Top News:
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Michael Grade, a UK Conservative member of the House of Lords who held senior posts at the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, will be named as Ofcom chair — Choice of veteran broadcasting executive appears to bring chaotic recruitment saga to an end — Michael Grade has been named as the government's choice …
Discussion:
Variety, @arusbridger, @martinsfp, @ruskin147, @webdevlaw, @bbclaurak, @bbclaurak, @bbclaurak and Politico
Simon Owens / Simon Owens's Media Newsletter:
A look at Complexly, an educational media company run by YouTube stars Hank and John Green that has 55M followers across social media and 5B+ views on YouTube — Complexly has 55 million social media subscribers and over 5 billion views on YouTube alone. — Welcome! I'm Simon Owens and this is my media newsletter.
Discussion:
@kendallbaker, @ashkan, @michellemanafy and @simonowens
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
BuzzFeed News is offering voluntary buyouts to 36 of its ~100 journalists, and its EIC says the outlet won't be able to do as many long-term investigations — When BuzzFeed decided in 2012 to branch out from the cat videos, viral listicles and “OMG!” headlines that had put it on the map …
Discussion:
nyguild.org, Talking Biz News and @beebrookshire
The Guardian:
UK's The Sun posted a £51M loss and £318.6M revenue in 2021; its publisher NGN spent £49M on legal fees relating to phone-hacking in the year to June 2021 — Covid and advertising shifts hurt profits, as News Group Newspapers seeks to end ongoing managed hearings
Discussion:
@taintlessred, @profdaveandress, @jimwaterson, @_embo and @jamesrbuk
Anton Troianovski / New York Times:
At least four Russian state TV employees have resigned over the Ukraine invasion; two-thirds of Russians relied on state TV for news last year — At least four state television employees have publicly resigned, citing regret for their roles in promoting false narratives about Ukraine.
Discussion:
The Conversation, @kenvogel, @cliffordlevy and Press Gazette
Brody Ford / Bloomberg:
TikTok creators say a glitch in the registration process for TikTok's creator fund has prevented sign-ups for weeks; the fund started at $200M in 2020 — Many rising TikTok stars who recently qualified to be paid for their popular videos have been shut out of the registration system …
Discussion:
@laurenstrapa, @brodyford_ and @sarahfrier, more at Techmeme »
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:
Spotify reports 2021 royalty payments: $7B+ paid to music rightsholders, up from $5B in 2020, as 1,040 artists made $1M+/year and 16.5K artists made $50K+/year — Spotify launched its Loud & Clear website in March 2021, with the aim of “increasing transparency” around its payouts to the music industry.
Discussion:
Variety, @hellmania, Forbes, Billboard, The Verge, @eldsjal, @jherskowitz, Music Business Worldwide, @jherskowitz and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Play debuts a pilot to let select partners, starting with Spotify, offer a third-party billing option globally; Google's commission cut was not disclosed — Amid increasing global regulations over app stores and their commission structures, Google today announced the launch …
Discussion:
@eldsjal, Spotify, Android Developers Blog, MUSIC x, Newslit Daily, MediaNama, Protocol, Billboard, @itsdaveedwards, @jason_kint, @benedictevans, Transistori, @econ_marshall, @pkafka, @pkafka, @claireatki, @lucas_shaw, @mgsiegler, @davidmarcus, @richlightshed, @caseynewton, @spotifynews, Daring Fireball, Android Police, Engadget, The Verge, Variety and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Bullough / Coda Story:
A look at the muzzling of UK journalism due to the risk of expensive libel lawsuits from oligarchs, and how politicians are rethinking the threat to free speech — Also in this edition: The super-rich have a stranglehold on free speech, Russia loses normal trade status
Eduardo Suárez / Reuters Institute for the Study …:
Q&A with Clara Jiménez Cruz, the CEO of Spanish fact-checking org Maldita.es, on creating UkraineFacts.org, a website updated by journalists from 70 countries — Ukrainefacts.org has gathered hundreds of fact-checks on the invasion. Clara Jiménez Cruz explains how the project works and why it matters
Discussion:
@guchagucha, @monicaellena, @munkeatlooi, @localnewsini, @luissantos, @rasmus_kleis, @eduardosuarez and @janebsinger
The Insider:
Oksana Baulina, a journalist for Latvia-based The Insider who once worked for Russia's Anti-Corruption Foundation, was killed after a rocket strike in Kyiv — 23 март а 2022 — Oksana Baulina, a journalist for The Insider, died under fire in Kyiv.
Discussion:
@alexey__kovalev, BBC, @zaborona_media, Washington Post, The Wrap, The Guardian, Newser, CNN, NPR, International Press Institute, USA Today, @alexey__kovalev, @shaunwalker7, Fox News, Insider, CBS News, @navalny, The Hill, @mishimayoshino, Al Jazeera, @leahmcelrath, @charlestannock, @juliaioffe, @baks_president, @mbildziukiewicz, @nat_vasilyeva, @robyndixon__, @peterpomeranzev, @deborahamos, @christogrozev, @gilliantett, @eliothiggins, @christogrozev, @ksergatskova, @cliffordlevy, @insidereng, The Sun, Committee to Protect … and Інт …
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
Google says it will bar ads from appearing next to websites, apps and YouTube channels that exploit, dismiss or condone the Russia-Ukraine war — Alphabet-owned (GOOGL.O) Google will not help websites, apps and YouTube channels sell ads alongside content that it deems exploits …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Melissa Cooke / Politico:
Politico names Dafna Linzer as executive editor, starting in Washington on April 25; Linzer was most recently managing editor for politics at NBC News and MSNBC — Announcement from Editor-in-Chief Matt Kaminski: — I'm delighted to share some exciting news today: Dafna Linzer will be joining POLITICO as Executive Editor.
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
A look at Coffee or Die Magazine, Black Rifle Coffee Company's military news website, newsletter, and quarterly print magazine with 21 full-time staff — “I want to swing above our weight class. I want us to be able to cover and do more than we should be able to do."
Discussion:
@risj_oxford and @jaredbkeller
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism:
Internews Europe names Meera Selva, currently the deputy director at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, as its CEO, starting in June — Meera, who has been the Director of our Journalist Fellowship Programme since September 2017, will take up her new role in June