The Guardian / Nina Lakhani
Nearly half of journalists covering climate crisis globally received threats for their work →“A global survey of more than 740 reporters and editors from 102 countries found that 39% of those threatened ‘sometimes’ or ‘frequently’ were targeted by people engaged in illegal activities such as logging and mining. Some 30%, meanwhile, were threatened with legal action – reflecting a growing trend towards corporations and governments deploying the judicial system to muzzle free speech.”
The New York Times / Sheera Frenkel
Israel secretly targets U.S. lawmakers with influence campaign on Gaza War →“The campaign began in October and remains active on the platform X. At its peak, it used hundreds of fake accounts that posed as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments. The accounts focused on U.S. lawmakers, particularly ones who are Black and Democrats, such as Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, with posts urging them to continue funding Israel’s military. ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, was used to generate many of the posts. The campaign also created three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles.”
Press Gazette / Dominic Ponsford
WSJ / Joe Flint, Amol Sharma, and Isabella Simonetti
The NBA’s media deal spotlights the staggering value of sports rights and industry changes →“The NBA sweepstakes has turned into a defining moment for the TV industry, highlighting the anxieties of traditional media companies about the collapse of cable and their uncertain financial futures in the streaming world. It has put front and center the paradox that sports content is outrageously expensive but also critical to own in an industry in which it is one of the few reliable ways to draw in audiences.”
Washington Post / Erik Wemple
The Washington Post’s deference to Justice Alito handed a scoop to The New York Times →“As for The Post’s claim that it wasn’t clear in January 2021 ‘that the argument was rooted in politics,’ well, that seems a bit naive. What argument involving a Supreme Court justice in January 2021 was not rooted in politics? If not politics, what was dividing these neighbors — Fairfax County’s protocols for the collection of bulk trash items?”
Baltimore Sun / Lorraine Mirabella
Sam Davis, the first Black managing editor of The Baltimore Sun, will retire →“Tricia Bishop, The Sun’s director of opinion and features content since 2019, will take over management of the newsroom later this month from Sam Davis, who plans to retire from his role at the end of June … The announcement comes nearly five months after
The Sun was acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith, executive chairman of Hunt Valley-based television station owner Sinclair Inc., along with co-owner Armstrong Williams, a well-known conservative talk show host and syndicated columnist.”
Bloomberg / Monique Mulima
New York Times / Sharon Otterman
The Hill / DOMINICK MASTRANGELO
The Daily Beast replaces editor-in-chief Tracy Connor →“Connor, who has led the tabloid since 2021, will exit the company and be replaced by Hugh Dougherty. Dougherty is currently a deputy editor at the New York Post, and has served in similar roles at British tabloids The Daily Mail and Evening Standard.”