Top News:


Hacked emails and documents: a DC-based editor for Grayzone, a news site aimed at Americans, received money from Russian and Iranian government media outlets — Misinformation experts say an overlap in funding underscores concern that the spread of falsehoods and propaganda online is entering …
Discussion:
@josephmenn and @jasonmbrodsky


How TikTok influencers helped a self-published author sell 1M+ copies of her book, including ~700K on the TikTok shop, showing how TikTok changed book marketing — Keila Shaheen's “The Shadow Work Journal” shows how radically book sales and marketing have been changed by TikTok.


Content creators are amassing audiences of thousands on Twitch by covering political news and raising funds for Palestinians, as other platforms eschew politics — Dozens of content creators are leveraging the live streaming app to raise funds for Palestinians, circumventing political content bans on other platforms.
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »


The Times Guild leaders say NYT, while rolling out expanded bio pages for staff, made “petty” cuts to the language in which staffers extolled their Guild work — After rolling out expanded bio pages designed to ‘bolster trust with readers,’ the Times excised language in which staffers extolled their work with the Guild


YouGov: the news sources Americans say they trust the most aren't always used most heavily; YouTube and Facebook are often sources for news but not trusted much — That's particularly true among Republicans. — Americans in 2024 again have a source of news that they agree is reliable …
Discussion:
YouGov


LA-based Webtoon, owned by South Korea's Naver, files for a US IPO; sources: the online comics platform could seek to raise up to $500M at a $3B-$4B valuation — Los Angeles-based Webtoon said in a filing Friday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that South Korean internet company Naver …
Discussion:
@ca_ecostrategy, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters and The Korea Times, more at Techmeme »


The Tribeca Festival and OpenAI plan to feature five short films made using OpenAI's text-to-video tool Sora on June 15 — “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu is among the five filmmakers who created a film for the festival using the tech. — Post — Short films generated by artificial intelligence …
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »


Sources: Disney and Comcast's NBCUniversal hit an impasse in Disney's buyout plans for NBCU's 33% Hulu stake, with a significant disagreement over valuation — Companies are discussing a Disney buyout of Comcast's stake in streaming service; with a big valuation gap, the prospect of a court battle looms
Discussion:
Media Play News, @tvgrimreaper, The Information, The Desk, The Streamable and The Media Leader


Eric Bolling, formerly of Sinclair and Fox News and host of Newsmax's 8pm show The Balance, is leaving the network after three years — Eric Bolling has parted ways with Newsmax. — The veteran television host, who helmed the conservative network's 8 p.m. hour with The Balance …
Discussion:
Eric Bolling, @ericbolling, Adweek, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Deadline and The Wrap


Sources: TikTok pauses plans to launch its e-commerce business in major European markets to focus on growth in the US where it's fighting the divest-or-ban law — - ByteDance halts plan to roll out shopping from Spain to Italy — Company aims to entrench itself in its most lucrative market


Details of CNN's ad packages for its Biden-Trump debate on June 27: a top-tier level with a $1.5M minimum, limits on spending by campaigns and PACs, and more — The Scoop — The Donald Trump-driven boom times are back for the business of American television — at least, for one night in June.
Discussion:
New York Post, Reuters, Adweek and Variety


Sources: a Paramount special committee approved the sweetened offer from Skydance; Paramount's board, chaired by Shari Redstone, will vote on the deal June 4 — Final decision over Hollywood studio group rests with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone — A special committee …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Reuters, The Desk, Advanced Television and The Hollywood Reporter