Judges have allowed First Amendment free speech rights to be hijacked to suppress the sovereignty of humans in favor of the power of companies and machines (Tim Wu/New York Times)

Mediagazer: Judges have allowed First Amendment free speech rights to be hijacked to suppress the sovereignty of humans in favor of the power of companies and machines (Tim Wu/New York Times)

Top News:

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Skydance reached a preliminary deal to pay $1.75B for National Amusements and agreed to a 45-day period where other Paramount bidders can make offers— Skydance would pay $1.75 billion for National Amusements under the preliminary deal — David Ellison's production company …
Discussion: New York Times: Sources: talks between Skydance and Shari Redstone's National Amusements resume, just weeks after the parties called off initial negotiations

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Paramount, Skydance Media Reach Tentative Merger Agreement

Cynthia Littleton /
Variety: Skydance Media and National Amusements Inc. Reach New Merger Agreement for Paramount Global

Sahil Patel /
The Information: David Ellison's Skydance Reaches New Deal to Buy Paramount Global Owner Deadline: Back In Business: Skydance And Shari Redstone Reach Terms On New Merger Proposal For Paramount

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: @RichLightShed Yes! That's not mutually exclusive here. They can invest in P+ with another service. @richlightshed: @sherman4949 Well see, but our reporting has been consistent that they want to invest heavily in Paramount+ to compete with Netflix

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: BTW If Skydance does reach a deal with Paramount, as I reported yesterday, the Skydance team is also interested in merging Paramount+ with another streaming service. https://www.cnbc.com/...

Paul Constant /
@paulconstant.com: Perhaps I died and am in purgatory. That would explain why the news has been regurgitating “Biden is old” and “Paramount might sell to Skydance” stories like a skipping record for the past three months. [embedded post]

RELATED:
Bloomberg:

Sources: Paramount Global is in exclusive talks to sell BET for $1.6B-$1.7B to buyers that include BET CEO Scott Mills and Chinh Chu, who runs CC Capital— - Discussing offer from BET CEO and CC Capital's Chinh Chu — New interest after Paramount talks with Skydance fell apart

Discussion:
IndieWire, Variety, The Streamable, The Wrap, The Desk, New York Post, @mattbelloni and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Paramount Reportedly in Talks to Sell BET for $1.6 Billion in Buyout Led by CEO Scott Mills

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Paramount Stock Rises Over 5% Amid Renewed BET Network Sale Talks

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Paramount looks to sell BET for around $1.7 billion New York Post: Paramount mulls $1.7B offer to sell BET to its CEO and NYC private equity firm: report

Matthew Belloni /
@mattbelloni: So Shari's failure to sell a year ago lowered the price of the asset a few hundred million dollars 🤦 ♂️ .... https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Erik Hayden /
The Hollywood Reporter: Paramount Renews Talks to Sell BET Assets

New York Times:
Sources: Barry Diller is exploring a bid to take control of Paramount; his digital media conglomerate, IAC, has signed NDAs with National Amusements

Discussion:
The Ankler, Fast Company, Axios, Cord Cutters News, The Wrap, The Streamable, NewscastStudio, CNBC, @webbarr, @davidkeithlaw, @jbmp51, @jgdean14, @davidpoland, @susanlitv, @davidgura, @benmullin, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Variety, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter, Alex Sherman on LinkedIn, TVNewsCheck, Deadline, Bloomberg, Media Play News and CNBC

Discussion:

Matthew Frank /
The Ankler: Barry Diller: 'I Never Said Legacy Studios Couldn't Thrive in the Future'

Chris Morris /
Fast Company: What would Barry Diller's Paramount look like?

Dan Primack /
Axios: Report: Barry Diller is circling Paramount

Alexei Barrionuevo /
The Wrap: Over 3 Decades Later, Barry Diller Takes Another Swing at Paramount

David Satin /
The Streamable: Billionaire Former Paramount Pictures Head Barry Diller Is in Talks to Buy Paramount Global

Michael P. Hill /
NewscastStudio: Barry Diller, Paramount Global in acquisition talks: Report

Lillian Rizzo /
CNBC: Media mogul Barry Diller weighs a bid to gain control of Paramount

Jason Miller /
@jbmp51: Memories....of deals of the past Barry Diller Explores Bid to Take Control of Paramount https://www.nytimes.com/...

David Poland /
@davidpoland: Ha. Diller has been saying studios are dead for years. But this is pretty much why Redstone dumped Ellison. If the company is being sold for parts, Diller is more skilled than most at that. Barry Diller Explores Bid to Take Control of Paramount - NYT https://www.nytimes.com/...

Susan Li /
@susanlitv: Barry Diller Explores Bid to Take Control of #Paramount Diller tried to acquire Paramount Pictures in early '90s Also head of Paramount Pictures in 1974 at the age of 32 Day of interest in $para after Zaz & #WarnerBrosDiscovery explore a streaming tieup https://www.nytimes.com/...

David Gura /
@davidgura: Barry Diller scrambles the Sun Valley agenda.

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: scoop w/@LaurenSHirsch: Barry Diller makes a run at Paramount https://www.nytimes.com/... $PARA

Antonio Pequeño IV /
Forbes: Billionaire Barry Diller In Potential Takeover Talks With Paramount Following Skydance's Failed Bid, Report Says Los Angeles Times: Barry Diller expresses interest in Redstone family firm (and Paramount controlling shareholder)

Brian Welk /
IndieWire: The Latest Contender for Paramount Is Its Former CEO Who Once Let the Studio Slip Away

Alex Sherman /
Alex Sherman on LinkedIn: Paramount Global is looking for a partner for Paramount+. Warner Bros Discovery has interest in a deal. …

Erik Pedersen /
Deadline: Barry Diller Kicking Tires On Paramount Bid - Report

Hannah Miller /
Bloomberg: Barry Diller Explores Possible Paramount Bid, NY Times Says

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Paramount Global Reportedly Discussing Merging Paramount+ With Third Party Platforms

Mastodon Blog:

Mastodon adds clickable bylines under article links, pointing to the author's fediverse account; The Verge and MacRumors are among the pubs using the feature— A new feature for media organizations, journalists and bloggers — To reinforce and encourage Mastodon as the go-to place for journalism …

Discussion:
The Verge, TechCrunch, @Mastodon@mastodon.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @frozencanuck@mas.to, @dimillian@mastodon.social, @nileane@nileane.fr, J. Nathan Matias on LinkedIn, @btp@fosstodon.org, @Edent@mastodon.social, @ernie@writing.exchange, @seanfobbe@fediscience.org, @amberage@eldritch.cafe, @IceCubesApp@mastodon.online, @mho@social.heise.de, @buddiesofbudgie@floss.social and Melanie Sill on LinkedIn

Discussion:

Sarah Perez /
TechCrunch: Twitter/X alternative Mastodon appeals to journalists with new ‘byline’ feature @Mastodon@mastodon.social: Today we're launching a new #Mastodon feature that will highlight writers and journalists that are active on the fediverse when their their articles are being shared. — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ...

Dan Gillmor /
@dangillmor@mastodon.social: Kudos to @Gargron for giving journalists a terrific new tool for built-in bylines. I will use it as soon as permitted! — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... @frozencanuck@mas.to: “Mastodon is the perfect platform to amass a loyal audience that you, as the author, truly own, and can take with you across the fediverse” — This is an excellent feature! — I really hope journalists take note and make use of it. And for those journalists who are not yet on @Mastodon it will help motivate them to give Mastodon a try. …

Thomas Ricouard /
@dimillian@mastodon.social: I love journalism, and this is excellent news! — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... @nileane@nileane.fr: Some great podcast recommendations in @Mastodon's latest announcement post 👀 — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... [image]

J. Nathan Matias /
J. Nathan Matias on LinkedIn: Excited to see new Mastodon features designed to highlight journalism on the platform: “To reinforce and encourage Mastodon as the go-to place for journalism, we're launching a new feature today. …

Terence Eden /
@Edent@mastodon.social: If you share a link to my blog - shkspr.mobi - Mastodon will now let people see that I wrote it. — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... This is a great move for the #OpenWeb - and it is brilliant to finally move away from the moribund #OpenGraphProtocol.

Ernie Smith /
@ernie@writing.exchange: Good news—@tedium is one of the sites doing this. https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... @seanfobbe@fediscience.org: This seems like a really cool new feature to make Mastodon more attractive to journalists by highlighting their Mastodon accounts under their articles: https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... I'm curious to see it in action.

Mx Amber Alex /
@amberage@eldritch.cafe: Highlighting journalism on Mastodon | Eugen Rochko, Mastodon gGmbH Blog — 1) That will get abused SO much. Write something malicious, misattribute to someone whose reputation you'd like to ruin, et voila. The allowlisting is a good stopgap, but he ruins that by announcing it will be disabled (or disableable) in the future. … @IceCubesApp@mastodon.online: Some new shiny stuff is coming to the app very soon! — Redesigned the News screen (previously Trending Links), and it's now a default tab (replacing the Messages tab) — You can now tap the “X posts” button to see a timeline of all posts mentioning this link. …

Martin Holland /
@mho@social.heise.de: I like the new #CreatorTag introduced by #Mastodon today and hope this gets adopted widely: — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... But don't you think, it's a little bit sad, that @Gargron and his screenshots most prominently mention the adoption by @verge even though all of their authors haven't been active here for weeks, months or even years? … @buddiesofbudgie@floss.social: The blog posts on our website now support the recently announced #Fediverse creator meta tag by @Mastodon 🎉 — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... If you have a news site or blog, be sure to add this support as well. That way we can highlight more awesome folks in the Fediverse.

CNBC:

EverPass Media, which has commercial rights to NFL's Sunday Ticket, acquires UPshow, a service that enables live sports streaming at commercial establishments— A satellite dish is no longer the only way bars and restaurants can air the National Football League's package of “Sunday Ticket” games.

Discussion:
EverPass Media, Awful Announcing, The Media Leader, The Hill, Deadline, Barrett Media, Sportico and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:
EverPass Media: EverPass Media Acquires UPshow, Allowing NFL Sunday Ticket to be Streamed at Commercial Businesses for the First Time Ever

Joe Lucia /
Awful Announcing: EverPass Media acquires UPshow, allowing further Sunday Ticket commercial distribution

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: EverPass Media brings streamed NFL Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: UFC & WWE Parent TKO Group Invests In EverPass Media, A Distributor Of NFL Sunday Ticket And Other Sports Properties To Commercial Businesses

Caitlin Huston /
Sportico: TKO Invests In NFL, RedBird Venture as It Inks Sunday Ticket Deal

Wired:

AI spam still sometimes ranks higher than original reporting in Google Search despite Google's adjustments to target AI spam in March 2024— Google adjusted its policies to target AI spam earlier this year, but plagiarizing content still comes up higher in search results months later—and SEO experts aren't sure why.

Discussion:
Quartz, @wired, Beyond Search, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Morgan Haefner /
Quartz: AI energy demand is ruining Google's environmental goals @wired: @reece___rogers “This is a really rampant problem on Google right now, and it's hard to answer specifically why it's happening,” says Lily Ray, senior director of search engine optimization at the marketing agency Amsive. Full story: https://www.wired.com/...

@wired:
great! now, google search's AI is prioritizing sites that plagiarize news instead of original news sources. let's dive into the mess 🙃 https://www.wired.com/...

@wired:
what does that look like? let us show you. hoping to find a recent story on adobe's AI, @reece___rogers typed in “adobe train ai content” into google search. the result? our WIRED story *under* a site that basically plagiarized our entire article https://www.wired.com/... [image]

Stephen E. Arnold /
Beyond Search: Will Google Charge for AI Features? Of Course

Variety:

Following Paramount's takedown of MTV News, the Internet Archive has assembled a searchable index of 460,575 web pages earlier published at MTV.com/news— MTV News lives! Well, sort of. … You can search the MTV News archive on the organization's Wayback Machine at this link.

Discussion:
Deadline, Internet Archive Blogs, Rolling Stone, @internetarchive, POP!, @jillpantozzi, @center4popmusic and @variety

Discussion:

Denise Petski /
Deadline: MTV News Lives On In Internet Archive

Allysa Fernandez /
POP!: ‘Digital preservation under threat’: Internet Archive battles legal challenges

Jill Pantozzi /
@jillpantozzi: More of this please!!! @center4popmusic: Huge kudos to @internetarchive for saving this valuable source of online popular music research.

New York Times:

Judges have allowed First Amendment free speech rights to be hijacked to suppress the sovereignty of humans in favor of the power of companies and machines— The First Amendment was written in the 18th century with the noble and vitally important goal of ensuring robust political debate and a free press.

Discussion:
Fox News, @alex, @elonmusk, @sergiovengeance, @centralunplan, @scottlincicome, @aricohn, @mkhammer, @murielblaivephd, @jeninyounesesq, Reason, @g_shullenberger, Electronic Frontier Foundation, @rationalist69, @jess_miers, @aaron_renn, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @scottgreenfield, @pluribuspub, @KevinCarson1@kolektiva.social, Freedom of the Press …, @g_shullenberger, @michaelkpate, @g_shullenberger, @emmma_camp_, News/Media Alliance, Engadget, The Verge, Voice of America, Bloomberg, Free Press, Slate, Techdirt, Deadline and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:
Fox News: Former Biden adviser's op-ed lambasted for claim that the ‘First Amendment is out of control’ @alex: this is actually a guest essay by Tim Wu arguing that offering 1A protections to certain corporate decisions that are automated could be an error but go off on the virtue-signaling

Sergio Vengeance /
@sergiovengeance: The first amendment says “Congress shall make no law” It does NOT say “Mark Zuckerberg shall make no terms of service on Facebook.” If you don't understand this then you don't understand the basics about the first amendment and what it protects.

Ash Kantor /
@centralunplan: I am seeing dunks on this article but its fine - it is not “obvious” that the 1st Am extends to content algs, selling data, financial donations, or foreign ownership of comm platforms. It could! Imo it should for some of those. But it is clearly a contested expansion.

Scott Lincicome /
@scottlincicome: If we don't control the first amendment, then giant tech companies like the New York Times might end up amplifying dangerous opinions about the first amendment.

Ari Cohn /
@aricohn: If at any point you find yourself arguing that the First Amendment is out of control because it is protecting too much speech from government meddling, consider whether it is in fact you that is out of control.

Mary Katharine Ham /
@mkhammer: Guys, the First Amendment used to be a “tool that helped the underdog.” But now it's out of control bc its expansiveness is threatening that most underdoggy of underdogs, the “core functions of the state!” [image]

Muriel Blaive, PhD /
@murielblaivephd: @JeninYounesEsq It's a similar catch-22 as with the so-called fact-checking sites social media companies subcontract. If the fact-checkers censor something on social media (or at least on Facebook, where it happened to me), it's impossible to appeal to Facebook because they claim they are not

Jenin Younes /
@jeninyounesesq: Reading the Netchoice & Murthy cases together, it's clear the Court has lost the plot on free speech. According to the Court, social media platforms have 1A rights. Yet the Court is unwilling to safeguard individuals' free speech rights from government censorship.

Jenin Younes /
@jeninyounesesq: What makes this yet more outrageous is that the companies claim that they aren't liable for what people say on the platforms (under section 230) yet at the same time they purport to be exercising editorial discretion so as to make the curation of their platforms 1A protected.

Jacob Sullum /
Reason: A Law Professor's Beef With a First Amendment ‘Spinning Out of Control’: Too Much Speech of the Wrong Sort

Geoff Shullenberger /
@g_shullenberger: Wu also notes that the 1st Amendment is being invoked to defend TikTok's foreign ownership, over and against legislation supported by many conservatives (and opposed by progressives including Jamaal Bowman): [image]

David Greene /
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Victory! Supreme Court Rules Platforms Have First Amendment Right to Decide What Speech to Carry, Free of State Mandates @rationalist69: This headline is obnoxiously inflammatory, and I am very sympathetic that people hear this kind of language and assume the worst - but, hot take, I think there's some fair points made in this. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Jess Miers /
@jess_miers: There's something particularly absurd about a law professor, cloaked head to toe in academic freedom, using the press to complain about the First Amendment. How's the view from up there, Tim? https://www.nytimes.com/...

Aaron M. Renn /
@aaron_renn: I wasn't expecting it from the title, but this op-ed is actually pretty good. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Jeff Jarvis /
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social: Tim Wu has been at war against the First Amendment since his 2017 paper, “Is the First Amendment Obsolete?” As the net enables public discourse as n ever before and as fascism rises, we need its protection more than ever. But The Times gives him frequent opportunity to express what in my mind is a dangerous opinion without the balance of defending its freedoms. …

Scott Greenfield /
@scottgreenfield: Columbia law prof Tim Wu argues that the 1st Amendment has outlived its usefulness because it can't silence speech he doesn't like. A lot of prawfs really hate free speech these days. https://www.nytimes.com/... @pluribuspub: Writing in the New York Times, Tim Wu argues that the First Amendment “is spinning out of control” as liberal and conservative courts alike expand its protection to corporations and classify any movement of information as speech: https://www.nytimes.com/...

Kevin Carson /
@KevinCarson1@kolektiva.social: Old-line liberals are viscerally hostile to anything networked or distributed, and can't conceive of any approach to reform that involves decentralized self-governance rather than a mid-20th century industrial dinosaur model (see Frank, Thomas). …

Caitlin Vogus /
Freedom of the Press Foundation: Supreme Court reaffirms press precedent in social media cases

Geoff Shullenberger /
@g_shullenberger: Conservatives are trashing @superwuster's op-ed without reading it. Wu criticizes SCOTUS's reasoning that Big Tech's control over speech on its platforms is protected by the 1st Amendment, and hence not subject to legislation like that passed by the GOP in TX and FL.

Michael K Pate /
@michaelkpate: I would like to see @superwuster propose a revised First Amendment. The original isn't perfect but I don't think the problem is that bad. And the “solution” could be far worse. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Geoff Shullenberger /
@g_shullenberger: If you don't believe me, just read the article. Its main thrust is that the 1st Amendment is indeed meant to protect Americans' speech, but is increasingly being used to defend powerful entities—Big Tech, the Chinese government—from threats to their power: https://www.nytimes.com/...

Emma Camp /
@emmma_camp_: Believe it or not, the heavy arm of the state has no business telling social media companies how to regulate protected speech on their own websites ffs. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Charlotte McBirney /
News/Media Alliance: Supreme Court Remands Cases; Sidesteps First Amendment Question in Texas and Florida Social Media Laws Case

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: Supreme Court remands social media moderation cases over First Amendment issues

Lauren Feiner /
The Verge: Supreme Court protects the future of content moderation

Noah Feldman /
Bloomberg: Supreme Court Social Media Ruling Is a Free-Speech Landmark

Tim Karr /
Free Press: Internet Speech Cases Turn on Procedural Grounds as the Supreme Court Articulates Strong …

Richard L. Hasen /
Slate: The First Amendment Just Dodged an Enormous Bullet at the Supreme Court

Mike Masnick /
Techdirt: In Content Moderation Cases, Supreme Court Says ‘Try Again’ - But Makes It Clear Moderation Deserves First Amendment Protections

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Supreme Court Sends Social Media Cases Back To Lower Courts To Consider First Amendment Issues Reuters: The Supreme Court will decide if Florida and Texas are violating social media First Amendment rights

TechCrunch:

Snapchat adds new features, including letting Snapchat+ subscribers design a personalized house on Snap Map and send Snaps that last less than .5 seconds— Snapchat is introducing new ways for users to personalize their accounts, the company announced on Tuesday.

Discussion:
Snap Newsroom and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Axios:

CNBC launches a sports vertical as part of its broader plan to shift its editorial and business focus to cross-platform verticals led by subject-matter experts— - The company is expected to make more announcements about other topic areas soon. … - CNBC has hired sports valuation expert …

Discussion:
@bmccandless, NewscastStudio, @sherman4949, CNBC Press Releases, Variety, TVNewsCheck and Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Bill McCandless /
@bmccandless: If you know you know but this idea is hilarious There are no new ideas there's only good press releases about old ideas @darrenrovell @jonathanwald @SandyCannold

Michael P. Hill /
NewscastStudio: CNBC kicks off sports vertical

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: Excited for the opportunities that will come with this. I'm one step closer to my lifelong goal of becoming @darrenrovell

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: CNBC Ramps Up Sports-Business Coverage

Sara Fischer /
TVNewsCheck: CNBC Launches Sports Vertical Amid Broader Biz Shift

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: CNBC to expand sports business coverage

The Information:

Source: Runway, a startup focusing on generative AI video for Hollywood and other filmmakers, is in talks to raise $450M at about a $4B valuation— Runway, already the best funded among a cluster of startups developing artificial intelligence software to generate videos for Hollywood …

Discussion:
@steph_palazzolo, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Stephanie Palazzolo /
@steph_palazzolo: Runway, already the best-funded AI video startup, wants to extend its lead with a fresh $450 million in funding. NYC-based General Atlantic is in talks to lead the round at a ~$4Bn price. More details here (incl rev!): https://www.theinformation.com/ ...

Tom's Guide:

Generative AI music service Suno launches its iOS app in the US, with plans for a global rollout and an Android app— An AI studio in your pocket. — You're in luck if you've ever wanted to make music using Suno while away from your computer. It is now available on iOS — at least, it is if you're in the U.S.

Discussion:
9to5Mac and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Filipe Espósito /
9to5Mac: Millions of iOS apps were exposed to security breach found in CocoaPods

Reuters:

The London Stock Exchange Group partners with Dow Jones to share news and data; the companies plan a curated news space in LSEG's Workspace platform in 2025— The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) announced a multi-year news and data partnership with Dow Jones that will include content …

Discussion:
MediaPost, Talking Biz News and Dow Jones Newswires

Discussion: