Top News:
Damien Cave / New York Times:
Australia's concentrated media industry, dominated by News Corp, is aligned with the prime minister and has sought compensation from tech companies for years — Pathbreaking legislation showed that even a small nation can get the tech giant to bend. But the United States seems unlikely to follow.
Discussion:
Dana F. Blankenhorn / Dana Blankenhorn: Rupert Murdoch Blackmails the Web
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/...
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.
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/...
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/...
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen / @rasmus_kleis: That shuffling sound you hear? Maybe it is publishers around 🌍 hiring lobbyists:"Google's rush to pay up in Australia shows how regulation in a relatively small country — or just the threat of it — can sharply alter the behavior of a global tech behemoth" https://www.nytimes.com/...
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/...
@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/ ...
RELATED:
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:
@jayrosen_nyu, @nxthompson, @caseynewton, @caseynewton, Sydney Morning Herald, Insider, The Guardian, CNBC, @emilybell, 90 Second News, @emilybell, @emilybell, @emilybell, @evadienel, @s8mb, @joshelman, @gaberivera, @swesterman, @laurenweinstein, @emilybell, @waxy, Variety, @_claireconnelly, @beneltham, @evanspw, Beyond Search, @karaswisher, @adamnash, Reuters, AdExchanger and South China Morning Post, 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/...
Zoe Samios / Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Squashed’: Smaller publishers fear fatal consequences from Facebook's news ban
Insider: Australia's PM slams Facebook's ‘arrogant’ move to ‘unfriend’ the nation, after government pages were inadvertently silenced as part of a purge of news content
Amanda Meade / The Guardian: Prime minister Scott Morrison attacks Facebook for ‘arrogant’ move to ‘unfriend Australia’
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC: Facebook will ban Australian users from sharing or viewing news
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.
90 Second News: ⏱Unfortunately court isn't a $GME — Good morning everyone, and welcome to National Drink Wine Day.
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.
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
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/...
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/...
@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.
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 //
@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/ ...
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/ ...
Ben Eltham / @beneltham: Good analysis here by Casey Newton https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Evans / @evanspw: Part 3 of the Casey Newton piece pretty on the money. https://twitter.com/...
Stephen E. Arnold / Beyond Search: Alphabet Google: Rambling, Scrambling, and Managing
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/...
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/ ...
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” — Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to restrict the availability of news on Facebook in Australia.
Discussion:
@campbell_brown, Sydney Morning Herald, CNN, Talking Biz News, @campbell_brown, @rasmus_kleis, NBC News, Insider, Poynter, @martynmcl, @matt_hopcraft, @tomtaylormade, @markhennessy, @cameronwilson, @emilybell, @dailypostdan, Politico, @emilybell, @emilybell, @oliviasolon, @karaswisher, @dgisserious, @emilybell, @kmbaussie, @zaidjilani, @mmasnick, @brooklynmarie, @peterbale, @bobbyallyn, @campbell_brown, Opinions of a Capitalist, The Village Explainer, @ryanvailbrown, @emilybell, @campbell_brown and @emilybell
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
Irina Slav / Talking Biz News: Facebook cuts news access to Australians
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/...
Martin Coulter / Insider: Facebook's news ban heightens the risk of misinformation and conspiracies spreading in Australia, critics warn
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/...
@matt_hopcraft: Strange decision to say that the Bureau of Meteorology is a publisher? https://twitter.com/... 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/...
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/...
@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
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.....
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/...
Mark Scott / Politico: In Australia, Big Tech divisions boil over
Emily Bell / @emilybell: @KMBAussie Fact check. Facebook toured newsrooms incentivizing news organisations to publish on their platforms
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/...
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/...
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/...
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/...
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!!
@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/...
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/...
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/...
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/...
@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/...
Bobby Allyn / @bobbyallyn: Useful context in light of FB's decision to restrict news articles in Australia: The evidence gathered by House investigators outlining how FB has many major news publishers by the scruff of their neck: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Campbell Brown / @campbell_brown: We were prepared to launch Facebook News in Australia and significantly increase our investments with local publishers, however, we were only prepared to do this with the right rules in place. We will now prioritize investments to other countries.
Wayne Niddery / Opinions of a Capitalist: Are Facebook and Google Stealing Content and Revenue from News Sites?
Dan McGarry / The Village Explainer: BLOCK THIS — The underside of the world woke up today to find their world turned upside down.
Rvb / @ryanvailbrown: if news is only 4% of the content that populates newsfeed, why take all your toys and go home? https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Facebook does damage to the free press and public sphere in undemocratic countries - regretfully - because it is the law they have to follow. Facebook now does active damage to the operation of the public sphere in DEMOCRATIC countries ...because of the laws it won't follow.
Campbell Brown / @campbell_brown: Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook because they get value from doing so, from finding new readers to getting new subscribers. We provide free tools, products and programs to support their goals.
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Facebook, whatever the rights or wrongs of this case, dribbles cash on breathless ngos and newsrooms to ‘fight misinformation’ or ‘fact check’ , but when profits are at stake - in democratic AND undemocratic governments - it will throw ALL journalism under the bus. No hesitation
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 — In response to Australia's proposed new Media Bargaining law, Facebook will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing …
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald, @dylanbyers, MediaPost, The Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, OneZero, Insider, CNN, @joshfrydenberg, Media Nation, @matthewstoller, Journalism.co.uk, @mikeisaac, Digiday, Vox, Reuters, National Review, The Status Kuo, @caseynewton, Fast Forward, ABC, @mattburgess1, Marketing Land, The Verge, CNBC, Foreign Policy, Gizmodo, @jamesrbuk, Digital Marketing …, @davidleyonhjelm, Press Gazette, @daphnehk, @jayrosen_nyu, @mja_editor, @normative, @damiancollins, @profgalloway, @pt, @belindajones68, @_claireconnelly, Are You Engaged?, @itsbouquet, MacRumors, @kashhill, @jeffjarvis, What's New in Publishing, Ad Age, @jonahstein, @mikarv, The Muffin por Mauricio …, New York Times, @jakefmooney, @timmarchman, @juhasaarinen, @katecrawford, @jeffreyatucker, @erratarob, @mikeisaac, @gaberivera, Hollywood Reporter, @deniseshrivell, @timmarchman, @caitoz, @caitoz, @jordanlperkins, @a_d_morgan, @mariabustillos, @amyremeikis, @shannonpareil, ZDNet, @emilybell, RNZ and @bdsams, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
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/...
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: Facebook Cuts Off Australian News After Media Payments Law Passes House
The Guardian: Australia politics live: ‘Facebook was wrong’ to block pages in news ban, Josh Frydenberg says
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review: Google and Facebook grapple with news publishers, as Australia becomes a test case
Will Oremus / OneZero: Facebook Just Banned News in Australia. Like, All of It.
Ben Gilbert / Insider: This is what Facebook looks like in Australia after the social media giant pulled all news content
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.
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: The standoff in Australia shows why Google needs news more than Facebook does
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: Facebook has also banned the ENTIRE WORLD from getting Australian news content. Holy shit. https://twitter.com/...
Marcela Kunova / Journalism.co.uk: Facebook ban on news in Australia: “It caught us completely off guard”
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/...
Tim Peterson / Digiday: Media Briefing: Publishers' and platforms' businesses settle into the new normal
Sara Morrison / Vox: Why Facebook banned news in Australia
Byron Kaye / Reuters: Facebook ‘unfriends’ Australia: news pages go dark in test for global publishing
Zachary Evans / National Review: Facebook Bans Australians from Sharing News in Response to Law Forcing Payment for Journalism
Jay / The Status Kuo: Facebook Just Unfriended All of Australia. Is this a Sign of Trouble Ahead for the Company?
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/...
James Purtill / ABC: Facebook news ban sees anti-vaccine misinformation pages unaffected and posting in ‘information vacuum’
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/...
Kim Davis / Marketing Land: The effects of Google's search choice screen, Facebook's Aussie decision: Thursday's daily brief
Casey Newton / The Verge: Why Google caved to Australia, and Facebook didn't
Yen Nee Lee / CNBC: ‘Arrogant’ and ‘wrong’: Australia slams Facebook's move to block news as unnecessary and heavy-handed
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/...
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/...
Freddy Mayhew / Press Gazette: Regulation: Politicians running the world's leading economies are planning to tame Facebook and Google
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/...
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.
@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/...
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/...
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/...
Scott Galloway / @profgalloway: Imagine America w/testicles 🇦🇺 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/...
@belindajones68: Well, that went well 'eh @JoshFrydenberg? Your ‘constructive’ discussions are about as successful as your mathematics. 🐝 #auspol #qt 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/ ...
Coalition Tea Lady / @itsbouquet: That worked well ... https://twitter.com/...
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/ ...
What's New in Publishing: Facebook has pulled the trigger on news content — and possibly shot itself in the foot
Ilyse Liffreing / Ad Age: Thousands of brands are running ads next to COVID vaccine misinformation: Thursday Wake-Up Call
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.
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/...
Mauricio Cabrera / The Muffin por Mauricio Cabrera: Facebook Antijournalism Project
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/...
@erratarob: Uh, no. Australia passed a law that charged Facebook to link to news sites. So Facebook didn't want to pay, so stopped linking to news sites. https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: Facebook putting thumbscrews to Australian pubs, which i imagine will be immediately felt in audience/revenue measurement https://twitter.com/...
Gabe Rivera / @gaberivera: “You call that a knife? *This* is a knife!” - Facebook https://twitter.com/...
Abid Rahman / Hollywood Reporter: Facebook Blocks News Viewing, Sharing In Australia, Faces Backlash From Emergency Services
@deniseshrivell: Well - this is big 😳 & what happens when people who've little expertise - & a lot of agenda - make major decisions. Awful for all the smaller & indie publishers who will be negatively impacted by this #auspol https://twitter.com/...
Tim Marchman / @timmarchman: I think my favorite thing about this is the imperious tone, like people in one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world not being able to get links to certain kinds of stuff on an archaic app will isolate them from the rest of humanity https://about.fb.com/...
@caitoz: Apparently this includes links to Substack articles from crowdfunded bloggers. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@caitoz: @matthewstoller @ggreenwald This is the notification I get when I try to share one of my own Substack articles in Australia. #auspol https://twitter.com/...
Jordan L. Perkins / @jordanlperkins: Quants I found u a natural experiment Go nuts https://twitter.com/...
A D Morgan / @a_d_morgan: This is weird to say out loud: “For Facebook, the business gain from news is minimal. News makes up less than 4% of the content people see in their News Feed. Journalism is important to a democratic society,” FB newsfeed is less than 4% news. Explains a lot https://twitter.com/...
Maria Bustillos / @mariabustillos: quit Facebook https://twitter.com/...
Amy Remeikis / @amyremeikis: Facebook has banned THE WORLD from seeing/sharing Australian news https://twitter.com/...
Shannon Bond / @shannonpareil: Facebook is blocking Australian users & publishers from posting links to news stories and viewing any news stories on FB ... AND blocking users *anywhere in the world* from sharing news stories from Australian publishers https://about.fb.com/...
Asha Barbaschow / ZDNet: Facebook makes good on its threat to ban news in Australia
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Here is where the rubber hits the road for @facebook and it's civic intentions. (Forget the Oversight Board for one minute). It won't comply with a democratic government law which it doesn't agree with which costs it money - and removes all accredited publishers including PSBs https://twitter.com/...
Colin Peacock / RNZ: Facebook backs away from news across the Tasman
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 — - Facebook will no longer allow people in Australia to read or share news — The move is a response to the country's proposed Media Bargaining law
Discussion:
Andrew Brown / @andrewbrownau: Facebook has banned Facebook's own Facebook page https://twitter.com/...
Josh Taylor / The Guardian: Facebook's botched Australia news ban hits health departments, charities and its own pages
Rachel Clun / Sydney Morning Herald: Facebook ban hits health pages days before COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Josh Taylor / @joshgnosis: Facebook's news ban hammer having a lot of collateral damage. https://twitter.com/...
Carole Cadwalladr / @carolecadwalla: This is too too good https://twitter.com/...
Casey Briggs / @caseybriggs: But NSW Health and Victoria's health department are both still up https://twitter.com/...
@slpng_giants: .@Facebook would rather ban themselves than ban Steve Bannon. 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/ ...
Josh Taylor / @joshgnosis: Facebook statement just now. They're trying to undo it. https://twitter.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/ ...
Casey Briggs / @caseybriggs: Posts have been removed from the Queensland and SA health department Facebook pages 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/...
Kenneth Garger / New York Post: Facebook's Australian news ban wreaks havoc on government pages
The Indian Express: Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news links as ‘Media code’ set to become law
Emily Bell / @emilybell: This hurts publishers - sure. But it also hurts Australian Facebook users in terms of their quick access to news information . There is NO ‘connecting people for a better world’ in this behaviour or hesitancy over possible harms. Just a ‘fuck you and your legislation’ . Okay.
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:
Financial Times, Voice of America, @benedictevans, @adamnash, @jackshafer, Newser, Snopes.com, @katebevan, @modestproposal1, @benedictevans and @spignal, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Phil Mercer / Voice of America: Facebook Bans Australian Users From Sharing News in Dispute Over New Law
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’
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/...
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/...
@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/...
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/...
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/...
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:
@mikarv, TechCrunch, CNN, @sallymcmanus, @yathinkn, @jennymcallister, @emilygorcenski, @raecooper1, @anetmcc, @leesawatego, @sarah_collard_, @kantrowitz, @nat_whiting, @juliacarriew, @abcnews, @andrewbeatty, @andrewbeatty, @sussanley, @senator_patrick, @emilygorcenski, Engadget and Mumbrella, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
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/...
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Facebook applies overly broad content block in flex against Australia's planned news reuse law
CNN: ‘Sort this out’: Facebook's chaotic news ban in Australia blocks pages for fire services, charities and politicians
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/...
@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/ ...
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
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/...
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. 🤔
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/...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: Facebook's team is smart. Don't think this was entirely unexpected or accidental. 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/...
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/...
@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/...
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
Rex Patrick / @senator_patrick: .@Facebook has done a rare thing this morning - they have united the Federal Parliament. #auspol https://www.abc.net.au/...
Emily G / @emilygorcenski: Just absolutely incredible. I never want to hear about how good these people are at algorithms ever again. https://twitter.com/...
Mariella Moon / Engadget: Facebook's Australian news ban took down government Pages
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:
MediaPost, @jeffjarvis, Digiday, @jeffjarvis, @mathewi, MediaNama, Financial Times, Press Gazette, Fortune, Garbage Day, @jeffjarvis, Light Reading, @b_fung, @kerrymflynn, @laurenweinstein, Bloomberg, @parismarx, The Indian Express, What's New in Publishing, New York Times, @s8mb, @katecrawford, @cp24, @deadline, @jerusalem_post, @kylieedo, @damiencave, @deniseshrivell, @lee__drake, @sammonford, @kimbere640, @gcberg, @conlon_chris, @randomoracle, @djjasong, @noahshachtman, @pashulman and musically.com, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Rob Williams / MediaPost: Murdoch Forces Google's Hand With Payment Plan For News
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Google just announced a deal with News Corp. I hate this. It means that media blackmail works. It sets a terrible precedent for the net. It gives Google yet more power over news. It is a win for the devil, Murdoch. I really hate that.
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/...
Soumyarendra Barik / MediaNama: In Australia, Facebook and Google choose diverging paths over paying news publishers
William Turvill / Press Gazette: Facebook blocks news content in Australia to dodge News Media Bargaining Code
Danielle Abril / Fortune: The news Down Under — In the face of proposed regulation in Australia that would require tech giants …
Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day: STOP exploring the Ocean
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.
Robert Clark / Light Reading: Facebook cuts off Australia news over new rules
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/...
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/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: tech giants media oligopoly 🤝 screwing the public for corporate gain https://www.ft.com/...
Nandagopal Rajan / The Indian Express: Explained: The real impact of Facebook switching off news in Australia
What's New in Publishing: Why Google is now funnelling millions into media outlets, as Facebook pulls news for Australia
Damien Cave / New York Times: Facebook's New Look in Australia: News and Hospitals Out, Aliens Still In
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/...
@cp24: Google is striking deals in Australia to pay for journalism but Facebook is vowing to restrict news sharing. https://www.cp24.com/...
Deadline Hollywood / @deadline: Facebook will restrict publishers and users in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content as the Parliament there debates a law that would force tech and social media platforms to pay more for journalism on their sites https://deadline.com/...
@jerusalem_post: #Facebook Inc will block news content from being read and shared in its news feed in #Australia, drawing a line in the sand against a proposed Australian law that would require it and Alphabet Inc's Google to pay the country's news publishers for content. https://www.jpost.com/...
Kylie Edmondson / @kylieedo: @mjrowland68 Check out @jeffjarvis work in this area Michael. He explains it really well & why this will be a good thing with FB & why Google paying Newscorp is not right! https://twitter.com/...
@lee__drake: How to disable Google as the default search engine on iPhones https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@sammonford: I cant believe @Google gave I to @rupertmurdoch bullying! At least @Facebook hasnt caved! https://twitter.com/...
@kimbere640: @mediagazer OKAY help me out here. I REFUSE to do business with News Corp. period. What are my options? Guess I will check out Bing right now.
Chris Conlon / @conlon_chris: No doubt Rupert Murdoch can thank his friends in the Australian government for all of their help on this one. https://twitter.com/...
Cem Paya / @randomoracle: Australia to #Google: “Pretty please pay publishers for content” Google: “No way!” Fox News / Murdoch to Google: “How about some right-wing agitprop?” Google: 💵💵💵 #SurveillanceCapitalism https://twitter.com/...
Phew / @djjasong: @mediagazer I don't believe this for a minute, since Google censored Fox. Otherwise this is great news for America!
Noah Shachtman / @noahshachtman: Apple, too. Sources described to me the big Apple News / WSJ deal from a few years back as a “payoff to Rupert,” plain and simple. 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:
@eeddings, @pjvogt, @sruthiri, The Wrap, New York Times, The Plate Cleaner, Washington Post, @mattdpearce, @judsoncollier, @nicktheandersen, @vulture, @jamessurowiecki, bookforum.com, @eeddings, @eeddings, @memles, @vulture, @rswirling, @marybeth_sb, @poorlyhidden, Hollywood Reporter, @camillard and @oz_f
Discussion:
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.
PJ Vogt / @pjvogt: https://twitter.com/...
Sruthi Pinnamaneni / @sruthiri: https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: ‘Reply All’ Podcast Host and Producer Exit Show After Toxic Workplace Accusations
Jenny Gross / New York Times: Host of ‘Reply All’ Podcast Steps Down After Accusations of Toxic Culture
Mike Takasaki / The Plate Cleaner: 9. Setting Myself Up — Like a many, many other people I was a huge fan of Bon Appetit's …
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.
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/...
@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/...
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/...
@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/...
bookforum.com: Remembering Toni Morrison; Kazuo Ishiguro to discuss his forthcoming novel with Jia Tolentino
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.
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.
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/...
@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/...
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/...
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter: ‘Reply All’ Co-Host, Senior Reporter Step Away From Show Amid “Toxic” Workplace Allegations
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Profile of Stewart Bainum, who set up a nonprofit to buy The Baltimore Sun; filing shows price of $65M for The Sun and other papers under nonbinding term sheet — Stewart Bainum, a hotel magnate and former politician, has swooped in with a plan to run it and other papers in Maryland as part of a nonprofit.
Discussion:
@peterfranchot, @jayrosen_nyu, @ckrewson, @davidmwessel, @marcatracy, @pwoodreporter and @luciana_f_lopez
Discussion:
Comptroller Peter Franchot / @peterfranchot: I'm thrilled to see @baltimoresun returning to local ownership. The work of journalists is vital to our Democracy, and enriches our lives far beyond the political arena. Thank you to the @baltsunguild for its role in advocating for our paper and its readers! https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “Can This Man Save The Baltimore Sun?” With more information about Stewart Bainum, a hotel magnate and former politician, who has a plan to run the Sun and other papers in Maryland as part of a nonprofit. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Chris Krewson / @ckrewson: As glad as I am that The Sun is leaving Tribune, it's unclear to me how a decoupled chain newspaper - after the incredibly epic series of downsizing and cuts Trib subjected its papers to - can survive. https://www.nytimes.com/...
David Wessel / @davidmwessel: 1986: LA Times pays about $400 million for the Baltimore Sun. 2021: Stewart Bainum's non-profit buys Baltimore Sun (and two smaller papers) from Chicago Tribune for $65 million.
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: New: I wrote about Stewart Bainum Jr., who has agreed to start a nonprofit to purchase The Baltimore Sun from Alden. “Journalism's role in democracy is incredibly important to Stewart,” says a friend. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@pwoodreporter: “I think he's attracted by the challenges of the news business and the need for a great city to have a great newspaper,” said Ted Venetoulis, former BaltCo exec, of Sun buyer Stewart Bainum. “His goal is to strengthen the Sun.” From @ElaheIzadi: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
RELATED:
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Alden's audacious lie that it ensures “sustainability of robust local journalism” is evidence of its unsuitability as a newspaper owner
Discussion:
@larryryckman: But I'm an irrepressible optimist. Yes, these are dark times, but there are rays of hope (sorry for the Sun pun). Look at @BlockClubCHI, @SJSpotlight, @LookoutSCruz and others popping up in now-Alden towns. We're all seeking a better way. Further thoughts: https://mailchi.mp/... https://twitter.com/...
@sulliview: Metro newspapers, weakened as they are, are still at the heart of local journalism in many regions. Alden Global's purchase of Tribune's papers is tragic & their pretty words about their intentions are infuriating. My column: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
David Axelrod / @davidaxelrod: I was lucky enough to spend the first decade of my career in the newsroom of the @chicagotribune, mentored by wonderful journalists when the Trib was a truly great newspaper. I owe so much to them and that experience. Sad to see if fall into the hands of these scavengers. RIP. https://twitter.com/...
Celeste Headlee / @celesteheadlee: This is absolutely true and if you care about journalism in this country, especially if you're in a position of power, you would investigate what makes this possible. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: The Post's @Sulliview explains why a rapacious financial engineer's takeover of Tribune is the latest — and maybe the grimmest yet — bad news for local news in America. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Ross Maghielse / @maghielse: I still believe newspapers can be good businesses. They don't have to be charity projects. A good newspaper can have a better profit margin than a good restaurant. But they can't make money the way hedge funds want them to long term. So this bad. All bad. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Craig Calcaterra / Cup of Coffee: Cup of Coffee: February 18, 2021
ClearingTheFog / @clearing_fog: While anonymous shell companies create “new media” outlets to spread disinformation, hedge funds and vulture capital outfits devour reputable newspapers that still do the hard work of real journalism. We need to address this trend as a society, or truth will erode further. https://twitter.com/...
Ann Marie Lipinski / @amlwhere: I suggested to @Sulliview that the hedge fund's claim of a well established commitment to local journalism was an audacious lie. Please, Alden—prove me wrong. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Nicholas Dawes / @nicdawes: “When Alden comes in, it's slash-and-burn time ... Decisions are made not for long-term sustainability, not for service to the community but for next quarter's profit-and-loss” @Sulliview on the coming of the reaper at some crucial metro outlets https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@briokc: “Decisions are made not for long-term sustainability, not for service to the community, not for humane treatment of skilled and dedicated staff, but for next quarter's profit-and-loss statement.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Melissa Jo Peltier / @melissajpeltier: This is horrifying. This is the opposite direction in which we need to go. Dear @SenWarren - whatever happened to anti-trust - which if not applicable anywhere else, MUST be used too save independent media. https://twitter.com/...
Meredith Shiner / @meredithshiner: “The worst is yet to come.” 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 …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Recent deals like the iHeart Media's purchase of Triton Digital suggest that ad tech, not exclusive content, will be the key to long-term success in podcasting — iHeart Media acquires Triton Digital for $230 million — iHeartMedia, the company behind podcasts like Stuff You Should Know and hundreds …
Discussion:
Evo Terra / Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox: How iHeart's Buying Spree Will Effect The Future Of Podcasting
@cedfunches: If you don't understand lead generation, SEO, social relevance, post + brand quality you are at a disadvantage to streaming companies. If you can own these with a reliable audience that converts.. and prove it, you can write your own check https://www.theverge.com/...
Scott Monty / @scottmonty: iHeart is acquiring Triton Digital, Spotify bought Megaphone, and SiriusXM acquired Midroll: all adtech firms that will make advertising on podcasts easier to manage. https://www.theverge.com/...
Ashley Carman / @ashleyrcarman: wrote a little take on this. ad tech is going to be the thing that makes or breaks companies vying for audio dominance. i think exclusive deals will eventually fall by the wayside, or at least stop being a thing we hear so much about. https://www.theverge.com/...
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.
Brian Flood / Fox News:
Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer — Limbaugh's death, following Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, announced by family — Fox News Flash top headlines for February 17 — Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio …
Discussion:
@richlowry, New York Times, @pastpunditry, New York Times, HEATED, @jessbravin, Mediaite, Media Nation, @ichotiner, @drjeffreypjones, NPR, Vox, The Nation, Mother Jones, National Review, @brianros1, UPROXX, Newser, Sean Hannity, CNN, @johnjcook, Salon, @kevinmkruse, @maxwelltani, Axios, @jessicavalenti, @tressiemcphd, @karaswisher, @capeannsky, @richlowry, @sarahljaffe, @juliaioffe, Daimnation! Direct, @karaswisher, @froomkin, @ichotiner, @jbouie, @davidcayj, @kevinmkruse, @watchdogdiva, @jayrosen_nyu, @tpm, @bosnerdley, @adamgoldmannyt, @kayleighmcenany, @jbouie, @glennbeck, @froomkin, @titonka, @melaniatrump, @christnnitemare, @mattoswaltva, @bessbell, @ichotiner, @austin_walker, @maragay, @sentomcotton, @joelpollak, @davidklion, @froomkin, @atrupar, @govkristinoem, @greenfield64, @franklin_graham, @johnastoehr, @janicedean and @senrickscott
Discussion:
Rich Lowry / @richlowry: Liberals who didn't listen to Rush, and just read the Media Matters accounts, never understood how *funny* he was. What set him off from his many imitators was how wildly entertaining he was, and the absolutely unbreakable bond he formed with his listeners.
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: Rush Limbaugh's Legacy of Weaponizing Radio Commentary
Nicole Hemmer / @pastpunditry: Rush Limbaugh radically transformed the Republican Party. He elevated conservative media into a coequal branch of party politics, and pioneered a style of rhetoric, argument, and entertainment that would come to define conservative politics.
Robert D. McFadden / New York Times: Rush Limbaugh, Talk Radio's Conservative Provocateur, Dies at 70
Emily Atkin / HEATED: Liar, 70, dies — “Rush Limbaugh, more than any other individual, is responsible …
Jess Bravin / @jessbravin: “Mr. Limbaugh's break came shortly after the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which had required radio and television stations to devote airtime to matters of public interest and to broadcast contrasting views on controversial issues.” Obituary by @AnneMarieSteele https://twitter.com/...
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite: Critics Bristle as Rush Limbaugh's Death Prompts Nauseating Celebrations — Of His Life
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: Rush Limbaugh's career was made possible by Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton
Isaac Chotiner / @ichotiner: https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey P Jones / @drjeffreypjones: @davidfolkenflik What Rush Limbaugh did to us: 1. Made opponents into true enemies 2. Revived overt and dog whistle racism 3. Stifled attempts to revive the Fairness Doctrine 4. Showed Roger Ailes the formula for right-wing broadcast success 5. Offered ignorance as “common sense” thinking
David Folkenflik / NPR: Talk Show Host Rush Limbaugh, A Conservative Lodestar, Dies At 70
Zack Beauchamp / Vox: Rush Limbaugh's toxic legacy
Joan Walsh / The Nation: What Was Rush Limbaugh So Afraid Of?
Jacob Rosenberg / Mother Jones: Rush Limbaugh Taught Me How to Think Like a Piece of Shit
Brittany Bernstein / National Review: Liberals Celebrate Rush Limbaugh's Death, ‘Good Riddance’ Trends on Twitter
Brian Rosenwald / @brianros1: Obviously I will have much more to say as the day and week moves on, but Rush Limbaugh just might be the most important figure in late 20th and early 21st century politics. He reshaped the media and the Republican Party.
Mike Redmond / UPROXX: Fox News Is So Mad That The NY Times Mentioned Some Of The Terrible Things Rush Limbaugh Said In Its Obituary For Him
John Johnson / Newser: Limbaugh's Show Prefaced the Trump Presidency
Chris Cillizza / CNN: How Rush Limbaugh created Donald Trump
John Cook / @johnjcook: a) everybody used to consume media through publicly owned airwaves. b) those airwaves were regulated for content. c) the shift from regulated media over publicly owned channels to unregulated media over privately owned channels coincided with the decline of basically everything https://twitter.com/...
Dan Froomkin / Salon: Lame Limbaugh obits: Mainstream media fawns over a toxic bigot who poisoned our politics
Kevin M. Kruse / @kevinmkruse: @RichLowry What was funnier — mocking Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's or the “AIDS Update” where he rejoiced in the deaths of people with that disease? And if you had to pick a classic joke — calling 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton “the White House dog” or playing “Barack the Magic Negro”?
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: i imagine many people did not find the bombast to be comical https://twitter.com/...
Kadia Goba / Axios: Rush Limbaugh dies at 70 after battle with lung cancer
Jessica Valenti / @jessicavalenti: Rush Limbaugh had a segment called “AIDS update” set to music where he mocked dying gay people so I don't really want hear about ‘speaking ill of the dead’ today
Tressie McMillan Cottom / @tressiemcphd: Today's a great day to send a donation to an LGBTQ/Black/Feminist/Immigrant org. In his “honor”, to be “funny”. https://twitter.com/...
@capeannsky: @RichLowry I was a nurse working with AIDS patients in the 80s. There was nothing funny, generous or kind about the way he addressed the epidemic and their early, difficult death. These comments make me sick.
Rich Lowry / @richlowry: We've lost a giant, who mastered and re-made his medium and left a deep imprint on our politics and media. RIP
Sarah Jaffe / @sarahljaffe: The idea that no one who opposed Rush Limbaugh had ever heard him is some utterly pernicious garbage. I *grew up hearing that shit*. Anyway, do what Tressie said here: https://twitter.com/...
Julia Ioffe / @juliaioffe: @KevinMKruse @RichLowry Oh, what about calling Sandra Fluke a “slut” for taking birth control? Because that was truly a side-splitter. https://abcnews.go.com/...
Damian Penny / Daimnation! Direct: The slow death of a democracy
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: You perhaps should not say you are happy when someone dies, but you certainly can say you were appalled by their life. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: NEW on Press Watch: Limbaugh obituaries show the mainstream media still fawning over the people who poisoned politics https://presswatchers.org/...
Isaac Chotiner / @ichotiner: One crucial part of Limbaugh and his legacy was just how mean he was. A presidential candidate and then president who mocked disabled people didn't obviously follow from Sean Hannity or even Glenn Beck. But Limbaugh's ostentatious cruelty was definitely a harbinger.
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: great jokes like: “Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?” https://twitter.com/...
David Cay Johnston / @davidcayj: If you think singing gleefully about AIDS deaths, mocking a 13-yr-old girl (Chelsea Clinton), lying about HeadStart, & spewing crude KKK racism is funny then, yes, @RichLowry you are right for one of the few times in your small-minded, refusal to correct errors, career. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin M. Kruse / @kevinmkruse: @juliaioffe @RichLowry There are so many classic Rush jokes, Julia. Remember when he told a black caller to take the bone out of his nose? Or playing the Jeffersons theme song when he talked about Carol Mosely Braun? Classic, classic comedy.
Mc Nelly Torres / @watchdogdiva: @RichLowry The man was a hateful, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, propagandist, liar and misogynistic man. Nothing about that is funny and those who found him funny is because they are like him. 👆👆
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Thread about Limbaugh by the author of “Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics.” (University of Pennsylvania Press. 2016.) https://twitter.com/...
@tpm: In Memoriam Of Rush Limbaugh's Strikingly Offensive Remarks https://talkingpointsmemo.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Bo Snerdley / @bosnerdley: My thanks to all of you kind souls who have offered prayers, condolences, and love during this incredibly painful time. Kathryn, @DavidLimbaugh the entire Limbaugh family and my dear friend @seanhannity and his crew who are like family to us. RushLove.
Adam Goldman / @adamgoldmannyt: His conspiracy theories ranged from baldfaced lies about Barack Obama's birthplace to claims that Mr. Obama's 2009 health care bill would empower “death panels” and “euthanize” elderly Americans. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kayleigh McEnany / @kayleighmcenany: 1/3 Rush Limbaugh had unrelenting boldness to proclaim the truth. Watching his wit, passion, and willingness to hold the media accountable informed my entire career. Growing up in Plant City, Florida, my dad would always play the Rush Limbaugh program in his pick-up truck...
B-Boy Bouiebaisse / @jbouie: the most i'll say about rush limbaugh is that he used his talents to make the world a worse place
Glenn Beck / @glennbeck: No words ... I just got news the Rush Limbaugh has passed away. thanks Rush for all you taught, gave and were. A hero to many. An icon. A patriot. A revolutionary that saved radio. Heavens gain, our loss.
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Dramatic rewrite of NYT Limbaugh obit by @grynbaum. Improved but STILL not enough. No more “darling”; now he's “the right-wing radio megastar whose slashing, divisive style of mockery and grievance reshaped American conservatism... while presaging the rise of Donald J. Trump.” https://twitter.com/...
Danielle Kurtzleben / @titonka: TIL from this excellent @davidfolkenflik obituary that Rush Limbaugh...briefly did football commentary? (And then was fired after being racist toward a black QB.) https://twitter.com/...
Melania Trump / @melaniatrump: Rush was a fearless American patriot. He made countless contributions to society & leaves behind an unforgettable legacy. Praying for Kathryn & the entire Limbaugh family. https://twitter.com/...
Christian Nightmares / @christnnitemare: “He was a conservative voice of reason for so many years and will be greatly missed.” This tells you everything you need to know about Franklin Graham... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Oswalt / @mattoswaltva: RIP Rush Limbaugh. Born in 1951 and remained there the rest of his life
Bess Kalb / @bessbell: I know it's tempting to lash out, but try to treat Rush Limbaugh with the same dignity, respect, and humanity as he showed to rape victims, Michael J. Fox, Sandra Fluke, Iraq War veterans, refugees, and the victims of mosque shootings.
Isaac Chotiner / @ichotiner: Jesus Christ, do these people have any dignity? How much money would you have to be paid before being willing to type out that Rush Limbaugh was “a humble man?” Limbaugh, if he could see this, would laugh at it. Lowry edits an actual magazine, and has no self respect. https://twitter.com/...
Austin Walker / @austin_walker: I get why we're reminding people how cruel Rush Limbaugh was to particular people, but dude wasn't just like, mean. His reach was vast, his effect structural. He spent his career spreading an ideology that normalized his cruelty and served as basis for modern cultural chauvinism.
Mara Gay / @maragay: Like so many others before him, Rush Limbaugh sold the cheap thrills of hatred in exchange for my humanity and yours. He is gone, but the hustle lives on. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tom Cotton / @sentomcotton: Rush Limbaugh was a giant. With his straightforward, simple articulation of conservatism, he inspired millions. He was one-of-a-kind and he will be missed.
Joel Pollak / @joelpollak: Farewell to Rush Limbaugh. A giant of American broadcasting, a man who inspired millions, and infuriated millions (and then inspired some of those, too). He saw through the media lies to bring out the greatness of this country. He fought to the end like the American that he was.
David Klion / @davidklion: The virgin New York Times vs the chad HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Someone at the NYT decided that “divisive darling of the right” needed a teeny tiny bit more context. Hint: It's still not enough. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Rupar / @atrupar: “Rush thought we won, and so do I. I think we won substantially” — Trump is using Rush Limbaugh's death to push long-debunked lies about the election https://twitter.com/...
Governor Kristi Noem / @govkristinoem: Rush Limbaugh often said “I have talent on loan from God.” He understood that our gifts on this earth are not our own — they're a blessing. He shared his gifts with all of us. And we'll miss him dearly.
Jeff Greenfield / @greenfield64: Years ago I, interviewed Rush at the 92st Y. What struck me was how tentative he was when faced with questions; (not “gotchas"). He was (malevolently) brilliant with monologues delivered to worshipful audiences...but it is unimaginable he'd ever do a show like “Firing LIne.”
Franklin Graham / @franklin_graham: My heartfelt condolences and prayers for the family of Rush Limbaugh, who passed away today after a battle with lung cancer. He was a conservative voice of reason for so many years and will be greatly missed. https://www.foxnews.com/...
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