Top News:
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
President Biden signs the ByteDance-TikTok divestment bill into law, after the Senate passed it by 79-18; the House passed the bill on April 20 — A bill that would force China-based company Bytedance to sell TikTok — or else face a US ban of the platform — is all but certain to become law …
Discussion:
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M.G. Siegler / Spyglass:
Whether TikTok is banned or not, this is the end as we know it for the loss-making app, which may lose focus due to advertiser, creator, and staff uncertainty — The tok is tiking... Later today, President Biden will sign a bill which, among other things, will put TikTok on the clock.
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Forbes, CNBC, CBS News, AppleInsider, ABC7, Engadget, Marketplace, Business Insider and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Meta, Google, Snap, and Amazon all benefit from the US TikTok ban; Mark Zuckerberg criticized TikTok's Chinese roots in 2019, part of Meta's broader campaign — Meta has struggled for years to fend off TikTok. Now Meta and Google are poised to reap the rewards of a potential ban.
Discussion:
Ad Age and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Alex Barinka / Bloomberg:
Biden signing the TikTok divestment bill starts a 270-day countdown for a sale or a US prohibition; sources say ByteDance sees divestiture as a last resort — - China's ByteDance faces deadline to sell app under new US law — Company braces for legal fight against divest-or-ban efforts
Discussion:
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Casey Newton / Platformer:
Legal scholars discuss how the TikTok divestment bill could survive a First Amendment challenge and why the US will likely rely on a national security argument — The First Amendment is a major obstacle, scholars say — but it isn't insurmountable — On Tuesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly …
Discussion:
Variety, @digiphile, @crumbler@threads.net, @kevintgates@threads.net, CNBC and Financial Times, more at Techmeme »
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
The FTC bans noncompete clauses that restrict job switching, potentially complicating hiring in Hollywood as firms try to protect trade secrets and other info — The FTC on Tuesday voted to prohibit noncompete provisions in contracts, which could usher in a sea change to worker mobility …
Discussion:
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New York Times:
Sources detail NPR's struggles with declining audiences, falling sponsorship revenue, internal conflicts over turning things around, and a diversity push — NPR employees tuned in for a pivotal meeting late last year for a long-awaited update on the future of the public radio network.
Discussion:
@benmullin, @benmullin, @davidfolkenflik and @benmullin
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Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
An interview with NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who defends NPR and accuses critics of “bad faith distortion” of her past comments about the First Amendment — Katherine Maher said controversy stemming from an editor's essay criticizing the radio network has been a distraction
Discussion:
The Hill, @edbmarsh and @jonathanturley
Rolling Stone:
Ex-AMI CEO David Pecker testifies about agreeing to be Trump's “eyes and ears” and how the National Enquirer used Michael Cohen's prompts to bash Trump rivals — David Pecker testified about his efforts to help Trump win the White House, including by publishing bogus stories about rivals like Ted Cruz
Discussion:
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CNN:
Memo: Semafor elevates Max Tani to media editor; Ben Smith says Tani will play a big role producing and appearing at Semafor's media summit and other projects — Donald Trump and his allies like to complain at length about imagined “collusion” between the Democratic Party and the media.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @maxwelltani, The Hill, @semaforben and The Daily Beast
James Warrington / Telegraph:
News Group Newspapers sues ITV and ITN over using a video released by The Sun of the Princess of Wales visiting a farm shop; ITV plans to “strongly resist” — Broadcaster says it will ‘strongly resist’ the copyright infringement claim — Rupert Murdoch is suing ITV and ITN …
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Ofcom warns UK broadcasters on the importance of impartiality ahead of the general election, but stops short of outright banning using politicians as presenters — UK media regulator finds need to strengthen rules for TV channels featuring politicians as presenters
Discussion:
Ofcom, @arusbridger, Mediaite, Variety, @ofcom, The Hollywood Reporter, @bbcnickrobinson, @edwinhayward, @gavinesler, The Guardian, @doctor_oxford, Deadline, @imalexwatson, @stewartpurvis, Broadband TV News, @alistaircoleman, @acatherwoodnews, @cjayanetti, @scottygb, @tombaldwin66 and Byline Times