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Friday, November 30, 2018
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Mic lays off almost everyone and goes for a last-ditch sale to Bustle“What you hear less about the truth is that it is expensive,” publisher Cory Haik wrote in her resignation letter. By Laura Hazard Owen. |
What We’re Reading
Rookie / Tavi Gevinson
Rookie is shutting down →
“Rookie in its current form is no longer financially sustainable. [In a way], it is my decision — to not do the things that might make it financially sustainable, like selling it to new owners, taking money from investors, or asking readers for donations or subscriptions. And in yet another way, it doesn't feel like I'm deciding not to do all that, because I have explored all of these options, and am unable to proceed with any of them.”
The New York Times / Nicholas Confessore and Matthew Rosenberg
So, Sheryl Sandberg was the one who asked Facebook staff to investigate George Soros →
“[Her] email came within days of a blistering speech Mr. Soros delivered that month at the World Economic Forum, attacking Facebook and Google as a ‘menace’ to society and calling for the companies to be regulated.”
Wall Street Journal / Benjamin Mullin
Mic’s sale to Bustle officially goes through — and Bustle plans to relaunch it →
Here’s the email sent to Bustle staff from Bryan Goldberg (h/t Maxwell Strachan): “This deal is timely, as November comes to a close. This midterm election made two things very clear. Young people are voting in dramatically higher numbers than they did four years ago. And the 2020 Election will be the most important media event of our lifetime.”
Digiday / Max Willens
How The Washington Post, with its first chief marketing officer, is reorienting for digital subscriptions →
“A new area of responsibility for [new CMO Miki] King will include advertising. Though the Post currently advertises on its owned and operated platforms, as well as social channels and through search marketing, it will begin to invest more in out-of-home campaigns in select markets, though King declined to be specific about which ones.”
The Guardian / Mark Sweney
Financial Times journalists pass a vote of no confidence in CEO John Ridding →
“Relations between the National Union of Journalists chapel at the Financial Times and management hit rock bottom in the summer when it emerged that Ridding had been paid £2.6m while the newspaper made an operating profit of £5.2m, prompting a backlash that saw him hand back about £500,000. The FT Group, the parent company of the newspaper, made more than £20m in profits.”
TechCrunch / Sarah Perez
Americans are streaming 8 billions hours of content per month on devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV →
According to new Nielsen data, “consumers ages 13 to 34 will spend twice the time streaming when watching on connected TV devices, compared with watching on the computer or mobile devices.”
Solutions Journalism
How journalists can be both watchdog and guide dog →
Solutions Journalism Network’s top picks of 2018’s solutions-oriented coverage includes work by The Trace, Durango Herald and KDUR, The Guardian, Desert News and your own Nieman Lab.
The Ringer / Kate Knibbs
Welcome to the golden age of weird promoted tweets →
“The internet is built for advertisers, not regular people, and there's something comforting about the way promoted tweets have evolved into a mishmash of weirdness and legitimate complaints against advertisers.”
Bustle / Monica Hunter-Hart
How this Flint journalist is reporting on the water crisis from the inside →
“To show up to someone’s house that you know, and the U.S. Surgeon General pulls up because they have some of the highest lead count per billion in their water — I mean, that’s crazy.”
Poynter / Al Tompkins
Why Little Rock’s local media denied Nazis coverage of their rally →
“It started a conversation that included my feeling that there was enough going on, including an election, that needed our attention more.”
The Verge / Julia Alexander
More Stories, this time on YouTube →
“YouTube Stories last for seven days on the mobile app, they will appear for both subscribers and non-subscribers, and they'll show up in YouTube's ‘Up Next’ sidebar beside a video. Creators who use the tool will be able to respond to fans who interact with their stories, and creator responses will be seen by anyone who comes across the story. Fans can leave comments or questions on stories, and creators can publicly address each response.”
The Wall Street Journal / Lara O
Amazon has ascended to 3rd in the U.S. digital ad market, with ad sales expected to jump $5.83B over five years →
“While Amazon has rapidly expanded into a number of new businesses in recent years, including groceries, entertainment and pharmaceuticals, its ad business has grown organically into a high-margin business…. Amazon is expected to collect 15 cents of each new dollar spent on U.S. digital ads in 2020, up from 5 cents last year, according to an analysis of data from research firm eMarketer.”
Politico / Jason Schwartz
Fox News’ Twitter has been silent since November 8 in an apparent boycott →
“Fox News has remained all but mum on why it's avoiding the platform or what it hopes to accomplish. But owner Rupert Murdoch has long expressed frustration with social media platforms like Twitter, which he believes benefit greatly from news publishers' content without offering enough in return. If anything, his network's recent absence is highlighting how little Fox News relies on the platform.”
CNN / Joshua Berlinger
Maria Ressa and Rappler have been formally indicted by the Philippine government →
Philippines officials say some of the charges stem from Rappler and Ressa failing to declare about $3 million in 2015 on tax returns from an investment by the Omidyar Network, a fund created by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar. ‘I’ve long run out of synonyms for the word “ridiculous.” The basis of this case is that Rappler is classified as a dealer in securities. I am definitely not a stockbroker,’ Ressa told CNN Thursday.”