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☆ The New York Times Passes 10 Million Subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Times now has more than 10 million subscribers, the company said on Wednesday, edging closer to its goal of 15 million by the end of 2027. In its third-quarter report, The New York Times Company said it had added 210,000 net digital-only subscribers in the three months through September, giving it 9.41 million along with 670,000 print subscribers. The Times Company has focused on getting subscribers to sign up for more than one of its offerings, which include the core news report, Cooking, Games, the Wirecutter review site and the sports news site The Athletic. Nearly 3.8 million of the 9.41 million digital-only subscribers are subscribed to at least two products, the company said. Meredith Kopit Levien, the company’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement that the third-quarter results showed that The Times’s “multiproduct bundle” was performing well and would “further us down the path to building a larger, more profitable company.”

Persons: Meredith Kopit Levien, ” Organizations: New York Times, New York Times Company, The Times Company

☆ New York Times Writer Resigns After Signing Letter Protesting the Israel-Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jazmine Hughes, an award-winning New York Times Magazine staff writer, resigned from the publication on Friday after she violated the newsroom’s policies by signing a letter that voiced support for Palestinians and protested Israel’s siege in Gaza. Jake Silverstein, the editor of The New York Times Magazine, announced Ms. Hughes’s resignation in an email to staff members on Friday evening. That letter, which was also signed by other contributors to The Times, protested the newspaper’s reporting on transgender issues. Ms. Hughes joined The Times in 2015 and worked as an editor and writer for the magazine. The petition Ms. Hughes signed about the Israel-Hamas war was published online last week by a group called Writers Against the War on Gaza.

Persons: Jazmine Hughes, Israel’s, Jake Silverstein, Hughes’s, ” Mr, Silverstein, Hughes, Ms, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, ”, Jamie Lauren Keiles Organizations: New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, The Times, Times, American Society of Magazine Locations: Gaza, Israel

“The longer-form videos on YouTube are actually in decline year over year,” Mr. Lynch said. Some invested heavily in building in-house studios or bought them, as Vox Media did when it acquired the film and TV producer Epic in 2019. Perhaps the most ambitious of these studios was Condé Nast Entertainment, a prominent division within Condé Nast in charge of developing articles from publications such as The New Yorker, Wired and Vanity Fair — intellectual property, in Hollywood parlance — into major motion pictures and TV shows. “Cat Person,” a film based on a viral New Yorker short story that explores uncomfortable relationship dynamics, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year. And online viewership is increasingly shifting to platforms like TikTok and YouTube, where shorter content is king and monetization elusive.

Persons: ” Mr, Lynch, Condé Nast, Dawn Ostroff, Agnes Chu, David Grann, Robert Redford Organizations: YouTube, Hollywood, Vox Media, Condé Nast Entertainment, Yorker, Wired, CW, Spotify, Disney, Sundance, Globe Locations: ”, Condé, Hollywood

☆ News Group Says A.I. Chatbots Heavily Rely on News Content
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

News publishers have argued for the past year that A.I. chatbots like ChatGPT rely on copyrighted articles to power the technology. Now the publishers say developers of these tools disproportionately use news content. The group argued that the findings show that the A.I. Representatives for Google and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: “, ”, Danielle Coffey Organizations: News Media Alliance, The New York Times, Google

The head of Instagram’s Threads app, an X competitor, reiterated that his social network would not amplify news. The company has laid off news employees in two recent team reorganizations, and some publishers say traffic from Google has tapered off. If it wasn’t clear before, it’s clear now: The major online platforms are breaking up with news. Publishers seem resigned to the idea that traffic from the big tech companies will not return to what it once was. Even in the long-fractious relationship between publishers and tech platforms, the latest rift stands out — and the consequences for the news industry are stark.

Persons: Campbell Brown, —, Adam Mosseri, Elon Musk Organizations: Twitter, Google, Publishers Locations: Instagram

☆ Fox Sued by New York City Pension Funds Over Election Falsehoods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The State of Oregon, representing Oregon’s public employees retirement fund, joined the New York City funds in their lawsuit against Fox. The lawsuit, which was filed in Delaware, was shared with The New York Times. It will remain under seal at the court for five days to allow time for redactions before it is made public. The board includes the media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch, who control the company. Fox has faced numerous legal battles in the wake of its promotion of election conspiracy theories.

Persons: Fox, Donald J, Trump, “, ”, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch Organizations: New, Fox, Fox Corporation, The New York Times, redactions, Fox News, Dominion Locations: Oregon, New York City, Delaware

☆ Philanthropies Pledge $500 Million to Address Crisis in Local News
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

John Palfrey, the president of the MacArthur Foundation, said Press Forward aimed to help news outlets that did not have enough revenue to sustain their business. The goal, he added, is to eventually raise and invest $1 billion for the effort. “There’s extraordinary opportunity,” Mr. Palfrey said in an interview. Digital news outlets and nonprofit newsrooms have sprung up across the United States, but not in numbers large enough to fill the gap. According to the Northwestern report, most of the new outlets serve urban centers, leaving some economically struggling and rural communities at a loss.

Persons: John Palfrey, “, Mr, Palfrey Organizations: MacArthur Foundation, Press, United States —, Northwestern University’s Medill School Locations: United States, Northwestern

☆ NPR C.E.O. to Retire at Year’s End
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

NPR’s chief executive, John Lansing, said on Tuesday that he would retire at the end of the year, ending a rocky four years atop the public broadcaster. He said that he had made the decision to retire after discussions with his wife, Jean. A veteran media executive, Mr. Lansing joined NPR as its chief executive in 2019 after running the U.S. Agency for Global Media. During his tenure, NPR faced serious financial difficulties, some of them brought on by the pandemic. In early in 2020, executives including Mr. Lansing took pay cuts to help with budget gaps.

Persons: John Lansing, Lansing, Jean, “, ” Organizations: NPR, U.S . Agency for Global Media, Mr

☆ Jamila Robinson Is Named Next Editor of Bon Appétit Magazine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jamila Robinson, a top editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, will be the next editor in chief of the food magazine Bon Appétit. Ms. Robinson is the assistant managing editor for food and culture at The Inquirer, which she joined in 2020. She was previously an editorial director at Atlantic Media and has also worked at the USA Today Network, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Detroit Free Press. Ms. Robinson recently served as chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Journalism Awards Committee and is a chair for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants annual list. Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue, described Ms. Robinson in a statement as “a community builder and a major editorial talent,” as well as “an absolute star in the kitchen.”

Persons: Jamila Robinson, Condé Nast, Bon Appétit, Robinson, James Beard Foundation’s, Anna Wintour, Condé Organizations: Philadelphia Inquirer, Vogue, Atlantic Media, USA Today Network, The Atlanta, Detroit Free Press

☆ After Vice’s Downfall, Top Journalists Start Their Own Tech Publication
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

And so 404 Media was born. The tech publication — founded by Motherboard’s former editor in chief, Jason Koebler; two of its top editors, Emanuel Maiberg and Samantha Cole; and one of its writers, Joseph Cox — started publishing on Tuesday. Mr. Maiberg said 404 Media would start with just the four of them and focus on topics they had extensive experience reporting on, including hacking, sex work, niche online communities and the “right to repair” movement. “It’s very much a website by humans for humans about technology,” he said. “It’s not about the business of technology — it’s about how it impacts real people in the real world.”

Persons: Motherboard’s, Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, Joseph Cox —, Maiberg, ”, “ It’s Organizations: Media

☆ Lachlan Murdoch Pays $840,000 to Site He Had Accused of Libel
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Murdoch sued Crikey last August over an opinion column with the headline: “Trump is a confirmed unhinged traitor. And Murdoch is his unindicted co-conspirator.” The column did not specify whether it was referring to Mr. Murdoch or his father, Rupert Murdoch. Dominion had accused Fox of defaming it by repeatedly linking it to the false voter fraud claims in multiple broadcasts. That donation was a condition of the agreement with Mr. Murdoch. “This money was raised from the good will of people across Australia who believe in the importance of free speech,” Mr. Hayward said.

Persons: Murdoch, Crikey, “ Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Fox, Will Hayward, “, Mr, Hayward, ” Organizations: Fox News, Dominion, Private Media, Alliance for Journalists ’ Locations: crowdfunding, Australian, Australia

☆ Kansas Paper Warns Police Not to Review Information on Seized Devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A lawyer for The Marion County Record, a Kansas newspaper that was raided by the police late last week, demanded that the town’s Police Department not review any information on the devices it seized until a court hearing could be scheduled. The lawyer, Bernard J. Rhodes, said in a letter to Marion’s police chief, Gideon Cody, that he was offering the department “an opportunity to mitigate my client’s damages from the illegal searches.”On Friday, the police and county sheriff’s deputies raided the newspaper’s office, the home of its owner and editor, and the home of a city councilwoman. They collected computers, cellphones and other materials. The searches were part of investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to and was handled by The Record — and whether the restaurant owner’s privacy was violated in the process. A search warrant issued by a judge on Friday morning cited potential violations of laws involving identity theft and the illegal use of a computer.

Persons: Bernard J, Rhodes, Gideon Cody, ” Organizations: Marion County, town’s Police Department Locations: Kansas

☆ Wired Names Katie Drummond as Its Next Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Katie Drummond will be the next top editor of Wired, overseeing the tech publication’s teams around the world. Condé Nast, the publisher of Wired, announced on Thursday the appointment of Ms. Drummond as its global editorial director. Ms. Drummond joins from Vice Media, where she was the senior vice president of global news and entertainment, in charge of Vice News and the company’s digital brands. Ms. Drummond will be the first woman to lead Wired in its 30-year history. Ms. Drummond, 37, was an intern at Wired in 2009.

Persons: Katie Drummond, Condé Nast, Drummond, Ms, Gideon Lichfield, Lichfield, ” Organizations: Wired, Vice Media, News Locations: United States, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Britain

☆ New York Times Revenue Rises 6.3%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Meredith Kopit Levien, the company’s president and chief executive, said in a statement that more than a third of the nearly 10 million subscribers were now subscribed to more than one Times product. She said more than half of the new digital subscribers added in the last quarter subscribed to the entire bundle of products that The Times offers. Advertising revenue more than doubled in that period, to $5.4 million. At the end of the quarter, there were more than 3.6 million subscribers with either a stand-alone Athletic subscription or who can access the sports site through a Times bundle subscription. Last month, The Times said it would disband its sports desk in the coming months and instead integrate more sports coverage from The Athletic.

Persons: Meredith Kopit Levien, ” Ms, Levien Organizations: Times, Athletic, The Athletic

☆ Meta Begins Blocking News in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has started blocking news articles on its social networking services in Canada. Content posted on Facebook and Instagram by both local Canadian news outlets and international outlets will not be visible to Canadians using the platforms. Canada passed the Online News Act in June, joining a push by numerous governments to force big social media companies to compensate news organizations. The Canadian bill requires the platforms and search engines to negotiate with news publishers to license their content. Meta had previously signaled that it would block news access in response to the Canadian law.

Persons: ” Meta, Meta Organizations: Facebook Locations: Canada

Jeff Bezos had purchased The Post for $250 million in 2013, less than a year after Mr. Baron had taken over. Mr. Bezos, who arrived at media ownership after founding Amazon and remaking online shopping, wanted his top editor to transform the newspaper from a regional news organization into a truly global one. But Mr. Bezos, whose representatives kept an eye on the budget, didn’t believe The Post needed to add many new editors to accomplish that task. So, Mr. Baron came up with a workaround, according to his coming memoir. “To avoid setting off alarms up the line, my deputies and I would strip the word ‘editor’ from proposed new positions whenever possible,” Mr. Baron writes.

Persons: Martin Baron, Jeff Bezos, Baron, Bezos, “, ’, Mr, ” Organizations: The Washington Post

☆ Booz Allen Pays $377.5 Million to Settle Government Billing Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has agreed to pay $377.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit that accused it of falsely billing the U.S. government, the Justice Department said on Friday. The settlement resolves allegations that between 2011 and 2021, Booz Allen improperly charged the government for indirect costs that it should have billed under its commercial and international contracts, the Justice Department said in a news release. The government had alleged that the firm “obtained reimbursement from the government for the costs of commercial activities that provided no benefit to the United States.”A consulting firm’s indirect costs can include expenses like equipment, marketing and office space. Booz Allen, which is based in McLean, Va., has lucrative defense and intelligence contracts with the federal government. Investigators began reviewing the firm’s billing practices in 2016.

Persons: Booz Allen Hamilton, Booz Allen, “, Brian M, Boynton Organizations: Booz, ., Justice, Justice Department, “ Locations: United States, McLean , Va

☆ University Departures Put Student Journalists in Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Baker, 18, resurfaced claims in a Nov. 29 article for The Stanford Daily that neuroscience research papers in which Dr. Tessier-Lavigne was listed either as principal author or co-author had altered imagery. The claims had been repeated over the years on PubPeer, a website that allows scientists to discuss research. The next day, Stanford University opened an investigation into Dr. Tessier-Lavigne with a panel of outside scientists. Dr. Tessier-Lavigne denied those claims. “That allegation appears to be mistaken, as Genentech has stated,” the panel’s report said, though it noted “multiple problems” with the 2009 study.

Persons: ”, Theo Baker, . Baker, Tessier, Lavigne, Lavigne “, Genentech, . Tessier Organizations: Stanford Daily, Stanford, Stanford University

Politico said Monday that its top U.S. editor was stepping down and would be replaced by one of the publication’s co-founders, John Harris, who will also take on additional responsibilities for Politico’s international editions. Matt Kaminski, who joined Politico nearly a decade ago from The Wall Street Journal, will conclude his tenure as editor in chief at the end of August, Goli Sheikholeslami, Politico’s chief executive, said in an email to the staff Monday. Ms. Sheikholeslami said in her memo that the new role for Mr. Harris, who had been serving as editorial chair, would be expanded to include all of Politico’s editorial units under his purview. “To be clear: John is not returning to a job he once had,” Ms. Sheikholeslami said. “To the contrary, he is stepping into a new role as the single top editorial executive in the company, with newsrooms in the United States and Europe reporting to him.”

Persons: John Harris, Matt Kaminski, Goli, Sheikholeslami, Harris, John, ” Ms, “, ” Organizations: Politico, Wall Street, newsrooms Locations: United States, Europe

☆ Nonprofit Buys 22 Newspapers in Maine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A nonprofit that aims to maintain local ownership for newspapers will buy 22 papers in Maine, including The Portland Press Herald and The Sun Journal of Lewiston. The National Trust for Local News, a nonprofit that was started in 2021, will buy the papers from Masthead Maine, a private company that owns most of the independent media outlets in the state, including five of its six daily papers. Masthead Maine’s owner, Reade Brower, had signaled this year that he was exploring a sale. The deal includes the five daily papers and 17 weekly papers, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, the chief executive of the National Trust for Local News, said on Tuesday. Ms. Hansen Shapiro said Maine residents had told her organization that there was an opportunity for nonprofit ownership after Bill Nemitz, a longtime Portland Press Herald columnist, asked readers in April to donate to help a nonprofit organization preserve local journalism in the state.

Persons: Reade Brower, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, Ms, Hansen Shapiro, Bill Nemitz Organizations: The Portland Press Herald, Sun, National Trust for Local News, Portland Press Herald Locations: Maine, Lewiston

The move represents a further integration into the newsroom of The Athletic, which The Times bought in January 2022 for $550 million, adding a publication that had some 400 journalists covering more than 200 professional sports teams. Online access to The Athletic, which is operated separately from the Times newsroom, is included for those who subscribe to two or more of The Times’s bundle of products. A group on the business desk will cover money and power in sports, while new beats covering sports will be added to other sections. When The Times bought The Athletic, executives said the deal would help the company appeal to a broader audience. They added it to a subscription bundle that includes the main Times news site as well as Cooking, the Wirecutter product review service and Games.

Persons: Kahn, Drake Organizations: The, The Times, The Athletic, Times, Journalists, Athletic

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