Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest

Jeff Bezos declares opinions questioning “free markets” no longer welcome at The Washington Post

Months after insisting he would never allow his personal interests to influence the Post’s content, one of the world’s richest men decides opinions contrary to his “will be left to be published by others.” By Joshua Benton.

Journalism school needs to do more to prepare students for the hard parts

A labor focus in journalism education, we argue, can inoculate students to better face uncertain futures. By Jacob L. Nelson and Nicole S. Cohen.
What We’re Reading
SkySpace
SkySpace, a retro tool to convert your Bluesky into a MySpace, is “a place for friends (who miss 2005)” →
“SkySpace’s Interests: Internet, Movies, Reading, Karaoke, Language, Culture, History of Communism, Philosophy, Singing/Writing, Music, Running, Finding New Food, Hiking, Travel, Building alternate communities, Tom.”
The Guardian / Kiran Stacey
UK ministers consider changing AI plans to protect creative industries →
“Ministers are planning to offer key concessions to their plans to make it easier for AI companies to use copyright-protected work, in a partial climbdown after weeks of lobbying from some of the world’s most famous artists. Sources have told the Guardian that ministers have accepted the need to protect British creative industries from the plans, which would otherwise have made their work available for access by AI companies unless they deliberately opted out.”
The Verge / Wes Davis
Amazon is launching a new AI-powered version of Alexa →
“A lot of what Amazon showed off was clearly well beyond what you can do with the older version of Alexa. In one part of the demo, Amazon SVP of devices and services Panos Panay asked Alexa if anyone had walked the dog recently, and it referenced smart home cameras to respond that, yes, someone had… Some of the partners include The Associated Press, Politico, Washington Post, and Reuters.”
The Hollywood Reporter / Etan Vlessing
Max is pulling CNN content from its cheapest streaming tier →
“On Wednesday, the studio announced Max, at least for now, will offer sports and new content at no additional cost to standard and premium tier subscribers in the U.S. market. At the same time, beginning March 30, the B/R Sports and CNN Max content will no longer be available on Max’s basic with ads tier.”
Press Gazette / Bron Maher
Daily print circulation at the L.A. Times is down to 79,000 →
And that number’s from before the Soon-Shiong endorsement fracas. Total circulation at top U.S. newspapers was down 12.7% year over year. Only five U.S. papers have a daily print circulation over 100,000: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the New York Post, The Washington Post, and USA Today.
The New York Times / Ken Bensinger and Benjamin Mullin
Cuts at USAID and elsewhere strain global journalism →
“Galina Timchenko, publisher and chief executive of the investigative newsroom Meduza, thought she was ready for anything. The site, based in Latvia and known for its fearless reporting on Vladimir V. Putin’s regime, had prepared for cyberattacks, legal threats and even poisonings of its reporters. One thing she hadn’t anticipated: defunding by the U.S. government.”
Variety / Todd Spangler
YouTube says it now has more than 1 billion monthly viewers of podcast content →
“‘This milestone underscores how YouTube has come to play an essential role in podcasting for creators and audiences, and how our investments to improve the podcast experience on YouTube are paying off,’ YouTube said in an announcement. ‘Podcasts with video are more than just a trend, they meet audiences where they are: on YouTube.'”
Axios / Sara Fischer
Vox Media, one of the last 2010s digital media giants still standing, isn’t looking to be acquired →
“[CEO Jim] Bankoff said the company’s business is still growing, but he said certain parts of Vox Media’s portfolio have been deprioritized in response to market trends. ‘Are we still going to continue to develop our intellectual property into streaming TV? Yes, but are we going to go after it with the same aggressive mentality as some of our other businesses? Probably less so,’ he said.”
Reuters / Jonathan Stempel
Truth Social and Rumble don’t need to follow a Brazilian judge’s order to block certain right-wing accounts →
The Brazilian judge “had ordered Rumble to block accounts belonging to Allan dos Santos, a digital influencer close to [Jair] Bolsonaro. Dos Santos lives in the United States and is considered a fugitive in Brazil, where he faces an arrest warrant in connection with probes into the spread of disinformation and hate.”
The Hollywood Reporter / Katie Kilkenny
MSNBC layoffs set to impact 99 union staffers, guild claims →
“The Writers Guild of America East’s bargaining unit at MSNBC decried the ‘mass layoffs’ on ‘at least nine different shows’ in a statement on Tuesday. According to the guild, those shows include The ReidOut, Alex Wagner Tonight, The Weekend, Andrea Mitchell Reports, Ayman Mohyeldin Reports, Weekends with Jonathan Capehart, The Katie Phang Show, José Díaz-Balart Reports and Inside with Jen Psaki.”
New York Times / Katie Robertson
New York Public Radio will lay off 7% of staff →
“Twenty-one full-time roles will be eliminated, with three of them becoming part time, the chief executive, LaFontaine Oliver, said in an email to the staff. Seven open roles will also be eliminated.”
GBH / Kirk Carapezza
Student journalists struggle for independence when cash is hard to find →
“Fewer local businesses are buying ads with student newspapers these days , forcing the publications to rely more heavily on financial support from the same institutions they cover.”
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