We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more. Here’s some of what we’ve seen lately.
March 14, 2025
Previously: “Smartmatic settled with One America News last year, while a judge recently ruled to allow its $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp. to continue. Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $787 million in 2023.” —
The Verge / Emma Roth
/ Mar 14“Some staffers at The Times harbor suspicions that Soon-Shiong is deliberately trying to build separate entities, like LA Times Studios, to shake himself free of traditional journalistic procedures, which he may find to be a nuisance. By doing so, he can leverage The Times’ brand and do what he wants with it, all without facing editorial headwinds from journalists who would, perhaps, not be comfortable reading an advertisement for one of his pharmaceutical companies as a news story.” —
Status / Oliver Darcy
/ Mar 14March 13, 2025
“In 2025, six prizes totaling $200,000 will be awarded to five early-stage media startups. Each division winner will receive a grant of up to $50,000 and will be eligible for an additional $25,000 Grand Prize.” Open to nonprofit and for-profit media companies in the United States. Deadline is March 18. —
“The Revolutionist, with 132 subscribers as of March 13, has a core group of about a dozen volunteers who help put it out each month.” —
Substack / Corey Hutchins
/ Mar 13Brave “seeks to forestall a lawsuit by Rupert Murdoch’s company for when readers are directed to copyrighted articles from the Wall Street Journal and New York Post…Brave countered that it is ‘fair use’ to index website content, ‘which all search engine operators must do to exist.'” —
Reuters / Jonathan Stempel
/ Mar 13“On Thursday, OpenAI submitted its proposal to the U.S. government, emphasizing the need for speed in Al advancement and a light hand from regulators while highlighting its take on the dangers of Al technology coming out of China…OpenAl expressed its distaste for the current level of regulation in Al, calling for ‘the freedom to innovate in the national interest’…rather than ‘overly burdensome state laws.'” —
“The book, ‘Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,’ by Sarah Wynn-Williams, details CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to make inroads in China and levies harassment allegations against former and current executives…An arbitrator ruled Wednesday that Wynn-Williams had to temporarily stop making ‘disparaging, critical, or otherwise detrimental comments’ about the Facebook owner or its employees, after Meta alleged she had violated terms of her 2017 severance agreement, which included a nondisparagement clause.” —
The Wall Street Journal / Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Meghan Bobrowsky
/ Mar 13“Three days a week in the office appears to be the most common practice according to Press Gazette’s research, with the Financial Times, News UK, The Guardian, Sky News, Future, Haymarket and Ladbible all adopting this hybrid approach.” —
Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt
/ Mar 13“Jesse Watters wasn’t afraid to admit it: He’s envious of all of his Fox News colleagues who have gotten plum jobs in the new Trump administration. ‘I’m also a little jealous because I feel like everybody is getting things — ambassadorships, award seats, Cabinet positions,’ he said…’I only asked for a statue. It doesn’t have to be life-sized.'” —
The Washington Post / Jeremy Barr
/ Mar 13“At a high level, her argument is that Trump is much more likely to wield a law like this against his enemies — which means pretty much anyone he doesn’t personally like or agree with — and much more likely to shield the people and companies he considers friends from the consequences. And we know who his friends are: it’s Elon Musk, who now works as part of the Trump administration while at the same time running X, which is full of NCII [non-consensual intimate imagery].” —
The Verge / Nilay Patel
/ Mar 13
