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BuzzFeed will go public via a merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners, raising $16M from the SPAC and $150M via debt and acquiring Complex Networks for $300M — Shareholders in BuzzFeed, the digital media pioneer known for its listicles, quizzes and a news division that won its first Pulitzer Prize this year …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, @bmorrissey, @benmullin, @lizrhoffman, Axios, @wsj, SEC.gov, @edmundlee, New York Post and Poynter
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BuzzFeed News' union holds a walkout after two years of contract negotiations, as shareholders approve a plan to take the company public via a SPAC — BuzzFeed shareholders will vote today to take the company public via a merger with a special-purpose-acquisition company, or SPAC.
Discussion:
@bernstein, Puck, CNN, @shawnmccreesh, @alexweprin, @alexweprin, @felixsalmon, @nicolegoodkind, @walldo, @shawnmccreesh, @leavittalone, @alexweprin, @matt_on_tech, @cwarzel, @joeperticone, @aaschapiro, @shockleysmith, @jbenmenachem, @bcmerchant, @stevenbeynon, The Information, @jackmirkinson, @o_ema, @mtredden, @juliareinstein, @emilybell, @edgecgroup, @louispeitzman, @brfreed, TechCrunch, @addysbaird, @choire, @hamiltonnolan, @zoetillman, @wirecutterunion, @morroweric, Los Angeles Times, @sarafischer, @bfnewsunion, Nieman Lab and New York Times, more at Techmeme »


Journalists and activists worry Twitter's new privacy policy will be weaponized and make their jobs harder, due to vague terms like “the public interest” — On Tuesday, Twitter said it is expanding its privacy policy to include what the company calls “private media.”
Discussion:
@chadloder, @gwensnyderphl, @chadloder, @chadloder, @blackamazon, @timheuer, @dkiesow, @jsource, @evacide, @anamardoll, @gwensnyderphl, @chetfaliszek, @gwensnyderphl, @dkiesow, @donlday, @coreypein, @gwensnyderphl, @gwensnyderphl, @vv1lder, @llauralouisiana, @gwensnyderphl, @evacide, @krisgoldsmith85, @berkmanonlyfans, @digiphile, @blackamazon, @therikeys, @chadloder, @billyarmagh, @drewharwell, @bobarchambault, @gwensnyderphl, @ericajoy, @kimcrayton1, @kenny_wallace, @k_trendacosta, @mathewi, Reason, @jeffjarvis, @wongmjane and Input
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White supremacists have been urging supporters to use Twitter's new policy against journalists and others who have identified them in photos of rallies — Researchers fear the new ban on posts sharing people's private information will be ‘emboldening to the fascists’ eager to keep their identities concealed.


Ex-Shape staffers say they worked 375 unpaid overtime hours on the new Sweet July magazine, were laid off, and then asked to return as temps for the next issue — Laid-off Meredith staffers have soured on the publishing company's new Sweet July magazine — helmed by Food Network star Ayesha Curry.
Discussion:
@meredithunion, @chactivist, @chactivist, @jackdickey, @cnbenton1, @meredithunion, @tatejamesdotcom, @nyguild, @pagesix and @niemanlab


Emails: Missouri officials planned to thank the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for finding a data vulnerability before they threatened a reporter, calling him a hacker — JEFFERSON CITY — Before blaming the Post-Dispatch, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was preparing to thank …


US prosecutors charge two men with running a music royalty scam, collecting $20M+ from YouTube, by falsely claiming rights to 50,000 Spanish language songs — Prosecutors say the men claimed rights to 50,000 Spanish-language songs they didn't own, using the royalty money to buy mansions, fancy cars and jewelry.


Philippine court grants Maria Ressa permission to travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after the government tried to block her from going — The decision came after days of growing international pressure on the government to allow the journalist to attend the ceremony in Norway.
Discussion:
Coda Story, @antelava, @jason_kint and Reuters


A proposal to protect democracy by safeguarding local journalism: provide ~$34B in federal funds to nonprofit news outlets, allocated based on local votes — Readers of the Columbia Journalism Review are well aware of the importance of local news media; they have been the foundation …
Discussion:
@cjr, @robertslawrence, @nikkiusher, @digiphile, @vwpickard, @razarumi, @razarumi and @sewellchan


Two Georgia election workers sue the far-right website Gateway Pundit for defamation over its false claims that the two manipulated ballots in 2020 — The two Georgia workers were falsely accused of manipulating ballots by Trump allies and right-wing news sites. Election officials said the workers did nothing wrong.
Discussion:
Georgia Public Broadcasting, Reuters, @skoczela, NBC News, @cliffordlevy, @noahbookbinder, @patrickdmarley, @slpng_giants, @tom_mallory, @tripgabriel, @oneunderscore__, @simonowens, @mattortega, @tripgabriel, @oneunderscore__, @oneunderscore__, Insider, @oneunderscore__, @tripgabriel, @kyleorangio, @oneunderscore__, @tripgabriel, Mediaite, Newser and The Hill


Five major education publishers sue Shopify for $500M+ over failing to remove pirated textbooks and other content that violate their trademarks and copyrights — Textbook pirates are selling stolen learning materials on the platform, according to a lawsuit
Discussion:
Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal


Sources: Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily, which has 300 staff members, is shutting down in Taiwan in December when funding runs out — - Newspaper's Taiwan unit to run out of funds in December — Closure would mark end of pro-democracy Hong Kong media empire
Discussion:
@bloombergasia