Top News:
Bloomberg:
Russia's Federal Security Service says it detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich over suspicion of “espionage in the interests of the American government” — Russia's Federal Security Service said it detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg on spying allegations …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Associated Press, SPJ News, The Hill, The Guardian, The Moscow Times, CNBC, Insider, Financial Times, @polinaivanovva, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, Fox News, The Wrap, The Guardian, CNN, SABEW, @nytimes, New York Daily News, @francescaebel, @dylanbyers, Reuters, @govmurphy, Deadline, @billbrowder, @maxseddon, @pressfreedom, @dylanbyers, @presssec, @christopherjm, New York Post, Mediaite, @maxseddon, Committee to Protect …, Vanity Fair, Axios, Semafor, @natashabertrand, @dwnews, @lolgop, @clancyreports, @r__politik, Newser, National Review, @domenpresern, @mgongadze, @jeffsonnenfeld, @newsguild, @jimsciutto, @followtheh, @tpcarney, @jazzedloon, @georebekah, @brendancarrfcc, @sarahrainsford, @felix_light, @kevinrothrock, @lindakinstler, @neilphauer, @pressfreedom, @freedomofpress, @neilphauer, @moorehn, @kaitlancollins, @annanemtsova, Washington Post, @timobrien, @pressfreedom, @billpascrell, @akurmanaev, @billbrowder, @mattmcbradley, @kevinrothrock, @shustry, NPR, Al Jazeera, @michaeldweiss, @oliverdarcy, @asluhn, International Press Institute, @rohded, @neilphauer, Reuters, @leonidragozin, @domenpresern, @jfberke, CBS News and Rolling Stone
Discussion:
Alex Gangitano / The Hill: ‘Ridiculous’: White House rejects espionage charges against Wall Street Journal reporter
Shaun Walker / The Guardian: US condemns arrest of WSJ journalist as Russia accused of ‘hostage taking’
Holly Ellyatt / CNBC: Ukraine war live updates: Russia detains WSJ reporter, alleging espionage; the Journal demands his release
Mattathias Schwartz / Insider: Russia arrests WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges
Polina Ivanova / @polinaivanovva: Our best friend and completely professional journalist Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia for doing his job and must be released immediately. Journalism is not a crime. The allegations are ridiculous. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ ...
The Daily Beast: Wall Street Journal Reporter Detained—and Putin's Chef Jokes About Finding Him in a Graveyard
Fox News: Russia detainment of Wall Street Journal reporter on spying charges sparks outrage: ‘Unjust detention’
Eileen AJ Connelly / The Wrap: Russia Arrests Wall Street Journal Reporter on Spying Charge
Shaun Walker / The Guardian: Russia arrests Wall Street Journal reporter and accuses him of espionage
Oliver Darcy / CNN: WSJ editor tells staff she is ‘very concerned’ for safety of reporter arrested in Russia
@nytimes: Evan Gershkovich is believed to be the first American reporter to be held as an accused spy in Russia since the Soviet Union's collapse. It marks an escalation in Moscow's tensions with the U.S. since the start of the war in Ukraine. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
New York Daily News: Russia vs. journalism: Vladimir Putin must release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich
Francesca Ebel / @francescaebel: Our friend & colleague @evangershkovich has been detained in Russia. The FSB has accused him of spying. He was fully accredited as a reporter by MFA. Evan is an excellent thoughtful journalist who cares deeply about his work & these allegations are absurd https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ ...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: New York Times appears to have removed all reporters from Russia. NYT spokesperson tells me: “We currently have no reporters on the ground in Russia.” https://twitter.com/...
Governor Phil Murphy / @govmurphy: Outraged by the politically-motivated detention of New Jersey native and Princeton High School graduate, @WSJ reporter @evangershkovich. The Putin regime is brazenly targeting American citizens. We will do everything in our power to help bring Evan home. https://www.wsj.com/...
Greg Evans / Deadline: White House Condemns Russia's Detention Of Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich, Advises U.S. Citizens In Russia To “Depart Immediately”
Bill Browder / @billbrowder: White House condemns the hostage taking of Wall Street Journal reporter @evangershkovich. It's pretty obvious that Putin wanted to replenish his stock of high value hostages and this is how he's doing it. Makes journalism a blood sport in Russia https://www.wsj.com/...
Max Seddon / @maxseddon: Shocked by the horrifying news of Russia's absurd espionage charges against @evangershkovich, an excellent reporter and friend. Evan is accredited by Russia's MFA and was simply doing his job. Journalism is not a crime. Russia should release him at once. https://www.ft.com/...
@pressfreedom: “By detaining the #American journalist @evangershkovich, #Russia has crossed the Rubicon and sent a clear message to foreign correspondents that they will not be spared from the ongoing purge of the independent media in the country,” said @CPJEurasia's https://cpj.org/...... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: NEW: New York Times “deeply concerned by the detention of Evan Gershkovich ... Evan is a former Times employee... We urge his immediate release. As we have seen too often, the arrest of journalists anywhere in the world deprives the public of news that is essential to all of us.”
Karine Jean-Pierre / @presssec: We are deeply concerned by the troubling reports that Evan Gershkovich, an American citizen, has been detained in Russia. Last night, White House and State Department Officials spoke with Mr. Gershkovich's employer, the Wall Street Journal.
Christopher Miller / @christopherjm: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was “deeply concerned” about the arrest of Evan Gershkovich and condemned the Kremlin's “continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices”. https://www.ft.com/...
Snejana Farberov / New York Post: Russian mercenary boss jokes about checking ‘torture cellar’ for detained WSJ reporter
Ken Meyer / Mediaite: WSJ Reporter's Latest Piece Might Offer Clues to Why He Was Detained By Russia for Being a Spy
Max Seddon / @maxseddon: @evangershkovich Evan's arrest is yet another troubling sign of the off-the-charts repression, paranoia, and hostility to the US in Russia right now. A moment of which Evan was one of our finest chroniclers: https://www.wsj.com/...
Jennifer Dunham / Committee to Protect Journalists: Russia detains Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Wall Street Journal Reporter Arrested in Russia, Accused of Espionage
Ivana Saric / Axios: Russia detains WSJ reporter in first spy charges against U.S. journalist since Cold War
Natasha Bertrand / @natashabertrand: “No Western journalist has been tried on espionage charges in Russia in recent years. The arrest of Mr. Gershkovich represented a significant escalation in Moscow's hostilities toward foreign news organizations...Acquittals are virtually unheard-of.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dwnews: Russia has detained an American journalist on espionage charges — he was reportedly probing Wagner. https://www.dw.com/...
@lolgop: And soon, the top-rated show on the cable network of the guy who owns the WSJ will praise Putin as a genius for this, along with the leader of the Republican Party. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Clancy / @clancyreports: The Wall Street Journal doesn't overplay the arrest of one of its journalists in Moscow. https://www.wsj.com/...
@r__politik: Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for @WSJ - Wall Street Journal - who has been living in Moscow for six years, has been detained in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage. An important Thread 🧵 @evangershkovich
@domenpresern: 1. Time for other Western outlets to pull out reporters? 2. The real question is - “Who does Russia want to get back?” Who was arrested recently in the West that they want back? The guy trying to get a job at the ICC? “Argentines” arrested in Slovenia? https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld / @jeffsonnenfeld: This is horrific. Putin has abducted and arrested WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich for merely telling the truth about how Russia's economy is imploding - as my team has been tracking for months now. He must be freed immediately. https://wsj.com/... https://papers.ssrn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@newsguild: We strongly condemn Russia's detention of Evan Gershkovich. We call for his immediate release. Journalism is not a crime. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tom Hearden / @followtheh: You'd think the Fox News on air Russian love would have brought another Murdoch owned employee a little more leeway https://twitter.com/...
Tim Carney / @tpcarney: It takes true courage to be a reporter in Russia who writes about the reality there. God Bless Even Gershkovich, and let's get it home. https://twitter.com/...
Jazmine Hughes / @jazzedloon: Evan — “Gersh” — was one of my first friends at the NYT, and it's been such a treat to watch him grow into a rigorous, intrepid reporter. This is horrifying. We need him home, now. https://twitter.com/...
Rebekah Jones / @georebekah: First they came for the journalists. We don't know what happened after that. https://twitter.com/...
Brendan Carr / @brendancarrfcc: One day after publishing a deeply reported story on Russia's economy—and while continuing to do his job as a journalist—Putin's security services arrested @WSJ reporter & U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich This is wrong. This is concerning. Gershkovich's brave journalism is no crime. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Rainsford / @sarahrainsford: Terrible news for @evangershkovich and for journalism in Russia https://twitter.com/...
Felix Light / @felix_light: Monstrous, absurd news. Monstrous, absurd charges. @evangershkovich is a good friend, a kind, open person, and one of the best, most sensitive reporters in Russia today. Journalism is not a crime. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ ...
Kevin Rothrock / @kevinrothrock: A regional deputy from Russia's Sverdlovsk oblast says @evangershkovich (the arrested WSJ journalist now charged with espionage) was researching calls in Nizhny Tagil to start recruiting women inmates for Wagner Group mercenary work in Ukraine. https://t.me/...
Linda Kinstler / @lindakinstler: Waking up to news that my old friend & colleague @evangershkovich has been detained. We went to college together, I edited him at the school paper & have had the occasional privilege of editing him since. Just sick with horror at this news. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Neil Hauer / @neilphauer: After an exodus following the start of the invasion last year, a number of Western journalists working for major outlets slowly returned to Russia once the expected regime arrests/credentials being revoked didn't materialize. Seems this will be the death knell for that.
@pressfreedom: Russian Court Orders Wall Street Journal Reporter to Be Held in Custody — @WSJ CPJ President @jodieginsberg: “CPJ is deeply concerned by the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. This is the latest in a long line of attempts by Russia https://www.wsj.com/...... https://twitter.com/...
@freedomofpress: Outrageous. Wall Street Journal reporter @evangershkovich arrested in Russia for “espionage.” This is a sham charge against a widely respected journalist doing his job. Authorities need to release him immediately. Journalism is not a crime. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Neil Hauer / @neilphauer: Extremely worrying news from Russia. Evan is a professional and excellent journalist. It looks like the Kremlin is thinking about making him a hostage. https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: Russia is holding a WSJ reporter and falsely accusing him of spying for the U.S. govt. This is an incredibly scary situation for reporters and newsrooms. Hope he is safe and stays safe. https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kaitlan Collins / @kaitlancollins: The WSJ has now issued a statement after Russia arrested its reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is a U.S. citizen, for what Russia described as espionage. “The Wall Street Journal is deeply concerned for the safety of Mr. Gershkovich.” https://www.wsj.com/...
Anna Nemtsova / @annanemtsova: Evan Gershkovich is a very professional journalist. He is not a spy. He wrote about Wagner. FSB had cleared Gershkovich for years; Russian MID had accredited him as a #Moscow correspondent for years. Is it retaliation for several Russians recently accused of espionage? https://twitter.com/...
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: Ivan Pavlov, a prominent Russian attorney, said Gershkovich is the first criminal case for espionage against a foreign journalist in post-Soviet Russia. “That unwritten rule not to touch accredited foreign journalists, has stopped working,” he said. https://apnews.com/...
@pressfreedom: Today, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Evan Gershkovich, a Moscow-based reporter with @WSJ, in #Yekaterinburg. Later that day, a Moscow court ordered Gershkovich to be placed under arrest until May 29 on charges of spying https://cpj.org/...... https://twitter.com/...
Bill Pascrell, Jr. / @billpascrell: These charges against a western journalist by Putin's thugs are complete lies. This is more hostage-taking plain and cruelly simple. Putin should end his vicious crackdown on free expression and free Mr. Gershkovich as well as Paul Whelan immediately. https://twitter.com/...
Anatoly Kurmanaev / @akurmanaev: Shocking news out of Russia. Thinking of @evangershkovich, one of the most insightful foreign reporters covering the country. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bill Browder / @billbrowder: BREAKING: Russian Security Service Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter. This will surely drive out all Western journalists. It's Putin's standard playbook. Pick one and send a message to all. https://www.wsj.com/...
Matt Bradley / @mattmcbradley: This is very troubling and a clear case of retaliation or intimidation. Journalists should be protected, not punished, for their work. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin Rothrock / @kevinrothrock: Waking up to this very disturbing news and thinking about all the foreign journalists who returned to Russia to continue their work, even amid militarized censorship. https://twitter.com/...
Simon Shuster / @shustry: Awful to see the FSB has jailed an American journalist, the great @evangershkovich. So many of our colleagues have faced harassment and expulsion over the years in Russia. Now, it seems, Putin wants to turn reporters into hostages. Let Evan go. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ ...
Michael Weiss / @michaeldweiss: Keep in the mind the Russians want two of their operatives back: Vadim Krasikov, the Berlin killer of Zelimkhan Kangoshvili, and Sergey Cherkasov, the GRU illegal sitting in jail in Brazil. Hard not to see the kidnapping of Gershkovich as https://www.wsj.com/...... https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: WSJ statement: “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.” https://twitter.com/...
Alec Luhn / @asluhn: Details are sparse but this seems very bad. @evangershkovich has lots of experience in Russia, has official accreditation & is obviously not a spy. This could be a game-changer for foreign media still working there https://www.themoscowtimes.com/ ...
International Press Institute: Russia: IPI demands immediate release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich
David Rohde / @rohded: Yet another cynical, cruel & cowardly detention of an innocent American by Vladimir Putin. Free Paul Whelan, Marc Fogel & @evangershkovich https://www.wsj.com/...
Neil Hauer / @neilphauer: Russian officials already mentioning the possibility of ‘exchanging’ Gershkovich, saying here that it hasn't been raised yet (but presumably could be) https://twitter.com/...
@leonidragozin: I second that. I know @evangershkovich personally and he is very obviously not a spy, but a very good journalist. The Kremlin has taken him hostage. https://twitter.com/...
@domenpresern: 😮 It's high time for other Western outlets to pull out their reporters, isn't it? https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Berke / @jfberke: Ev is one of my best friends in the world. We need to get him home, now. https://www.wsj.com/...
Washington Post:
Rupert Murdoch has a history of settling cases, having paid out ~$700M in the last 13 years, but sources say talks with Dominion in late 2022 broke down quickly — The two sides met privately but could not reach agreement on the $1.6 billion defamation claim.
Discussion:
NBC News, Poynter, CNN, @sarahellison, @jadedcreative, @greta, @edmundlee and Advanced Television
Discussion:
NBC News: Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg calls the network a ‘big corporate machine that destroys people’
Tom Jones / Poynter: What will newsrooms do if TikTok is banned?
Sarah Ellison / @sarahellison: Rupert Murdoch loves to pay people off to keep problems at bay. We still don't know exactly what happened behind the scenes between Dominion and Fox News. But this piece gets at what we *do* know, and asks, why hasn't this one settled? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Jay Arnold / @jadedcreative: “Another sticking point to a potential settlement: Dominion officials would want to require that Fox make a full-throated apology — probably on air and probably more than once — according to two people familiar with the company's thinking.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Greta Van Susteren / @greta: my guess (and only a guess) - Dominion and Fox News will settle the lawsuit so no trial on April 16...trials are risky for both for many reasons...but the settlement could come on “the courthouse steps”
RELATED:
Issac J. Bailey / Nieman Reports:
The Dominion lawsuit exposes Fox News as an entertainment network masquerading as a news outlet, as executives approve hosts spreading lies to keep ratings high — The Dominion lawsuit has exposed the network as an entertainment channel — Despite all the complaints about Fox News throughout the years …
Discussion:
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Top Fox News executive worried audience was ‘furious’ after Trump loss
@niemanreports: “Many journalists might reflexively say Fox must still be considered a news outlet, because they know none of us is perfect and many contributed to reporting that also led to great harm,” writes @ijbailey. https://niemanreports.org/...
Jemima Kelly / Financial Times: Fox News' populist mask has slipped
Amanda Terkel / NBC News:
Newly released Dominion court presentation slides show Fox News aired 2020 election conspiracies despite its fact-checking “Brain Room” deciding they were false
Discussion:
HuffPost, @willsommer, @mattgertz, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Media Matters for America, @rachelbitecofer, @juddapatow, @mehdirhasan, @clarajeffery, CNN, @dcuthbert, TODAY.com, @aterkel, @aterkel, @justinbaragona, @pamkeithfl, @aterkel, The Guardian, @authorsjb, The Wrap, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Mediaite and Vanity Fair
Discussion:
Will Sommer / @willsommer: I'm going through the latest round of Fox-Dominion emails. Here's something interesting: using info from Sidney Powell, Maria Bartiromo wanted to use her show to push Hammer & Scorecard — the truly insane conspiracy that a malevolent CIA supercomputer stole the election. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz: In an email, Fox CEO Suzanne Scott responds to Fox's Eric Shawn fact-checking a Trump falsehood: “This has to stop now... this is bad business... the audience is furious and we are just feeding them material.” https://twitter.com/...
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Fired Fox News producer: ‘They destroy people’
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast: Fox News CEO Lamented That Fact-Checking Election Lies Was ‘Bad for Business’
Philip Bump / Washington Post: A new lens into Maria Bartiromo's embrace of 2020 conspiracy theories
Madeline Peltz / Media Matters for America: New details in Dominion suit reveal damning evidence of deception in Fox News' 2020 election coverage
Rachel Bitecofer / @rachelbitecofer: “Any day with Rudy and Sidney is guaranteed gold!” the Dobbs producer wrote. In another email, another Dobbs producer wrote, “to keep this alive, we really need Rudy or Sidney.” https://www.cnn.com/...
Judd Apatow / @juddapatow: Fox News is basically choose your own adventure. They will say whatever you want them to say if there is money in it. https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: “pretty much a crime” - Murdoch on the Big Lie in private. If a liberal had said this at the time, Fox folks would have accused them of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’! https://twitter.com/...
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: Am I wrong or will the new “verified” just be a giant list of people to block or mute? https://twitter.com/...
CNN: Fox News CEO said correspondent's fact-check of Trump's election lies was ‘bad for business,’ new emails show
Daniel Cuthbert / @dcuthbert: thousands have 0 followers Totally not advanced AI bot farms. https://twitter.com/...
Amanda Terkel / @aterkel: Rupert Murdoch in a Jan. 20, 2021 email: “Trump insisting on the election being stolen and convincing 25% of Americans was a huge disservice to the country. Pretty much a crime. Inevitable it blew up Jan 6th” https://www.nbcnews.com/... w/ @janestreet @darehgregorian
Amanda Terkel / @aterkel: To give you an idea of what some of the Fox News redactions looked like and were covering up https://www.nbcnews.com/... w/ @janestreet @darehgregorian https://twitter.com/...
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: I just noticed this text exchange between Tucker and his producers. They complained that Martha MacCallum's “basically taking a bat to Tucker's knees” and “trying to paralyze us” with her ratings, saying “she will never work in that hour.” A month later, she was dropped to 3 pm https://twitter.com/...
@pamkeithfl: “Published with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth of the matter asserted...” https://twitter.com/...
Amanda Terkel / @aterkel: NEW — Fox has a fact-checking operation called the “Brain Room” that looked into Dominion election-rigging claims in Nov. 2020. Found them to be false. Fox ran with them anyway. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
Sam Levine / The Guardian: Angry Fox News chief said fact-checks of Trump's election lies ‘bad for business’
Stewart Bint / @authorsjb: As one of the approximately 420,000 legacy verified accounts, I will NEVER join the 6,500 of them in paying for Twitter Blue. I'll gladly wave goodbye to my blue tick when Musk removes it next month. Read @MattBinder's thread about the absolute absurdity of Twitter Blue. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://twitter.com/...
Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite: 'That C*nt. I Hope She's Punished': New Texts Show Tucker Carlson Fumed About Trump Team's Stolen Election Claims
Nikki McCann Ramirez / Rolling Stone: Fox News CEO Panicked That Election Fraud Fact-Checking Was ‘Bad For Business’
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy:
[Thread] The New York Times and Los Angeles Times don't plan to buy Twitter Blue for their accounts; NYT, LAT, and BuzzFeed won't reimburse reporters for Blue — New: The New York Times says it is not planning to pay for Twitter verification: “We aren't planning to pay the monthly fee for verification of our institutional Twitter accounts,” a spokesperson tells me.
Discussion:
New York Times, @oliverdarcy, @paleofuture, @mikeisaac, @hammancheez@c.im, @thomaschattwill, @cfidd, @ndrew_lawrence, @johniadarola, @jacobrubashkin, @thekidskoob, @claire_goforth, @oliverdarcy, @maxwelltani, @skooks, @boydhilton, @studentactivism, @bobmoorenews, @kimmasters, @oliverdarcy, @timfullerton, @scottnover, @benjysarlin, @ewong, @themaxburns, @lxeagle17, @moorehn, @moorehn, @davidclinchnews, @stevelackmeyer, @dancow, @andrewmarchand, @helenkennedy, @kt_so_it_goes, @andybcampbell and @adrianweckler, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
New York Times: Document: Twitter plans to exempt its top 500 advertisers and 10K most-followed orgs that have been previously verified from paying $1K/month for verification
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: POLITICO also tells staff: “In the future, a checkmark will no longer mean you are a verified journalist. Instead, it will simply mean you are paying for benefits such as longer tweets and fewer ads. POLITICO will not pay for you to subscribe to Twitter Blue.”
Matt Novak / @paleofuture: The Times just sent me an identical statement except for one change: Instead of “verification” they won't pay for “check mark status,” an important distinction because Twitter doesn't verify the identity of Twitter Blue subscribers. https://www.forbes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: this is a no-brainer imo forget any feelings one might have about mgmt or the company — the way they are handling bluechecks now is punitive rather than value-adding and there's no actual safeguard against impersonation whether you buy it or not, which is the major concern https://twitter.com/...
@hammancheez@c.im: @Mediagazer lol MM+ a year for a 1700 member org, those prices are derived from meth
Thomas Chatterton Williams / @thomaschattwill: The NYT and I see eye-to-eye on this https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Lawrence / @ndrew_lawrence: im beginning to think the business model of “give the richest man on the planet $96/yr for nothing in return” isnt especially well thought out https://twitter.com/...
John Iadarola / @johniadarola: We need to see more major outlets signing on to this. https://twitter.com/...
Jacob Rubashkin / @jacobrubashkin: What's the over/under on how many organizations actually pay $1,000/month for institutional verification? 10? 50? https://twitter.com/...
@thekidskoob: This is exactly what I was saying the other day. The new “policy” around verification has completely ruined the authenticity and credibility of its core purpose. https://twitter.com/...
Claire Goforth / @claire_goforth: @oliverdarcy All verification establishes at this point is that you have $8 you're willing to spend on Twitter
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: BuzzFeed a no on paying for staff's blue checks: “As an organization, we will not cover fees for individuals to keep their blue checkmarks moving forward. There are several reasons for this, but one outweighs them all: a blue checkmark no longer means the handle is ‘verified.’”
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: LAT also won't reimburse: “Verification no longer establishes authority or credibility, instead it will only mean that someone has paid for a Twitter Blue subscription,” @sarayasin told staff. https://twitter.com/...
@skooks: Thinking about Twitter's brilliant strategy to deliberately deligitimize itself as a breaking news conduit https://twitter.com/...
@boydhilton: No one in their right mind is planning to pay for Twitter verification... https://twitter.com/...
Angus Johnston / @studentactivism: Honestly this is a no-brainer on multiple levels. The blue check is about to become a tool for impersonation, so it makes sense to stay away completely. https://twitter.com/...
Bob Moore / @bobmoorenews: Same with @elpasomatters. Sticking it to The Man. https://twitter.com/...
Kim Masters / @kimmasters: Forge ahead, Elon. https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: The Los Angeles Times also says it will not pay for Twitter Blue, noting “verification no longer establishes authority or credibility.” Here's an internal note from managing editor Sara Yasin that went out to staff. https://twitter.com/...
Tim Fullerton / @timfullerton: This is the correct answer and I hope all organizations (and individuals) follow the Times lead. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: Twitter needs the New York Times WAY more than the New York Times needs Twitter. And it's not particularly close. https://twitter.com/...
Benjy Sarlin / @benjysarlin: Would be tens of thousands per month for “real” branded verification ($1k per brand, $50 per affiliated account). If brands don't pay, this whole model falls apart pretty quickly revenue-wise. https://twitter.com/...
Max Burns / @themaxburns: Can't wait to introduce my new Twitter account, @NYTlMES https://twitter.com/...
Lakshya Jain / @lxeagle17: Twitter really doesn't drive a lot of traffic. Not sure how many news organizations are going to pay the astronomical fees for verification ($1K/mo per brand, and then $50/mo for each affiliate). Imagine a bill of >$10K a month for the minimal traffic you get from Twitter. https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: @JoeBelBruno @paulvigna The mass verification of newsrooms is often mocked but I actually think it was helpful in spreading accurate information for years. (I got mine artisanally back in 2011 however). It's basically unwieldy and nothing will fix it.
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: My hot take (possible wish fulfillment fantasy) is Elno is just running a huge troll with these threats to delete checkmarks, and he'll back down at the 11th hour. https://twitter.com/...
David Clinch / @davidclinchnews: I hope many other news orgs follow suit on this. https://twitter.com/...
@stevelackmeyer: I wonder at what point do the NYT, Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Gannett and other news organizations agree to pick a replacement social media platform... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Nguyen / @dancow: The NYT gets a W here https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Marchand / @andrewmarchand: One down ... https://twitter.com/...
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: Same, she declared airily. https://twitter.com/...
@kt_so_it_goes: this is that scene in every burglar comedy where they've kidnapped a hostage nobody likes enough to pay the ransom https://twitter.com/...
Andy Campbell / @andybcampbell: Even if this was a good deal for companies, and even if newsrooms got high traffic from twitter (we don't), there's zero incentive to pay for any feature announced by a CEO who rips up his own rule book each week. https://twitter.com/...
Futurism:
BuzzFeed quietly started publishing fully AI-generated SEO-driven travel posts by non-editorial staff on March 14; a spokesperson calls the posts an experiment — Earlier this year, when BuzzFeed announced plans to start publishing AI-assisted content, its CEO Jonah Peretti promised the tech would be held to a high standard.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, The Verge, @maxwelltani, @jon_christian, @jjvincent, @rmc031, @resnikoff, @rafat, @dcbigjohn, @ryanbeckwith, @rachelmetz, @awzurcher, @glenngabe, @jeff__benjamin, @paldhous, @jimpethokoukis, @mattbraynard, @redsteeze, @caleweissman, @caleweissman, @byrnehobart, @caleweissman, @jbenton, @tylercoates, @dancow, @durvidimel, @caleweissman, @helenkennedy, @comfortablysmug and @tomgara, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab: Are BuzzFeed's AI-generated travel articles bad in a scary new way — or a familiar old way?
Max Tani / @maxwelltani: BuzzFeed is publishing AI-generated travel articles. On the one hand, they're terrible. On the other, they're just reflecting back the fact that most travel writing online is truly awful. https://futurism.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jon Christian / @jon_christian: Me and @nooralsibai wrote about how BuzzFeed is quietly publishing a bunch of AI-generated travel guide articles that feel WAY more cynical than what Jonah Peretti was describing when he announced BuzzFeed's use of AI https://futurism.com/...
James Vincent / @jjvincent: Now, I know what you're thinking — Buzzfeed? Using AI to generate SEO-bait stories when CEO Jonah Peretti promised the company wouldn't? That doesn't sound right!! But check out this hidden gem of an article https://futurism.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Cohen / @rmc031: this is very concerning https://futurism.com/...
Ned Resnikoff / @resnikoff: Fondly recalling the time Jonah Peretti told Buzzfeed writers that they didn't need a union because they're not factory workers https://futurism.com/...
@rafat: Most of *every* kind of writing is awful. Travel is worst off because all the good writers that used to write about it in consumer press have been laid off, and their outlets have been shuttered or shell of themselves. https://twitter.com/...
John R Stanton / @dcbigjohn: “We're continuing to experiment with AI to ‘enhance human creativity’” is straight up some shit a sweat shop floor manager would say after laying off a rack of kids https://futurism.com/...
Ryan Teague Beckwith / @ryanbeckwith: OK, but “Cape May? What is that, some kind of mayonnaise?” is unintentional genius https://twitter.com/...
Rachel Metz / @rachelmetz: Last night I thought, “huh, I wonder who else is publishing entirely AI-generated pieces?” And now I know the answer. BuzzFeed Is Quietly Publishing Whole AI-Generated Articles, Not Just Quizzes https://futurism.com/...
Anthony Zurcher / @awzurcher: The AI algorithm really wants to emphasize that it “knows what you're thinking.” I find that concerning. https://twitter.com/...
Glenn Gabe / @glenngabe: Here we go. Articles written by ‘Buzzy the Robot’ -> BuzzFeed has quietly started publishing AI-generated travel posts produced by non-editorial staff this month; a spokesperson calls the posts an experiment They say it's “powered by human ideas”: https://futurism.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Benjamin / @jeff__benjamin: This is so bleak—and a very different situation than when Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti said AI wouldn't replace their writers and that the tech would be held to higher standards More at @futurism: https://futurism.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Aldhous / @paldhous: Very formulaic picture-driven travel listicles. But this experiment shows that the writing is on the wall for anyone currently making a living from generating that type of content. https://futurism.com/...
James Pethokoukis / @jimpethokoukis: Remember, kids, Genovia, Khandaq, and Metropolis are not real places, whatever ChatGPT may tell you! https://twitter.com/...
Matt Braynard / @mattbraynard: How can we even tell? https://twitter.com/...
Stephen L. Miller / @redsteeze: How can anyone tell? https://twitter.com/...
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: it was bc there was the need for more and constant content stream. so writers would scour the internet for what's been written before and essentially just rewrite it, maybe give it a new placement. but it was all the same, very random pool. same terminology, etc.
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: anyway, now AI is actually doing this and it's worse in a different but funnier way: https://futurism.com/...
Byrne Hobart / @byrnehobart: I'm surprised it repeats itself that much; ChatGPT tends to give me more varied results. This looks like the older generation of text-spinner articles (turning an original piece into a mad-lib while retaining the structure, sometimes about as entertaining as real mad-libs). https://twitter.com/...
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: this is essentially the computer version of hundreds of blogs saying some random egg sandwich in howard beach is the best sandwich in nyc bc the daily news wrote an article about it in 2007 https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: Just once, can't something be “a completely unhidden gem — like, we just found it on a bench in the park, sitting there, being a gem” https://twitter.com/...
Dan Nguyen / @dancow: Now i know what you're thinking bf, but it's time to visit the farm upstate 😭 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
David ImeI / @durvidimel: Here comes the recursive GPT Ouroboros in search. Photocopy of a ᴾʰᵒᵗᵒᶜᵒᵖʸ ᵒᶠ ᵃ ₚₕₒₜₒ𝒸ₒₚᵧ ₒ𝒻 ₐ What happens when something is eventually trained on itself? https://futurism.com/...
Cale G Weissman / @caleweissman: ok this thought is going to be hard to distill into a tweet, but ive always thought early 2010s food/travel writing/lists was essentially human-made AI with no clear referent. they all regurgitated the same places for lists, they all decided 1 random place was the best bagel shop
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: Also they are bad. https://twitter.com/...
@comfortablysmug: Journos should have learned to code before the code learned to journo https://twitter.com/...
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: to comply with EU privacy rulings, Meta plans to let users opt out of some highly personalized ads via an online form that Meta must review and approve — Facebook, Instagram parent hopes plans to alter a privacy approach that would limit the impact from EU orders — Facebook's Top Posts Were Trash.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Social Media Today, Gizmodo, @eff, Ars Technica, The Information, @herrmanndigital, @jason_kint, @heidilegg, BGR, @jesselehrich, 9to5Mac and @eric_seufert, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Meta tries to keep denying EU users a free choice over tracking — but change is coming
Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today: Meta Could Ban Certain Ads in Europe to Adhere with Evolving Data Usage Laws
Nikki Main / Gizmodo: Facebook Users in the EU Will No Longer Have to Suffer From Targeted In-App Ads
@eff: Meta—and all companies—"should respect people's choices about what they want to do with their data," EFF's @HTsuka told @ArsTechnica. Ideally, that means asking users' permission to opt into data collection, rather than collecting it unless users opt out. https://arstechnica.com/...
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica: Meta wants EU users to apply for permission to opt out of data collection
David Herrmann / @herrmanndigital: This is why Meta, TikTok, Google are pushing to things like ASC, PMax, Smart Shopping. Also, if you haven't, please add Eric as a must follow to your marketing / ad tech twitter lists. He's in my top 5 must follows for our industry. https://twitter.com/...
Jason Kint / @jason_kint: Anyway, Facebook is trying to confuse the issue and create another delay here. @JeffHorwitz @samschech on it but it's worth noting that their legal basis approach was egregious, wrong, and all of the data they collected over the time isn't likely valid. /3 https://www.wsj.com/...
Heidi Legg / @heidilegg: Those highly personal ads are precisely why platforms fund new digital news nonprofits that are often politically charged. https://twitter.com/...
Jesse Lehrich / @jesselehrich: holy shit. @meta's entire surveillance ad biz was ruled illegal & their actual response is... users can fill out a form begging to opt out & @meta will “evaluate” each request https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Financial Times:
Sources: Meta is considering a company-wide political ads ban in Europe, concerned Facebook and Instagram can't comply with forthcoming EU online campaign laws
Discussion:
@whotargetsme: Slightly odd to see Meta sabre-rattling about banning political ads worldwide in response to the EU's proposed Political Ad Regulation (which, in our reading, they pretty much comply with already). https://www.ft.com/...
Kalyeena Makortoff / The Guardian: Meta reportedly considering Europe political ads ban
Margaret Heffernan / @m_heffernan: Great idea. But why not also in US? https://www.ft.com/...
Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Twitter details new API access tiers: Free with 1.5K tweets/month at app level, Basic for $100/month, and Enterprise; old APIs will stop working within 30 days — Twitter has finally confirmed some of the details and pricing for the new version of its API.
Discussion:
@twitterdev, @igorbrigadir, The Verge, TechCrunch, Social Media Today, @akemin_dayo, @reallistige, @carljackmiller, @chrismessina, @marckohlbrugge, @linuz90, @palettefm_bot, @tdinh_me, @twitterdev, Feedbin, Twitter Developers, Mashable, Gizmodo, @mrahmadawais, @mattbinder, @galwaygrrl, @carljackmiller, TechCrunch and The Register, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
@twitterdev: Today we are launching our new Twitter API access tiers! We're excited to share more details about our self-serve access. 🧵
@igorbrigadir: The new @TwitterAPI Basic Access for $100 per month got added in to the Dev Portal, and it's absolutely miserly. 10,000 Tweet Monthly cap on Search & Stream That was previously 2,000,000. Endpoints that had hundreds of calls per 15 minutes now have barely dozens. It's useless.
Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today: Twitter Announces New API Access Tiers, Which Could Price Many Third Party Apps Out of the Market
@akemin_dayo: https://twitter.com/... > Twitter API pricing revealed > “Hobbyist” tier priced at USD $100/month ... What kind of “hobbyist” are you even targetting here? Who has that much money!?
@reallistige: ℹ️ The tweet based playlisting will cease to exist within the next 30 days. https://twitter.com/...
Carl Miller / @carljackmiller: No Researcher in the world should be talking about online harms, presenting social media research or talking about how it's changing society without also raising the threat of data access. Because it won't be researchers who fix this one, but everyone else https://twitter.com/...
Marc Köhlbrugge / @marckohlbrugge: Elon continues to kill off third-party apps. First by seeding doubt, scaring away developers from building any new apps. Second, by pulling the plug on popular clients. Now, by introducing extremely high pricing making the majority of (big) apps economical unviable. https://twitter.com/...
Fabrizio Rinaldi / @linuz90: I'm happy to report that @typefully will keep running and growing💪 But honestly it's a sad day for the developer community. Typefully started as a weekend side project. It wouldn't exist with this new pricing. https://twitter.com/...
@palettefm_bot: twitter just released their new API: - the post limit is down from 2400 to 97 per day (I post 1000-2000 per day) - to keep the same access it reportedly costs $42000 per month tldr, most interactive twitter bots will stop on April 29th unless they change it 🪦😭 https://twitter.com/...
@tdinh_me: Not only indie products, I think this will stop all new businesses on Twitter altogether. Even for rich VC-funded startups, spending half a million dollars per year just to use the normal API is ridiculous. Correct me if I'm wrong. https://twitter.com/...
@twitterdev: Over the next 30 days, we will deprecate current access tiers such as Standard (v1.1), Essential (v2), Elevated (v2), and Premium so we recommend that you migrate to the new tiers as soon as possible for a smooth transition.
Ben Ubois / Feedbin: Twitter Access Revoked
Twitter Developers: Basic — For hobbyists or students learning code — Low-rate limit access to suite of v2 endpoints
Kevin Hurler / Gizmodo: Twitter Details How Much Money API Access Will Cost Now
Ahmad Awais / @mrahmadawais: This sucks. Unbelievable. This will make developers stop building with Twitter API. We all know APIs don't cost that much. This extra premium pricing disguised as “Hobbyist Tier” feels like a big joke or slap in the face of every developer who built Twitter apps. Do better! https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: here it is, the death of every little niche Twitter app you like: https://twitter.com/...
Maura Conway / @galwaygrrl: This is an absolute travesty from a researcher perspective. Online hate and extremism research, also misinfo and disinfo, will be particularly badly affected, to the detriment of policymakers and publics. Potentially even democracy itself. https://twitter.com/...
Carl Miller / @carljackmiller: Care about stopping hate speech? Or stemming information warfare? Countering extremism? Electoral integrity? This single move is going to remove a vast chunk of social media research that informs all of that. There should be questions in Parliament about this. https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Vigliarolo / The Register: Judge grants subpoena to ID Twitter source code leaker
Skyler Swisher / Orlando Sentinel:
Board members handpicked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Disney World's district say Disney set up covenants blocking the new board's power for decades — LAKE BUENA VISTA — Gov. Ron DeSantis' handpicked board overseeing Disney World's government services is gearing …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, New York Times, @noliewithbtc, Los Angeles Times, @semaforben, Reuters, Above the Law, Insider, @esqueer_, NPR, The Hill, The Guardian, @oodja, @bostonjerry, @patrickadougall, @atlblog, @alexbruesewitz, @mattdpearce, @hezbolsonaro, Washington Post, @scott_maxwell, @noliewithbtc, @tbonier, @christinapushaw, @peterschorschfl, @helenkennedy, @mostring, @devincf, @parkermolloy, The Week, @jacklynwille, Associated Press, BBC, @sfpelosi, @asmallteapot, @mattyglesias, The Wrap, @k8bisch, @Smalljones@triangletoot.party, New York Post, Insider, CNN, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, IndieWire and WKMG
Discussion:
Ella Ceron / Bloomberg: How King Charles Got Thrown Into Disney's Fight With Florida Governor DeSantis
@noliewithbtc: It looks like Disney just checkmated Ron DeSantis. The board DeSantis appointed to “oversee” Disney is now complaining that the company used a loophole to strip them of their power until 2053. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times: How Disney's lawyers brutally mauled DeSantis over control of Disney World
Ben Smith / @semaforben: Incredible: That declaration is valid until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, king of England,” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Rebecca Cohen / Insider: It'll cost DeSantis' handpicked board at least $1,300 per hour to hire a team of lawyers to investigate how Disney outmaneuvered them
Alejandra Caraballo / @esqueer_: Disney lawyers have thoroughly destroyed the ability of DeSantis' new oversight board to interfere with Disney's operations through the use of restrictive covenants passed before the new board took over. Boss move by Disney's lawyers. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Emily Olson / NPR: Disney blocked DeSantis' oversight board. What happens next?
Stephen Neukam / The Hill: DeSantis-picked state board says Disney stripped its powers
Jasper Jolly / The Guardian: Disney v DeSantis dispute hinges on clause referencing King Charles III
Skee-Ball Librarian / @oodja: YOU COME AT THE MOUSE, YOU BEST NOT MISS https://twitter.com/...
Jimmy Cuff It / @bostonjerry: Do I think it's a good thing that Disney is demonstrably more powerful than the Governor of the 3rd largest state? No. Do I think it's hilarious that they're using that power to make Ron DeSantis look weak and ineffective AF? Absolutely.
Patrick Dougall / @patrickadougall: This is absolutely hilarious! 😂 https://twitter.com/...
Alex Bruesewitz / @alexbruesewitz: The idea that “DeSantis beat Disney” is such a joke. Disney maintains its tax exempt status, Disney will soon host a major woke “pride” event, and now it's being reported that the new “board” desantis set up has absolutely ZERO power. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Pearce / @mattdpearce: If you're going to pick a fight with Disney the only rule is you have to actually win. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Liam / @hezbolsonaro: Even though it's meatball Ron, I don't think it's good when a corporation can manipulate the law to prevent the state from regulating the territory that corporation controls without oversight lol https://twitter.com/...
Bryan Pietsch / Washington Post: Disney quietly dodged DeSantis's oversight board, appointees realize
Scott Maxwell / @scott_maxwell: The most cringey part of all this is Team DeSantis trying to spin this obvious loss into some kind of paper-tiger victory. They're so used to picking on targets like transgender kids, they don't know how to handle someone with the ammo to fight back. https://twitter.com/...
@noliewithbtc: Disney's lawyers appear to be completely humiliating Ron DeSantis. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Bonier / @tbonier: On one hand I'd say this is 3D chess by DeSantis, he gets the benefit of the headlines of taking on “woke corporations” without the negatives of having to deal with the massive work associated with Disney operations. But it seems more likely that he is just wildly incompetent. https://twitter.com/...
Christina Pushaw / @christinapushaw: The most cringey part is the media STILL doesn't realize that Governor DeSantis always thinks 10 steps ahead. I guess being wrong about Covid for 3 years hasn't given you an opportunity for self-reflection? https://twitter.com/...
Peter Schorsch / @peterschorschfl: Still waiting for Xtina to rapidly respond to @realDonaldTrump, @VivekGRamaswamy, @MegynKelly, who each took direct shots this week at her boss. We in Florida media lay defeated; time for her to punch at her own weigh class, no? https://twitter.com/...
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: I'm not sure I understand this correctly (because it should be the lede) but did Disney sneak in a clause giving them power for basically centuries? It's valid until “21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III.” https://www.orlandosentinel.com/ ...
Morgan L. Stringer / @mostring: This is just so beautiful. Masterclass. It's like me being an artist and watching Leonardo Da Vinci paint. https://twitter.com/...
@devincf: Obviously everything about DeSantis is disqualifying but the fact that he thought he could blithely culture war bully a massive corp like Disney proves he's unfit for higher office. Man has zero strategic brain. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: Lololol. This makes reading all the old “there's a new sheriff in town! heh heh heh!” stuff from DeSantis and his cronies a whole lot funnier. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Weber / The Week: Disney quietly tied the hands of new DeSantis-picked Disney World district board for decades, board complains
Jacklyn Wille / @jacklynwille: Congrats to all the property law professors, you earned this https://twitter.com/...
Max Matza / BBC: Disney sidesteps DeSantis board with royal clause
Christine Pelosi / @sfpelosi: “woke” lawyers using the rule against perpetuities to end run DeSantis is chef's kiss https://twitter.com/...
Ellen Teapot / @asmallteapot: LMAO. If you come for the Mouse, you'd best not miss. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: Is this the rule against perpetuities? https://twitter.com/...
Ross A. Lincoln / The Wrap: Disney Blocks DeSantis Takeover of Reedy Creek With Stealth, Last-Minute Rule Changes
@k8bisch: I may have a lifelong grudge against the Mouse, but I think Bob Iger is a brilliant tactician surrounded by bright people & lawyers. Well done, Disney. https://twitter.com/...
Lloyd Lee / Insider: Ron DeSantis' plan to take control of Disney's land backfired spectacularly because of a loophole in the agreement that may reduce his appointees to powerless functionaries
Steve Contorno / CNN: Disney quietly took power from DeSantis' new board before state takeover
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Board Outmaneuvered In Wrangling Over Disney Special District Control
Tom Tapp / Deadline: Little-Noticed February Vote By Walt Disney World's Reedy Creek Board “Completely Circumvents” Authority Of New DeSantis-Chosen Overseers
Wilson Chapman / IndieWire: Disney Just Pulled a ‘Game of Thrones’ Move on DeSantis with a Bizarre Royal Mortality Clause
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Disney has laid off over 300 employees in Beijing who worked on its streaming services, as the company carries out the first wave of 7,000 job cuts
Discussion:
Insider: Disney layoffs are expected to hit ABC News this week, sources say, following cuts from TV, engineering, and metaverse teams
Jessica Toonkel / @jtoonkel: This was a pretty core team to streaming, sources have told me. Disney has laid off more than 300 streaming-focused employees in Beijing w/@jbflint https://www.wsj.com/...
Bloomberg:
Pathmatics: the top 10 advertisers on Twitter spent just $7.6M on ads in the past two months, down 89% from the $71M spent from September to October 2022 — In the weeks after Elon Musk acquired Twitter Inc., hundreds of advertisers paused spending on the platform, wary of the changes …
Discussion:
Eileen AJ Connelly / The Wrap: Twitter Ad Revenue Plunges 89% Since Musk Takeover as Major Brands Stay Away (Report)
Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today: Meta Provides New Ad Placement Controls to Ensure Brand Safety
Ken Klippenstein / @kenklippenstein: “From September to October of last year, the top 10 advertisers on Twitter spent $71 million on ads, according to estimates from Pathmatics. In the past two months, that figure dropped to just $7.6 million, a decline of 89%, the research firm said.” https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Natalie Shure / @nataliesurely: gonna need a few thousand more knuckleheads to pay $8 a month for nothing https://twitter.com/...
Kurt Wagner / @kurtwagner8: Five months after Elon's takeover, and many advertisers and media agencies are still worried about coming back because of Elon's unpredictable antics... w/ @aishacounts https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Rakesh Agrawal / @rakeshlobster: But selling blue check marks will make up for it. My high end estimate for blue check marks is $3.5M *annually*. https://twitter.com/...
Karl Bode / @karlbode: so weird they don't want their brands associated with an erratic egomaniacal pseudo-engineer with an affinity for white supremacists https://twitter.com/...
@leratomannya: Twitter lets advertisers choose up to 1,000 handles that they want their ads kept away from “The irony is the No. 1 or No. 2 account that we're going to look to avoid is the owner of the company” - Media buyer at a large ad agency https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Sewell Chan / The Texas Tribune:
The Texas Observer's publisher says the 68-year-old outlet will keep publishing after staff crowdfund $300K+ and the board votes unanimously to rescind layoffs — The crusading liberal magazine had planned to lay off its staff after its nonprofit board voted to shut down. But it reversed course on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Texas Observer, The Guardian, @gusbova, Editor and Publisher, @brandi_buchman, New York Times, @markmetz, @rolandsmartin, @claremalone, @juliacarriew, @mattzollerseitz, @jsrailton, @markmetz, @deggans, Media Nation, @sarahfromttupm, @mckinneykelsey, @stevanzetti, @bilgeebiri, @therickwilson, @penamerica, @megankimble, @patrickmichels, @stevanzetti, @jasonisbell, @joshua_peck_, @sewellchan, @andreagrimes, The Wrap and @TexasObserver …
Discussion:
Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian: Texas Observer journalists raise $270,000 in bid to save publication
Gus Bova / @gusbova: Y'all! In response to the @TexasObserver staff's fundraiser, layoffs *have been averted*. Y'all did this. I'm gonna fricking cry. https://www.texasobserver.org/ ...
Ariana Garcia / Editor and Publisher: Texas Observer raises nearly $200,000 to save publication in just one day
Brandi Buchman / @brandi_buchman: This is so great! https://twitter.com/...
Michael Levenson / New York Times: Texas Observer Reverses Plan to Shut Down and Lay Off Staff
@markmetz: Super important point. Denizens of the #fediverse rallied to support The Observer because we've been cheering them on as one of the few forward-thinking publishers to set up their own instance. It's BECAUSE they embraced the open-source community that we stepped up.
@rolandsmartin: Geez @Texasobserver! Please STOP printing the magazine. If your annual budget is $2.1M, and that saves $300K, DO IT! “Texas Observer will continue publishing after staff crowdfunds more than $300,000” https://www.texastribune.org/ ...
Clare Malone / @claremalone: While it's good news the Observer raised $300,000 and won't be doing layoffs right now, it seems too early to celebrate. Non-profit news orgs need steady cash infusion, not just outpourings of support when the situation grows dire. https://www.texastribune.org/ ...
Julia Carrie Wong / @juliacarriew: One of the interesting aspects of the Texas Observer's (now successful) drive to save itself is that the magazine has built a solid constituency on Mastodon. https://www.theguardian.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Matt Zoller Seitz / @mattzollerseitz: Every piece of good news makes me feel like there's hope https://twitter.com/...
John Scott-Railton / @jsrailton: Cannot overstate how inspiring this is. @TexasObserver, a critical independent investigative voice in Texas was slated for shut down after running out of cash. At the eleventh hour staff pulled together and raised funds to keep it going. https://twitter.com/...
@markmetz: “Many comments on the GoFundMe page mention that the donors learned about the Observer through #Mastodon—where the Texas Observer was one of the first journalistic outlets to set up its own server, @jamescanup said.”
@deggans: This is amazing news! But there are going to be some tough questions for leadership on how they handled this crisis. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Self-Walbrick / @sarahfromttupm: What an incredible story this has been. It's shown that good journalism is worth fighting - and paying - for. I'm a happy @TexasObserver subscriber! https://twitter.com/...
Kelsey Mckinney / @mckinneykelsey: Every member of this board should resign. They are in no way qualified to hold those seats https://twitter.com/...
Steven Monacelli / @stevanzetti: 🎉 “Thanks to the extraordinary success of the staff's fundraising this week,” the publication's board of directors voted to rescind layoffs and shutdown." https://www.texasobserver.org/ ...
Bilge Ebiri / @bilgeebiri: This makes me so happy. Let's hope this broad support from readers (and potential readers) lasts, and that these folks don't have to go through something like this again. https://www.texasobserver.org/ ...
Rick Wilson / @therickwilson: God bless https://twitter.com/...
@penamerica: Texas Observer will continue publishing after staff crowdfunds more than $300,000. The crusading liberal magazine had planned to lay off its staff after its nonprofit board voted to shut down. But it reversed course on Wednesday. https://www.texastribune.org/ ...
Megan Kimble / @megankimble: every member of the board that voted to shutter the Texas Observer should resign https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Michels / @patrickmichels: So happy to see the Observer's board will keep the lights on after all — what an outpouring of support from folks these last few days. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Monacelli / @stevanzetti: Good news everyone. “The vote to rescind layoffs was unanimous, and the board is eager to move the publication to its next phase.” https://www.texastribune.org/ ...
Josh Peck / @joshua_peck_: The board pres of the TX Democracy Foundation, which publishes @TexasObserver, released a statement minutes ago saying the board unanimously voted to rescind layoffs after staff raised $290k+ in 2 days. Laura Hernandez Holmes also said she was resigning from her role on Friday.
Sewell Chan / @sewellchan: The @TexasObserver lives to fight another day! But like many nonprofit newsrooms, it faces long-term challenges, including governance, sustainability and relevance. https://www.texastribune.org/ ...
Andrea Grimes / @andreagrimes: I genuinely cannot believe it https://twitter.com/...
Paul Sandle / Reuters:
UK draft legislation stipulates on-demand services of the BBC, ITV, and other public service broadcasters be easy to find on smart TVs and set-top boxes — On-demand services from Britain's BBC, ITV (ITV.L) and other public service broadcasters must remain easy to find on smart TVs and set-top boxes …
Discussion:
TVEUROPE, BizAsiaLive, Advanced Television, KFTV, Screen, RXTV info, Proactiveinvestors UK, TVBEurope, Complete Music Update and Variety
Discussion:
Mansha Daswani / TVEUROPE: U.K. Unveils New Draft Media Bill
Colin Mann / Advanced Television: Media Bill set to boost UK PSBs
Priyanca Rajput / KFTV: UK publishes draft Media Bill to help public broadcasters compete with streamers
Ian Lyall / Proactiveinvestors UK: New rules for Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streamers under draft bill
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Microsoft is exploring expanding ads in Bing Chat and sharing the ad revenue with partners whose content contributed to the chat response — It was inevitable, but Microsoft has confirmed that more ads are coming to Bing's AI-powered chatbot. Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi …
Discussion:
Laurie Sullivan / MediaPost: Microsoft Explores Driving AI-Driven Traffic And Sharing Revenue With Publisher
Kendra Clark / The Drum: GPT-4-powered Bing Chat introduces ads - and experts believe it's a natural fit
Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today: Microsoft's Developing New Revenue Share and Traffic Generation Elements for Bing Chat
Mariella Moon / Engadget: Microsoft reveals how it's putting ads in Bing's AI chatbot
Shira Ovide / @shiraovide: Search ads, but in a chatbot. Maybe this will work, but it feels ironic that a paradigm shift in technology tacks on a business model from 1998. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lauren Leffer / Gizmodo: Bing Chat Is Already Polluted With Bad Ads
Mark Riedl / @mark_riedl: Cool. Ads in Bing Chat. Just great. I was wondering how one might make Bing Chat less authoritative and more vulnerable to exploitation for misinformation https://blogs.bing.com/...
Tom Warren / @tomwarren: Microsoft's Bing chatbot is getting more ads. The AI-powered search results launched with some limited ads inline and in shopping replies, but Microsoft is looking at adding more https://www.theverge.com/...
Jesse Lehrich / @jesselehrich: just imagining how ads could destroy every positive use case... me: “I've been feeling really depressed - the world just seems so bleak right now, you know?” ChatGPT: “you're not alone, Jesse - talk to your doctor about adding REXULTI...” https://twitter.com/...
James Kelleher / @etienneshrdlu: A new world record for time-to-enshittification! A breathtaking 7 weeks from useful product to ad-stuffed carnival https://www.theverge.com/...
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land: Microsoft explores sharing Bing Chat ad revenue with publishers
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google: Microsoft is bringing more ads to the new Bing
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch: That was fast! Microsoft slips ads into AI-powered Bing Chat
Spencer Soper / Bloomberg: Microsoft Tries Putting Advertising in Bing Chat Search Engine
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