Top News:
Choire Sicha / New York Magazine:
Former NYT exec says Wirecutter employees were treated as second-class citizens at NYT, with a lower pay scale and some NYT staff openly sneering at their work — In October 2016, Wirecutter, a scrappy website that uses journalism to help people make purchases, was five years old.
Discussion:
@choire, @laurenlamie, @laurenlamie, @rsingel, @edzitron, @amondozhou, @kait_tiffany, @kathyvsinternet, @joemullin, @danfrakes, @tomcoates, @chrislhayes, @discourse_blog, @daveyalba, @mattdpearce, @alexkoppelman, @thedailybeast, @mccarthyryanj, @mathowie, @zagatam, @bypatrickgeorge, @harrymccracken, @zoegberg, @runwithskizzers, @salgentile, @titonka, @maxjrosenthal, @janefriedman, @kingthor, @caseyjohnston, @lemonsand, @clancynewyork, @qhardy, @lisatozzi, @arieldumas, Des Moines Register, @johnkunza, @brandonetc, @francesrobles, @shiraovide, @intelligencer, @oliverdarcy, @caseyjohnston, @stanhoraczek, @leighjkboerner, @adriana_lacy, @pkafka, @andymanganelli, USA Today, The Daily Beast, discourseblog.com and @wirecutterunion
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify confirms it is testing a TikTok-like vertical feed of music videos, called Discover, which appears to repurpose Canvas videos, in its iOS app — TikTok has seen its short-form video feed copied by a host of competitors, from Instagram to Snap to YouTube and even Netflix.
Discussion:
ScreenRant, XDA Developers, Engadget, The Verge, Waivly, Tubefilter, Gizmodo, Music Ally and Señales.co, more at Techmeme »
Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:
EU proposes stricter rules for political ads, including sharing info on ads and banning targeting based on race, or face fines up to 5% global revenue — Proposed measure would ban targeting political ads based on categories such as religious views, sexual orientation
Discussion:
@baekdal, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Jillian Deutsch / Bloomberg:
EU approves Digital Markets Act measures: mandating social app interoperability, banning ad targeting to minors, and fines up to 20% of global annual sales
Discussion:
European Parliament, Light Reading, @ansip_eu, @jduch, @paultang, @ep_singlemarket, @alexandrageese, @blackamazon, TechCrunch and ScreenRant
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Lee Enterprises' board approves a shareholder rights plan, called a poison pill, to prevent Alden Global Capital from acquiring more than 10% of Lee for a year — Shareholder rights plan will be in effect for a year, giving Lee time to assess hedge fund's acquisition proposal
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, The Wrap, @hblodget, @farhip, @davidfolkenflik, @dankennedy_nu, @brynstole, The NewsGuild - CWA, bookforum.com and @jimfriedlich
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap:
SEC filing: Disney plans to spend $33B on content in fiscal 2022, which began on October 1, up from around $25B in fiscal 2021 — Disney will spend around $8 billion more on content next year. In its annual report filed with the SEC on Wednesday, Disney said it would spend around $33 billion …
Discussion:
Variety, Digital TV Europe, Hollywood Reporter and Collider
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Reporting on security lapses carries legal risks, like threats from the Missouri governor against the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, stifling research and journalism — In August 2020, two FBI agents were standing on my doorstep, unannounced, wanting to ask me questions about a TechCrunch story we had published the year before.
Discussion:
@freedomofpress, @freedomofpress, @martinsfp, @ron_miller, @zackwhittaker, @gazthejourno, @kennwhite, @josephfcox, @kimzetter, @freedomofpress and Talking Biz News
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
The Salt Lake Tribune, which became a nonprofit in 2020, says it is financially sustainable and grew its newsroom 23% in the past year — The Salt Lake Tribune's transition to nonprofit status has been closely watched in the news industry. “The opportunity for us to prove that this can work …
Discussion:
@swilliamsjourno, @jayrosen_nyu, @mary_walrath, @erinbiba, @sarahscire and Salt Lake Tribune
Manori Ravindran / Variety:
Ofcom approves relaunch of BBC Three as a broadcast channel, available on Freeview, Sky, and others, in February 2022; BBC Three was made online-only in 2016 — BBC Three, the digital platform that's been the home of “Fleabag” and “Normal People,” is returning as a broadcast channel.
Discussion:
@jimwaterson, @bbcthree, Televisual, @jimwaterson, Broadband TV News and Advanced Television
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Disney, ViacomCBS, and others are offering steep discounts this week amid slowing subscriber growth, with one year of Hulu available for 99 cents per month — Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and Discovery+ are among the services offering steep discounts this week to entice new subscribers.
Discussion:
XDA Developers, @sherman4949, @alexweprin, CNET News, Decider, Billboard and Variety
Tessa Stuart / Rolling Stone:
Reality Winner criticizes The Intercept for poor protection of sources and accuses its parent company of reneging on a promise to pay her legal defense bills — After years locked away for leaking classified information on Russian interference, the former NSA contractor has a lot to say about how she got there
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Since last year, Stat's revenue is up 40%, with subscription revenue up 24%, ad revenue up 51%, and events up 79%, and its headcount is up from ~50 to ~80 — STAT had a banner year in 2020, and executives say they expect continued growth for the foreseeable future.
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @rickberke, @fpmarconi, @mariojoze, @dankennedy_nu and @bhrenton
Steve Waldman / Washington Monthly:
DOJ blocking the S&S and Penguin mega-merger because it would reduce diversity of voices suggests it could take a similar approach to Alden's acquisition of Lee — How stronger antitrust enforcement and the Build Back Better bill can help to save the newspaper business.
Senior Data Journalist, NY — 
Manager - Publishing Editorial, Manila — 
Oil Reporter, Singapore — 
Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — 
Business Reporter, SC — 
State Government Reporter, WA — 
Climate Crisis Columnist — 
Multimedia Journalist, CA — 
Community Engagement Mgr., DC — 
Senior California Politics Reporter, CA — 
Staff Writer - Business, NY — 
Team Editor - Opinion, ON — 
Assistant Correspondent, DC — 
Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — 
Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — 
Lead Business Reporter, TN — 
Managing Editor, WA — 
Private Credit Reporter, NY — 
Trending News Reporter, TX — 
City Correspondent, London — 
Legislative Reporter, CA — 
Reporter, PA — 
Visual Editor, Remote — 
Staff Writer, MI — 
Senior Political Reporter, DC — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Business & Gaming Reporter, NV — 
Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — 
Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — 
Coordinating Editor, OR — 
Editor, Remote US — 
Business Reporter, WA — 
Editor-in-Chief, AZ — 
