Experts discuss Italy's declining press freedom under Giorgia Meloni's government, legal threats to journalists, public broadcaster RAI's independence, and more (Marina Adami/Reuters Institute)

Mediagazer: Experts discuss Italy's declining press freedom under Giorgia Meloni's government, legal threats to journalists, public broadcaster RAI's independence, and more (Marina Adami/Reuters Institute)

Top News:

Reuters Institute:

Experts discuss Italy's declining press freedom under Giorgia Meloni's government, legal threats to journalists, public broadcaster RAI's independence, and more— As two reports point to political interference, three experts discuss the risks posed by litigation and the future of the country's public broadcaster
Discussion: @piper5078, @lucialessi, @erika_marzano, @lucialessi, @mouradteyeb, @lucialessi, @francesdibi and @_goncaloalmeid

Discussion:

Laura Kirkpatrick /
@piper5078: “When clichés about Russia, the pandemic, the economy, and Ukraine are repeatedly echoed by the government, the result is serious.” In Italy, a cautionary tale of a leader who vilifies a free press and is starting to apply types of censorships. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Lucia Alessi /
@lucialessi: “The Italian press has a limited tradition of fairness and impartiality,” @riotta added. “It operates in a partisan, biassed manner, and social media, both on the right and left, have fuelled this tendency to the point of absurdity.” https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Erika Marzano /
@erika_marzano: “There has never been such unprecedented intrusion into editorial policy,” said Renate Schroeder, Director of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). In recent months, concerns about press freedom in Italy have intensified. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Lucia Alessi /
@lucialessi: “In Italy, we started late with web journalism, data journalism, and now AI. It's not a matter of right or left, but a cultural, anti-tech Luddite flaw. In fact, when it comes to AI, both the right and left are stuck in the past,” @riotta said. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ... @mouradteyeb: #Italy #FarRight “The Italian far right has always thought that mainstream #media hold a negative opinion of those who come from neo-fascist groups.” #Meloni #RAI #Populism #Fascism https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Lucia Alessi /
@lucialessi: “I don't believe in a hidden plan or agenda, but in the growing weakness of mainstream media, and the spread of online disinformation,” @riotta said. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Francesca De Benedetti /
@francesdibi: Reuters Institute ⁦@risj_oxford⁩ (Uni. Oxford) writes about #Meloni's attacks on #MediaFreedom and “a potential drift towards democratic backsliding”. Thanks ⁦@Marina__Adami⁩ for interviewing me, and for writing about what's happening in #Italy https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

Gonçalo Almeida /
@_goncaloalmeid: Antonio Scurati, the author of a documentary novel about Mussolini and the rise of fascism, was preparing to read a TV monologue to mark the anniversary of the end of Nazi occupation in 1945. But at the last minute, it was cancelled. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac .uk/ ...

CommonWealth Beacon:

A look at Melrose Update Robocast, a podcast generated using Google's NotebookLM and public documents and born of frustration with a Massachusetts news desert— A NEW LOCAL PODCAST covering Melrose debuted this month. Over about 15 minutes, an unnamed man and woman chat …

Discussion:
@morisy@jawns.club, Media Nation and Wired

Discussion:

Michael Morisy /
@morisy@jawns.club: “I think that the problem with these AI-generated articles is that the writing is bad and the reporting isn't accurate, and those are two pretty critical things for journalists and for journalism.” https://commonwealthbeacon.org/ ...

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: Northeastern news project wins $100k grant; plus, more on the Herald, and AI hell in Melrose

Reece Rogers /
Wired: Google's NotebookLM Now Lets You Customize Its AI Podcasts

Reuters:

Netflix gained 5.1M new subscribers in Q3, vs. 4M est., and says more than 50% of signups were for its ad-supported tier in countries where it was available— Netflix (NFLX.O) picked up 5.1 million streaming subscribers in the third quarter, topping Wall Street estimates by more than 1 million …

Discussion:
RetailWire, @reutersbiz, Barron's Online, Adweek, MediaPost, Associated Press, Observer, Forbes, Bloomberg, Capital Brief, StreamTV Insider, The Times, Entrepreneur, RTÉ, The Wrap, The Verge, The Desk, Boston Herald, IndieWire, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, Deadline, Advanced Television and Business Insider

Discussion:

Jake Brenner /
RetailWire: Netflix Grows Subscribers and Revenue in Q3 2024 @reutersbiz: Netflix picked up 5.1 million streaming subscribers in the third quarter, topping Wall Street estimates by more than 1 million, and said it expected higher customer growth around the holidays when Korean drama ‘Squid Game’ returns. More here: https://www.reuters.com/... [video] Barron's Online: Netflix Is Winning the Subscriber Battle. Why It's Now Pressing the Mute Button and 5 Other Things to Know Today.

Brad Pareso /
Adweek: Netflix Adds 5.1M Subs, Details 2 Big Ads Initiatives

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: Netflix' Strong 3Q Revenues, Ad-Options Gain. But Mixed Subscribers

Michael Liedtke /
Associated Press: Netflix's subscriber growth is slowing, but its profit and stock price are still surging

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly /
Observer: Netflix Added 5M Subscribers in Q3 Despite Lingering Effects of Hollywood Strikes

Bevin Fletcher /
StreamTV Insider: Netflix reports revenue, subscriber growth in Q3

Louisa Clarence-Smith /
The Times: Netflix beats expectations with 5m new subscribers

Sherin Shibu /
Entrepreneur: Is Netflix Raising Prices? Analysts Predict Yes as Company Posts Earnings

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Netflix Profits Surge 41% in Q3 to $2.36 Billion as Streamer Adds 5 Million Subscribers

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Netflix adds 5 million global subscribers during Q3

Tony Maglio /
IndieWire: Netflix Added 5 Million Subscribers This Summer

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Netflix Stock Ticks Up On Earnings Beat: Streamer Stresses Engagement As It Plans To Stop Reporting Quarterly Subscriber Numbers Next Year

Alex Bitter /
Business Insider: Netflix beat expectations yet again

RELATED:

CNBC:
Netflix reports Q3 revenue up 15% YoY to $9.83B, vs. $9.76B est., paid memberships up 14% to 282.72M, vs. 282.15M est., and net income of $2.4B

Discussion:
Netflix, UPI, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Motley Fool, StreamTV Insider, Benzinga, Quartz, Business Insider, Euronews, @lucas_shaw, The Hollywood Reporter, @carnage4life@mas.to, Sarah Whitten on LinkedIn, Financial Times, Axios, Thurrott, Front Office Sports, Light Reading, Neowin, Deadline, The Streamable, Variety, Quartz, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Deadline and New York Times

Discussion:
Netflix: Fellow shareholders — In Q3, revenue grew 15% year over year and operating margin was 30% vs. 22% last year.

Doug Cunningham /
UPI: Netflix shares rise 11% as third-quarter results beat expectations, membership rises

Georg Szalai /
The Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Earnings Review: Stock Pop, More Price Target Hikes, But Also More Warnings

Daniel Frankel /
StreamTV Insider: Subscriber growth is nice, but Netflix poised to shift narrative to engagement

Dylan Berman /
Benzinga: What's Going On With Netflix Shares Friday?

Shubhangi Goel /
Business Insider: Netflix just had a blockbuster quarter, and its Asia strategy had a big role to play in it

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: New: Netflix added about 5 million customers last quarter and beat Wall Street forecasts on pretty much every metric.

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@mas.to: Netflix's growth strategy of clamping down on password sharing while proving an ad-supported tier as an escape hatch has been an incredible success. — The company beat expectations on revenue, profits & new subscribers. The ad tier is helping as 50% of new sign ups are on that tier in the markets it's available. …

Sarah Whitten /
Sarah Whitten on LinkedIn: Netflix posted third-quarter earnings Thursday that beat on the top and bottom lines as its advertising business continued to grow. …

Daniel Thomas /
Financial Times: Netflix's third-quarter revenue and subscriber numbers beat expectations

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Netflix beats subscriber estimates as ad tier grows

Paul Thurrott /
Thurrott: Netflix Revenues Up 7.8 Percent to $8.5 Billion

Eric Fisher /
Front Office Sports: Netflix Shares Rise on Strong Earnings As Christmas NFL Games Lie Ahead

Jeff Baumgartner /
Light Reading: Netflix beats Wall Street with 5.1M sub adds in Q3

John Callaham /
Neowin: Netflix added just over 5 million new subscribers in the third quarter of 2024

Jennifer Maas /
Variety: Netflix Adds 5 Million Paid Subscribers in Q3 to Reach 282 Million Globally

Bruce Gil /
Quartz: Netflix is serious about ads

Jessica Toonkel /
Wall Street Journal: Netflix Subscriber Growth Slows Amid Revenue Gains

Alexandra Canal /
Yahoo Finance: Netflix earnings, subscriber growth top estimates as investors eye potential price hikes

Nicole Sperling /
New York Times: Netflix Adds 5 Million Subscriptions in Quarter

Variety:
Netflix forecasts 2025 revenue of $43B-$44B, which would be 11%-13% higher than its 2024 guidance, and targets a 2025 operating margin of 28% vs. 27% in 2024

Discussion:

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Netflix Stock Rallies 11% After Q3 Earnings Beat

Martin Peers /
The Information: Netflix Stock Hits All Time High

Upwallstreet /
Benzinga: Netflix's Smashing Quarter Reflects A Shift In Priorities

Greg McKenna /
Fortune: Netflix shares jump 11% on blowout earnings, studio touts return of ‘Squid Game’

Alexandra Canal /
Yahoo Finance: Netflix stock surges after earnings, subscriber growth top estimates

Charley Blaine Amg-Thestreet /
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Netflix hints on when subscriber rates may rise

Parkev Tatevosian /
Motley Fool: Should You Buy Netflix Stock After the Spectacular Earnings Update?

Mansha Daswani /
WORLD SCREEN: Netflix Revenues Rise 15 Percent In Q3

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka: I wrote about how Netflix now makes $9 billion a year in profit - actual net income - and no one cares but a few year ago smart people thought they'd have trouble paying off their debt. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...

Peter White /
Deadline: Netflix Slams Rivals' Bundling Plans, Blames Strikes For “Patchier” Programming

Victoria McNally /
AdExchanger: Netflix Predicts Ad Revenue Will Double Next Year

CNBC:

A look at possible reasons, per sources, DirecTV has lost 10% of its commercial customers this NFL season, including customers choosing the EverPass bundle— A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news …

Discussion:
Alex Sherman on LinkedIn, Jason Chung on LinkedIn and The Streamable

Discussion:

Alex Sherman /
Alex Sherman on LinkedIn: Sunday Ticket wars! A candid Q&A on NIL with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman! And more! — The new CNBC Sport newsletter is out. …

Jason Chung /
Jason Chung on LinkedIn: The entertainment industry as a whole needs to rethink its approach to licensing, aligning costs and services with modern business needs …

The Bookseller:

Penguin Random House amends its copyright notice globally to prohibit the use of books for training AI; the notice will be included in new titles and reprints— The world's biggest trade publisher has changed the wording on its copyright pages to help protect authors' intellectual property …

Discussion:
TechCrunch, Pluralistic, Engadget, @isobel_starling, Mashable, @mrewanmorrison, @santi_garcia@mastodon.world, @RobertDaleParker@mstdn.social, @suzanasukovic, @jalefkowit@vmst.io, @rachel@norfolk.social, Lynn Johnston on LinkedIn, Iurgi Urrutia AALIA (DCP) on LinkedIn, Suzanne Arnold on LinkedIn, The Verge and Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Cory Doctorow /
Pluralistic: Pluralistic: Penguin Random House, AI, and writers' rights (19 Oct 2024)

Danny Gallagher /
Engadget: Penguin Random House amends its copyright rules to protect authors from AI

Isobel Starling /
@isobel_starling: #writingcommunity Finally, we have a trad publisher who is rebuffing AI and changing their copyright page to ensure their authors are protected. It's an important move during a very turbulent time for all in publishing. https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Belen Edwards /
Mashable: Penguin Random House copyright pages will now forbid AI training

Ewan Morrison /
@mrewanmorrison: Well done- other publishers should also protect authors from theft by AI systems.

Santi Garcia /
@santi_garcia@mastodon.world: Penguin Random House changes the #copyright page of its #books to address their use as a source for #AI training: “No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.” — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Robert Dale Parker /
@RobertDaleParker@mstdn.social: So Penguin Random House is revising its copyright pages to rule out the use of PRH books for AI scraping. Good! But why do they have to make that change? AI scraping of copyrighted publications wd obviously be illegal if ordinary folks did it, but when billionaires do it, suddenly people take copyright violation as the billionaires' God-given right. …

Suzana Sukovic, PhD /
@suzanasukovic: @penguinrandom amended its copyright notice to protect authors and their works from being used for LLMs. “PRH is believed to be the first of the Big Five anglophone trade publishers to amend its copyright information” to address the use by AI https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Jason S. Pumpkins /
@jalefkowit@vmst.io: “The world's biggest trade publisher has changed the wording on its copyright pages to help protect authors' intellectual property from being used to train large language models and other artificial intelligence tools, The Bookseller can exclusively reveal. …

Rachel Lawson /
@rachel@norfolk.social: Interesting and encouraging to see Penguin House specifically calling out using their content for training of large language models is not permitted and subject to copyright. — I'd love them to go ahead and sue any end user of generative AI whose content appears to contain their copyrighted material. …

Lynn Johnston /
Lynn Johnston on LinkedIn: NEW: Penguin Random House will add the following language to the copyright page of new titles and backlist that are reprinted …

Iurgi Urrutia /
Iurgi Urrutia AALIA (DCP) on LinkedIn: This is a step in the right direction. It's been really disturbing to see artists finding traces of their art in AI generated art. …

Suzanne Arnold /
Suzanne Arnold on LinkedIn: Very interested to see Penguin Random House adding “No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose …

Todd Feathers /
Gizmodo: Penguin Adds a Do-Not-Scrape-for-AI Page to Its Books

CNN:

A federal judge issues a restraining order against Florida's surgeon general for threatening TV stations with criminal charges for airing a pro-abortion ad— New York CNN — — “To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it's the First Amendment, stupid.”

Discussion:
Washington Post, Joe.My.God., @nbcnews@threads.net, WTSP, People, Washington Examiner, Ars Technica, Florida Politics, Orlando Sentinel, Slate, UPI, @twrling@sfba.social, Reuters, NBC Bay Area, Techdirt, Advocate, The Week, Fox News, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Guardian, Adweek, Reason, al.com, New York Times, Associated Press, @unbonfromage@threads.net, Axios, Daily Kos, New Republic, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Hill and Florida Phoenix

Discussion:

Lori Rozsa /
Washington Post: Judge orders DeSantis administration to stop threats over abortion ads

Joe Jervis /
Joe.My.God.: DeSantis Lawyer Quits Over Threats To TV Stations @nbcnews@threads.net: A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order against Florida's surgeon general, the latest development in a legal battle over a television ad supporting the state's abortion rights ballot measure. WTSP: Judge blocks Florida's top doctor from threatening TV stations over abortion-rights commercial

Colson Thayer /
People: Judge Orders DeSantis Administration to Stop ‘Threatening’ Florida TV Stations for Airing Abortion Ads

Gabrielle M. Etzel /
Washington Examiner: Florida judge orders DeSantis administration stop threats over abortion amendment ads

Jon Brodkin /
Ars Technica: Judge slams Florida for censoring political ad: “It's the First Amendment, stupid”

Gabrielle Russon /
Florida Politics: Woman featured in abortion rights ad speaks out after state tried to get it off the air

Skyler Swisher /
Orlando Sentinel: 'It's the First Amendment, stupid.' Abortion rights supporters praise judge's harsh words for DeSantis administration

Tracy Rosenberg /
@twrling@sfba.social: “To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it's the First Amendment, stupid”. #Amendment4 #Abortion https://www.cnn.com/...

Brendan Pierson /
Reuters: Florida officials barred from threatening TV stations over abortion rights ads

Danielle Abreu /
NBC Bay Area: Judge blocks Florida from threatening TV stations over abortion ad: 'It's the First Amendment, stupid'

Mike Masnick /
Techdirt: 'To Keep It Simple... It's the First Amendment, Stupid': Judge Slams Florida's Attempt To Censor Abortion Initiative Ads

Ryan Adamczeski /
Advocate: Florida judge chastises Ron DeSantis for threatening abortion ad: 'It's the First Amendment, stupid'

Peter Weber /
The Week: Florida ordered to allow pro-abortion rights ads

Tom Sullivan /
Digby's Hullabaloo: “It's the First Amendment, stupid”

Carter Sherman /
The Guardian: Judge slaps down Florida effort to ban abortion ad: 'It's the first amendment, stupid'

Elizabeth Nolan Brown /
Reason: 'It's the First Amendment, Stupid': Federal Judge Slams Florida for Threatening TV Stations

Lawrence Mower /
al.com: Judge tells DeSantis to stop threats over abortion TV ad: 'It's the First Amendment, stupid'

Patricia Mazzei /
New York Times: Judge Orders DeSantis Administration to Stop Threats Over Abortion-Rights Ad Associated Press: Judge tells Florida's top doctor not to threaten TV stations over abortion-rights ads

Liam Reilly /
@unbonfromage@threads.net: “Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker of the Northern District of Florida granted a temporary restraining order against Florida's surgeon general after the state health department threatened to bring criminal charges against broadcasters airing the ad.” — Read my full story with @brianstelter for @cnn here: …

Sareen Habeshian /
Axios: Florida judge grants temporary restraining order over abortion measure ads

Morgan Stephens /
Daily Kos: Trump and other GOP goons can't stop stomping all over free speech

Michael Luciano /
Mediaite: Judge Brutally Smacks Down DeSantis Ban on Pro-Abortion Ad: 'It's the First Amendment, Stupid'

Matthew Chapman /
Raw Story: 'It's the First Amendment, stupid': Federal court smacks down Ron DeSantis

Juliann Ventura /
The Hill: Judge issues temporary injunction against Florida health officials over abortion ad threats

Variety:

The BFI London Film Festival pulls the documentary Undercover: Exposing the Far Right at the last minute over safety concerns— A documentary exposing a network of far-right activists in the U.K. has been pulled from the BFI London Film Festival at the last minute over safety concerns.

Discussion:
The Guardian, @xankarn@mastodon.online, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Vanessa Thorpe /
The Guardian: Undercover film exposing UK far-right activists pulled from London festival

Alexander Karn /
@xankarn@mastodon.online: @Mediagazer — Tough call. Safety first, but also: Do not obey in advance.

Zac Ntim /
Deadline: London Film Festival Pulled Far-Right Doc At Eleventh Hour Over “Safety” Concerns

Financial Times:

Filings: Nigel Farage has increased his shares in GB News from 300K shares to 500K, and George Farmer, former CEO of Parler, has become an investor— City fund manager Helena Morrissey and chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos also awarded extra stock — Nigel Farage has increased …

Adweek:

Bloomberg launches a Weekend Edition to reduce churn; CPO Julia Beizer says the publisher has 740K subscribers, of which about 40% are from outside the US— The new editorial product will focus on the intersection of finance and culture, boosting weekend readership

Discussion:
Bloomberg, Ed Johnson on LinkedIn and Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Katherine Bell /
Bloomberg: What to Expect in Bloomberg's New Weekend Edition

Ed Johnson /
Ed Johnson on LinkedIn: Bloomberg Media has launched its new Weekend Edition. Every week, we'll bring you a collection of essays, reviews, interviews and stories that explore the intersection of finance and culture. …

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Bloomberg launches weekend edition

Second Rough Draft:

Some Knight Foundation grantees detail funding issues, including long delays after approval, and say they've been told it is pausing most grants through H1 2025— Looking at front-loading, an unannounced strategic review, and a hold on “prioritizing” new grants

Discussion:

Reconstitution /
Reconstitution, Inc. on LinkedIn: Oh Richard. From my seat at Reconstitution I've been ranting about all of this for years but on two completely different dimensions which you, Knight, Press Forward, and Newmark still miss. …

Markus Schöberl /
Markus Schöberl on LinkedIn: Nonprofit-expert Richard Tofel draws a scary picture of the US-industries largest funder of news organizations. …

Richard Tofel /
Richard Tofel on LinkedIn: Concerns about the front-loading of Press Forward, an unannounced strategic review and pause on new grants, and admitted administrative problems at the leading institutional funder of journalism. …

Maribel Pérez Wadsworth /
Knight Foundation: Accelerating Philanthropy - An update from Maribel Pérez Wadsworth

Tom Davidson /
Editor and Publisher: Press Forward just sent us a message Press Forward: Press Forward awards $20 million to 205 local news outlets - including one in every state - for their work closing persistent coverage gaps

Eric Deggans /
@edeggans@threads.net: So cool to see that the Press Forward initiative is helping uplift and preserve journalism with grants averaging $100,000 each to 205 newsrooms across the country, including the Independent Florida Alligator and Watermark in Florida. DETAILS: https://www.pressforward.news/ ...

Pew Research Center:

Pew: 37% of Republicans and 38% of Democrats trust information from social media; 40% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats trust national news organizations— Republicans are now nearly as likely to trust the information that comes from social media sites as they are to trust information …

The Information:

LinkedIn woos publishers, testing a “News Banner” on its mobile app feed and a video ad program that sources say will earn Bloomberg and WSJ $2M+ each in 2024— As Facebook owner Meta Platforms has backed away from news, Microsoft's LinkedIn has leaned into it.

Discussion:

Glenn Gabe /
Glenn Gabe on LinkedIn: Are you a news publisher? Heads-up -> LinkedIn is (trying to be) News Publishers' New Best Friend — “In the next few days it will start testing …

Rodrigo Brancatelli /
Rodrigo Brancatelli on LinkedIn: Check out this great article from The Information. At LinkedIn, our team is deeply committed to bringing top-tier news and insights to our members …

Catherine Taibi Autorino /
Catherine Taibi Autorino on LinkedIn: Our vision at LinkedIn is to connect Members with relevant professional news & knowledge from trusted sources. …

Dan Horowitz /
Dan Horowitz on LinkedIn: Great new post from The Information. Just one of the stats in the piece - The number of videos published to LinkedIn by publishers on a weekly basis …

Wired:

Inside the inaugural Culver Cup, a generative AI film competition sponsored by AWS and FBRC.ai giving filmmakers AI tools and three weeks to submit a short— Amazon is hosting AI filmmaking competitions. Meta is letting directors test Movie Gen. As tech companies develop new tools …

Discussion:
Todd Terrazas on LinkedIn, Variety, Reuters and Meta, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Todd Terrazas /
Todd Terrazas on LinkedIn: I grew up reading Wired magazine because my older brother had a subscription. I never dreamt of the day when I would be quoted in an article... …

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Meta Teams With Blumhouse and Filmmakers Like Casey Affleck to Test Movie Gen AI Tool Meta: Meta announces first results from its work with Blumhouse Productions on a pilot program seeking creative industry feedback on Meta's AI video model Movie Gen