Mediagazer: Small groups of Disney employees staged demonstrations across the US on Tuesday, protesting CEO Bob Chapek's slow response to Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill (Associated Press)

5:20 PM ET, March 22, 2022

Top News:

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

In an email, BuzzFeed News EIC Mark Schoofs announces his departure and those of two other top editors; CEO Jonah Peretti announces job cuts for ~1.7% of staff — Mark Schoofs, the site's editor in chief, is among the departures. The company's chief executive said BuzzFeed News would need to …

Discussion: @markdistef, @jimwaterson, Axios, @jasonabbruzzese, @markstenberg3, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, @markstenberg3, @edmundlee, The Hill, @sarafischer, @jane__bradley, Today in Tabs, @film_girl, @saba_h, @rmc031, @dancow, Press Gazette, @papapishu, @peternhess, Gawker, @eoinhiggins_, @rebekahentralgo, Vanity Fair, @janelytv, @rmac18, @palewire, @kateaurthur, @kevincollier, @g_kayy, @cwarzel, @bradydale, @katenocera, @mediaevan, @nausjcaa, @robinwigg, @thesarahkelly, @andybcampbell, @craigsilverman, @matthewstoller, @sivavaid, @jasonabbruzzese, @joshsternberg, @ejdickson, @rachelysanders, @saramorrison, @jamesrbuk, @paulxharris, @ajb_powell, @moorehn, Adweek, @taylorlorenz, @jackmirkinson, @brandyzadrozny, @mrernestowens, @jordanzakarin, @lainnafader, @patrickklepek, @nrg8000, @paolobacigalupi, @charlesornstein, @paperhaus, @sachgau and @esotericcd

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Sources: several large shareholders have urged BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to shut down the site's news division, which has ~100 employees and loses ~$10M/year — - Several large shareholders have urged BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to shut down the company's news organization.

A.J. Katz / TVNewser:

NBC News Digital names BuzzFeed News deputy EIC Tom Namako as executive editor, starting on April 25, replacing David Firestone, who is retiring after 40+ years — NBC News has named Tom Namako the new Executive Editor of NBC News Digital, beginning April 25.

Discussion: @catherinekimny, @tomnamako, Variety, Insider, Crain's New York Business, Mediaite, @maggienyt, @mitrakalita, @claudiajo_ms, @lisatozzi, @benyt, @edmundlee and Barrett Media

Will Feuer / Dow Jones Newswires:

BuzzFeed reports $40.4M in Q4 net income, up 25% YoY from $32.2M, and revenue of $145.7M, up 18% YoY, driven by 33% YoY growth in its content revenue segment — Digital-media publisher BuzzFeed Inc. said its revenue and profit rose in the three months ended Dec. 31.

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Ben Smith and Justin Smith plan to name their media company Semafor, which they believe is “a very viable and successful option” for trademarking globally — Ben and Justin Smith plan to name their new company “Semafor,” a word used to describe a method of communication via two visual signals, the pair confirmed to Axios.

Jennifer Schuessler / New York Times:

A look at Compact, a new online magazine funded by unnamed investors and edited by two religious conservatives and a Marxist labor populist — Compact, a new online magazine edited by two religious conservatives and a Marxist proponent of “labor populism,” aims to challenge both “a libertine left and a libertarian right.”

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Recurrent Ventures, owner of Popular Science and MEL, acquires digital and print B2B publication Business of Home, its 25th acquisition in under five years — Recurrent Ventures, a venture equity-backed digital media company, has acquired Business of Home, a digital and print publication dedicated …

Discussion: @sarafischer, @rafat and @bmorrissey

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Ex-Trump staffers, including Donald Trump Jr., are launching a news aggregation app called MxM News, to fill a void left by the Drudge Report's waning influence — Former Trump staffers, including Donald Trump, Jr., are launching a news aggregation app called “MxM News” …

Discussion: The Wrap, @jbenton, @dkiesow, @laurahazardowen, @sarafischer, @surabees, @wickdchiq, @xeni and @mediaevan

ProPublica:

ProPublica promotes deputy managing editor Tracy Weber to managing editor, succeeding Robin Fields, who served for nine years and is returning to reporting — ProPublica announced Monday that Tracy Weber, deputy managing editor, has been promoted to managing editor.

Discussion: American Press Institute, @megmccloskey, @froomkin, @terryparrisjr, @charlesornstein, @gingerthomp1, Associated Press, @pamelacolloff and @sisiwei

Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:

Apple announces new Podcasts Connect creator features, including follower counts, uploading MP3 files as subscriber-only audio, and custom subscription banners — Apple Podcasts is rolling out new features to incentivize podcasters to offer paid subscriptions to listeners on the app.

Discussion: podcasters.apple.com, Podnews, Protocol, Podcast Movement, Newslit Daily, Variety and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »

Jon Lafayette / Next TV:

NBCU says it has certified eight more Nielsen alternatives for audience measurement and audience verification, including Comscore, DoubleVerify, and Conviva — Certifies providers of audience measurement and audience verification — NBCUniversal, which has been vocal in its search …

Discussion: Ad Age and MediaPost

Associated Press:

Small groups of Disney employees staged demonstrations across the US on Tuesday, protesting CEO Bob Chapek's slow response to Florida's “Don't Say Gay” bill — ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Even though only a small percentage of Walt Disney Co. workers participated in a walkout Tuesday …

Discussion: Fast Company, CNN, abc7NY, New York Post, Deadline, LGBTQ Nation, CBS Los Angeles, Popular Information, The Hill and NPR

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Earlier Picks:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
A UK judge rules journalist Chris Mullin won't have to turn over his notes to the police; his investigation helped overturn convictions in the 1974 IRA bombings

Discussion: @pressgazette, @pressgazette, @pressgazette, @gerryhassan, @bondhack, @kevin_maguire and @bat020

William Turvill / Press Gazette:
Staffers at Creators Media Group, Ukraine's largest publisher of tech news sites, recount their experiences as they continue to file stories, now all about war

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Yuvraj Malik / Reuters:
Tencent Music plans to pursue a secondary listing in Hong Kong, after reporting an 8.7% YoY drop in Q4 revenue, including a 15% YoY drop in social entertainment

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Shubham Sharma / VentureBeat:
Applied XL, founded by two computational journalists to provide real-time data, raises a $3.5M seed led by Hearst Ventures, with STAT and others participating

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From Techmeme:

Bloomberg:
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Jamie Crawley / CoinDesk:
Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein resigns, to be replaced by the head of strategy for asset and wealth manager at Goldman Sachs, Peter Mintzberg, on August 15

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