruthi contributed to a near identical toxic dynamic at Gimlet. This will be a longer thread, apologies.
Sruthi Pinnamaneni / @sruthiri: https://twitter.com/...
Michael Jones / The Supercreator: Ask Michael: How can I upgrade my virtual events?
Rosie Fletcher / @rosieatlarge: If I were contributing to a toxic workplace, I would strongly consider not hosting a high profile series on people contributing to a toxic workplace https://www.vulture.com/...
Tim Elfrink / Washington Post: A popular podcast dug into Bon Appétit's racism scandal. Then its own host was accused of creating a ‘toxic’ workplace.
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: Notes Appétit — Yesterday started with one implosion and ended with another one.
Claire Goforth / The Daily Dot: After podcast about Bon Appetit's toxic culture, Reply All host takes leave over fostering similar environment
Rachel E. Greenspan / Insider: The ‘Reply All’ podcast is facing a reckoning after claims of anti-union bullying surfaced amid its Bon Appétit miniseries
Eric Eddings / @eeddings: The focus should be on BA and what they experienced, but this series feels like an effort to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of colleagues at Spotify and the ones who have left.
Myles McNutt / @memles: Me, last week: “Oh, I'll assign the Test Kitchen podcast for my labor and representation unit in my Media Industries class.” Me, now: “...we're gonna need a bigger unit.” https://twitter.com/...
Nick Andersen / @nicktheandersen: i long for a world where HR protects employees, unions are strong and no one has to relive trauma in a public forum in order to force change https://www.vulture.com/...
Jenny Gross / New York Times: Host of ‘Reply All’ Podcast Steps Down After Accusations of Toxic Culture
Marybeth Seitz-Brown / @marybeth_sb: I don't think this is very useful tbh! people who were anti union and then change their minds are actually very common, better to just explain why you didn't support originally and why you do now, and actively invite other people who were anti or on the fence to join you https://twitter.com/...
@poorlyhidden: The idea that you've committed a transgression if you don't support your company's unionization drive is insane. It's the union's responsibility to convince you that it would help you! If you don't support it, that means it's failed to justify its value to you. https://twitter.com/...
@judsoncollier: i want to hold in both hands, 1. i deeply loved this show and truly have needed this show, 2. feel like gimlet culture is bad point blank and they need to handle their business https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: ‘Reply All’ Podcast Host and Producer Exit Show After Toxic Workplace Accusations
Osman Faruqi / @oz_f: Wow imagine any journalist in Australia resigning/"taking a step back" after not doing enough in a unionisation campaign with diversity as one of the key demands. Inconceivable. https://twitter.com/...
Andi Zeisler / @andizeisler: Has “Milkshake Turducken” entered the lexicon yet https://www.vulture.com/...
Eric Eddings / @eeddings: The BA staffers' stories deserve to be told, but to me it's damaging to have that reporting and storytelling come from two people who have actively and AGGRESSIVELY worked against multiple efforts to diversify Gimlet's staff & content. A bit of background.
@vulture: The Gimlet podcast came under scrutiny after releasing a series on the problems at “Bon Appetit” https://www.vulture.com/...
Robyn Swirling / @rswirling: “I should have reflected on what it meant to not be on the same side of a movement largely led by young [colleagues] of color at my company” is a worthwhile reflection prompt for many white people. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: I'm not gonna say anything about this in particular because every situation is a little different. But I've had a lot of coworkers who were against the union or really soft on the idea, and with patience and good will, a ton of them did come around and it was great when they did. https://twitter.com/...
@vulture: Update: The departure of P.J. Vogt, Reply All's founding co-host, will be permanent https://www.vulture.com/...
James Surowiecki / @jamessurowiecki: If this were a storyline on “The Newsroom,” everyone would be like, “Give me a break. Why does everything Sorkin writes have to be so on the nose?” https://www.vulture.com/...
Mike Takasaki / The Plate Cleaner: 9. Setting Myself Up — Like a many, many other people I was a huge fan of Bon Appetit's …
Camilla Blackett / @camillard: Such a raw and brave thread that lays bare the racism in a “nice white workplace” and why “POC” can often be both a meaningless term and cloak for anti-black violence. https://twitter.com/...
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
NYT debuts a Slack app that provides a daily recommended read, a “save for later” button, and alerts users if a link they shared was discussed in other channels — On Thursday, The New York Times launched a Slack app that's designed to help foster conversations about Times stories …
Discussion:
Tim Ball / @tball: Yes, I am familiar with this kind of news. Downloading this now » The New York Times' new Slack app aims to deliver (non-depressing) Times stories to you while you work. https://www.niemanlab.org/... https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: .@HanaaTameez on NYTimes' new Slack app “If you feel a jolt of panic when you hear Slack's knock brush notification sound — and already get too many news push notifications — don't worry too much.” https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Anna Dubenko / @annadubenko: We built a Slack app! I talked to Neiman Lab about it here: https://www.niemanlab.org/...
@niemanreports: On Thursday, NYT launched a Slack app that's designed to help foster conversations about Times stories where people already are — that is, in their existing Slack workspace — as an experiment to get a better sense of how people are sharing Times journalism https://www.niemanlab.org/...
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Google adds the Apple TV app to its newest Chromecast device with Google TV and has made it available on Sony and TCL smart TVs that Google TV — Plugging a notable gap in its streaming lineup, Google has added the Apple TV app — the only way to get the Apple TV Plus service — to its newest Chromecast device.
Discussion:
The Keyword, The Streamable, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Macworld, nexttv.com, The Verge, Android Police, @laurengoode and FierceVideo, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jonathan Zepp / The Keyword: Apple TV+ is now available on Google TV
Jeff Kotuby / The Streamable: Apple TV App Launches on Chromecast with Google TV
Catie Keck / Gizmodo: Chromecast With Google TV Really Is Perfect Now, Huh?
Daniel Frankel / nexttv.com: Apple TV Plus Arrives on Google TV
Lauren Masks Are Goode / @laurengoode: Apple TV (include Apple TV+) is now avail on Chromecast, and the Apple TV *box* hasn't been updated since 2017. Aside from AirPlay support and maybe UI preferences, current Apple TV box is just decor. If there's a new box in the works, Apple will really have to differentiate it.
Ben Munson / FierceVideo: Apple TV+ arrives on Chromecast with Google TV
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Roku beats with Q4 revenue of $650M vs $615M expected, up 58% YoY, net profit of $65.2M vs an expected loss; 14.3M active accounts were added for FY2020 — Roku grew revenue in the fourth quarter 58%, to a record $649.9 million — and posted a $65.2 million net profit for the quarter, whereas Wall Street had expected a loss.
Discussion:
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Court filing says a Facebook manager warned that the company reported revenues it “should have never made” by overstating how many users advertisers could reach — Lawsuit cites product executive's qualms over figures provided to advertisers — A Facebook employee warned …
Discussion:
CNBC, Insider, Gizmodo, Ad Age, Engadget, The Verge, @doctorow, TechCrunch, @northmantrader, @future_of_music and @epsilontheory, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Megan Graham / CNBC: Facebook knew ad metrics were inflated, but ignored the problem to make more money, lawsuit claims
Natasha Dailey / Insider: Unsealed court document claims Facebook ‘knew for years’ that a metric was inflated and ignored an employee warning to avoid a revenue hit
Shoshana Wodinsky / Gizmodo: Facebook Knowingly Profited Off Junk Ad Efficacy Estimates, Lawsuit Claims
Adi Robertson / The Verge: Facebook employee warned it used ‘deeply wrong’ ad metrics to boost revenue
@doctorow: Here's the latest scandal: since 2018, FB's been defending a class-action suit brought by its customers who claim that FB lied about “potential reach” - that is, how many users would see their ads. https://www.ft.com/... 29/
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Facebook knew for years ad reach estimates were based on ‘wrong data’ but blocked fixes over revenue impact, per court filing
Sven Henrich / @northmantrader: Isn't that called fraud? $FB https://twitter.com/...
@future_of_music: This deception by Facebook impacted a lot of musicians, indie labels, arts orgs and nonprofits like us. https://twitter.com/...
Lili Bayer / Politico:
Journalists in Slovenia accuse the prime minister of whipping up hatred against public media reporters and editors, which has led to threats and self-censorship — Prime Minister Janez Janša's attacks create climate of fear, journalists and watchdogs say.
Discussion:
@davekeating, @nathalieloiseau, @quentinaries, @delapr_, @matinastevis, @naomiohreally and @aitorehm
Discussion:
Dave Keating / @davekeating: People are getting increasingly nervous about what's in store for the #EU2021SL presidency. Slovenia's Trumpist PM's increasingly erratic behaviour was largely unknown in Brussels until he very publicly challenged the US election result in November. https://www.politico.eu/...
Nathalie Loiseau / @nathalieloiseau: Thank you @POLITICOEurope for raising awareness on the ominous evolution of the Slovenian government towards media freedom. We must make the next EU Presidency stick to our common values. Inside Slovenia's war on the media - POLITICO https://www.politico.eu/...
QAris / @quentinaries: Just want to say @liliebayer is a fantastic reporter and the attacks from Slovenian officials on her work just confirm press freedom is a daily fight. EU officials, it is time to speak up. Read her work here https://www.politico.eu/...
Santiago de la Presilla / @delapr_: Finally, an EU leader speaks up against the harassment by an EU leader on a journalist. Excellent work by @liliebayer on her work reporting on media freedom. Check out the article if you haven't: https://www.politico.eu/... https://twitter.com/...
Matina Stevis-Gridneff / @matinastevis: Slovenian PM personally attacks ace Politico Europe journalist as well as the outlet, for an excellent, devastating story about his crackdown on the press in Slovenia. Read the story here: https://www.politico.eu/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael Karam / Report for the World:
The GroundTruth Project, which created Report for America, launches Report for the World, seeking six reporters to work in two newsrooms in India and Nigeria — The GroundTruth Project announced today the launch of Report for the World, its newest service program, and issued a call …
Discussion:
@report4theworld: HELLO 🌍 🌏 🌎 ! The crisis in local #Journalism is global! That's why we're launching @Report4theWorld, a global service program from @GroundTruth that matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists who report on under-covered issues. https://reportfortheworld.org/ ... [THREAD] https://twitter.com/...
Alex Mahadevan / Poynter:
An early analysis of Birdwatch, Twitter's crowdsourced fact-checking pilot with about 1,000 users, shows partisan rhetoric and a lack of source citations — A Poynter analysis found that less than half of Birdwatch users include sources and many fact-checking notes contain partisan rhetoric.
Discussion:
@poynter, @chris_buckley, @timcast, @timcast, @alexmahadevan, @janebsinger and @alexmahadevan
Discussion:
@poynter: One finding: A majority of the most prolific Birdwatch user's notes mark tweets critical of the right as “misleading” and those critical of the left as “not misleading.” https://www.poynter.org/...
Chris Buckley / @chris_buckley: So, Birdwatch's crowd-sourced “fact-checking” is basically a middle school student body election - shaping consensus around popular, bad ideas https://www.poynter.org/... #misinformation #feedly
Tim Pool / @timcast: Absolutely Incredible Cultural moment Twitter's Birdwatch correctly noted that my tweet about TIME Magazine's article on “fortifying” the election was CORRECT Poynter is furious that fact checking worked and is calling it a problem https://www.poynter.org/...
Alex Mahadevan / @alexmahadevan: The solution, @Twitter said, is BWers can register under a secondary, “pseudonym” account. This opens up way more questions about the vetting/onboarding process.
Jane Singer / @janebsinger: Twitter's experiment in crowd-sourced fact-checking, @birdwatch, poses significant questions. Can an algorithm fed by a seemingly random group of people accurately ‘rate’ the truth? And will users really be keen to do the platform's job for it? https://www.poynter.org/... @Poynter
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