Rest of World / Russell Brandom
Tech platforms are suffocating opposition media in Russia →“…outlets like The Insider are already facing intense censorship from within Russia. The Insider’s website is blocked in Russia, and only accessible through a VPN. On YouTube, The Insider’s videos are swarmed by trolls sympathetic to Putin, who keep the videos out of recommendations by mass-reporting them. Online platforms are among the few ways to get around that censorship — but they’ve shown little interest in helping journalists like Dobrokhotov reach his audience.”
Columbia Journalism Review / Jon Allsop
Milei, the media, and the market →“As for Milei’s plans for public media, it’s hard to say what might happen next. At least in theory, plowing ahead with privatization would require congressional approval; recently, Milei tried to push through a bill giving him expansive powers to privatize state-owned companies, among other things, only to send it back to the drawing board after it became clear that lawmakers did not fully support it.”
The Hollywood Reporter / Rick Porter
The New York Times / Elizabeth A. Harris
A celebrity dies, and new biographies pop up overnight. The author? AI. →“Amazon declined to answer questions about sales for these books, but their publication does not appear to be a robust business. Few of them had any customer reviews, and those that did fared poorly. Disappointed readers described one book as ‘a 60-page pamphlet,’ another as ‘a glorified brochure’ and a ‘rip-off.’”
Medill Local News Initiative / Mark Caro
New Illinois bills propose incentives to fund news organizations and repopulate newsrooms →“The Journalism Preservation Act would require Big Tech companies such as Google and Facebook to compensate news organizations for the content that they share, display or link to on their platforms. The Strengthening Community Media Act offers a broad array of incentives, tax breaks and scholarships intended to repopulate local newsrooms. Included in that bill is a provision that calls for 120 days’ written notice before a local news organization may be sold to an out-of-state company.”
The Washington Post / Sarah Ellison
Rest of World / Zuha Siddiqui
Pakistani workers wanted careers in tech. They’re stuck as TikTok moderators. →“Over a dozen Pakistani professionals who worked in content moderation jobs as a temporary resort due to a lack of employment options told Rest of World they were stuck in a career that was unfulfilling — one that felt like working at a ‘sweatshop,’ because their experience was not transferable. They have degrees in project management, environmental science, engineering, and business administration, and believe that working as content moderators has stunted their careers.”