Mediagazer: Sources: Versant is one of multiple suitors in talks to buy Vox Media's podcast network as it seeks to diversify its revenue; NBCU invested $200M in Vox in 2015 (New York Times)

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Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:

A profile of Fortune editor Nick Lichtenberg, who uses AI to research and write articles; AI-assisted stories made up ~20% of Fortune's web traffic in H2 2025 — A Fortune editor has cranked out more than 600 stories using the technology; 'this won't be seen as some people's idea of journalism'

Discussion: @olgakhazan, @meghanbobrowsky, @PeteTucker@mastodon.social, @charlottealter, Yahoo Finance, @marisakabas.bsky.social, @joshsternberg.com, @jfeej.bsky.social, @minakimes.bsky.social, Fortune, Marisa Kabas on LinkedIn, @jeremymbarr, @michaelroston, @gwill2k.bsky.social, @grossdm and @marisakabas.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Maxwell Zeff / Wired:

How some independent tech reporters are using AI, which they say allows them to do more reporting and recreate newsroom resources like editors and fact-checkers — Independent writers are using AI agents all throughout their reporting process. What's the value of a human journalist, anyway?

Discussion: @vcunningham, @jasminewsun, @alexeheath, Jordan Mitchell on LinkedIn, @zeffmax, @doog, @lizzieohreally.bsky.social, @joshdaws, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @knibbs.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, @geek4dogs, @joannastern, @kevinroose, @jasminewsun, Talking Biz News, Business Insider and r/Journalism

New York Times:

Sources: Versant is one of multiple suitors in talks to buy Vox Media's podcast network as it seeks to diversify its revenue; NBCU invested $200M in Vox in 2015 — Versant, the parent company of CNBC and MS NOW, is looking to continue expanding its business beyond cable TV.

Discussion: Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, Awful Announcing, Mediaite, The Wrap, @mediaevan and The A.V. Club

Rob Waugh / Press Gazette:

A look at Clickout, which has bought hundreds of websites to harvest their reputations and pack them with casino links; in 2024, it had £40M in revenue — Parasitical SEO companies are buying respected online news outlets in order to harvest their reputations before leaving behind a ruined shell.

Discussion: @bostonjerry.bsky.social, CryptoNinjas, Search Engine Land, Convince & Convert and Blockonomi

Indiegraf:

Indiegraf acquires Hearken, which was founded in 2015 by Jennifer Brandel to help newsrooms build trust by involving the public in the reporting process — We're excited to announce that Indiegraf has acquired Hearken, an organization that has spent over a decade leading the industry in the shift from reach to relationships.

Discussion: Indiegraf and Jennifer Brandel on LinkedIn

Pew Research Center:

Religious radio stations make up ~25% of the US' 17K stations; 98% of adults live in range of at least one; 45% say they ever listen to religious audio shows — 25% of all AM/FM radio stations in the U.S. have a faith focus — The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research …

Discussion: Inside Radio, Poynter, @pewresearch.org and Catholic World Report

Reuters:

Sources: US DOJ has sent subpoenas in its Paramount WBD acquisition probe, seeking information on how the deal would affect studio output, theaters, and more — The U.S. Department of Justice has sent subpoenas in its investigation of Paramount Skydance's (PSKY.O) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery …

Discussion: Deadline, Benzinga, Media Play News and MediaBrief

Emily Goodin / New York Post:

The Trump administration launches the White House app, promising news “straight from the source, no filter”, with news, live, social, and gallery sections — The Trump administration announced the launch of the White House app on Friday, promising news “straight from the source, no filter.”

Discussion: Mediaite, The US Sun, Newsweek, CNBC, The Verge, @whitehouse, The Hill, The Post Millennial and TMZ.com, more at Techmeme »

Michael Calderone / The Wrap:

A judge orders the US Defense Department and NYT back to court Monday after NYT said US officials “are contemptuously defying” a ruling restoring press access — The hearing follows the Times arguing that the Defense Department isn't complying with a judge's earlier ruling on access

Discussion: MS NOW

Andrew Deck / Nieman Lab:

Meta's Oversight Board says Community Notes aren't a proper substitute for fact checking, and warns expanding them beyond the US could pose human rights risks — On Thursday, Meta's Oversight Board, a quasi-independent body that reviews the social media giant's moderation practices …

Discussion: CNET, Just Security, The Decoder, Oversight Board, Poynter, MLex, Tech Policy Press, The Indian Express and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Anu Adegbola / Search Engine Land:

Google rolls out its Veo video model globally within Google Ads, allowing advertisers to create 10-second videos for YouTube from up to three static images — Table of Contents — Veo lets advertisers turn up to three static images into 10-second videos ready to serve on YouTube — no video production required.

Discussion: Search Engine Journal, Ameet Khabra on LinkedIn and PPC

Sophie Shulman / CTech:

Unity confirms plans to shut down its ironSource advertising network on April 30; the two merged in 2022 in a $4.4B all-stock deal — The moves leave little of the Israeli ad-tech firm within Unity, marking a quiet unwind of one of the sector's most high-profile mergers.

Discussion: PocketGamer.biz, Proactive, Barron's Online, Benzinga, Game World Observer, Game Developer and Mobilegamer.biz, more at Techmeme »