Top News:
New York Times:
James Murdoch's Lupa Systems acquires around 50% of Vox Media, including its podcast network, New York magazine, and Vox.com, sources say for $300M+ — James Murdoch is acquiring roughly half of Vox Media, a dramatic expansion in American media for the younger son of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Discussion:
Vox Media, Mumbrella, Sydney Morning Herald, Mediaweek, Wall Street Journal, The Information, Awful Announcing, Inside Radio, @benmullin, @ncrabbithole.com, Showbiz411, @sherman4949, Newser, @sarafischer, Washington …, Australian Financial Review, Los Angeles Times, @tcarmody.bsky.social, Axios, Aftermath, Forbes, Capital Brief, Telegraph, CNN, Associated Press, The Hill, @jtes, Business Insider, Washington Post, @jeremymbarr, @pkafka, Front Office Sports, The Daily Wire, @benmullin, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, Inc.com, UPI, The Wrap, @newsguyusa@flipboard.social, @seanokane.bsky.social, Press Gazette, Mediaite, The A.V. Club, The Business of Fashion, Politico, Gothamist, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, r/Journalism and r/Journalism
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Properties not included in the Lupa-Vox deal, including The Verge and Eater, will operate under a new independent company led by Vox president Ryan Pauley — Murdoch's company has agreed to acquire New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network and Vox.com. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
Discussion:
Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, Vox Media, Capital Brief, @lpjr.bsky.social and TVNewsCheck
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
Q&A with Vox CEO Jim Bankoff on the sale of Vox Media's podcast network, why buyers were interested in that network, and how remaining sites are in “good shape” — - Vox Media is splitting itself into two and selling half to media heir/investor James Murdoch.
Discussion:
Reuters, Puck, Times of India, Fast Company, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Adweek, @pkafka, Forbes, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Information and CNN
Fox News:
Jeff Bezos defends WaPo layoffs, saying the outlet needs to be a profitable enterprise as “a measure of its relevance”, and noted it won a Pulitzer in 2026 — Billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday responded to criticism of the brutal round of layoffs …
Discussion:
CNBC, CNBC, Status, Mediaite, New York Times, @reedgalen, @blowryontv, The Wrap, @jackjenkins.me, @pitdesi, @atrupar, @richarddeitsch, @grantstern, @primarycinema, Staff Stories, @nick_field90, @greg_travis, @extremearturo, @marquardta, @gillianbrockell.com, @maxwelltani, @stevemistler, @jeremymbarr, @douthatnyt, @joshuaholland.bsky.social, @kainazamaria, @gillianbrockell.com, NewsMax.com, @lawprofblawg, Breitbart, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @nick_field90, @douglasmack.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @briannaatucker, twitchy.com, @genebensinger.bsky.social, @childpleez007, Cele|bitchy, Diane Ravitch's blog and TheGrio
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Jeff Bezos says Amazon MGM Studios' decision to acquire and release Melania “was a good business decision”, denying that it was “a way of buying influence” — Jeff Bezos insists that Amazon MGM Studios' decision to acquire and release “Melania,” a documentary about the First Lady …
Discussion:
CNBC, RADAR, Fast Company, Benzinga, New York Magazine, @storyslug.bsky.social, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @JohnSullivan@mastodonapp.uk, Deadline, U.S. Home, @luckyadams.bsky.social, @fangsbites.bsky.social, The Guardian, The A.V. Club, New Republic, Consequence, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, Mediaite, HuffPost and Reality Tea
The Guardian:
Granta and the Commonwealth Foundation say they can't determine yet if AI was used to write a prize-winning short story after critics pointed to signs of AI use — Granta publisher says ‘perhaps we never will know’ true authorship of work that won Commonwealth prize
Discussion:
Granta, Commonwealth Foundation, @max_spero_, @drmtown, @albatrossalex, Fran Mulhern on LinkedIn, @kanegraves.bsky.social, @thestalwart, @curtis_yarvin, Newser, @nabeelqu, @justinnisly, @yokaihainen, Futurism, @delicious_tacos, @la_leere, @tszzl, @thelincoln, @ednewtonrex, @mcmansionhell, @nabeelqu, @bobo_circus, @brunellaism, @allgarbled, Granta, @melaniedusseau.bsky.social, @alicefromqueens, @nabeelqu, @atabarrok, @cwfcreatives, @afinetheorem, Melanie Dusseau on LinkedIn, @dioscuri, @tszzl, @serialsevens, @amhcrane87, Lawyers, Guns & Money, @youarespring.bsky.social, Boing Boing, The Bookseller, The Free Press, Literary Hub, Wired, ThePrint, UnHerd, Vulture, @peterrenshaw@ioc.exchange, @krishnanrohit, @krishnanrohit, @mushtaqbilalphd, @krishnanrohit, @krishnanrohit, @kirstenbakis.com, Telegraph, @vajra.me, @vajra.me, @vajra.me, @vajra.me, @kjcharleswriter.com, @john-self.bsky.social, @kjcharleswriter.com, The Hindu and r/RSbookclub, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
S&P Global says it plans to cut Paramount Skydance's credit rating from BB+ to BB after the WBD merger, indicating company debt securities are speculative grade — S&P Global Ratings already has placed Paramount Skydance's credit rating in junk-status territory — indicating …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Bloomberg, @ericfinalfantasy.bsky.social and The Wrap
RELATED:
Barbara Peng / Business Insider:
Business Insider CEO Barbara Peng says she is leaving the company on June 30; Christian Baesler will become interim lead of the outlet — Today I am announcing that I will be leaving Business Insider. — This was not an easy decision for me. I love Business Insider.
Discussion:
Adweek, @dylanbyers, Reuters, The Wrap and @corbinbolies
Anu Adegbola / Search Engine Land:
Google says it is testing new ad formats in search results and AI Mode, including Conversational Discovery ads, Highlighted Answers, and AI-powered Shopping ads — Table of Contents — Google is rolling out Gemini-powered conversational ad formats across AI Mode and Search as it looks to make ads more contextual,
Bloomberg:
Owl & Co. report: the podcast industry generated $9.2B in sales globally in 2025, up 23% YoY; 73% of the growth in the US came from video-related revenue — According to a new report, 73% of the podcast industry's growth last year in the US came from video-related revenue
Discussion:
Tubefilter, Media and Entertainment … and Business Post
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Ad tech company Viant partners with Ad Fontes Media to help advertisers target connected-TV news inventory based on scoring of political bias and reliability — The integration scores news programs on reliability and bias, giving buyers a more granular way to activate against inventory
Discussion:
TV Tech, Business Wire and TVNewsCheck
Nate Silver / Silver Bulletin:
A look at Disney's 10-year mismanagement of FiveThirtyEight as Nate Silver says Disney is refusing to negotiate with him about restoring the site's archive — Nothing on the internet lasts forever. But Disney's 10-year mismanagement of FiveThirtyEight is its own story.
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