Top News:


Jeff Bezos should donate The Washington Post to a public charity that maintains its quality and independence, as he is too financially compromised to own it — His conflicts of interests are insurmountable. He can take a heroic path to strengthen journalism.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Lauren Gustus on LinkedIn, @nypoet, @glastris, Hard-G History, @ckrewson, @froomkin, @mediaevan, @dicktofel, @mikeelk, @margotroosevelt, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, @ddimick, @lenfestinst, @kegill@mastodon.social, @rich1, @stevenwaldman, Semafor, Press Watch and r/Journalism
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A broad group of news outlets attracted new subscribers after WaPo's lack of an endorsement for president; The Philadelphia Inquirer gained 4,200+ subscribers — The Philadelphia Inquirer had its best week for new subscriptions ever and The Guardian U.S. broke its single-day fundraising record — twice.
Discussion:
Just Security, The Lenfest Institute …, Evan Benn on LinkedIn, The Free Press, CNN, @davidakin@mstdn.ca, Digiday and Press Gazette

The LA Times has lost 10,000 to 18,000 subscriptions, or up to 4.5% of its subscribers, since owner Patrick Soon-Shiong axed the paper's Harris endorsement
Discussion:
Washington Post, 404 Media, City Journal, Digiday, Associated Press, Chris Rauber on LinkedIn, Cele|bitchy, Foreign Policy, HuffPost, freebeacon.com, One America News Network, @Barredo@mastodon.social, New York Post, @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social, CNN, American Press Institute, Axios, The Wrap, MediaPost, Fox News and The Guardian


The Star-Ledger, New Jersey's largest newspaper, plans to end its print edition on January 30, 2025, citing growing costs and a shrinking demand for print — The Star-Ledger, New Jersey's largest newspaper, will stop publishing its print edition on January 30, 2025, transitioning fully to a digital format.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, @jaspertylerkane, New York Times, Ivy Charmatz on LinkedIn, Morning Call, @davidfolkenflik, @jaspertylerkane, @bobbyolivier, @joeconchatv, New Jersey Globe, Associated Press, Allison Altobelli on LinkedIn, Bruno Tedeschi on LinkedIn, UPI, New York Post, Jason Notte on LinkedIn, PennLive, New York Daily News, Kevin Whitmer on LinkedIn, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social and @brianstelter@threads.net


Roku reports Q3 revenue up 16% YoY to $1.06B, vs. $1.02B est., 85.5M streaming households, up 2M QoQ, and Q4 guidance below est.; ROKU drops 11%+ — Roku (ROKU) stock fell more than 10% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the company's Q4 guidance disappointed, despite the media player reporting …
Discussion:
Streaming Better and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
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Starting in Q1 2025, Roku plans to stop giving quarterly updates on the number of streaming households and average revenue per user, following Netflix
Discussion:
The Wrap, YourStory.com, Barron's Online, Cord Cutters News, Benzinga, Deadline, Reuters, Motley Fool, Roku Inc., Variety and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »


John O'Nolan, CEO of open-source CMS Ghost, outlines the organization's governance structure and says the platform generates around $7.5M in annual revenue — Ghost is a distributed non-profit foundation which gives away all of its intellectual property under a permissive MIT license.


Google faces increasing legal challenges from Russia and fines in non-US courts, after YouTube blocked three Russian channels following the invasion of Ukraine — Law experts raise concerns about nationalism rearing its head in courts around the world — When YouTube blocked three Russian channels …


Internal memo: Block CEO Jack Dorsey says Tidal is in for another mass layoff; insiders say as many as 100 people could be laid off, or ~25% of Tidal's staff — Jack Dorsey told staff at music streaming app Tidal that they're in for another mass layoff. — The CEO of Block …
Discussion:
@kalihays1@threads.net, San Francisco Chronicle, Digital Music News and Benzinga, more at Techmeme »


Journalists and experts explain why 2024 has been dangerous for press in Pakistan, with at least six journalists killed over direct or suspected work ties — Hope for justice in journalist murders is dim across the world, but especially in Pakistan, which has appeared on CPJ's Global Impunity …
Discussion:
@sonalidhawan_, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Reuters and Civil Georgia


Nintendo launches Nintendo Music, an iOS and Android app that lets Switch Online subscribers stream or download gaming tunes from Nintendo titles — This time, it's a mobile app called Nintendo Music, which lets users listen to classic gaming tunes from Nintendo games spanning the last few decades …
Discussion:
9to5Google, Comic Book, Digital Music News and Variety, more at Techmeme »


A look at the feud over NFL reporters talking to players in locker rooms, after the players union cut off long-accepted access, calling the practice “outdated” — Journalists say locker-room access is critical to covering the league. Some players want to take the conversation outside.
Discussion:
Associated Press and @benjstrauss


Dozens of NYT Tech Guild members picketed on Wednesday, protesting drawn-out contract negotiations and raising the possibility of an Election Day strike — ALRIGHT ON THE NIGHT? — The Times Tech Guild, the union backing the New York Times' tech workers, says it is ready to imperil …
Discussion:
@zohrankmamdani, @nytguildtech and @brndngrffth


How The New York Times used LLMs to help reporters sort through hundreds of hours of audio to report on the Republican-affiliated Election Integrity Project — But a recent New York Times story highlights the other side of that coin, where AI models simply become a powerful tool aiding …