Mediagazer: Meta debuts Verified in the US for $12/month on the web or $15/month on Android/iOS, with a blue badge, proactive impersonation protection, and customer support (Kris Holt/Engadget)

1:40 PM ET, March 17, 2023

Top News:

Sara Fischer / Axios:

YouTube lifts its restrictions on Donald Trump's channel, imposed after the January 6 insurrection, after evaluating the “continued risk of real-world violence” — YouTube will lift its restrictions on former President Trump's channel Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:

In a first for a music streaming service, Bandcamp employees form a union called Bandcamp United, which will include 62 people, and ask for an NLRB election — U.S. employees at Bandcamp, an online audio distributor, have announced their formation of a union.

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Engadget, @modernistwitch, @mountain_goats, @rollingstone, Pitchfork, Bloomberg and Billboard

Kris Holt / Engadget:

Meta debuts Verified in the US for $12/month on the web or $15/month on Android/iOS, with a blue badge, proactive impersonation protection, and customer support — Meta's paid verification program is available in the US starting today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Instagram channel.

Discussion: TechCrunch and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Sherrell Dorsey / The Plug:

Founder Sherrell Dorsey announces that The Plug, a news outlet focused on Black tech news and research, is closing — Dear readers, subscribers, and long-time supporters— Today is the last day our team will serve you all through The Plug. — We're closing our doors, but never abandoning our convictions.

Discussion: @ingridriley, @kristyt, @sheistyler, @lolitataub, @deongordon, @jewelmelanie, @culturebanx, @melissa_kimble and @rafat

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

An interview with Mother Jones CEO Monika Bauerlein on reader donations, paywalls, and quality over quantity; readers donated 74% of its $16.8M FY 2021 revenue — “Smart, fearless journalism” is the tagline of American investigative news outlet Mother Jones - but would this mission …

Discussion: @pressgazette, @charliebeckett, @pressgazette and Mother Jones

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

Amazon stops selling newspaper and magazine subscriptions for Kindle and in print; some titles, including USA Today, are still available via Kindle Unlimited — It doesn't matter whether they're for your Kindle or in print — starting this week, Amazon will no longer sell print or digital newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

Discussion: The Verge, Engadget, Good e-Reader, Beyond Search, @frasernelson, @laurahazardowen, @niemanlab, Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile …, Fortune, Press Gazette and @bloodravenlib@mas.to, more at Techmeme »

Emily Baker-White / Forbes:

Sources: the FBI and DOJ are investigating what led TikTok's parent company ByteDance to use the app to surveil US journalists; source: ByteDance was subpoenaed — Months before the U.S. government demanded ByteDance divest from TikTok, the Department Of Justice's Criminal Division subpoenaed …

NPR:

Sylvia Poggioli, the longest-serving reporter on NPR's international desk, announces she is retiring after 41 years — In a note to editorial staff, Didrik Schanche, International Editor, and Edith Chapin, Acting SVP of News, made the following announcement: — Imagining NPR without Sylvia Poggioli veers toward the impossible.

Discussion: @davidclinchnews, @davidgura and Current

New York Times:

Sources: Twitter explored licensing music rights from three major labels but negotiations stalled after Elon Musk's takeover and were abandoned due to costs — Twitter didn't move forward with the music licensing deals because of costs, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Discussion: Insider, Wall Street Journal and @kateconger, more at Techmeme »

Editor and Publisher:

McClatchy promotes Robyn Tomlin to Chief News Officer, effective immediately; Tomlin previously served as VP for local news — Today McClatchy, one of the largest media companies in the United States, announced the promotion of Robyn Tomlin to chief news officer, effective immediately.

Anjan Sundaram / Columbia Journalism Review:

Book adaptation: a reporter chronicles his perilous road trip through the Central African Republic to document the war between the government and rebels — A reporter's perilous trip to document war in the Central African Republic One evening in the fall of 2013, I was at home …

Discussion: @cjr and @anjansun

Patrick McGee / Financial Times:

Q&A with Dina Srinivasan, author of The Antitrust Case Against Facebook, on Meta and Google's ad duopoly, the US antitrust cases, concerns about Apple, and more — In February 2019, Dina Srinivasan, then an independent scholar, published an academic paper entitled ‘The Antitrust Case Against Facebook’ …

Discussion: @rasmus_kleis, @paultang, @markscott82, @anshublog, @patrickmcgee_, @dinasrinivasan and @spignal

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Climate Crisis Columnist — Prospect UK

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More News:

Patricia Nilsson / Financial Times:
Private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners acquires Pornhub owner MindGeek, which had $460M in 2018 revenue and sources say profit margins near 50% at times

Discussion: Variety, Axios, The Guardian, MindGeek, @goldman, @internetmaggie, @daatdarling, @mikestabile, @pkedrosky, @mroliverbarnes, Al Jazeera, The Verge, Deadline, TechCrunch and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Brian Morrissey / The Rebooting:
Digital media companies are shifting from ad-driven scale models into something smaller, which should benefit publishers that have flexible models and low costs

Discussion: @seangriffey, @niemanlab, @jbenton, @simonowens@newsie.social, Variety, Digiday and Simon Owens's Media Newsletter

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
YouTube raises YouTube TV's price by $8 to $72.99/month, citing a rise in “content costs”, effective for new users on March 16 and existing users on April 18

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Elliot Resnick, a former editor of The Jewish Press, faces charges of civil disorder, impeding police officers, and misdemeanors at the US Capitol on January 6

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Post, @egavactip, @kyledcheney, UPI, New York Daily News, Associated Press, abc7NY and FBI

Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Twitch CEO Emmett Shear steps down after 16 years at the company, replaced by president Dan Clancy, effective immediately; Shear is a Justin.tv co-founder

Discussion: Insider, Twitch Blog, Variety, @pocketyoutube, @chasejustchase, @dieselttv, @chilledchaos, @rhymestyle, Tubefilter, Deadline, IGN, New York Times and The Information, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount+ plans to launch Basic, its first mobile-only plan, on April 18, for ~$2.82/month or ~$25.36/year in Brazil and ~$4.18/month or ~$37.48/year in Mexico

Discussion: MediaPost, @paramountco, Deadline, The Streamable, Broadband TV News, Variety, Media Play News, WORLD SCREEN and Advanced Television

Roger Vincent / Los Angeles Times:
Fox Corp submits plans for a $1.5B expansion of the historic Fox Studio Lot, including adding nine soundstages, for a total of 24, as streaming drives demand

Discussion: @sammy_roth, The Wrap, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Afternoon shows on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN rate higher than the networks' prime-time shows, as big stars move on, core audiences turn to streaming, and more

Discussion: @nytimesbusiness, @thebeatwithari, @joshkraushaar, @kellycnbc and @brianstelter

Charlotte Klein / @charlottetklein:
Axios fires Tampa Bay-based reporter Ben Montgomery after he replied to an email about a Governor DeSantis event, “This is propaganda, not a press release.”

Discussion: Politico, @alexlanfran, @jake_bernstein, Washington Post, Poynter, @davidphinney, @jamessurowiecki, @pboothmedia, @rickjnewman, @zackkopplin, @getwired, @lollardfish, @stphnmaher, @unitedems2022, @brooklynmarie, @jamessurowiecki, @sjdemas, @lemieuxlgm, @ruthbenghiat, @mattfriedmannj, @laurachapin, @ijbailey, @gangrey, @michaelcdeibert, @froomkin, Fox News, @poynter, @katzonearth, @kattenbarge, @nytliz, @deanbaker13, Talking Points Memo, @lizzieohreally, @rachelbitecofer, @rachelbitecofer, @ruthbenghiat, @tiffanydcross, @colmorrisdavis, @greta, @joshtpm, @tomscocca, @hunterw, @gregggonsalves, @hunterw, @justingeorge, @tommytomlinson, @schwarz, The Hill, @brianbeutler, @imillhiser, @bydavidgardner, @kvanvalkenburg, @oliverdarcy, @lindyli, @moorehn, @brettarends, @natemonroetu, @alexkoppelman, @what46hasdone, @lavern_spicer, @vabvox, @johnmcquaid@journa.host, @lighttweeting, @hunterw, @hunterw, @hunterw, @laurarbelin, @bfriedmandc, @dellcam, @jeffreyasachs, @ashtonpittman, @jeffjarvis, @cjciaramella, @dcwoodruff, @rcohen, @donmoyn, @thor_benson, @donmoyn, @tvietor08, @mpdillon, @ijbailey, @lansdallius, @thesarahkelly, @thesarahkelly, @thesarahkelly, @bfriedmandc, @_cingraham, @wajahatali, @mcbyrne, @bruce_arthur, @hemantmehta, @samthielman, @eric_jotkoff, @eric_jotkoff, @3fecta, @natalieweiner, @chuckrossdc, @samyoungman, @thesarahkelly, @lukeoneil47, @christinapushaw, @simonhernandez, @curtishouck, @kept_simple, @espiers, @theseantcollins, @russbengtson, @ggreenwald, @mobute, @helenkennedy, @theinsneider, @domdifurio, @karlbode, @anandwrites, @carigervin, @jeffpearlman, @sayssimonson, @christinapushaw, @bryandgriffin, @mattdpearce, @justin_hart, New York Post, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, Breitbart, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, The Desk and The Wrap

From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered making a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

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