Top News:
Julie Reynolds / Nieman Lab:
Alden and Tribune Publishing's board bent the rules for acquisitions, including misrepresenting Alden's cash and failing to disclose a secret investor meeting — The ink wasn't dry, but the hushed deal to finance Alden Global Capital's takeover of Tribune Publishing fell quickly into place in May.
Discussion:
@taylorwanderson, @pdavis_llc, @larryryckman, @robtornoe, @khafner15, @ron_cassie, @ssdance, @markjacob16, @vbourne_vp, @jones_mattryan, @benestes, @niemanlab and @davidfolkenflik
Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the FTC will review Amazon's proposed acquisition of MGM, just as the commission gets a new chairwoman who has been critical of Amazon's expansion — Commission secures antitrust review after talks with Justice Department, and as Amazon critic Lina Khan takes the FTC's helm
New York Times:
Sources and documents show four Saudis who killed Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the US approved by State Dept. from an Arkansas contractor — The training, approved by the State Department, underscores the perils of military partnerships with repressive governments.
Discussion:
Insider, @schwarz, @gregjaffe, @natashabertrand, @schwarz and @aaschapiro
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Twitter opens applications to test Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows for a small number of users, who will keep 97% of revenue after the IAP cut if making <$50K — Users initially keep 97 percent of their revenue — Twitter is opening applications for a limited test of its Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces features.
Discussion:
media.twitter.com, Engadget, Gizmodo, Social Media Today, @seyitaylor, @jacknicas, @carnage4life, @kayvz, @thesmarmybum, @arainert, @arthouse, @derjarjour, Variety, @mattnavarra, @wongmjane, 9to5Mac, @digiphile, TechCrunch, @libshipwreck, @adriana_lacy, @dangillmor, @esthercrawford and @twittermedia, more at Techmeme »
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Biden said good reporters must be negative, a common misunderstanding of reporters' roles; the industry has many reporters who are decent, tough, and fair — Journalism has never been the most admired of professions, and in recent years the rap on its practitioners has only gotten worse.
Discussion:
@ryansabalow, @ryansabalow, @ryansabalow, @gwenflorio, @danielleiat, @sulliview, @digiphile, @ibishblog, @pieterdutoit and The Scrum
Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:
European Commission says it has opened an antitrust investigation into whether Google favors its own display ad tech over rivals — Brussels to examine whether US group broke rules by giving an advantage to its own services — The EU has announced a formal investigation …
Discussion:
European Commission, Wall Street Journal, Protocol, Axios, euronews, MediaPost, @jason_kint, @eu_commission, @sarafischer, @samschech, AdExchanger, @valentinapop, @satariano, @hkanji, @vestager, New York Post, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Engadget, TechCrunch, AppleInsider, The Verge, Insider, CNBC, Ad Age and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
European Federation of Journalists:
The Belarusian Ministry of Justice has demanded the Belarusian Association of Journalists turn over membership lists, meeting minutes, and more from 2018 on — The Belarusian Ministry of Justice has just ordered an inspection of the activities of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).
Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:
Dean Baquet defends Maggie Haberman after a Fox News article accused her of being fixated on Trump and failing to properly cover Joe Biden — - Fox News article says Pulitzer winner biased against Trump — Bacquet salutes ‘one of the finest journalists of her generation’
Discussion:
@nytimespr, Fox News, @benyt, @sallygold, @by_cjewett, @seanhannity, @bgrueskin, @nicolefcarr, @woodardcolin, @bencjacobs, @annatarkov, @mattsheffield, @nycsouthpaw, @ron_fournier, @ericboehlert, @hunterw, The Wrap, Fox News and Mediaite
Reuters:
Iranian news agencies say the US government has seized several Iranian media websites and sites for groups affiliated with Iran, like Yemen's Houthi movement — Notices appeared on Tuesday on a number of Iran-affiliated websites saying they had been seized by the United States government as part of law enforcement action.
Discussion:
CNN, Insider, @presstv, Mediaite, @maasalan, New York Times, Associated Press, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, @kevinghall, @mmasnick and @jasonmbrodsky
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Ramesh Ponnuru to replace Rich Lowry as editor of The National Review print edition; Lowry will continue to oversee editorial policy, focus on strategic efforts — Rich Lowry, the longtime editor of the conservative opinion magazine National Review, is stepping down from his role overseeing …
Discussion:
@jaywillis, @sarafischer, @ellencarmichael, @philipwegmann, @philipaklein, @jbenton, @eclecticbrotha, @bradwilcoxifs, @smarick, @markskrikorian, @prchovanec, @heathmayo, @tpcarney, @scottmgreer, @rameshponnuru, @jaywillis, @davidafrench, @brucemirken, @jtlevy, @michaelrstrain, @esotericcd, @mattyglesias, @ewerickson, @mzhemingway and The Hill
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Source: C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully, put on leave in 2020 after falsely saying his Twitter account was hacked, departs for the Bipartisan Policy Center — Longtime C-SPAN political editor and on-air host Steve Scully is leaving the network on July 2, Axios has learned.
Discussion:
Fox News, TVNewser, The Wrap, @drleanawen, @hotlinejosh, @kevinmaddendc, @axios, @calebjhull, @pdad, @michaelsteele and The Hill
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Quartz co-founders Kevin Delaney and Jay Lauf and NYT's Erin Grau launch a new media and services company, Charter, centered around the future of work — Quartz co-founders Kevin Delaney and Jay Lauf, along with New York Times veteran Erin Grau, are launching a new media and services company called …
Discussion:
@ghoshworld, @keithgrossman, @stevelevine, @yinkawrites, @siobhannyc and @jlauf