Mariel Garza, editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigns after the outlet's owner blocked the editorial board's plans to endorse Harris for president (Sewell Chan/Columbia Journalism Review)

Mediagazer: Mariel Garza, editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigns after the outlet's owner blocked the editorial board's plans to endorse Harris for president (Sewell Chan/Columbia Journalism Review)

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Columbia Journalism Review:

Mariel Garza, editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigns after the outlet's owner blocked the editorial board's plans to endorse Harris for president— Mariel Garza, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigned on Wednesday, after the newspaper's owner had blocked …
Discussion: The Wrap, Semafor, The Hollywood Reporter, @laura_nelson, @michaelzlin, @mrneuropolitan, @johnrmoffitt, @mediamorphis, @robrtgreene, @jnicholsonindc, @sewellchan, @sdkstl, @matildabress, @newsjennifer, @byelsieramos, @sewellchan, Newser, Deadline, The San Francisco Standard, Adweek, SFGATE, The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media, Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Townhall, RedState, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fox News and Twitchy

Discussion:

Sharon Knolle /
The Wrap: LA Times Editorial Page Editor Resigns After Paper Skips Presidential Endorsement | Exclusive

Katie Kilkenny /
The Hollywood Reporter: Los Angeles Times Editorial Page Editor Resigns Following Paper's Decision Not to Endorse Presidential Candidate

Laura J. Nelson /
@laura_nelson: The non-endorsement undermines “every single endorsement we make, down to school board races,” Garza wrote. “People will justifiably wonder if each endorsement was a decision made by a group of journalists after extensive research and discussion, or through decree by the owner.”

Aaron McCall /
@mrneuropolitan: It is not popular - and I don't know if there is enough public trust for public funded media - but our current model that depends on ad clicks and billionaires is bad for our democracy.

John Moffitt /
@johnrmoffitt: Today is when people will need to do brave things.

Dwayne Winseck /
@mediamorphis: The bad media mogul—and the kind that throttle editorial & journalistic freedom—is regaining force amidst the crisis of ad-funded news media. Coupled with authoritarian populist bullying by Trump, @PierrePoilievre, Orban, etc, , these are lethal blows to media freedom, 1/

Robert Greene /
@robrtgreene: @marielgarzaLAT is a journalist of unimpeachable integrity.

Jonathan Nicholson /
@jnicholsonindc: The list of ex-LAT talent grows longer and more impressive. Sigh.

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: @latimes Hours after @semafor reported on Tuesday that Soon-Shiong had blocked the endorsement, Trump's rapid-response team sent out an email calling the newspaper's decision “the latest blow” for Harris. https://www.semafor.com/...

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: This year, the @latimes' assessment would have carried more weight than other publications', because Harris is the first major-party nominee from California since Ronald Reagan.

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: On Oct. 11, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought @latimes in 2018, informed the editorial board that the Times would not be making an endorsement for president. The message was conveyed to Garza by Terry Tang, the paper's editor.

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: @latimes @semafor I was the newspaper's editorial page editor in 2020 and 2021, and presided over the board's endorsement of Joe Biden in 2020. Months earlier, before I took the job, Soon-Shiong had stopped the editorial board from making an endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary.

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: It's the owner's prerogative and right to decide whether (and whom) to endorse. But in both the 2020 D primary, and now, the decision not to make an endorsement needed to better communicated and explained.

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: @marielgarzaLAT is an outstanding—and upstanding—journalist. During our collaboration our colleague @robrtgreene for editorial writing. Mariel's departure is a big loss for @latimes and for California journalism.

Staci D Kramer /
@sdkstl: “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I'm standing up.” - Mariel Garza

Matilda Bress /
@matildabress: Thank you, Mariel & love to all the fantastic journalists at @latimes “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent,” Garza told me in a phone conversation. “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I'm standing up.”

Jennifer Schulze /
@newsjennifer: “It makes us look craven and hypocritical, maybe even a bit sexist and racist.” Fallout from the @latimes owner blocking planned endorsement of Harris⤵️ https://www.cjr.org/... [image]

Elsie Ramos /
@byelsieramos: “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent,” ⁦@marielgarzaLAT⁩ https://www.cjr.org/...

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: My friend Mariel Garza just resigned as editorials editor of @latimes after the newspaper's owner blocked the editorial board's plan to endorse Kamala Harris for president. https://www.cjr.org/...

Jenn Gidman /
Newser: LA Times Is Missing One Big Endorsement The San Francisco Standard: L.A. Times opinion editor quits after billionaire owner kills endorsement

Brad Pareso /
Adweek: LA Times' Billionaire Owner Blocks Paper's Planned Endorsement in Presidential Race

Stephen Council /
SFGATE: LA Times, Calif.'s largest newspaper, won't endorse presidential candidate this year

Victor Nieves /
The Gateway Pundit: Victor Reacts: Terrible News for Kamala Harris (VIDEO) Blaze Media: Los Angeles Times editorial board will not endorse Kamala Harris after decades of endorsing Democrats for president

Melissa Koenig /
Daily Mail: Historically Democrat newspaper refusing to endorse Kamala Harris

Nicole Silverio /
The Daily Caller: Los Angeles Times Reportedly Declines To Endorse Presidential Candidate For First Time In 20 Years

Wendell Husebø /
Breitbart: LA Times, Harris's Hometown Paper, Refuses to Endorse Her After Backing Biden, Hillary, Obama

Madeline Leesman /
Townhall: Kamala's Leftist Hometown Newspaper Will Not Endorse Her for President

Jennifer Van Laar /
RedState: WHOA! Kamala Harris Loses a Huge Home State Endorsement

Kipp Jones /
Mediaite: LA Times' Billionaire Owner Forbids Paper's Editorial Board from Making 2024 Endorsement, Report Claims

Paul Campos /
Lawyers, Guns & Money: The death of newsprint — This story . . . . . . reminded me of something I ran into recently … Fox News: Los Angeles Times won't endorse a presidential candidate for the first time since 2008: report

NPR:

A look at what Donald Trump says he will do to the media if elected, including jailing reporters, investigating TV networks, and taking their licenses away— Former President Donald Trump often basks in the glow of press attention. Just as often, he trashes the press and threatens journalists.

Discussion:

Kim Dozier /
@kimdozier: Trump “joked that the prospect of prison rape would loosen reporters' lips about their sources. “When this person realizes that he is going to be the bride of another prisoner shortly, he will say, 'I'd very much like to tell you exactly who that was,'” Trump told a Texas rally.

Molly Jong-Fast /
@mollyjongfast: Yeah this is totally happening and his people will be thrilled but this is actually how democracy dies

Luke Zaleski /
@zaleskiluke: But I was told trump was gonna save free speech? 🤷🏻 ♂️ I signed a petition for a million dollars and paid to tweet this and everything 😂 and you're saying he's just a dictator who wants to destroy the press?

Jill Geisler /
@jillgeisler: “,,, a new survey of hundreds of journalists who received safety training from the International Women's Media Foundation finds 36% say they have faced or been threatened with physical violence on the job — and they have felt especially threatened at Trump campaign rallies.”

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: Trump threatens media with darker days if he wins the election - a fuller version of my story from Monday https://www.npr.org/...

Steve Thompson PhD /
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social: “Jailed reporters, silenced networks: What Trump says he'd do to the media if elected” — https://www.npr.org/... “On the campaign trail and in interviews, Trump has suggested that if he regains the White House, he will exact vengeance on news outlets that anger him. …

Kathleen Culliton /
Raw Story: 'I hope you're dismembered': Report reveals why journalists fear covering Trump's events

Newcomer:

Eric Newcomer, founder of the Newcomer newsletter on startups and VCs, marks its four-year anniversary and says he expects $1M in profit on $2M in 2024 revenue— Newcomer is on track to generate more than $1 million in profit on more than $2 million in revenue this year.

Discussion:
@scottnover, @ericnewcomer, @jaycodon, @jamescham, @sqs and @ericnewcomer

Discussion:

Scott Nover /
@scottnover: “In 2023, Newcomer generated $712,000 in net income on $1.6 million in revenue.” Good stuff. https://www.newcomer.co/...

Eric Newcomer /
@ericnewcomer: at the AMO Summit @JayCoDon got me to give up my revenue figure so figured I might as well give the whole snapshot https://www.newcomer.co/...

Jacob Donnelly /
@jaycodon: @EricNewcomer I am glad you're hiring an account executive. Congrats, Eric.

James Cham /
@jamescham: A terrific look at what the new new media looks like — https://www.newcomer.co/...

Quinn Slack /
@sqs: @EricNewcomer Congrats on the incredible revenue! I am a happy subscriber and love what you do. And as a founder whose revenue estimate you did reveal, I appreciate you not giving yourself special treatment. Seriously! :)

Mediaite:

Nicole Shanahan, ex-wife of Google's Sergey Brin and a rising MAGA star, allegedly offered WaPo reporters writing a profile piece on her $500K to reveal sources— Nicole Shanahan has been “tapping a vast divorce settlement” from Google co-founder Sergey Brin to launch herself …

Discussion:

Gustaf Kilander /
The Independent: RFK Jr's billionaire running mate has rebranded herself as a MAGA-health guru

Ariel Zilber /
New York Post: Ex-RFK Jr. running mate Nicole Shanahan offered $500K to Washington Post reporter to reveal sources: report

Maya Boddie /
Alternet.org: Trump allies' obsession with vice president's top aide is 'part of the Harris campaign's strategy': report

Glenn Thrush /
@glennthrush: Jaw dropping

Elizabeth Dwoskin /
@lizzadwoskin: The bribe offer is just the tip of the iceberg

Elizabeth Dwoskin /
@lizzadwoskin: One of the stranger things that has happened to me in my journalistic career.

Jennifer Carole /
@jcarole: @lizzadwoskin @MollyJongFast Damn integrity. The plague of so many. Alas, I too would have demurred.

Bill Kuchman /
@billkuchman: “Half a million dollars to be a whistleblower.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Nicole Shanahan offered $500K to Washington Post reporter to share sources, be a ‘whistleblower’

Peter Kafka /
@pkafka: Everyone says the business model for journalism is screwed. But there are plenty of opportunities to make money if you're willing to be creative and ethically flexible.

Jack Shafer /
@jackshafer: “Shanahan said she would ‘pay your friend’ — The Post reporter — ‘half a million dollars to be a whistleblower’ to expose people Shanahan claimed were spreading false information about her.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Ashley Parker /
@ashleyrparker: When we began reporting on Nicole Shanahan, she offered us $500,000 to be “whistleblowers” and share our sources. We declined — but kept reporting our profile. W @lizzadwoskin, @MerylKornfield + @aaronjschaffer: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Nu Wexler /
@wexler: Definitely would NOT recommend this media relations tactic https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]

Christopher Ingraham /
@_cingraham: Wow. Does kind of make you wonder about typical business practices in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

CNN:

CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward describes being held captive by a militia in North Darfur in Sudan for 48 hours— North Darfur, Sudan CNN — “La tasweer! La tasweer!” ("Don't film! Don't film!") the general shouted, his eyes flashing with anger, his jaw clenched as he stormed towards us.

Discussion:

Bill Weir /
@billweircnn@threads.net: I've long held tremendous respect for Clarissa Ward, but this is next-level. After being held at gunpoint for 2 days under a tree in Darfur by a militia with child soldiers, she only brings it up to add context to the story she went to cover—the single biggest humanitarian crisis of the day.

Blake Wolf /
One America News Network: CNN Crew Shares ‘Harrowing Experience’ Of Militia Captivity While Covering Sudanese Civil War

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, crew held captive as ‘spies’ by militia in Darfur @Nonilex@masto.ai: A team of #CNN #journalists, including chief international correspondent #ClarissaWard, was recently #detained by a #militia for 48 hours while on a reporting trip in the #Darfur region of #Sudan. — Ward recounted her team's experience in a first-person essay for CNN on Wednesday. …

Kayla Cobb /
The Wrap: CNN's Clarissa Ward Describes ‘Clawing Sense of Panic’ in 48 Hours of Captivity in Darfur

Cameron Hudson /
@_hudsonc: Amazing story from @CNN chief foreign correspondent @clarissaward who was detained while reporting from North Darfur. A good reminder of why there is little on the ground coverage of #Sudan's conflict by international media. But these stories must get out. https://www.cnn.com/...

Clarissa Ward /
@clarissaward: Two weeks ago, our team was held captive by a militia in Darfur. As a journalist, one never wants to become the story. But I wanted to write this because in some ways our experience tells a bigger story of the complexities of the situation in Darfur and the challenges of getting

Eric Bazail-Eimil /
Politico: Top CNN reporter: I was captured by gun-toting militia in Darfur

Saskia Dekkers /
@saskiadekkers: CNN's international correspondent Clarissa Ward details experience being held captive by a militia in North Darfur... 'The world doesn't see us:' What a militia chief said while holding me captive in Darfur https://www.cnn.com/...

New York Times:

Suchir Balaji, who spent four years at OpenAI, says OpenAI's use of copyrighted data broke the law and failed to meet fair use criteria; he left in August 2024— Suchir Balaji spent nearly four years as an artificial intelligence researcher at OpenAI. Among other projects …

Discussion:

Kyle Wiggers /
TechCrunch: Longtime policy researcher Miles Brundage leaves OpenAI

Lucas Ropek /
Gizmodo: Former OpenAI Staffer Says the Company Is Breaking Copyright Law and Destroying the Internet

Mark Milstein /
Mark Milstein on LinkedIn: Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law — Suchir Balaji spent nearly four years as an artificial intelligence researcher at OpenAI. …

Henry Mulak /
Henry Mulak on LinkedIn: Just off a class on intellectual property rights in the era of Artificial Intelligence at Stanford Continuing Studies, there's this follow up. …

Matthew Schruers /
Matthew Schruers on LinkedIn: This NY Times article on OpenAI and copyright litigation is disappointing. The subject of AI copyright litigation calls for more coverage …

Alexis Morrell /
Alexis Morrell on LinkedIn: This is just going to keep getting more and more interesting — and complex! — “Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law …

Ben Grover /
Ben Grover on LinkedIn: Interesting article and questions to ponder: — The fact that ChatGPT claims that they are doing “fair use” by consuming material that has a copyright seems pretty tenuous to me. … @jeffjarvis: This is terrible editorial conflict of internet at The Times. The story is based on a guy with a CS BA not a law degree defining fair use in league with The Times' suit against OpenAI. Awful. Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law https://www.nytimes.com/... @jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net: #WhereIsMySurprisedFace „Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law" (gift link) https://www.nytimes.com/...

Committee to Protect Journalists:

Interviews with journalists, advocates, and others in the country of Georgia on the stakes for independent media in upcoming elections, press reform, and more— On October 26, Georgia heads into what is widely viewed as its most critical election since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Discussion:
Reuters, Atlantic Council, New York Times and Civil Georgia

Discussion:

Eto Buziashvili /
Atlantic Council: Russia is directly and indirectly meddling in Georgia's upcoming election

Reuters:

A US grand jury indicts Venezuelan TV network owner Raul Gorrin Belisario in an alleged $1.2B scheme to launder funds from Venezuela's energy company PDVSA— The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that a Venezuelan television news network owner was charged in an alleged $1.2 billion money laundering scheme.

Discussion:
Associated Press, US Department of Justice and Anthony Salisbury on LinkedIn

Discussion:
US Department of Justice: Venezuelan Television News Network Owner Charged in Alleged $1.2B Money Laundering Scheme

Notes From Poland:

Poland launches an antitrust probe into Meta for limiting visibility of Facebook posts linking to Polish media; Meta cited legal doubts over a new copyright law— Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has launched an investigation into Meta, the owner of Facebook …

Discussion:
@uokikgovpl

Discussion:

TechCrunch:

Google open sources SynthID Text, which lets developers watermark and detect text generated by AI models, available under the Apache 2.0 license— Google is making SynthID Text, its technology that lets developers watermark and detect text generated by generative AI models, generally available.

Discussion:
The Verge, The Drum, @nxthompson, MIT Technology Review and Digital Trends, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Sheena Vasani /
The Verge: Google open-sourced its watermarking tool for AI-generated text

Kendra Barnett /
The Drum: Open access to Google's AI text watermarking tool may help advertisers win audience trust @nxthompson: If this works—in that the code is usable by others and truly doesn't degrade performance—it'll be wonderful. Really being able to verify AI prose versus human prose will be great for students accused of plagiarism, Twitter threads, journalism, and much more.

Melissa Heikkilä /
MIT Technology Review: Google DeepMind is making its AI text watermark open source

Andrew Tarantola /
Digital Trends: Google's AI detection tool is now available for anyone to try

Wall Street Journal:

Jefferies says the anime market in North America has grown from $1.6B in 2018 to $4B in 2024, as once-niche anime is shaping up as Japan's next big export— As Japanese animation and comics go global, opportunities abound for investors — Move over, Marvel. The next blockbuster entertainment franchise might come from Japan.

Discussion:
Douglas Montgomery on LinkedIn and Semafor

Discussion:

Douglas Montgomery /
Douglas Montgomery on LinkedIn: Anime the Apple of NY's Eye — The Wall Street Journal and the The Economist have both written articles on the global strength of #anime in the last few weeks. …

Paige Bruton /
Semafor: Fast-growing anime industry boosts Japan's soft power

Axios:

The NewsGuild of New York files an NLRB unfair labor practice charge against the NYT, claiming management violated rules by interrogating staff about strikes— - “While we respect the union's right to engage in protected actions, threatening a strike at this time feels both unnecessary …

Discussion:
@crguildny, @sarafischer, @bymikedavis, @anastasiakeeley and NewsGuild of New York

Discussion:

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: Scoop: @newsguild files unfair labor practice charge against @nytimes —Claims at least 20 Tech Guild members have been pulled into 1:1 interrogation mtgs w managers to ask if they supported a strike. (Tech guild voted to authorize a strike last month.) https://www.axios.com/...

Mike Davis /
@bymikedavis: “Only contracts negotiated under the current NewsGuild leadership have taken more than two years” yeah because newsguild members decided they were absolutely fed up with acting like doormats for billionaire bosses. solidarity forever with @NYTGuildTech

Annie Shields /