Top News:
Democracy for Sale:
Docs show how the UK's Society of Media Lawyers lobbied government officials to push back on anti-SLAPP legislation, arguing it will enable abuse by the press — Exclusive: A discreet lobbying campaign by lawyers who have acted for oligarchs and the super-rich told government that reforming England's libel laws was too difficult.
The Guardian:
Israel threatens to sue the NYT for defamation over the article on sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners but the legal viability of the lawsuit is in doubt — Media law experts cast doubt on viability of a defamation lawsuit promised by Netanyahu over Nicholas Kristof essay
Discussion:
@israelmfa, @netanyahu, Israpundit, Poynter, @nytimespr, @aloner.bsky.social, Melanie Phillips, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Zeteo, @etanetan23, @jillfilipovic, The Free Press, CBS News, @adamsteinbaugh, @patrickodonne11, @rvawonk, The Washington Free Beacon, @jeremymbarr, @etanetan23, Truthout, Straight Arrow News, MS NOW, @scalzi.com, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Newsbusters, The Daily Wire, New York Sun, Boing Boing, The Hollywood Reporter, Townhall, Haaretz, RedState, Financial Times, The Hill, Breitbart, Asia Times, Jewish Insider, Reuters, New York Post, Haaretz and The Wrap
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Alyssa Ray / The Wrap:
The NYT defends Nicholas Kristof's op-ed “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians”, calling it “deeply reported”, after Israeli government criticism
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Mediaite, New York Times, twitchy.com, Originally Reported …, @nytimespr, @nickkristof, The Forward, Algemeiner.com, @israelmfa, RedState, HotAir, @israelmfa, The Daily Signal, Zeteo, @sturgeons_law, @davidharsanyi, @redsteeze, @noahpollak, @chuckrossdc, @scottjenningsky, @salhachimi, @ryangrim, @infinite_jaz, @waltersobchaksr, @maxblumenthal, @noahpollak, @paulskallas, @susanabulhawa, @bonchieredstate, @ratlpolicy, @aaronjmate, @amasad, @havivrettiggur, @elikowaz, @redsteeze, @leibowitzadak, @zaidjilani, Washington Examiner, Fox News, The Times of Israel and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Julian Clover / Broadband TV News:
The UK unveils draft rules that would hold streaming services with 500K+ UK users to content standards similar to those in place for traditional broadcasters — About Julian Clover — Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist based in Cambridge, UK. He works in online and printed media.
Discussion:
Ofcom, Advanced Television, C21Media and Telecompaper
Angela Fu / Poynter:
Indiegraf acquires News Revenue Hub's donation management tool RevEngine, its third acquisition in three months after Hearken and Stylebot — Indiegraf, known for its content management system, has made acquisitions a part of its strategy to help promote newsroom independence
Discussion:
Mary Walter-Brown on LinkedIn
Richard J. Tofel / Second Rough Draft:
Q&A with Baltimore Banner CEO Bob Cohn, who says the staff of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's newsroom fell from 100 to 58 and the Banner had $18M in 2025 revenue — A conversation with Bob Cohn … RT: Thanks so much for doing this. Can we start with an update on the business side of the Banner?
Discussion:
@dankennedy.net
Axios:
Sources: Paramount is weighing expanding its podcast business into distribution and has had talks with Katie Miller, the Paragon Collective, and Jubilee Media — Paramount is evaluating a potential distribution deal with Katie Miller as it considers expanding its podcast business beyond creative …
Discussion:
The Ankler, Business Insider, @drewharwell, @aidnmclaughlin, Mediaweek, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Kyle Chayka / New Yorker:
A look at neighborhood newsletters in NY and elsewhere, which tend to be solo operations with small-scale followings, but point to a desire for local media — Local newsletters from “The Boerum Bulletin” in Brooklyn to “The Eastside Rag” in L.A. are providing a sense of community that's missing from our algorithmic feeds.
Discussion:
@caseymlewis and @hamishmckenzie
Elisa Shearer / Pew Research Center:
When asked what it means to be a good news consumer, 20% of US adults mention being discerning, 17% following the news, 13% getting news from quality sources — The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Sources: Paramount's WBD deal to absorb HBO Max may breach its joint venture agreement with Comcast to avoid direct streaming competition in European markets — Industry sources said Paramount's proposed ownership of HBO Max will likely put the David Ellison-run company in breach …
Salt Lake Tribune:
The Salt Lake Tribune drops its paywall, moving from a subscriber model to a member-driven one after turning nonprofit in 2019 and finding financial stability — For the first time in its 155 years, and after years of planning, The Salt Lake Tribune is making its daily journalism free to anyone.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A look at Matthew McConaughey's novel legal strategy to fight unauthorized AI use of his image and likeness, by trademarking video and audio clips of himself — The actor has secured trademarks covering his persona, hoping to deter unauthorized AI use. Will it make a difference?
Discussion:
@kennysmith.org
Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Byron Allen on his plan to place BuzzFeed and HuffPost content on his AVOD service, Local Now, and his plan to buy Starz, in which he has an 11% stake — The mogul went to the bargain bin to snap up a Millennial media brand. That's just one part of his plan.
Discussion:
The Wrap, LateNighter, Washington Post, Variety, New York Magazine, TheDesk.net, The A.V. Club, Bloomberg and Puck
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Sistrix: health and tech are the topics most vulnerable to losing clicks to Google's AI Overviews; Ipsos iris says Healthline's audience fell 48% YoY in March — Health is the topic vertical most vulnerable to losing clicks as a result of Google's AI Overviews, according to new Sistrix data shared with Press Gazette.
Discussion:
Charlotte Tobitt on LinkedIn
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