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.
November 29, 2023
“Musk has sought to portray X as a counterweight to mainstream journalists he has criticized and worked to undermine. ‘The public will increasingly come to realize that X is the best source of truth, causing our user numbers to rise as they abandon the less accurate sources of information,’ he posted Monday.” —
Washington Post / Drew Harwell
/ Nov 29New Media Matters research found “outlets largely ignored Trump’s description of his political enemies as ‘vermin’, continuing a pattern of relatively muted coverage of Trump’s abhorrent and incoherent commentary.” —
the Guardian / Martin Pengelly
/ Nov 29Influencers are part of a Chinese strategy of “market-enabled propaganda production” that was “likely to have significant implications for the global information landscape,” according to a new report. “Almost anything Chinese is held up for praise” while “sharp criticism” is reserved for western media and society. —
Sony Pictures Entertainment’s production companies have produced hits like The Crown, Doctor Who, and Sex Education. —
the Guardian / Mark Sweney
/ Nov 29“Steve is very much the OG of The 74, having helped launch this publication with founders Romy Drucker and Campbell Brown in 2015. Since taking over as editor-in-chief in 2017, he has helped achieve the founders’ vision of making education a front-page news story every day.” —SS
The 74 Million / Jim Roberts
/ Nov 29“As senior director for Knight’s journalism program, Rundlet managed a more than $50 million portfolio of grants in newsrooms and field-building organizations, including INN.” —
Institute for Nonprofit News
/ Nov 29“As part of the deal, Paste also bought Splinter, the political news website that G/O Media shut down in 2019. [Paste’s Josh]Jackson declined to comment on how much his company had paid for the two sites, though he said it was an all-cash deal.” —
New York Times / Katie Robertson
/ Nov 29November 28, 2023
“Some Substack newsletters by Nazis and white nationalists have thousands or tens of thousands of subscribers, making the platform a new and valuable tool for creating mailing lists for the far right. And many accept paid subscriptions through Substack, seemingly flouting terms of service that ban attempts to ‘publish content or fund initiatives that incite violence based on protected classes.'” —
The Atlantic / Jonathan M. Katz
/ Nov 28“It is the third time Gershkovich’s detention has been extended since Federal Security Service agents seized him from a restaurant in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals where he was on a reporting trip. Gershkovich then was flown to Moscow and has been in Lefortovo high security prison since.” —
Washington Post / Robyn Dixon
/ Nov 28“These layoffs would offer significantly less generous benefits than the voluntary package and will be consistent with prior layoff packages at The Post,” interim CEO Patty Stonesifer told employees on Tuesday in an ominous memo. —
The Daily Beast / Corbin Bolies
/ Nov 28
