What We’re Reading

We keep an eye out for the most interesting stories about Labby subjects: digital media, startups, the web, journalism, strategy, and more.

The Substack Post / Chris Best

“Against Claudefishing”: Substack readers can now check if writers are using AI →

“Pangram can only detect whether AI was used to make the text, not whether great human care went into creating it, nor whether AI tools were used as a source.” —HT

What else we were reading on July 21

TechCrunch / Aisha Malik

Threads rolls out parental supervision tools →

“Parents and guardians will now be able to view how much time their teen spent on the platform each day for the past week, including their average daily time spent for the week. They will also be able to set a daily time limit and block access during select days and hours.” —HT

The Associated Press / Eric Tucker and Jocelyn Noveck

The Trump administration sought phone records of New York Times journalists and their relatives →

“The additional subpoenas included a request for phone records of one reporter’s mother and two of the journalists’ spouses. The motion noted that the mother in question is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships and that one of the two spouses is the general counsel of a law firm.” —HT

The Fix / Veronica Snoj

More than an English edition: How exiled Russian journalist Farida Rustamova built a separate outlet for international readers →

“Rather than simply translating content from her Russian Telegram channel, Rustamova has turned her English-language newsletter into a separate publication with its own identity, audience and editorial strategy, which it targets a niche audience of Russia specialists, diplomats, academics and policymakers looking for exclusive reporting sourced from inside Russia’s political establishment.” —HT

EL PAÍS English / Bernardo Gutiérrez

Nhandeflix, the Guarani platform that fights against colonization by digital apps →

“The domain nhandeflix.com doesn’t exist, but the project works for the 23 towns through access to the community platform. It utilizes the program Jellyfin, whose interface is similar to that of Netflix, and is available on cell phones. Initial content curation was done by the inter-town committee.” —HT

TechCrunch / Sarah Perez

YouTube clarifies policies around AI slop →

“The updated guidelines break down inauthentic content into three categories, including generic, repetitive, or template-based content, followed by off-putting or distressing content, and then any content where AI personas are used to discuss sensitive topics, like health and finance.” —HT

Front Office Sports / Michael McCarthy

The 2030 World Cup media rights race is already taking shape →

“Bidding for 2030 is expected to start at a 100 percent-plus price jump of $1 billion. Daniel Cohen, executive vice president of Octagon’s media advisory, believes FIFA may package English and Spanish language media rights together for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups at an eye-popping price of $3 billion.” —HT

CNN / Brian Stelter

The Pentagon avoids questions as the U.S. war with Iran escalates →

“The Pentagon hasn’t held a press briefing in two and a half months…It’s all indicative of a larger effort to control information, limit access, and avoid difficult questions about the war.” —LO

—Malcolm Coles, audience growth director at Hearst U.K., on the publication's strategy of publishing fewer articles overall (Press Gazette / Charlotte Tobitt) —LO
Axios / Sara Fischer

OpenAI commits an additional $5 million in funding to the American Journalism Project over the next two years →

Plus $3 million in tech credits. The 2023 deal was for $5 million in funding and $5 million in tech credits. —LO