Top News:
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.
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.
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
A New York judge overseeing the third trial over a rape charge against Harvey Weinstein declares a mistrial after the jury said it was deadlocked — New York prosecutors will have to decide whether to pursue a third trial in Manhattan on a rape charge. — The New York judge overseeing …
Discussion:
IndieWire, The Wrap, Variety, Us Weekly, Wall Street Journal, NPR, TMZ.com, New York Sun, Deadline, New York Post, Associated Press, RTÉ, New York Times, The Sun, FOX 32 Chicago, Straight Arrow News, WPXI-TV, The Gateway Pundit, Althouse and Fox News
Financial Times:
An interview with Brendan Carr about making the FCC “aggressive”, why he is just “applying the law and the facts”, how Trump's attacks on media worked, more — The chair of the Federal Communications Commission on making the agency more ‘aggressive’, his fight with Disney — and playing golf with the president
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, Washington Examiner, @robcrilly and @brianstelter
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, Telecompaper and C21Media
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
ArXiv, the repository of preprint academic research, says it will ban authors for a year if their papers have “incontrovertible evidence” of AI-generated work — The change comes as arXiv and others struggle to manage an influx of AI-generated materials masquerading as rigorous science.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, @samleecole.bsky.social, @404mediaco@mastodon.social, The Decoder and Semafor, more at Techmeme »
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 …
Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
The Guardian says it is “concerned” after Nigel Farage posted the press credentials of a Guardian photographer who had taken his picture — Reform leader Nigel Farage has said being visited by a Guardian photographer underlined why he needed extra security.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Decrypt and National Union of Journalists …
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:
Bob Cohn on LinkedIn and @dankennedy.net
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
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
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.
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, Christopher F. Rufo, @nytimespr, Israpundit, @aloner.bsky.social, Poynter, Melanie Phillips, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Zeteo, @etanetan23, @jillfilipovic, @adamsteinbaugh, @patrickodonne11, The Free Press, @rvawonk, CBS News, @jeremymbarr, @etanetan23, The Washington Free Beacon, Truthout, Straight Arrow News, MS NOW, @scalzi.com, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Newsbusters, Boing Boing, The Daily Wire, New York Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, Townhall, Haaretz, RedState, Financial Times, Breitbart, The Hill, Asia Times, Jewish Insider, Reuters, New York Post, Haaretz and The Wrap
RELATED:
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
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:
Mediaite, Al Jazeera, Originally Reported …, @nytimespr, twitchy.com, New York Times, @nickkristof, @israelmfa, The Forward, Algemeiner.com, RedState, @israelmfa, HotAir, @sturgeons_law, The Daily Signal, Zeteo, @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
