Mediagazer: Shoddy self-published guidebooks, which appear to be compiled with the help of generative AI and promoted via deceptive reviews, are proliferating on Amazon (New York Times)

2:35 PM ET, August 7, 2023

Top News:

Max Tani / Semafor:

Sources: the NYT placed Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf on leave earlier in 2023 during a probe into her possible misuse of funds, like overpaying non-US staff — The Scoop — The New York Times fired its second Baghdad bureau chief in five years in a bizarre saga that has infuriated some of the paper's staff in the Middle East.

Discussion: The Wrap, @wrodgers2, @willwainewright, @aramithek, @farnoushamiri, @reglash, @rimaanabtawi, @ozkaterji, @nkulw, @markamesexiled, @maxwelltani, @davidclinchnews, @semaforben, @lailaalarian, @rjsalame, @glcarlstrom and @w7voa

New York Times:

Shoddy self-published guidebooks, which appear to be compiled with the help of generative AI and promoted via deceptive reviews, are proliferating on Amazon — In March, as she planned for an upcoming trip to France, Amy Kolsky, an experienced international traveler who lives in Bucks County …

Discussion: @kchoudhu, @jordannovet, @rosenzweigjane, @seangraf, @ianbetteridge@writing …, @davidluekens, The Hill, @sethkugel, @sahiltner, @kevglobal, @harrymccracken, Insider, @afinetheorem, @waldoj@mastodon.social, @tim@phire.place, @rafat and @kashhill, more at Techmeme »

Mia Sato / The Verge:

TikTok launches a music competition hosted on livestreams called Gimme the Mic, with the US winner getting 50,000 Diamonds whose USD conversion rate is unclear — TikTok will host a music contest similar to popular talent shows like The Voice, the company announced today.

Discussion: TechCrunch and TikTok

Jon Henley / The Guardian:

More than half of journalists at French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche resign after a failed strike to prevent the arrival of a far-right editor — Bitter strike at Journal du Dimanche ends with staff exodus - and arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, a supporter of leading xenophobe Eric Zemmour

Discussion: @photos_floues@bagarrosphere …, @helfriedcarl, @ariadne@climatejustice.social and @nycjim

Financial Times:

A profile of German millionaire Holger Friedrich, who has been engulfed by controversies since acquiring and leading a turnaround of the daily Berliner Zeitung — East German entrepreneur has been engulfed by a string of controversies since buying historic Berliner Zeitung

Discussion: @laurapitel, @a_reader_ft, @rubenanguiano and @tonytassell

New York Times:

Sources: Paramount plans to announce an agreement to sell Simon & Schuster to PE firm KKR as soon as August 7; the deal would value Simon & Schuster at ~$1.62B — The deal with KKR, a private equity firm, is said to be valued at roughly $1.62 billion, and could be announced as soon as Monday.

Discussion: Variety, Deadline, @maris.bsky.social, Financial Times and The Wrap

Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:

RedBird IMI, led by Jeff Zucker as CEO, makes its first media investment in EverWonder, a new non-fiction content studio led by ex-Time Studios COO Ian Orefice — The ex-Time Studios chief says that EverWonder Studio will be hiring journalists and filmmakers, with an eye toward content that could launch new IP or brand extensions.

Discussion: The Wrap, Yahoo Finance, @alexweprin, @lmoses, @danprimack and @kerrymflynn

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

UK broadcast regulator Ofcom launches four new impartiality investigations into GB News, after upholding two complaints earlier in 2023 — Broadcaster faces four Ofcom investigations over impartiality. — GB News is facing four new impartiality investigations from broadcast regulator Ofcom.

Discussion: The Desk, Financial Times, @matthewkeyslive, The Guardian, @gbnewsspin, @jake_kanter, Deadline, @iburrell, Broadband TV News, Ofcom, @andyhardy40, Advanced Television, @pressgazette, @dli_odoir, @ofcom and The i Paper

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Comscore: Barbie crosses $1B+ in worldwide box office sales, just 17 days after release, the first movie solely directed by a woman to cross the $1B threshold — “Barbie” has earned more than $1 billion in worldwide box office sales, according to Comscore.

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

UK regional media group National World debuts Shots!, a 24/7 channel on Freeview, with short videos by its staff around themes of “real UK”, football, and crime — The new channel draws together video shot by the company's reporters around the UK.

Discussion: HoldtheFrontPage

Reuters:

Elon Musk claims X will fund the legal bills of people who have been “unfairly treated” by their employer “due to posting or liking something on this platform” — Elon Musk has said his X social media platform will fund the legal bills of people who have been treated unfairly …

Richard Lawler / The Verge:
X delays its Ads Revenue Sharing program's payouts that were set for the week of July 31, saying the volume of people signing up “has exceeded our expectations”

Discussion: MediaPost, New York Post, The Overspill, The Hill, @elonmusk, @rjcc, @chrisparkx, @enriquebrgn, @helenkennedy, @bestofdyingtwitter …, Insider, @mho@social.heise.de, @carnage4life@mas.to, Techlusive, @hunterwalk.com, @caseynewton.bsky.social, @rjcc.bsky.social and Daring Fireball

Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter:

Q&A with The CW Entertainment President Brad Schwartz on the importance of owning all show rights, quickly expanding into sports, producing originals, and more — Brad Schwartz joins the 'TV's Top 5' podcast to discuss why big studio shows like ‘Riverdale’ won't work as the network shifts its focus to becoming broader (and older).

Discussion: Variety, Deadline, @tvgrimreaper, @tvgrimreaper, @snoodit and @mandyttcarr

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

As broadcasters make fewer scripted shows, streaming services that need such content can avoid churn and a catalog crisis by making series with more episodes — This story first ran in Buffering, Vulture's newsletter about the streaming industry. Head to vulture.com/buffering and subscribe today!

Discussion: @nina_metz, @royal_suitor, @nymag, @dfriend, @tvmojoe, @dougwyman425, @juleswritesblog, @ct_ford, @ethanmayj and The Streamable

Khadijah Khogeer / NBC News:

Journalists at Vancouver-based IndigiNews and Ontario-based The Sarnia Journal say Meta's news block is reducing their sites' visitors and hurting their outlets — Meta recently began blocking news from Instagram and Facebook in Canada in response to the Online News Act.

Discussion: @tehuti88

Canadian Association of Broadcasters:
North American broadcasters say Meta's news ban in Canada is “monopolistic” and urge lawmakers to support rules letting publishers negotiate with tech platforms

Discussion: New York Times, Next TV, Inside Radio, Radio & Television … and RADIO ONLINE

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 2:35 PM ET, August 7, 2023.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Congress Editor, DC — WaPo

China Night News Reporter, London — Bloomberg

Senior Reporter, DC — LexisNexis

Transcription Copy Editor - Opinion, CA — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter - Ireland — Newsweek

Weather Reporter, MA — Boston Globe

South Reporter, GA/Remote — ProPublica

Awards Specials Editor, CA — Hollywood Reporter

Middle East Editor, Remote — Semafor

Private Capital Reporter, London — FT

Deputy Tech Ed. - CNBC, CA — NBCUniversal

Reporter - Police Beat, OR — The Oregonian

National Tech Reporter — States Newsroom

Articles Editor, CA — SF Standard

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Alabama Reporter, AL — Inside Climate News

Sustainability Editor, Brussels — Politico

Tech Reporter, CA — Fortune

Digital Editor, DC — Stars & Stripes

Deputy Editor - Investigations, NY — WSJ

Senior Writer - Biotech, Remote — Fierce

Business Reporter, TX — Fort Worth Report

News Correspondent, MS — Magnolia Tribune

Accountability Reporter, NC — Charlotte Observer

Freelance Reporter - L.A. Education, CA — The 74

Associate Editor, London — WIRED

Copy & Weekend Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

Political Reporter, TX — Courier Newsroom

Staff Writer, MA/Remote — Tech Advisor

Economic Mobility Reporter, FL — Miami Herald

Reporter - Skift Meetings, Remote — Skift

Reporter, NC — NC Newsline

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Thomas Wilde / GeekWire:
Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast plans to ban generative AI-made illustrations, after fans spotted signs of AI art in an upcoming sourcebook

Discussion: Media Voices, Associated Press, @onyrica, @gontijodesign, @evilcleverdog, @aarantheartist, @nevernotdm, Decrypt, Comic Book, Boing Boing and Gizmodo

Nilesh Christopher / Rest of World:
Some designers say AI tools have made them anxious about the YouTube thumbnail microeconomy's future; creators like MrBeast pay up to $10K for a video thumbnail

Discussion: @carnage4life@mas.to, @restofworld, @restofworld, @nilchristopher and @TechDesk@flipboard.social

Meduza.io:
Meduza, an outlet covering Russian news, says Apple Podcasts removed its flagship podcast and then restored the show two days later without providing reasons

Discussion: @timsweeneyepic, @abarbashin, @kmartynov, @sambreazeale2, @marielle_w_, @meduza_en, @abarbashin, @kevinrothrock@infosec … and @Marielle_W@mastodon.social

New York Times:
Investigation: US tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, who funds left-wing outlets globally, works closely with Chinese government media to spread propaganda

Discussion: @anneapplebaum, @jason, @fahrenthold, @michaeldweiss, @brianhioe, @justinhendrix, @pekingmike, @paulg, @davidfolkenflik, @rotnroll666@mastodon.social, @donaldcclarke.bsky.social, @kerim@zirk.us and @brainwane@social.coop

Earlier Picks:

The Wrap:
Memo: the WGA says the two sides remain too far apart after the August 4 meeting with the AMPTP, accusing the AMPTP of violating its own media blackout request

Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
Investigation: Richard Hanania, a Substack writer also published in WaPo, NYT, WSJ, and more, wrote for white supremacist outlets in the 2010s using a pen name

Discussion: @AnarchoDoggo@kolektiva.social, @calebscoville, @sethcotlar, @ggreenwald, @parismarx, @alexwild@mastodon.online, @bodhipaksa@mastodon.scot, @mikeisaac, @oneunderscore__, @garbageape, @oneunderscore__, Richard Hanania's Newsletter, @ositanwanevu, @martinsfp, @danprimack, @amandamarcotte.bsky.social, @letsgomathias, @david_j_roth, @letsgomathias, @letsgomathias, @david_j_roth, @letsgomathias, @letsgomathias, @letsgomathias, @paulstewartii, @paulstewartii, @paulstewartii, @paulstewartii, @katzonearth, @letsgomathias.bsky.social, @emilybell.bsky.social, @exador23@m.ai6yr.org, @tomscocca.bsky.social, @philipncohen@mastodon.social, @acdha@thepit.social, @lolgop.bsky.social, @socprof@masto.ai, @mmasnick.bsky.social, Mediaite, @mmasnick.bsky.social, @chadloder.bsky.social, @ddayen.bsky.social, @timnitGebru@dair …, @mattsheffield@mastodon.social, @timcarvell.bsky.social, @michellegoldberg.bsky.social, @tomscocca.bsky.social, @KimPerales@toad.social, @dandrezner.bsky.social, @jacobtlevy.bsky.social, @sethcotlar.bsky.social, @alexwild@mastodon.online, @strangestrings.bsky.social, @stevesilberman@newsie.social, @jsthrill.bsky.social and @charliearchy@mstdn.social

André Beganski / Decrypt:
The New York Times is fighting a gag order imposed on FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried after he shared former lover Caroline Ellison's writings with the outlet

Discussion: @elonmusk, @zguz, @decryptmedia, @zguz, @zguz, Talking Biz News, The New York Times Company, Reuters, CryptoSlate, US Department of Justice, Cointelegraph and ABC News

From Techmeme:

Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Sources: Microsoft plans more cuts after closing several game studios, as the massive Activision acquisition has ramped up scrutiny on the Xbox division

Dallin Grimm / Tom's Hardware:
Some Stack Overflow users say their account was suspended after they attempted to alter their posts in protest of its OpenAI partnership to supply data for AI

Michael Peel / Financial Times:
Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs detail AlphaFold 3, an AI model to predict interactions and structures of proteins, DNA, RNA, more, beating many top methods

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page