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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


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 »


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 »
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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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.