Top News:
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Alden's treatment of outlets is utterly predatory; rivals like Stewart Bainum's all-digital Baltimore Banner, to launch next year, could provide an alternative — The Tribune Tower rises above the streets of downtown Chicago in a majestic snarl of Gothic spires and flying buttresses that were designed to exude power and prestige.
Discussion:
@sulliview, @amlwhere, @mmcphate, @nickbaumann, @mckaycoppins, @mmcintire, @lizbowie, @milehighrobert, New York Times, @nyguild, @zmiller547, @petersagal, @davidfolkenflik, @losowsky, @bikeblisschick, @mediaevan, @jones_mattryan, @felixsalmon, @rexhuppke, @tjortenzi, @vinp27, @nickconfessore, @priyadesai, @nicolesandler, @jeremyjojola, @mmasnick, @brynstole, @davealtimari, Today in Tabs, @jimdaleywrites, @rexhuppke, @royalpratt, @byrobinepley, @awinston, @brettmmurphy, @ellierushing, @mstaradowdell, @mdgbmore, @garyharki, @zacharyos, @jeffreygoldberg, @patbagley, Substack, @jeremypgordon, @rexhuppke, @mayakauf, @rexhuppke, @jamesfallows, @akamisterjayem, @lrozen, @raylong and @danahull
Discussion:
@sulliview: I've read (and written) a lot about the demise of local newspapers but very little as searing as this @mckaycoppins piece in @TheAtlantic which includes an interview with Alden's elusive villain, Heath Freeman https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Ann Marie Lipinski / @amlwhere: I've been gone from the Chicago Tribune a long time and sometimes think I'm inured, but this paragraph and this story evoked such sorrow. What tragic, cynical stewardship. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@mmcphate: 1/ California newspapers owned by Alden: Orange County Register Long Beach Press-Telegram Los Angeles Daily News Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Redlands Daily Facts Torrance Daily Breeze San Gabriel Valley Tribune Whittier Daily News Riverside Press-Enterprise https://twitter.com/...
Nick Baumann / @nickbaumann: The thing @mckaycoppins unfairly elides here is that while all this stuff may *seem* bad, some brave investors and forward-thinking investment managers are going to get really rich because of it! Inspiring stuff, in my opinion. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
McKay Coppins / @mckaycoppins: Inside Alden Global Capital, the secretive hedge fund that's gutting local newspapers across the country—and could be coming to your town next. My cover story for the November issue of @TheAtlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Mike McIntire / @mmcintire: Galling examination of the ongoing bust-out of local journalism by Wall Streeters more interested in selling off the furniture than shoring up democracy https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@lizbowie: Stewart Bainum will launch an all-digital, non-profit news outlet, with 50 journalists an annual budget of $15 million. No matter what happens, this publication will be good for the city and state, creating jobs and a much more competitive news ecosystem. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Robert Sanchez / @milehighrobert: Not a lot new here, but still well worth the read. And please remember that @5280magazine, a city mag, had this story five years ago: https://www.5280.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Marc Tracy / New York Times: The executive who tried to buy The Baltimore Sun plans a rival news outlet.
@nyguild: “What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption or abstract market forces. They're being targeted by investors who have figured out how to get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits.” How Alden Global Capital kills newspapers: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Zack Miller / @zmiller547: I really don't have any words after reading this. Everyone inside the industry knew it was bad but I'm begging the non-journalists that follow me to read this. It's terrifying and heart-wrenching. This is a deep dive into how wealthy hedge funds are destroying the 4th estate. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Sagal / @petersagal: Decided after some reflection not to make one of my amusing little jests about this. Just read it. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: In deep dive on Alden, the owner of & threat to some 200 papers, @mckaycoppins notes its takeover of Tribune was financed by Cerebus— a private-equity firm which owned security outfit that trained Saudi operatives who helped murder Jamal Khashoggi. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Andrew Losowsky / @losowsky: “In legal filings, Alden has acknowledged diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from its newspapers into risky bets on commercial real estate, a bankrupt pharmacy chain, and Greek debt bonds” https://twitter.com/...
Cherilyn DeVries / @bikeblisschick: One of the reasons local papers are dying. Financial operatives are intentionally harming them. https://twitter.com/...
Evan DeSimone / @mediaevan: Everyone has a baseline awareness of what Alden is and some destructive ways that it operates, but seeing it all laid out is really demoralizing. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Matt Jones / @jones_mattryan: If you haven't worked for Alden, it's hard to understand *how* bad they are. Sure, it's hard everywhere for newspapers. But Alden is a whole other thing. If you need proof, just ask any of us who have left the @virginianpilot and @Daily_Press this year. https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: Really fantastic, detailed profile of Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund killing newspapers, by @mckaycoppins. I'd love to see some estimates of the possible profits, though. That's the one missing piece. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 4/ ...ignored in virtually all coverage of Alden's takeover of our paper. As the staggeringly talented people who took the buyout left, they deserved 100% of the attention and kudos, along with the justifiable hand-wringing about where the paper was heading.
T.J. Ortenzi / @tjortenzi: Baltimore is getting a new news org: “Next year, Bainum will launch The @BaltimoreBanner, an all-digital, nonprofit news outlet. He told me it will begin with an annual operating budget of $15 million, unprecedented for an outfit of this kind.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Vinnie P. / @vinp27: Pick up a razor-thin Boston Herald and you can see Alden's hatchet work on display. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Confessore / @nickconfessore: Shot: @mckaycoppins on the secretive investor and his protégé who are getting rich by gutting newspapers around America: https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... Chaser: The protégé, Heath Freeman, bought a $19 million oceanfront mansion last month: https://nypost.com/...
@priyadesai: This is a searing deep dive into the destruction of local newspapers. It's gut wrenching, but then their are laughable moments like this: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Sandler / @nicolesandler: Important story. Where I live, the Miami Herald used to be a not very good paper. Now, under Alden ownership, we still get it delivered, but it's truly awful. Didn't think it could get much worse, but now know that anything is possible. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Jojola / @jeremyjojola: Greedy hedge fund companies are poison for journalism. We saw this happen with the Denver Post. And it's getting worse. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Anyway, now that Harvard Biz has deleted that paragraph about how hedge funds may be rainbows and ice cream for local news, you should probably read this deeply reported Mckay Coppins article about what those hedge funds are ACTUALLY doing. https://twitter.com/...
Bryn Stole / @brynstole: And it's among the few newspapers in the chain (along w/ the Baltimore Sun) that still have any kind of newsroom at all. https://twitter.com/...
Dave Altimari / @davealtimari: The reporter used the Chicago Tribune as the lead to this story but easily could have used The Courant the oldest paper in the country. What this hedge fund has done to journalism is criminal frankly. Destroyed by the third string kicker for Duke. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Rusty Foster / Today in Tabs: Needle in a Tabstack — In the good old days (or as we used to call them “the bad times") …
Jim Nightly Frights / @jimdaleywrites: This is a great article, but to read it you wouldn't know Chicago has another daily—the @Suntimes—as well as a vibrant ecosystem of nonprofit alternative newsrooms poised to step into the breach https://twitter.com/...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 1/ OK, to anyone who cares about or covers Chicago media, I guess I have something to say about this. And I'm dovetailing a bit off a tweet my esteemed colleague @RayLong sent earlier, which I just retweeted prior to this thread. Buckle up. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Gregory Pratt / @royalpratt: It's important for me to say: @chicagotribune is still a strong newspaper doing great journalism that needs your support. But what's happening across the country with Alden is terrible and this piece really puts it into perspective https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Robin Epley but spooky / @byrobinepley: Someone ask me what it was like to run two Alden properties by myself for 18 months. Go on. Ask. https://twitter.com/...
Ali Winston / @awinston: Alden decimated Northern California newspapers and has control of the New York Daily News. Very little of this is new, but the hedge fund's actions are incredibly detrimental to society https://twitter.com/...
Brett Murphy / @brettmmurphy: “They call Alden a vulture hedge fund, and I think that's honestly a misnomer. ... A vulture doesn't hold a wounded animal's head underwater.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Ellie Rushing / @ellierushing: “If you want to know what it's like when Alden Capital buys your local newspaper, you could look to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where coverage of local elections in more than a dozen communities falls to a single reporter working out of his attic.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Matthew D. Gallagher / @mdgbmore: Very important read about the fate or future of newspapers and local journalism. I'm still betting on Bainum and The Baltimore Banner. https://twitter.com/...
Gary Harki / @garyharki: I think everyone I know who has left an Alden paper, whether they left for another job in journalism, retired or left the industry, has felt an enormous sense of relief at not having to deal with this vile, predatory hedge fund. https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Oren Smith / @zacharyos: Where have I heard this before: “These papers were in many cases left for dead by local families not willing to make the tough but appropriate decisions to get these news organizations to sustainability. These papers would have been liquidated if not for us stepping up.” https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey Goldberg / @jeffreygoldberg: An incisive investigation of the men who are killing America's newspapers, from @mckaycoppins (via @TheAtlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Pat Bagley / @patbagley: .@mckaycoppins commits another act of stellar journalism. The Salt Lake Tribune is one of the very few newspapers that escaped Alden's greedy clutches. This is personal to me https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dave Pell / Substack: Gallows Poll — It's pretty bad when you're vaccinated, everyone you love is vaccinated …
Jeremy Gordon / @jeremypgordon: Hard proof of the obvious — the slow destruction of a national press has been a coordinated effort by the worst people alive — and yet dozens of unserious jokers will continue to get rich by insisting mean tweets and woke college students are our biggest threat to free speech https://twitter.com/...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 3/ But I think what bothers those of us who stayed at the Tribune after the Mass Exodus of 2021 is this: We're still here. And I believe the size, quality and ferociousness of the remaining Tribune staff was considerably underplayed in The Atlantic piece, AND has been largely...
Maya Kaufman / @mayakauf: Between this fascinating @mckaycoppins deep dive and @elainejgodfrey's recent piece on Gannett's role on the collapse of local newspapers, the Atlantic is doing excellent work to expand our understanding of the crisis. https://twitter.com/...
Rex Huppke / @rexhuppke: 6/ But as Ray alluded to in his tweet, maybe let's hold off on throwing dirt on our casket. Far more people stayed than left, and the staff of the Chicago Tribune continues its longtime habit of kicking ass.
James Fallows / @jamesfallows: Excellent piece by @mckaycoppins on the two people who have done more than Rupert Murdoch to destroy the civic purpose of American journalism: Randall Smith and Heath Freeman. (See also: https://www.ourtownsfoundation.org/ ... ) https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@akamisterjayem: It's deeply unsettling to see a warning about an awful thing that has already befallen you. https://twitter.com/...
Laura Rozen / @lrozen: “What threatens local newspapers now is not just digital disruption...They're being targeted by investors who.. get rich by strip-mining local-news outfits. The model is simple: Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, &wring as much cash as possible out https://twitter.com/...
Ray Long / @raylong: Kiss my mistletoe! This article fails to appreciate great journalists who turned down buyouts and still kick ass. We all miss folks that left, but we broke many, many Madigan stories, added an editor with Illinois roots and a Pulitzer on his resume, and filled the statehouse gig. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Hancock / Missouri Independent:
Missouri's governor vows to prosecute a reporter he labeled a hacker after the reporter alerted the state to a website flaw that exposed teachers' SSNs — On Tuesday, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch alerted the state that Social Security numbers of school teachers and administrators …
Discussion:
@govparsonmo, @govparsonmo, Washington Post, @johnleschen, Washington Post, @govparsonmo, The Verge, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, @evacide, @aman4allsaisons, @mat, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, @pry0cc, Gizmodo, @hayesbrown, @davidcayj, @profcarroll, @totally_t_bomb, @wongmjane, ZDNet, @bengoerz, @swiftonsecurity, @markberman, @greg_doucette, @arkansasblog, @rcfp, @quinnypig, @bengoerz, @losowsky, @mackenziehuck, @racheltobac, @racheltobac, @fakebenjay, CNN, NPR, @aishas, @jeremiahg, @jadelson, @dataeditor, Engadget, @tonylovasco, Mediaite, @k8em0, @digiphile, @albertocairo, @greg_doucette, @armystrang, @hootnhollerpod, @tessa_weinberg, @hacks4pancakes, @averygwilks, @laura_nelson, @jamiedupree, @webster, @harrymccracken, @manjusrii, @hacks4pancakes, Rolling Stone, @charlesminshew, @properlyzuri, @shanselman, @hacks4pancakes, The Hill, @infosec_taylor, @celestebott, @dangillmor, @jeremiahg, @jeffstone500, @wbm312, @rachelwalexande, @gabrieljr, @mtdukes, @sengregrazer, @webster, @jonrosenberg, @patio11, @snlyngaas, @jribas, @mattblaze, @helenkennedy, @spj_tweets, @westbywest, @mtdukes, @ilanakeller, @vickerysec, @kurteichenwald, @allie_kite, @jgamblin, @dangillmor, @charlesminshew, Robots In Plain English, @jdmar3, @sarhutch, @gamescan, @petersterne, @sarhutch, @codysandusky, @marissaaevans, @capitolwatch, @hootnhollerpod, @jaspar, @jgamblin, @litmoose, @sdkstl, @jadelson, @jeremiahg, @govparsonmo and Boing Boing
Discussion:
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: Through a multi-step process, an individual took the records of at least three educators, decoded the HTML source code, and viewed the SSN of those specific educators. We notified the Cole County prosecutor and the Highway Patrol's Digital Forensic Unit will investigate. https://twitter.com/...
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: We want to be clear, this DESE hack was more than a simple “right click.” THE FACTS: An individual accessed source code and then went a step further to convert and decode that data in order to obtain Missouri teachers' personal information. (1/3) https://twitter.com/...
Elahe Izadi / Washington Post: Missouri governor accuses journalist who warned state about cybersecurity flaw of criminal ‘hacking’
John Leschen / @johnleschen: @GovParsonMO https://twitter.com/...
Philip Bump / Washington Post: A newspaper informed Missouri about a website flaw. The governor accused it of ‘hacking.’
Governor Mike Parson / @govparsonmo: This morning, at 9:45 a.m., I will hold a press conference regarding the recent hacking of @MOEducation's website. We will outline the state's efforts to strengthen data security and the steps that will be taken to hold those involved accountable. https://twitter.com/...
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: Missouri governor threatens reporter who discovered state site spilling private info
Josh Renaud / St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri teachers' Social Security numbers at risk on state agency's website
Eva / @evacide: “View source” is not a crime. Prosecuting people for reporting security flaws in your website is vile. https://twitter.com/...
@aman4allsaisons: “View Source Is Not A Crime” deserved a sticker. Feel free to make your own. https://www.zazzle.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mat Honan / @mat: This is like a Labrador Retriever explaining a vacuum cleaner https://twitter.com/...
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Parson issues legal threat against Post-Dispatch after database flaws exposed
Pry / @pry0cc: This is what happens when y'all say HTML is a programming language and not markup 😭🤣 https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo: Missouri Governor Wants to Prosecute Journalist for Warning That State Left Teachers' Data Exposed
Hayes Brown / @hayesbrown: “Multi-step process” is my favorite part of this. step 1) right-click page step 2) click “view source” step 3) have eyes https://twitter.com/...
David Cay Johnston / @davidcayj: 1/Missouri @GovParsonMO vows to prosecute @stltoday reporter Josh @Kirkman Renaud, who found sensitive data exposed on a state website, reported it to authorities, held off running a story until the state protected the info. Parson then... https://www.rawstory.com/...
David Carroll / @profcarroll: Selecting View Source from a browser menu is not a crime! Decoding URL encoding is not a crime! This is the most dangerous kind of lawmaker tech illiteracy force multiplied by public IT being bad at privacy because extreme negligence with personal data is not a crime! https://twitter.com/...
@totally_t_bomb: If looking at HTML source code is a crime then I'm pretty much Al Capone https://twitter.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: oh wow ,,HTML sounds scary. i will include my credit card number in my bio and sue anybody for pointing it out 😤😤😤😤 https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Greig / ZDNet: Missouri governor faces backlash and ridicule for threatening reporter who discovered exposed teacher SSNs
Ben Goerz / @bengoerz: @gamescan @GovParsonMO Key here: ENCODING is not ENCRYPTION. Encoding is reversible without a password. It is never sufficient to protect sensitive data like SSNs. Displaying encoded (but not encrypted) SSNs publicly online is negligent. The developer and state may be liable. https://www.packetlabs.net/...
@swiftonsecurity: Sometimes you just need people hitting F12 and seeing if there's a hidden column for social security numbers on your site. Computer security, especially data disclosure, is hugely about assurance against mistakes. https://twitter.com/...
Mark Berman / @markberman: “The newspaper delayed publishing this report to give the department time to take steps to protect teachers' private information, and to allow the state to ensure no other agencies' web applications contained similar vulnerabilities.” https://www.stltoday.com/...
T. Greg Doucette / @greg_doucette: “decoded the HTML source code” is not a thing... https://twitter.com/...
@arkansasblog: Missouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website. Shades of Asa, bonus baby Mike and our badly flawed jobless benefit website. https://www.rawstory.com/...
@rcfp: When a government official threatens to prosecute a journalist for doing their job... 🚩🚩🚩 https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Corey Quinn / @quinnypig: This is about as illegal as right-clicking an NFT! https://twitter.com/...
Ben Goerz / @bengoerz: @gamescan @GovParsonMO This is more than a “security blunder”. @GovParsonsMO, your web developers encoded (without encryption) SSNs and displayed them openly on the web. You have a massive data breach here. You need to engage a competent Incident Response firm & legal counsel immediately.
Andrew Losowsky / @losowsky: The reporter clicked “view source” on the browser. Demonizing the press like this for doing a public service responsibly is dangerous and scary https://twitter.com/...
Mackenzie Huck / @mackenziehuck: Oh, Missouri. Do better. Give the reporter an award, not legal action! https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Tobac / @racheltobac: This person reported a vulnerability — a big data leak issue that anyone could see — and took time out of their day to report it to keep people safe. Changes were made to protect data, *and now they want to slap that person with criminal charges?* Absolutely not. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Tobac / @racheltobac: Hitting F12 in a browser is not hacking. If your code leaks personal data via public development tools that any person can see by simply pressing F12 on a keyboard then you have a huge data leak issue, not a hacking situation, on your hands. Fix your website. https://twitter.com/...
@fakebenjay: First and foremost, fuck the governor of Missouri. Second, I never thought I'd hear of anything stupider than “the Sony hacks happened because passwords were stored in plaintext in passwords.txt”, but “Missouri teacher SSNs were stored in the browser dev tools” might top it. https://twitter.com/...
Sean Lyngaas / CNN: Missouri governor threatens legal action against journalist who found flaw that exposed Social Security numbers
Rachel Treisman / NPR: A Missouri newspaper told the state about a security risk. Now it faces prosecution
Aisha Sultan / @aishas: There's a word for political leaders who threaten journalists with criminal prosecution because they uncover information that embarrasses the state. Remind me of that term.
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: I'll tell you exactly why many of us in Tech and InfoSec are especially sensitive about complete BS like this and react accordingly. Aaron Swartz. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Adelson / @jadelson: Congratulations. Y'all just “hacked” the Missouri state website https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Steven Rich / @dataeditor: this whole situation is like dropping your wallet without realizing, a stranger picking it up and handing it back to you and you calling the cops to report that person for robbery https://twitter.com/...
Jon Fingas / Engadget: Missouri governor threatens to prosecute journalist for sharing web security flaw
Rep. Tony Lovasco / @tonylovasco: It's clear the Governor's office has a fundamental misunderstanding of both web technology and industry standard procedures for reporting security vulnerabilities. Journalists responsibly sounding an alarm on data privacy is not criminal hacking. #moleg https://www.stltoday.com/...
Michael Luciano / Mediaite: Missouri's Governor Is Threatening Hacking Charges Against a Newspaper Because He Has No Clue How the Internet Works
Katie Moussouris / @k8em0: That SSNs were embedded in the webpage demonstrates a low hanging fruit vulnerability that should have been prevented in the 1st place or at least found in a security assessment. Prose-killing the messenger only scares other security messengers away. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: 👎 @GovParsonMO doubled down on his bogus claim that a reporter who found & reported a flaw in a .gov that exposed state employee PII “hacked” it: https://twitter.com/... Data journalism is not a crime, Governor! @stltoday informed Missourians of government error. Please retract. https://twitter.com/...
Alberto Cairo / @albertocairo: It doesn't get more idiotic than this—the “hacking” was reading an HTML file—but this guy is a GOP heavyweight, so idiocy is a requirement in the job description: https://missouriindependent.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
T. Greg Doucette / @greg_doucette: Wow, it's somehow even dumber than I thought 😳 https://twitter.com/...
American Propagandist / @armystrang: My dipshit governor wants to put a journalist in jail for pointing out how bad their IT system is https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
@hootnhollerpod: holy shit 1) state fucks up thing they've been warned for fucking up before 2) reporter notices fuck up and reports to state 3) state claims they've been hacked by reporter 4) governor seeks criminal charges against reporter https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Tessa Weinberg / @tessa_weinberg: “Putting Social Security numbers within HTML, even if it's ‘non-display rendering’ HTML, is a stupid thing for the Missouri website to do and is a type of boneheaded mistake that has been around since day one of the Internet...” https://missouriindependent.com/ ... via @J_Hancock #MoLeg
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: @GovParsonMO Narrator voice: what he just described is “freely available”
Avery Wilks / @averygwilks: Speaking of stories that cause grown adults to behave like children https://twitter.com/...
Laura J. Nelson / @laura_nelson: So, to recap, a @stltoday journalist found gaping holes in a Missouri website that left teachers' Social Security numbers exposed and told the state before running the story. In response, the governor has launched a police investigation into the reporter. https://www.stltoday.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jamie Dupree / @jamiedupree: This Governor reminds me of old fart members of Congress who aren't really up to speed on how the internet works. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Tony Webster / @webster: Gov. Parson is threatening to prosecute a journalist who 100% did the ethical thing by telling the state they were publishing teacher SSNs online, then holding publication of the story until after the state fixed it. That's the gold standard for reporting security failures. https://twitter.com/...
Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken: If View Source is outlawed, only outlaws will use View Source. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Belinda Barnet / @manjusrii: BREAKING: If you go to a website and select “view source” on the browser you're officially a hacker! https://twitter.com/...
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: He's continuing to dig an even deeper hole with legal and technical misinformation. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Wade / Rolling Stone: Missouri Governor Is Extremely Confused About What Constitutes ‘Hacking’
Charles Minshew / @charlesminshew: [saves what I originally wanted to say to drafts...] https://twitter.com/...
Zuri Davis / @properlyzuri: Since the good governor clearly has a lot of time on his hands to do silly things, you think he'd take a moment to pardon an innocent Lamar Johnson for a homicide even prosecutors admit he couldn't have committed. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Hanselman / @shanselman: Hey @GovParsonMO open your browser and press F12. You're a hacker now. (Spoiler: you're not) https://twitter.com/...
Lesley Carhart / @hacks4pancakes: To be abundantly clear - the data was wide open on the web - simple decrypting, decoding, and parsing on the client side is irrelevant to this.
Lexi Lonas / The Hill: Missouri education department calls journalist ‘hacker’ for flagging security flaws on state website
Ashley / @infosec_taylor: That's called a misconfiguration and that is an insider threat. It was publicly available information. No hacking needed. Either you are getting bad advice from your IT staff or you are GROSSLY misrepresenting what they are telling you. https://twitter.com/...
Celeste Bott / @celestebott: They HELD OFF PUBLICATION until the state could fix the error, but ok https://twitter.com/...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: The governor of Missouri is in super-demagogue mode. Will journalists in Missouri — especially TV reporters — know enough about tech to understand how completely bogus his statements are? This is a test of local/regional journalism. (Also a test of CNN et al.) https://twitter.com/...
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: Thinking one step forward, whatever person or company built this app... find out what other websites they built and it'll probably have the exact same problems. Highly unlikely this is a one-off.
@jeffstone500: Lawsuits like this aren't even about winning. This + the ShotSpotter harassment against @VICE are only latest designed to intimidate journalists by driving up organizational costs and making reporters think twice about doing quality investigative work. https://twitter.com/...
Whitney Merrill / @wbm312: Whatever “award” or “recognition” for misguided security response was given to the Dallas County Sheriff for the Coalfire pentest arrest should also go to Governor Parson. https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Alexander / @rachelwalexande: “Decoded the HTML source code” My dude, perhaps learn how the Internet works before you start prosecuting journalists for exposing massive security breaches in your state's IT infrastructure. https://twitter.com/...
Gabe Rosenberg / @gabrieljr: This is both poor logic, and dangerous. @GovParsonMO is trying to prosecute a reporter for doing their job, and you can read what's actually happening here: https://missouriindependent.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
State Senator Greg Razer / @sengregrazer: Seeking criminal prosecution of a journalist who pointed out the vulnerability to the state is an abuse of power. Also, it's very embarrassing to call this a “hack.” Moral of the story: Missouri has not adequately invested in IT infrastructure. #moleg https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Tony Webster / @webster: I have questions about [*gestures at Gov. Parson's entire law enforcement career*] https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Patrick McKenzie / @patio11: For geeks who have not heard @tqbf et al mention this: not every org in the world is a tech company with a bug bounty, and you might want to conclude “absence of an explicit bug bounty is a sign that sending in details of an exploit, even in good faith, is a risky endeavor.” https://twitter.com/...
Sean Lyngaas / @snlyngaas: “If this is a crime, the law is on the wrong side of cybersecurity.” -@HarleyGeiger
Matt Blaze / @mattblaze: Don't encode SSNs of people in the HTML of publicly available webpages. And if you do, don't call the cops if someone notices and (quite responsibly) warns you. https://twitter.com/...
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: It seems idiots in Missouri put 100k teachers' social security numbers online in HTML source, which a child can access. (Like, um, right clicking on “view page source.") The Post Dispatch did a story on the vulnerability, now the gov wants to prosecute them for “hacking.” https://twitter.com/...
@spj_tweets: “The newspaper agreed to hold off publishing any story while the department fixed the problem and protected the private information of teachers...Gov. Mike Parson was labeling the Post-Dispatch reporter a ‘hacker’ and vowing to seek criminal prosecution.” https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Ben West / @westbywest: .@GovParsonMO The felony was violation of RSMo Section 610.035 in exposing up to 100k teacher SSNs. I'll submit an invoice shortly so you needn't waste that $50M. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Tyler Dukes / @mtdukes: “No private information was publicly visible, but teacher Social Security numbers were contained in HTML source code of the pages.” https://twitter.com/...
Ilana Keller / @ilanakeller: Jeeeeeez. Tell me you're continuing the onslaught against “the media” without ... well, you know the rest. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Vickery / @vickerysec: This mentality is the reason why cybersecurity is terrible everywhere. Someone responsibly notified the State of Missouri about an agency exposing personal data to the public internet. And now the Governor of Missouri is trying to prosecute the person who notified the State. https://twitter.com/...
Kurt Eichenwald / @kurteichenwald: This stunt by @GovParsonMO is like a bank president calling for a bank robbery charges when someone finds cash lying all over the lobby of the bank & notifies tellers it should be in the vault. @stltoday should sue the state if he goes through with this. https://www.rawstory.com/...
Allison Kite / @allie_kite: On Tuesday, a @stltoday reporter alerted the state of a data vulnerability. The paper agreed to hold off publication until it was fixed. By Thursday, @GovParsonMO labeled the reporter a “hacker” and vowed to seek prosecution. https://missouriindependent.com/ ... #moleg
Jerry Gamblin / @jgamblin: Hey, @EFF can you make sure you look out for @kirkman? https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: Missouri's governor is on a rampage against the press, and journalists need to be clear that he's making entirely bogus charges against the St. Louis newspaper that discovered abysmal security practices on a state-run computer — and acted responsibly.
Charles Minshew / @charlesminshew: This is what we tell journalism students not to do... take one side of the story and run with it. Read more about this from the @stltoday: https://www.stltoday.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Sudheer Apte / Robots In Plain English: Blame and Shame — Missouri Governor Mike Parson today said that a newspaper reporter was a …
@jdmar3: My dude, if someone can right click “view source” and see a SSN for an employee, that is on your web developers. I've seen that kind of amateur shit before, so it's definitely possible, but it looks like the problem might be on your end. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Hutchins / @sarhutch: This is a ✨ classic ✨ example of bad database design. In fact, Shaji Khan, the excellent cybersecurity prof. quoted by @stltoday, taught a whole class on how this stuff happens when I got my master's in data science. https://www.stltoday.com/...
Adam Pavlacka / @gamescan: @GovParsonMO To be CLEAR, HTML source code is FREELY available on a web page. It is NEVER secure. THE FACTS: If your devs put PII (such as SS numbers) in HTML source code, then they made a massive security blunder. The problem is with the developer of the app, not the reporter.
Peter Sterne / @petersterne: This is a press freedom issue. The government is threatening to prosecute a journalist who reported on a government agency's mistake. cc @rcfp @pressfreedom @FreedomofPress https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Hutchins / @sarhutch: “The bigger problem...is that the sensitive data was there at all.” It wasn't the P-D that decided to put SSNs on a publicly accessible site. https://twitter.com/...
Cody Sandusky / @codysandusky: @MO_Independent @GovParsonMO I encourage everyone seeing this tweet to call the gov's office and share their thoughts on this banal investigation. I just got off the phone to discuss it, warning that ransomware attacks and other cybercrime is on the rise - attacking this type of action is bad and dangerous.
Marissa / @marissaaevans: I really want to be surprised but members of the public don't realize how terrible and outdated these governmental websites are from a user experience and security standpoint. https://twitter.com/...
Daniela Altimari / @capitolwatch: This is a wild story. Instead of criminal prosecution, the reporter deserves a public service Pulitzer!! https://twitter.com/...
@hootnhollerpod: the post dispatch even held the story while the state fixed the problem so as not to publicize the data vulnerability.
@jaspar: Absolute clown shit. The reporter did nothing wrong. The website was publishing SSNs! https://twitter.com/...
Jerry Gamblin / @jgamblin: Ok @ebellis, everything you said about Missouri was true. https://missouriindependent.com/ ...
Moose / @litmoose: Growing up Floridian, I was used to the worst of all the news. If someone was horrendously wrong, or awful, or things went politically askew, it was always my home state. That extra breeze through your window tonight is the collective sigh of all FL infosec: “He's not ours!” https://twitter.com/...
Staci D Kramer / @sdkstl: A flaw in publicly accessible code in an app for public use. They held the story to give the state time to fix it. The payback from a governor projecting his own behavior onto others: claim they were “attempting to embarrass the state and sell headlines for their news outlet.” https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Adelson / @jadelson: JFC. This is an insane threat against a reporter who went out of their way to notify the state it had screwed up and put personal information at risk. And viewing source code of gov websites is a standard part of reporting (hell, I was doing that as I saw this) https://twitter.com/...
Jeremiah Grossman / @jeremiahg: At the appropriate time, someone will also need to inform the Missouri Governor and Cole County Prosecutor about Google Cache and the Wayback Machine.
Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft is shutting down the Chinese version of LinkedIn and replacing it with a job board stripped of social media features or news — LinkedIn cites challenging operating environment, as retreat marks the biggest departure from China by a major tech company in years
Discussion:
Official LinkedIn Blog, New York Times, @stuwoo, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, Techdirt, @nytimestech, BetaNews, @ruima, @film_girl, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, @sarafischer, @wongmjane, Search Engine Land, @emilydparker, Japan Times, @tiffanycli, @stuwoo, Mediaite, @emilyrauhala, @paulmozur, @greggsmith0351, @davidpaulk, @bethanyallenebr, @pekingmike, @danharris, @rlheinrichs, New York Post, TechCrunch, CNBC, CNET, @ferdeline, Engadget, @pressfreedom, @paulmozur, @pressfreedom, @janelytv, Protocol, Daily Herald, ZDNet, Wired, @apmassaro3, Axios, MediaPost and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Official LinkedIn Blog: China: Sunset of Localized Version of LinkedIn and Launch of New InJobs App Later This Year
Karen Weise / New York Times: LinkedIn to Shut Down Service in China, Citing ‘Challenging’ Environment
Stu Woo / @stuwoo: Huge news from China: LinkedIn says it is closing its professional-networking site in China. This comes after the Microsoft-owned service blocked the profiles of journalists and human-rights activists in China for prohibited content. w/@lizalinwsj https://www.wsj.com/...
@nytimestech: .@kyweise and @paulmozur write that the shutdown of LinkedIn's networking service in China cleaves apart one of the last social media bridges that linked China's internet to the rest of the world, even if in a censored fashion. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Wayne Williams / BetaNews: Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn... in China
@ruima: Seems to me LinkedIn could theoretically comply but doesn't want to bear risks & costs, which is very rational, bc I think it's pretty much only used by export import folks & MNC employees. At 50mm registered users it's <half of leader Maimai (110mm+) as of 2020 & way less active https://twitter.com/...
Chriscreama Warren / @film_girl: Good. One of the most ethical things Google ever did was to leave China in 2010 b/c of censorship (among other things). Glad to see LinkedIn admit that you can't “win” in the CCP. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: 🚨 🚨🚨 In a stunning move, @LinkedIn says it will sunset of localized version of its app and will launch a new job boards app called “InJobs” — Comes weeks after @BethanyAllenEbr reported that LinkedIn blocked profiles of several U.S. journalists https://www.axios.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: “We're also facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China” https://blog.linkedin.com/...
Emily Parker / @emilydparker: LinkedIn: “While we've found success in helping Chinese members find jobs and economic opportunity, we have not found that same level of success in the more social aspects of sharing and staying informed” Translation: Censorship became unmanageable https://blog.linkedin.com/...
Tiffany C. Li / @tiffanycli: LinkedIn to shut down in China, citing “a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements.” Interesting to see when companies comply w/China's censorship policies vs. when they decide (or are forced) to pull out https://www.nytimes.com/...
Stu Woo / @stuwoo: Here's the LinkedIn statement. It acknowldeges the company made compromises to operate in China, and indicates that it concluded that it's no longer worth it. https://blog.linkedin.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Emily Rauhala / @emilyrauhala: Surprised. LinkedIn has been crossing lines in China for a while. Must not be making money? https://twitter.com/...
@paulmozur: A few other points on LinkedIn's departure from China: Data security law likely a factor as LinkedIn would have to store much more data on users in China. Also, in LinkedIn's China announcement, they make no mention of regulatory issues. So a censored exit for their censoring. https://twitter.com/...
David Paulk / @davidpaulk: Amid mounting censorship complaints, #LinkedIn has announced it will shutter the version of its site operating in China. In March, China's internet regulator had told LinkedIn staff to better regulate the platform's content, setting a 30-day deadline. https://www.wsj.com/...
B. Allen-Ebrahimian / @bethanyallenebr: NEW: Huge move by LinkedIn just weeks after they censored US journalists' profiles — they are going to phase out LinkedIn's China-based website and create a new China-only app. Major implications for future of US companies trying to operate in both China and US. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Forsythe / @pekingmike: Is it OK to have mixed feelings about this? LinkedIn's censoring of accounts was rightly condemned but the direct message function is great for reaching out to potential sources inside China. A valuable tool for journalists. https://twitter.com/...
Dan Harris / @danharris: The CCP's tightening grip (on everything) is further accelerating decoupling. How many years until China is a massive North Korea? https://www.wsj.com/...
Rebeccah Heinrichs / @rlheinrichs: Doing Xi's bidding on censorship, surveillance, etc shld always come w/ a huge cost- at the v least in reputation but that's likely not enough https://twitter.com/...
Theo Wayt / New York Post: Microsoft kills LinkedIn China after platform censored posts at government's request
Alex Wilhelm / TechCrunch: Microsoft to pull LinkedIn from Chinese market
Samantha Subin / CNBC: Microsoft to shut down LinkedIn website in China as internet censorship increases in the country
Carrie Mihalcik / CNET: Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn in China
Ayden Férdeline / @ferdeline: @emilyrauhala Or perhaps poses too much of a reputational/compliance issue for Microsoft? Even if LinkedIn is profitable in the Chinese market, they have so many other business units that could be exposed and vulnerable if China became too upset...
Kris Holt / Engadget: Microsoft to shut down LinkedIn in China over ‘challenging operating environment’
@pressfreedom: LinkedIn's leaving #China will at least thwart one avenue China was using to impose censorship beyond its borders. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@paulmozur: LinkedIn's China operations were once a tentative model for foreign internet firms to follow. Partner with a savvy VC firm, censor content as lightly as possible, and get access to China. Seven years on, the experiment has proven a failure. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@pressfreedom: #LinkedIn's decision to abandon the China market for its main platform is an unfortunate but inevitable result of #China's increasingly heavy handed censorship. @LinkedIn $MSFT https://www.wsj.com/...
Jane Lytvynenko / @janelytv: Hmmmm misleading headline considering LinkedIn's just gonna make a new app. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
David Wertime / Protocol: What really brought down LinkedIn's China play
Will Knight / Wired: LinkedIn's Exit From China Cuts Another East-West Bridge
Paul Massaro / @apmassaro3: Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn China after censoring profiles on behalf of the CCP. This is the right move. If it is between complicity with authoritarian crimes or market exit, market exit is the obvious choice https://twitter.com/...
Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost: Microsoft To Remove ‘Social’ Part Of LinkedIn In China
Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing:
ESPN's Adam Schefter says he was wrong to send a full story draft about an NFL labor lockout in 2011 to Bruce Allen, a top executive of Washington Football Team — The latest big story out of the Washington Football Team emails the NFL obtained via investigation (but still has not fully released) …
Discussion:
@awfulannouncing: ESPN's Adam Schefter on sending entire CBA story to Bruce Allen for “edits”: “Looking back, I shouldn't have done it.” https://awfulannouncing.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
Court docs: in 2011, ESPN's Adam Schefter referred to Washington Football Team exec Bruce Allen as “Mr. Editor” and sought feedback on an unpublished story — Several inflammatory emails by Jon Gruden were filed as exhibits in federal court by attorneys for Washington Football …
Discussion:
Amanda Marcotte / Salon: Jon Gruden's censorship: Why conservatives decry the consequences of free speech
Kevin Draper / @kevinmdraper: . @AdamSchefter sent Bruce Allen an unpublished draft of a story and called him “Mr. Editor” according to court filings the LA Times uncovered. https://www.latimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Draper / @kevinmdraper: I am not exactly sure what this statement from ESPN is doing, but it's certainly not a condemnation of a blatantly unethical journalistic practice. https://twitter.com/...
Madeline Coleman / Sports Illustrated: Report: NFL's Top Lawyer Had Close Relationship With Ex-WFT President Bruce Allen
Jenna Lemoncelli / New York Post: Jenn Sterger shades ‘bully’ Adam Schefter after email controversy
Bernie Zilio / RADAR: Jon Gruden Email Scandal Continues: Washington Football Team Cheerleaders Are ‘Traumatized’ By Topless Photo Nightmare
Ian Casselberry / Awful Announcing: Adam Schefter reportedly being eyed by Caesars Sportsbook when ESPN contract expires
Danny O'Neil / @dannyoneil: This L.A. Times story answers one of the biggest questions about the disclosure of Jon Gruden's emails, namely, “Why did the NFL leak the contents of those emails out of the 650,000 that were reviewed?” https://www.latimes.com/...
@mikebellatl: This is news? How do you think “insiders” get their inside information... by fostering relationships with league execs and coaches. https://twitter.com/...
Danny O'Neil / DannyO, Yo: The ethics of the scoop: There are none
Tom Jones / Poynter: ESPN's Adam Schefter crosses a journalistic line
Barnaby Lane / Insider: One of ESPN's most prominent NFL reporters is facing backlash after asking Washington's GM to review an unpublished story
Craig Calcaterra / Cup of Coffee: Cup of Coffee: October 14, 2021
Michael McCarthy / Front Office Sports: Caesars Sportsbook Might Pursue ESPN's Adam Schefter
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Ted Sarandos' memo to all Netflix staff on Chappelle's show: “We have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm” — Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos sent a lengthy missive to the entire company following the mounting controversy around a new original special from comic Dave Chappelle.
Discussion:
@theeashleyray, @aaronsibarium, @cmclymer, @oglakyn, @mizdanaclaire, @999saudsalman, @bryanfuller, @mohanadelshieky, @ayoariellegrace, Vox, UPROXX, @nickgillespie, blacktechdaily.com, Insider, @keyon, Vanity Fair, Input, The Playlist, @mohanadelshieky, @sunraysunray, IndieWire, Decider, The Root, @variety, @variety, @kimmasters, @imarajones, @deirdres, @kendalljamaal, @kimcrayton1, @davidpoland, @theelizaclark, @oni_blackstock, @sorayamcdonald, @nikostratis, @sadydoyle and @iamgmjohnson
Discussion:
@theeashleyray: do you remember when Netflix re-cut 13 Reasons Why to have suicide warnings and PSAs because people told them it would directly translate to real-world teens harming themselves? https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Sibarium / @aaronsibarium: The fact that this even needs to be said, and in the context of such an anodyne routine, is proof of immense civilizational rot. https://twitter.com/...
@cmclymer: This is a demonstrably false statement, and @Netflix should be ashamed for putting it out. Horrible. https://twitter.com/...
@oglakyn: Disclosure, available on Netflix literally right now, it's a documentary about depictions of trans people in media and it comes to the exact opposite conclusion except with actual research and facts. Ted should check it out. https://twitter.com/...
@mizdanaclaire: My existence is not an “issue” that anyone needed to “expose.” You wouldn't talk this way about a special where someone went off on a minority racial group for an hour. https://twitter.com/...
@999saudsalman: @MohanadElshieky Becuase there's a clear distinction between discomfort at jokes and a politically motivated agenda. Hasan Minhaj could've spoken about a vast array of issues yet was fixated on one specific country! Don't compare apples to oranges 🤷♂️ https://twitter.com/...
Bryan Fuller / @bryanfuller: “We have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm,” says the platform that streams @Lavernecox's @Disclosure_Doc that clearly states and proves content on screen directly translates to real world harm for the trans community. https://twitter.com/...
Mohanad Elshieky / @mohanadelshieky: Then why did Netflix remove Hasan Minhaj's Patriot act episode about Saudi Arabia since you believe it's ok for content to expose issues that are uncomfortable? https://twitter.com/...
@ayoariellegrace: Ppl like to pretend that popular portrayals of fiction cannot and do not shape reality; that's incredibly ahistorical and inaccurate. https://twitter.com/...
Aja Romano / Vox: Dave Chappelle vs. trans people vs. Netflix
Jennifer Wood / UPROXX: LGBTQ Advocacy Group GLAAD Blasts Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Over His Claim That 'Content On Screen Doesn't Directly Translate To Real-World Harm'
Nick Gillespie / @nickgillespie: “Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse - or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy - without it causing them to harm others.” @netflix CEO Ted Sarandos standing up for free expression. Kudos. https://variety.com/...
J.D. Smith / blacktechdaily.com: 1,000 Netflix Employees Are Reportedly Planning Walkout to Protest New Chappelle Special
Travis Clark / Insider: Netflix's co-CEO said content doesn't ‘translate to real-world harm’ in defense of Chappelle's new special. A Netflix documentary suggests otherwise.
Savannah Walsh / Vanity Fair: Netflix's Ted Sarandos Just Keeps Defending Dave Chappelle
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: Netflix CEO Continues To Defend Dave Chappelle And Says ‘The Closer’ Jokes Won't “Directly Translate To Real-World Harm”
Mohanad Elshieky / @mohanadelshieky: Then why did Netflix remove Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act episode about Saudi Arabia from their platform in Saudi if comedians are supposed to expose issues that are uncomfortable? https://twitter.com/...
Bhaskar Sunkara / @sunraysunray: Smdh at “first party shooter games” https://variety.com/...
Ryan Lattanzio / IndieWire: Netflix Chief Again Defends Chappelle Special: 'Content Doesn't Directly Translate to Real-World Harm'
Abby Monteil / Decider: Netflix's Ted Sarandos Stands by Dave Chappelle's ‘The Closer’ as Employees Plan Walkout
Shanelle Genai / The Root: Netflix Employees Plan Walkout Over Dave Chappelle's Special as Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Doubles Down in Support
@variety: “GLAAD was founded 36 years ago because media representation has consequences for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD said in a statement. https://variety.com/...
@variety: After addressing top leadership, Sarandos sent a lengthy missive on Monday to the entire company — some of whom have increasingly expressed outrage over jokes about the trans community in “The Closer,” and have scheduled a walkout protest in response. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Imara Jones / @imarajones: I'm now beginning to feel sorry for the comms team @netflix. “Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse - or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy - without it causing them to harm others.” #Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. @translashmedia https://variety.com/...
@deirdres: The flaw in his logic is that a violent movie is a fantasy and most people recognize it as such. Comedy, however, is expected and understood to be commenting on the real world. 'Content Doesn't Directly Translate to Real-World Harm' https://variety.com/... via @variety
@kimcrayton1: And this how mediocre, unremarkable, white dudes in tech create UNNECESSARY crisis management issue for their organizations Very few expect that the special will be removed BUT to insist that HARM is not being inflicted is disgusting given the reality https://variety.com/...
David Poland / @davidpoland: When you are in a hole, stop digging, Theodore. I agree with your argument. But what are you doing?!?! Ted Sarandos Doubles Down on Dave Chappelle Defense: 'Content Doesn't Directly Translate to Real-World Harm' (EXCLUSIVE) https://variety.com/... via @variety
Eliza Clark / @theelizaclark: Ted should watch “Disclosure,” a deeply moving and well-made Netflix documentary that clearly illustrates how content has real world ramifications. https://variety.com/...
@oni_blackstock: This is getting even more ridiculous. Netflix's Ted Sarandos is now saying that anti-trans content doesn't actually lead to real world harm. How would he know what it's like to be a trans woman especially a Black trans woman in this country? https://variety.com/...
@sorayamcdonald: “Content” made by D.W. Griffith resurrected a whole domestic terrorist organization called the KKK. This argument from Sarandos is complete bunk. https://variety.com/...
Niko Stratis / @nikostratis: They literally talk about this in Disclosure, a documentary streaming on Netflix https://twitter.com/...
@sadydoyle: Dave Chappelle literally quit his own TV show because he thought his content was directly translating to real-world harm https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Netflix reinstates a trans employee and two others suspended for crashing a top executive meeting; trans staffers still plan to walk out on October 20
Netflix reinstates a trans employee and two others suspended for crashing a top executive meeting; trans staffers still plan to walk out on October 20
Discussion:
Bloomberg, IndieWire, @rainofterra, ScreenRant, @lucas_shaw, UPROXX, Variety, @slatzism, @angryblacklady, @briannawu, TheBlaze, @nicolearbour, @zyoritv, @drkarlynb, @variety, @theferocity, @lindaholmes and Los Angeles Times
Discussion:
Terra Field / @rainofterra: Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting. I've included the statement I requested below. I'm going to take a few days off to decompress and try to figure out where I'm at. At the very least, I feel vindicated. https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: I have obtained internal documents disclosing the cost and financial performance of several Netflix shows. The Dave Chappelle special cost $24.1M. “Sticks & Stones” cost $23.6M. Both of those specials cost more than an entire season of Squid Game.
Mike Redmond / UPROXX: ‘Squid Game’ Sure Turned Out To Be A (Relatively) Inexpensive Hit For Netflix
Caroline Framke / Variety: Ted Sarandos and Dave Chappelle Are Missing the Criticism's Point (Column)
Spooky Pill Pagliacci / @slatzism: out of curiosity did any Netflix employees stage a walk out when Cuties was was premiering or is this a “child sexual exploitation is ok but we draw the line at transphobia” sort of thing https://twitter.com/...
@angryblacklady: i'm not sure if the trans employee was actually an activist or we're just doing that thing where we call anyone who's just trying to live comfortably in their own skin without being attacked for it is an “activist” https://twitter.com/...
Brianna Wu / @briannawu: My favorite part is how two cis dudes heard the outcry from trans employees, watched the special and were like, “This is fine!” Maybe other people might have a more informed perspective. Just saying! https://twitter.com/...
Phil Shiver / TheBlaze: Netflix CEO shuts down internal critics threatening walkout over Dave Chappelle: Stand-up comedy does not incite ‘real-world harm’
Nicole Arbour / @nicolearbour: We can make jokes about everybody or nobody. Those are the rules of comedy, and freedom. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Campbell / @zyoritv: Ironically, I think the net result of this will be driving more people to watch Chappelle's special https://twitter.com/...
@drkarlynb: Fire them. They are disrupting business operations. Fire them now. https://twitter.com/...
@variety: That Sarandos would wade into a debate about the potential harmful effects of content is notable, given that those who condemn Chappelle's jokes have specifically cited the physical danger that anti-trans ideology poses to that community. https://variety.com/...
Saeed Jones / @theferocity: Odd setup. Seems stressful. https://twitter.com/...
Ax Sharma / Ars Technica:
How a US hacker built a secret network of “news” sites and Facebook Groups to push bogus stories after an undisclosed company hired him to sway 2016's election — He was hired to build a fake news op but now wants to put things right. — This is the story of the mastermind behind …
Discussion:
@jasonnationsays, @seth_hettena, @nash076, @chafkin, @brooklynmarie, @msbrumfield, @_tweedge, @rej_ex, @__phantomderp, @cho0b, @jennicide, @fark, @ax_sharma, @cstross, @msbrumfield, @datumomnom, @msbrumfield, @byrnehobart, @rej_ex, @dangillmor, @ladysplainer, @thephreck, @nash076, @nash076, @rayredacted, @cameronwilson, @czedwards and @blackamazon, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jason Nation / @jasonnationsays: We're really going to need to know which company this “undisclosed company” is. https://twitter.com/...
Seth Hettena / @seth_hettena: While Robert Willis has identified himself as “Hacker X,” he's not naming the secretive firm he worked for (confusingly identified in the story with the fake name Koala Media). https://twitter.com/...
@nash076: And you gave him glowing, fawning coverage. This is a terrible piece. https://twitter.com/...
Max Chafkin / @chafkin: this is a crazy, weird story. also: dying to know the actual name of the company https://arstechnica.com/...
Brooke Binkowski / @brooklynmarie: “After carefully studying the Facebook pages maintained by Koala staff, which were reaching about 3 million people weekly, Willis began using information-warfare tactics...” https://arstechnica.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: Here's the post that the hacker himself, Robert Willis, wrote about what he did. https://robertwillishacking.com/ ...
Chris Partridge / @_tweedge: @rej_ex Can you explain how you are going to reconcile describing yourself as a hacker with hacker ethics, such as “computers can change your life for the better?” I don't really see you address the moral and ethical impact of what you've done beyond how it's hurt your father.
Björk / @__phantomderp: ... Wait a second. The person who runs much of Austin's DEFCON group is the dude who helped build all that misinformation infrastructure?
@cho0b: My comment here about sakura samurai feels more true every day. Their @rej_ex was a right-wing tech bro who created a vast fake news empire in support of Trump. https://arstechnica.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jennicide: Man says “sorry” for spreading manipulated and false information for monetary gain and the ‘lulz’ because it hits too close to home. https://arstechnica.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Farkenstein / @fark: Jackwagon who greatly contributed to the hellscape we're living in now wants to put things right. So, we're all cool, yeah? https://fark.com/...
Ax Sharma / @ax_sharma: EXCLUSIVE: Ringleader of a massive fake news empire, ‘Hacker X’ comes out. Through extensive efforts, he created an untraceable webring of HUNDREDS of ‘news’ sites to spread conspiracy theories, propaganda to tip the 2016 US Election in Trump's favor. https://arstechnica.com/...
Charlie Brain Worms Stross / @cstross: “Hacker X”—the American who built a pro-Trump fake news empire—unmasks himself. He was hired to build a fake news op but now wants to put things right: https://arstechnica.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: So many interesting passages in Willis' post, but in light of Facebook's massive role in disseminating false political information favoring Trump, this bit of Willis' post is fascinating. https://twitter.com/...
CofS Exit Zone / @datumomnom: WTF is this shit? Robert Willis is NOT a whistleblower until he doxxes the websites, web ring, and owners. Full disclosure mofo or GTFO. Just because you failed to undo the harm fake news did to your family, doesn't mean others can't be helped. People have died. You can do better https://twitter.com/...
Cynthia Brumfield / @msbrumfield: You must read this blockbuster scoop by @Ax_Sharma in Ars Technica about a hacker who built a massive disinformation campaign for an unnamed company that shoveled out fake pro-Trump news to 30 million readers per week during the 2016 campaign. https://arstechnica.com/...
Byrne Hobart / @byrnehobart: https://arstechnica.com/... Further evidence for the thesis that fake news is hard to stamp out because producing it is incredibly fun.
Robert Willis / @rej_ex: The Machine Enabled by Facebook: How I Helped ‘hack’ the 2016 Election via Information Warfare
Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor: This story raises tons of questions, including ones about journalism. The company behind this scam remains unidentified (at least in the article), which strikes me as an unfortunate journalistic compromise — at best. https://twitter.com/...
@ladysplainer: Hey @arstechnica, this note about not naming the actual company behind the fake news empire created by Robert Willis is such a cop-out. Who these people are, and who's funding them, is actually more important than keeping Willis happy. https://arstechnica.com/...
@thephreck: Oh hey. We know this guy. @rej_ex telling his piece in the recent weaponizing of disinfo and social media. https://arstechnica.com/...
@nash076: And when I say it's a terrible piece, it's a terrible piece. Why is this here? Was this fact checked, or did you just take your subject's word for it? What magical dump let him source enough parts to build a PC? Was the sky the color of dead television there? https://twitter.com/...
@nash076: Um. @arstechnica. You let your subject make this claim without any kind of pushback or disclaimer about its veracity. What the hell. This is revolting. https://twitter.com/...
Cammyboo / @cameronwilson: this story is unbelievable. i mean that kinda literally, it's setting off alarm bells in my head that make it sound to good to be true. https://arstechnica.com/...
@czedwards: Why “Social liberal, fiscal conservative” tech bros are sewer slime, part 75,396. Also, I want receipts from this dickweed. What city and state did Democrats literally destroy? May his every shit be constipation or diarrhea, for the rest of his life. https://twitter.com/...
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Nicholas Kristof is leaving the NYT after 37 years, according to an email to staff, and has formed a PAC ahead of a potential run for Oregon governor — Mr. Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is weighing a run for governor of Oregon, the state where he grew up.
Discussion:
Axios, @cliffordlevy, @jeanuh_, @maragay, @sarafischer, @marcatracy, @stephgracela, @melissafleming, @miafarrow, @cathyreisenwitz, @jswatz, @elivalley, @lyzl, @ashagony, @mitchksmith, @ericmgarcia, @samhaselby, @jonathanalter, @jessethorn, @bfriedmandc, @sanasaeed, @nytimes, @ericliptonnyt, The Daily Beast, @kenny_mayne, Fox News, @speechboy71, @newinquiry, @pdxdadpod, @jocelynbenson, @mlcalderone, Vanity Fair, @cliffordlevy, @newinquiry, @nycjim, @peterhotez, @econ_marshall, @petersagal, @joshsternberg, Gawker, Washington Post, The Wrap and Politico
Discussion:
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: .@NickKristof, one of the finest journalists of our era, is leaving the NYT to explore a run for Oregon governor. Nick is known for his “incisive reporting, profound empathy and a determination to bear witness,” NYT opinion editor @katiekings says. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Gina Cherelus / @jeanuh_: Working with Nick these last couple years has been life-changing and I'm not exaggerating — The priceless mentorship, encouragement and simply getting to watch him work on his passions is a privilege that I do not take lightly. Wishing you the best going forward! https://twitter.com/...
Mara Gay / @maragay: Not just a great journalist but a consummate colleague and a just plain nice guy who took time to support young journalists. https://twitter.com/...
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Quote from @NickKristof in the memo just sent to staff: “This has been my dream job, even with malaria, a plane crash in Congo and periodic arrests abroad for committing journalism. Yet here I am, resigning — very reluctantly.” https://twitter.com/...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: After nearly 40 years at the Times, 20 as opinion columnist, Nick Kristof is resigning as he considers Oregon gubernatorial run https://www.nytimes.com/...
Stephanie Grace / @stephgracela: Well there's a Plan B for ya. https://twitter.com/...
Melissa Fleming / @melissafleming: I always held up @NickKristof's writing as a model for how to communicate mass suffering - he picks one remarkable individual who has gone through hell and emerged to offer hope. Hope to those who are moved to help, and hope to those who need it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Mia Farrow / @miafarrow: Immense loss -not just for NYT readers. @NickKristof is among the invaluable moral voices of our time. He grew up on a sheep farm in Yamhill, Oregon. That he now choses to serve the state he knows and loves, is not surprising. Still, it hurts to lose him. Thank you Nick!! https://twitter.com/...
Cathy Reisenwitz / @cathyreisenwitz: As someone fundamentally incapable of separating fact from fiction, politics is a better fit for him than journalism. https://twitter.com/...
John Schwartz / @jswatz: “I have a great job, outstanding editors and the best readers, I may be an idiot to leave. But you all know how much I love Oregon.... I've reluctantly concluded that I should try not only to expose problems but also see if I can fix them directly.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Eli Valley / @elivalley: Bret Stephens please run for Attorney General of Idaho https://twitter.com/...
Lyz Lenz / @lyzl: Lord give me this kind of brazen, absolutely baseless confidence https://twitter.com/...
Ash J / @ashagony: This is nice, but Oregon is really taking one for the team here. https://twitter.com/...
Mitch Smith / @mitchksmith: When I was a 19-year-old college student in Nebraska, @NickKristof took a crazy chance on me, flew me overseas on a reporting trip and changed the trajectory of my career. Thanks for everything, and congrats on an incredible run at NYT. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Michael Garcia / @ericmgarcia: Thinking about how many reporters could be paid using his salary rather than replacing him https://twitter.com/...
Sam Haselby / @samhaselby: Here's @NickKristof in 2002 writing about how the US invasion of Afghanistan would “a merciful war” that “may end up saving one million lives” https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jonathan Alter / @jonathanalter: This is a real loss for journalism but potentially a big win for Oregon. I'm glad @NickKristof is doing this, and I hope it encourages more good people to run for office at all levels. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brandon Friedman / @bfriedmandc: Imagine a random governor with no writing experience resigning to say they were moving to Manhattan to apply for a columnist job at the New York Times. That sounds stupid because it is. This is the same thing. https://twitter.com/...
Sana Saeed / @sanasaeed: men really do look at a job, see they fit one bottom-tier requirement and decide to apply https://twitter.com/...
@nytimes: Nicholas Kristof, after 37 years at The New York Times as a reporter, editor and opinion columnist, is leaving the newspaper as he considers running for governor of Oregon, the state where he grew up. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Eric Lipton / @ericliptonnyt: “This has been my dream job, even with malaria, a plane crash in Congo and periodic arrests abroad for committing journalism,” Mr. Kristof said in a statement included in the note announcing his departure. “Yet here I am, resigning — very reluctantly.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast: Nicholas Kristof Quits The New York Times After 37 Years for Expected Oregon Guv Run
Brian Flood / Fox News: Liberal columnist Nicholas Kristof quits New York Times after 37 years, explores run for Oregon governor
Michael Cohen / @speechboy71: I applaud Kristof for taking the plunge but if I was an Oregon voter I'd ask “why would I vote for a gubernatorial candidate who has no management or executive experience and has never worked in politics or government?” In short, this feels like a very heavy lift. https://twitter.com/...
@pdxdadpod: Hello from Oregon! We don't want you here and you're in no way qualified for this job. Don't embarrass yourself and waste our time! https://twitter.com/...
Jocelyn Benson / @jocelynbenson: This is really extraordinary news, a testament to how leaders from all walks of life are stepping up to enter the arena and play a role in protecting our democracy, advancing the truth and serving the public during this critical moment in history. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Calderone / @mlcalderone: As Nick Kristof exits the Times, re-upping @charlottetklein last month on how the columnist was “looking more and more like he's running for Oregon governor” https://www.vanityfair.com/...
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Nicholas Kristof “Reluctantly” Quits the New York Times Ahead of Expected Run for Oregon Governor
Cliff Levy / @cliffordlevy: @NickKristof @katiekings On a personal note: Nick was always kind and helpful to younger journalists — at the NYT (including me) and across the industry. He believed that journalism has the power to make society better, and wanted to nurture the next generation of journalists. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@newinquiry: “Kristof...provides us with precisely what is worse than a bourgeois not knowing about the world's horrors: knowing about them only enough...to denude them of political and moral demand” https://thenewinquiry.com/...
Jim Roberts / @nycjim: I had the privilege of working with @NickKristof for many years at the @nytimes. Smart, creative, caring. Early ally of digital journalism. Fearless too, which might help explain his apparent interest in entering politics. Will be rooting for you, Nick. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD / @peterhotez: Wishing @NickKristof + family the very best. Literally for decades Nick was among 2-3 important journalists I depended on to get it right on neglected tropical diseases #NTDs It was a special thrill when we were inducted together @americanacad https://www.nytimes.com/...
Marshall Steinbaum / @econ_marshall: By god we've been living under the tyranny of bad columnists and the whole time there was this easy way out?? https://twitter.com/...
Peter Sagal / @petersagal: I've admired him for years, because unlike almost every other columnist, he didn't just serve up Takes but did actual reporting on issues that weren't the latest to trend On Here. Whatever he decides to do, I will miss him in the Times. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Screamberg / @joshsternberg: If he doesn't win, does he get to go back to the NYT? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Nicholas Kristof Leaves NY Times to Weigh Run for Governor in Oregon
Christopher Cadelago / Politico: Kristof leaves the Times in prep for governor run
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
In a new deal, Redbox will license content from Lionsgate's library to its streaming service and Lionsgate will distribute Redbox Entertainment titles — EXCLUSIVE: Redbox has set a multi-year distribution deal with Lionsgate for the release of Redbox Entertainment titles …
Discussion:
Todd Spangler / Variety: Redbox Taps Lionsgate to Distribute Original Films, Licenses Studio Library Titles for Free Streaming Services
Tmera Hepburn / Cord Cutters News: Redbox Partners with Lionsgate, Will Release 36 Original Movies Per Year
Megan Graham / Wall Street Journal:
Facebook names Nicola Mendelsohn as VP of its global ad business, succeeding Carolyn Everson, who departed earlier this year; Mendelsohn was VP for EMEA — Ms. Mendelsohn succeeds Carolyn Everson, who maintained tight relationships with marketing executives
Discussion:
Meg Graham / @megancgraham: Facebook Inc. has named Nicola Mendelsohn VP of its global business group, succeeding Carolyn Everson. She assumes the role as Facebook confronts new scrutiny on subjects including its pursuit of younger users and how it responds to misuse of its products. https://www.wsj.com/...
Kenneth Li / Reuters:
Thomson Reuters launches a $100M fund to invest in early stage companies that serve business audiences in news media, law, tax and accounting — Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO) is launching a $100 million venture capital fund to invest in early stage companies that serve professional audiences in the legal …
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Axios HQ, Axios' SaaS tools to teach companies to write in its short style, has earned $1M from licensing, $2M from professional services, and has 150 clients — Axios has spun up a seven-figure software licensing business in less than a year. — In February, Axios launched Axios HQ …