Amazon MGM Studios buys the UK's Bray Film Studios, used to make season two of The Rings of Power, its first acquisition of a physical studio in the UK (Alex Ritman/Variety)

Mediagazer: Amazon MGM Studios buys the UK's Bray Film Studios, used to make season two of The Rings of Power, its first acquisition of a physical studio in the UK (Alex Ritman/Variety)

Top News:

Variety:

Amazon MGM Studios buys the UK's Bray Film Studios, used to make season two of The Rings of Power, its first acquisition of a physical studio in the UK— Amazon Prime Video is acquiring the U.K.'s Bray Film Studios, the historic site it recently set up as a production hub for the second season of …
Discussion: Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Washington Post:

A profile of John Paul Vranesevich, the owner and only full-time reporter for the Beaver Countian who beat the national media on a Donald Trump shooting scoop— The owner of the Beaver Countian is the western Pennsylvania news site's only full-time reporter.

Discussion:
@seungminkim, @weldpond, @cdarwin@c.im and @jackiegardina …

Discussion:

Seung Min Kim /
@seungminkim: Why local news matters: “What they know about me is I was here before the big story happened, and I'll be here after the big story happened.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @weldpond: I'm sure some of remember John Vraneshevich from AntiOnline, one of the first hacker news sites. How a one-man news site beat the national media on a Trump shooting scoop https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Chuck Darwin /
@cdarwin@c.im: How a one-man news site beat the national media on a Trump shooting scoop — The owner of the Beaver Countian is the western Pennsylvania news site's only full-time reporter. — He says there are reasons why his sources wanted to share certain details with a local journalist. …

Financial Times:

WPP-owned ad agency Ogilvy unveils Influence Shield, a new service that aims to help clients deal with reputational issues arising from social media influencers— WPP-owned advertising agency claims new product will prevent reputational damage — Ogilvy, the WPP-owned advertising agency …

The Bookseller:

Academics say publisher Taylor & Francis hadn't told them about selling access to authors' research as part of a $10M+ Microsoft AI deal, nor let them opt out— Authors have expressed their shock after the news that academic publisher Taylor & Francis, which owns Routledge …

Discussion:
Music Ally, @leaton01@scholar.social, Ariel Guersenzvaig on LinkedIn, Rebecca Clements on LinkedIn, Lydia Khalil on LinkedIn, Vicky Nagy on LinkedIn, @koutropoulos@social.ds106.us, @JorisMeys@mstdn.social, @BenPatrickWill@mastodon …, @Zeb_Larson@zirk.us, @Samuelmoore@hcommons.social, @rwg@aoir.social, Pivot to AI and Flaming Well, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Authors protest after Taylor & Francis signs Microsoft AI deal

Lance Eaton /
@leaton01@scholar.social: Academic publisher sells their library access to AI....expect more of it in the future; most of the contracts that authors sign are giving over the rights and often clauses about future and unidentified uses. — The big publishers continue to rent-seek & exploit scholars...expect all the other major academic publishers. …

Ariel Guersenzvaig /
Ariel Guersenzvaig on LinkedIn: Academic publishers were already ripping us off. I have a chapter in an edited book published by T&F, and I didn't even receive a hard copy when the book was released. …

Rebecca Clements /
Rebecca Clements on LinkedIn: This is so egregious & unethical. Academic publishing is already broken but even that doesn't make selling the work of authors to AI training models without …

Lydia Khalil /
Lydia Khalil on LinkedIn: This is pretty outrageous though not surprising. Academic publishing has always been a total scam. …

Vicky Nagy /
Vicky Nagy on LinkedIn: “Shocked” is a mild response. Outraged is better. — The treatment of academics by successive governments around the world …

Apostolos K. /
@koutropoulos@social.ds106.us: I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! (NOT!) Academic authors ‘shocked’ after Taylor & Francis sells access to their research to Microsoft AI https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Joris Meys /
@JorisMeys@mstdn.social: So one of the big scientific vampir... publishers sold their portfolio to train AI. No author had any say in that, or was paid for it. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Ben Williamson /
@BenPatrickWill@mastodon.social: As an editor of a journal publishing critical work on tech, and an editor of a Routledge collection on AI in education, I'll be writing to our publisher on Monday about its $10m deal with Microsoft for AI training data https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Zeb Larson /
@Zeb_Larson@zirk.us: Predictable grotesque behavior by Taylor and Francis. Academic authors get robbed left and right, but this is a new low: it's selling off allegedly valuable knowledge for what feels like two pieces of stale bread. https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Samuel Moore /
@Samuelmoore@hcommons.social: Lots of academics wondering what they should do about this and the answer is as simple as not publishing your monograph with Taylor & Francis or any of their imprints. There are so many other publishers who will do a better job and won't sell your data to Microsoft. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Robert W. Gehl /
@rwg@aoir.social: After 15+ years of hustling to publish #academic journal articles and books, a significant proportion of my work is now being sold off to #Microsoft to train #LLMs. I never consented to this, and of course when I started my career, I never predicted this. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ... …

Australian Financial Review:

Google has quietly renewed deals with Australian outlets, sources say as year-long deals, worth tens of millions of dollars under the News Media Bargaining Code— Google has been quietly renewing deals worth tens of millions of dollars with Australian publishers under the News Media Bargaining Code …

Discussion:
Mumbrella

Discussion:

Nathan Jolly /
Mumbrella: Google agrees to renew news media deals... for now

International Journalists' Network:

A look at China Fact Check, an independent group of volunteer fact checkers of international news reports for Chinese audiences operating exclusively via WeChat— False information is especially widespread in China due to government censorship, the country's pervasive Great Firewall …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple's Eddy Cue has pushed TV+ studio chiefs to exert more control over budgets, hoping to change Apple's reputation as the biggest spender in town— The iPhone maker is starting to exert more control over its production partners — Netflix extended its lead over fellow streaming services …

Discussion:
9to5Mac, @lucas_shaw and more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Benjamin Mayo /
9to5Mac: Apple TV+ attempts to rein in budgets on new projects, as The Morning Show season four spends $50 million on cast alone

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: A number of people refer to Apple as the ‘new HBO.’ While one could make this case creatively — not my area of expertise — this overlooks that HBO has produced many massive hits. Apple has not. Caveat: It's early. HBO didn't even fund big scripted programs until 20 years in.

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: Over the last several years, Apple has spent more than $20B on programs with lots of critical raves but few hits. The company is starting to closely examine its spending, hoping to push back on its reputation in Hollywood. This week's newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/...

The Guardian:

Australian Financial Review Editor-in-Chief Michael Stutchbury plans to step down after 13 years, as AFR owner Nine Entertainment cuts 200 jobs to save $30M— Publication's longest-serving editor calls time amid unrest at Nine Entertainment over job cuts and and latest pay offer

Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald and Mumbrella

Discussion:

Colin Kruger /
Sydney Morning Herald: Michael Stutchbury retires from AFR, James Chessell appointed editor-in-chief

Lauren McNamara /
Mumbrella: AFR's Michael Stutchbury steps down after 13 years

CNN:

Hunter Biden drops his lawsuit against Fox News over its “mock trial” miniseries about his overseas financial dealings, after filing it last month— Hunter Biden on Sunday abruptly dropped a lawsuit he filed last month against Fox News over the network's fictionalized miniseries …

Discussion:
HuffPost, TVNewsCheck, Reuters, Deadline, Axios, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Alex Weprin /
TVNewsCheck: Hunter Biden Drops Lawsuit Against Fox News

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Hunter Biden Ends Fox News Suit Over Mock Trial Series; Could Refile Later - Update

Rebecca Falconer /
Axios: Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Fox News over miniseries

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Hunter Biden Drops Lawsuit Against Fox News

Los Angeles Times:

LA County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated and urged the state AG to prosecute an LA Times reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies— For at least three years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated — and ultimately urged …

Discussion:
@mayalau, @_hamilton_matt, @jackfleonard, @mattdpearce, @jackfleonard, @keribla and @mayalau

Discussion:

Maya Lau /
@mayalau: The leak referenced in this story was critical in my being able to write articles, with my colleagues, that helped change laws to open more police disciplinary files for public review, undoing decades of secrecy in California.

Matt Hamilton /
@_hamilton_matt: After Times reporter @mayalau was leaked a list of problematic sheriff's deputies, the Sheriff's Department investigated her for years + wanted her charged for receiving stolen property. Important + chilling story from @keribla and @AleneTchek https://www.latimes.com/...

Jack Leonard /
@jackfleonard: This important @latimes story exposes an outrageous attempt by the LA Sheriff's Department to criminalize constitutionally protected journalism and lays bare the department's buffoonish investigation driven by clownish critical thinking. 🤡 https://www.latimes.com/...

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: Although I'm not surprised to hear of yet another abuse of press freedoms by the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. under Alex Villanueva, I'm disturbed ⁦@AGRobBonta⁩ can't muster more than a non-comment about this inappropriate investigation of ⁦@mayalau⁩. https://www.latimes.com/...

Jack Leonard /
@jackfleonard: And the sheriff's investigator who was targeting then-@latimes reporter @mayalau is Mark Lillienfeld, who was himself previously the subject of a leak investigation into whether he improperly helped a friend (a judge) charged with battery. https://www.latimes.com/...

Keri Blakinger /
@keribla: For >3 years, LASD secretly investigated — & urged the Cal AG to prosecute — an @latimes reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies. They claimed her 1A-protected reporting was actually a crime. My latest, with @AleneTchek: https://www.latimes.com/...

The Hollywood Reporter:

A year after the start of the double strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, studio executives, and agents have mixed responses on whether the strikes were worth it— While some of the creatives that shut down the entertainment industry in 2023 say the fight was absolutely worth the sacrifice …

Discussion:
@thr, @tvgrimreaper, @chuckslavindotcom@threads.net, @thr, AV Club, Digital Journal, @nelsoncarvajal, @patrickbigpix and @aworkmanwriter

Discussion:
@thr: Perhaps the most important result of the strike are the provisions that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA secured on AI. But the jury is still out on how effective the unions' AI language will be https://thr.cm/8RBCCB1 @tvgrimreaper: I'm no longer doing my, much more limited, streaming bonus calculations (travel!), but I hope these numbers leak out for comparison purposes. [image]

Chuck Slavin /
@chuckslavindotcom@threads.net: My comment: Another question worth asking... Would I have settled? NO! We had all the leverage as the fall lineup approached. A certain crowd folded... the same crowd that originally was only leveraging the strike for political gain. “Hoodwinked”. Actors, Writers Strike: One Year Later, Reckoning With the Decision | …

@thr:
One year after the strike, SAG-AFTRA actors are grappling with one of their union's signature 2023 contract gains: a bonus to reward performers for successful made-for-streaming titles https://thr.cm/p5MBXJG

William Hughes /
AV Club: One year later, how are the strike victories holding up?

Nelson Carvajal /
@nelsoncarvajal: “He called the WGA strike “one of the great self-inflicted wounds in union history,” adding that the work stoppage allowed companies time to reflect and make deep financial cuts all at once, rather than by tapering slowly over time.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Patrick Goldstein /
@patrickbigpix: Is it any surprise that virtually all of the complaints in the Hollywood Reporter's look back on the SAG-AFTRA strike come from anonymous writers, studio execs and talent agents: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Columbia Journalism Review:

Selina Cheng says her editor told her that staff advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict with WSJ's reporting of the issue in Hong Kong— After 2019, as China tightened its grip on Hong Kong and mass protests gripped the city, police raided the Apple Daily …

Discussion:
Media Voices, @joshgerstein, @bkesling, @lathram, @jennyabamu, @gaufre, @sewellchan, Talking Biz News and Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Discussion:

Josh Gerstein /
@joshgerstein: This @selina_cheng situation remains extremely embarrassing for the Wall Street Journal and damaging to its reputation at a time when it would be better for everyone worldwide to be rallying to its side over Evan Gershkovitch's plight https://www.cjr.org/...

Ben Kesling /
@bkesling: The latest bold leadership move from @emmatuckerWSJ “I pushed for press freedom in Hong Kong. The Wall Street Journal fired me.” https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr

James Graff /
@lathram: I knew Dow Jones used the term “restructuring” for layoffs cynically—but here it really pushed the envelope https://www.cjr.org/...

Jenny Abamu /
@jennyabamu: Never met a free press outlet anywhere in the world that doesn't support free press. Standing with Evan, Selina Cheng and press freedom everywhere. https://www.cjr.org/... @gaufre: “The Journal, she said, continues to report on incidents related to press freedom in the city, such as trials against the press, so having its employees advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict.” https://www.cjr.org/...

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: Powerful essay by @selina_cheng, Hong Kong journalist who says she was let go after running to lead the Hong Kong Journalists Association. https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Hong Kong foreign press club ‘concerned’ after head of journalists' union Selina Cheng fired by Wall Street Journal

RELATED:

South China Morning Post:
Media orgs, WSJ union, and a congressional panel express support for Selina Cheng, who says WSJ fired her for assuming Hong Kong Journalists Association's chair

Discussion:

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Women Press Freedom @CFWIJ said: “We urge WSJ and Dow Jones to reconsider their actions and reinstate Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Canadian press advocacy group @MAP_Canada said: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of their treatment of Selina Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor @HKLabourRights and 40 overseas HK civil society groups in an open letter said they were “shocked” by the move and called on WSJ to provide an explanation for the dismissal. https://hklabourrights.org/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: International press groups are leading a growing chorus of support for HKJA chairwoman @selina_cheng days after she was fired by @WSJ A (non-exhaustive)🧵on the groups around the globe speaking up https://www.scmp.com/... @ceccgov: Chairs are tracking concerns about the firing of reporter @Selina_Cheng upon her election as President of @HKJA_Official, and the disturbing questions about whether @WSJ is abetting the erosion of press freedoms in #HongKong. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Jane Manchun Wong /
@wongmjane@threads.net: WSJ only stands with their American journalists

Tom Grundy /
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Wall St Journal union urges paper to reinstate head of Hong Kong journalists' group Selina Cheng amid outcry

Ryan Ho Kilpatrick /
China Media Project: Code of Silence — In other parts of the world, getting elected to lead one's local press group … journalism.columbia.edu: Statement from the Columbia Journalism School Faculty in Support of Press Freedom and Selina Cheng, '16 M.S. Stabile

The Hollywood Reporter:

Nielsen: the Republican National Convention's final night averaged 25.38M US viewers over 14 outlets, up 7% from 2020; people 55+ were about 72% of the audience— Thursday's multi-network coverage beats the final night from four years ago, but the four-day average is lower.

Discussion:

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: RNC Night 4 Watched by 25 Million Viewers, Up 6% From Trump's 2020 Speech

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: TV #'s for Trump's speech mirror what happens at his rallies, where some spectators tend to leave early. CNN's ratings pattern looked just like Fox's. Between 10:45 and 11pm: 2.2 million. Between midnight and 12:15am: 1.4 million. Some viewers were transfixed; others were tired.

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: How many people stayed tuned to the Trump speech til the very end? The quarter-hour cable news #'s can give us a peek. Fox News viewership peaked between 10:45 and 11pm ET: 10.4 million. Between midnight and 12:15am, when Trump finished: 7.1 million. @tvmojoe: viewers 18-34: 1.7m (2020)—>1.35m (2024) viewers 35-54: 5.25m (2020)—>4.94m (2024) viewers 55+: 16M (2020)—>18.36m (2024) Yes, younger auds watch via streaming— but that was true in 2020 and since then, more older audiences have cut the cord. No evidence of Gen Z Trump boom

@tvmojoe:
also worth noting: Per Nielsen, viewership peaked during the 10:45-11 p.m. quarter hour (at 28.4m). That's right around when the speech started going off the rails. I don't have data, but audiences definitely tuned out as night wore on, which is to be expected as it gets later

@tvmojoe:
Last night's Trump rally/acceptance speech averaged 25.4 m viewers across 14 networks, down from the 32.2m who watched in 2016 (when Trump was a private citizen) but up a tick from his 2020 WH acceptance speech (23.5m.) His speech was DOWN in all key demos but up 2.6m viewers 55+

Annabella Rosciglione /
Washington Examiner: Trump's speech peaked during assassination attempt recall, with 25 million viewers

David Bauder /
Associated Press: From a media perspective, it was a tale of two Trump speeches — and long enough for both

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Trump convention speech nets Fox News 10 million viewers

Selome Hailu /
Variety: Donald Trump Speech Powers Most-Watched RNC Coverage, Peaking at 28.4 Million Viewers

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Trump's speech scores Fox News highest-ever RNC rating with 10M viewers

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: Trump's big night at Republican convention draws 25 million TV viewers

Brandon Mioduszewski /
Bloomberg: Trump Acceptance Speech Draws 25.4 Million Viewers, Tops 2020

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Republican Convention Viewership Rises To More Than 25 Million On Final Night Featuring Donald Trump's Speech

Sara Fischer /
Axios: More than 25M watched Trump's RNC speech

Zachary Leeman /
Mediaite: Fox News Scores Massive Ratings Win After Going ALL IN With RNC Coverage As Competition Bleeds Viewers

Mark Joyella /
Forbes: 20 Million Watch Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech; Fox News Beats All Cable And Broadcast Networks

Ramin Setoodeh /
Variety: Donald Trump Became a Reality TV Star Again With His Rambling Convention Speech

Jon Allsop /