New Jersey's governor signs a bill overhauling state public records law; critics say the bill makes it harder for journalists and the public to get documents (Mike Catalini/Associated Press)

Mediagazer: New Jersey's governor signs a bill overhauling state public records law; critics say the bill makes it harder for journalists and the public to get documents (Mike Catalini/Associated Press)

Top News:

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: the NBA is closing in on deals with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon that would bring in ~$76B in media revenue over 11 years; the deals will include WNBA rights— The National Basketball Association entered its first TV negotiations in a decade with a problem: Its main business partners seemed to be on shaky footing.
Discussion: The Desk, Adweek, Los Angeles Times, Amol Sharma on LinkedIn, Front Office Sports, Business Insider, Vibe, Next TV, Awful Announcing, @morningbrew, @asharma, @benfritz, @jbflint, @patrick1kennedy, @webbarr, Christian Grece on LinkedIn, @asharma, ESPN Press Room U.S., Cord Cutters News, Barrett Media, @jbflint, @benfritz, The Wrap, Chris Pfaff on LinkedIn, New York Post, Sports Media Watch, Media Play News and The Ringer

Discussion:

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: NBA close to $76 million deal with national TV broadcasters

Chuck Schilken /
Los Angeles Times: Charles Barkley still knows nothing about NBA's future on TNT. And he's not happy about it

Amol Sharma /
Amol Sharma on LinkedIn: With the NBA Finals set to begin, the league is working behind the scenes to finalize a massive TV rights deal worth $76 billion over 11 years. …

Peter Kafka /
Business Insider: Why a new NBA deal could mean cuts to your favorite NBC and Peacock shows

Joe Lucia /
Awful Announcing: NBC's NBA deal reportedly includes 100 games annually, half on Peacock

Amol Sharma /
@asharma: A few of the details in here: — About half of NBC's 100 games will be exclusively available on Peacock, a big bet on streaming. — NBC likely raising Peacock price and planning significant budget cuts — Amazon was invited in during the “exclusive” TNT/ESPN negotiations.

Ben Fritz /
@benfritz: NBCU is preparing to pay $2.5B per year for new NBA rights on-air and on Peacock and it could have major repercussions for the company's entertainment spending. [image]

Joe Flint /
@jbflint: What divided the NBA and TNT wasn't a couple hundred million bucks. It was the NBA cherry picking playoffs and other big games from TNT to sell to Amazon and NBC. https://www.wsj.com/...

Joe Flint /
@jbflint: For Comcast and NBC an NBA deal puts pressure on Peacock which will need to raise prices. Deal also causing tensions with entertainment teams who fear significant cost cuts to help sports foot bill for massive bet. A lot has to go right for this to work. https://www.wsj.com/...

Patrick J Kennedy /
@patrick1kennedy: The looming loss of Inside the NBA is such a bummer. https://www.wsj.com/... @webbarr: “Entertainment is a swamp, and sports is the only firm ground,” - former Fox Sports chief David Hill https://www.wsj.com/...

Christian Grece /
Christian Grece on LinkedIn: From the Journal: — TNT parent Warner Bros. Discovery was saddled with more than $40 billion in debt, while ESPN parent The Walt Disney Company …

Amol Sharma /
@asharma: The NBA is closing in on deals with NBC, Amazon and ESPN that point to the staggering value of sports rights and the anxieties of media's biggest players. “Entertainment is a swamp, and sports is the only firm ground.” w/ @JBFlint @ @thesimonetti https://www.wsj.com/...

Ronce Rajan /
ESPN Press Room U.S.: ESPN NBA Full Court Press: ESPN Tips Off the 2024 NBA Finals Presented By YouTubeTV on Thursday as the Boston Celtics Host the Dallas Mavericks on ABC Barrett Media: Report: NBA Closing In on $76 Billion TV Media Rights Deal With Disney, NBCUniversal, Amazon

Joe Flint /
@jbflint: Don't be surprised if the next court Adam Silver and David Zaslav see each other in isn't at Madison Square Garden. W/⁦@asharma⁩ & ⁦@thesimonetti⁩ https://www.wsj.com/...

Ben Fritz /
@benfritz: Great scoop on the details of the NBA's next blockbuster, $76 billion(!!) TV deal by @JBFlint @asharma + @thesimonetti full of juicy details. https://www.wsj.com/...

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: NBA Close to $76 Billion TV Rights Deal With NBC, Amazon and Disney | Report

Chris Pfaff /
Chris Pfaff on LinkedIn: At the buzzer...Turner is shut out of the new National Basketball Association (NBA) TV deal. This is extraordinary, given Turner (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc)'s legacy with the NBA. …

Matt Ehalt /
New York Post: NBC, ESPN, Amazon ‘closing in’ on $76 billion deals with NBA as TNT's future in jeopardy

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: NBA Reportedly Eyeing Record $76 Billion Media Rights Deal With NBC/Peacock, Prime Video, ESPN

Nieman Lab:

CEO Nicholas Thompson shares why The Atlantic partnered with OpenAI: publishers can benefit from tech platforms, as long as they avoid becoming wholly dependent— Shortly before The Atlantic announced “a product and content” partnership with OpenAI, the magazine published a piece …

Discussion: LinkedIn,
The Atlantic, @sarahscire, @jessicalessin, Business Insider and MIT Technology Review

Discussion:

Damon Beres /
The Atlantic: A Devil's Bargain With OpenAI Nicholas Thompson / LinkedIn: Nicholas Thompson's Post [Video]

Sarah Scire /
@sarahscire: A four-minute video posted on LinkedIn by The Atlantic's CEO is an interesting artifact — one we might point to when asked “what were they thinking?” should these OpenAI deals go south. https://www.niemanlab.org/...

Jessica Lessin /
@jessicalessin: This is a good summary of the ongoing debate about news, platforms and AI. @nxthompson's LinkedIn was interesting for sure. https://www.niemanlab.org/... Every day, one of my peers whom I respect tells me I am wrong about these deals because they are zero margin revenue to

Peter Kafka /
Business Insider: Sam Altman's OpenAI is paying publishers big money for content. That could be a lifeline — or blow up in their faces.

Melissa Heikkilä /
MIT Technology Review: What I learned from the UN's “AI for Good” summit

Press Gazette:

Bloomberg Media unveils product updates, including more deep-dive long reads on Businessweek, set to become a monthly in July, and reports 540K subscribers— Bloomberg Media is betting on increased website functionality and deeper reporting to keep it ahead of generative AI-based information providers.

Discussion:
Talking Biz News and Dominic Ponsford on LinkedIn

Reuters:

China-linked app NewsBreak used AI to write 40+ inaccurate local US stories since 2021 and in March added a note that its content “may not always be error-free”— Last Christmas Eve, NewsBreak, a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States …

Discussion:
@wexler, @niubi, @nastyoldwomyn, @reuters, @robdecola, @pearswick, @reuters, @magneticcrow@catcatnya.com and @nanditab1

Discussion:

Nu Wexler /
@wexler: “Newsbreak generates revenue by showing ads to its users, who are predominantly female, above the age of 45, without college degrees, and live in suburban or rural parts of the U.S. ... ” https://www.reuters.com/...

Bill Bishop /
@niubi: “A May 2022 company memo from a NewsBreak consultant to Zheng, reviewed by Reuters, raised concerns about NewsBreak's use of AI tools to re-publish stories from local news sites under five fictitious bylines. “I cannot think of a faster way to destroy the NewsBreak brand,” Norm @reuters: Billing itself as ‘the go-to source for all things local,’ NewsBreak says it has over 50 million monthly users. But the app's AI has resulted in some erroneous stories. NewsBreak blames incorrect source material https://www.reuters.com/... [image]

@reuters:
NewsBreak is a privately held start-up, whose primary backers are in San Francisco and Beijing. It's the most-downloaded news app in the US. And, using AI, it has also published erroneous stories, @pearswick writes https://www.reuters.com/...

Rob DeCola /
@robdecola: Hey hi hello it's me, a guy who's worked in news for 20+ years and monitors more than 50 news apps on shift. I need you to know that the @newsbreakApp is absolute junk. Useless at best, dangerous at worst. https://www.reuters.com/...

James Pearson /
@pearswick: The company launched in the U.S. in 2015 as a subsidiary of Yidian, a Chinese news aggregation app. Both companies were founded by Jeff Zheng, the CEO of Newsbreak, and the companies share a U.S. patent, registered in 2015 for an “Interest Engine” algorithm, which recommends news [image]

@reuters:
NewsBreak, the most-downloaded news app in the US, has Chinese origins and ‘writes fiction’ with the help of AI. It once wrote about a small-town New Jersey shooting that never happened, authorities said. Read the full story ⬇️https://www.reuters.com / ...

Leaf /
@magneticcrow@catcatnya.com: 'But in at least 40 instances since 2021, the app's use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve, with Newsbreak publishing erroneous stories; creating 10 stories from local news sites under fictitious bylines; and lifting content from its competitors …

Associated Press:

New Jersey's governor signs a bill overhauling state public records law; critics say the bill makes it harder for journalists and the public to get documents— New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation on Wednesday overhauling access to the state's public records …

Discussion:
@lwvnj, Courthouse News Service, Politico, New Jersey Globe, @aclunj, @brizzyc and NewsGuild of New York

Discussion:
@lwvnj: @LWVNJ is disappointed and troubled by the Governor's signing of S2930/A4045. As an organization committed to defending democracy and empowering voters, the League has championed OPRA since it's creation. This is a dark day for our democracy- one that voters will not soon forget. [image]

Sydney Haulenbeek /
Courthouse News Service: North Carolina Democrats push for transparency in challenge to public records law

Matt Friedman /
Politico: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs deeply controversial public records overhaul @aclunj: UPDATE: @GovMurphy has signed S2930/A4045, despite overwhelming public opposition and concerns. New Jersey should be strengthening government transparency, not undermining it in backroom deals. Read our full statement here: https://www.aclu-nj.org/...

Carrie Brown /
@brizzyc: This is terrible news for all in NJ - journalists, people who care about criminal justice and good government, and ALL CITIZENS who need transparency. I am deeply disappointed @GovMurphy

Voice of America:

Five former colleagues of exiled Uyghur journalist Kasim Kashgar have been imprisoned in China's Xinjiang region, seemingly over their ties to the VOA reporter— Former colleagues of exiled Uyghur journalist Kasim Kashgar have been imprisoned in China's Xinjiang region …

The Verge:

An interview with Netflix VP of External Games Leanne Loombe about the popularity of interactive fiction games on the service, reality TV shows, and more— And while the “serious gamer” might be enticed by the pending arrival of The Case of the Golden Idol or Don't Starve Together …

Discussion:

Georgina Young /
The Sun: Netflix announces 14 new games coming for free to all subscribers in amazing hidden perk

Jacob Siegal /
BGR: Netflix's new games are more exciting than its new shows

The Wall Street Journal:

Founder Shane Smith returns to Vice as Vice News EIC, but with no management responsibilities, and will host a series of shows and create social media content— Shane Smith is sorry, but not sorry. The 54-year-old co-founder of Vice Media said he has few regrets as he embarks on a new role …

Discussion:

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: Getting flashbacks.... https://www.wsj.com/...

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Shane Smith to Return to Making Content for Vice, Will Host Podcast for Bill Maher's Club Random @mobute.bsky.social: When I think about Shane Smith, I always think about how meaningful and familiar he was to millions of people, who were always eager for more of the writing and videos he was famous for. “Did you hear? New Shane Smith dropped today,” my friends would often say to me.

Ingrid Burrington /
@lifewinning.com: Love this coming out as Eddie Huang works on a revenge documentary about trying to get his IP back from them lol

Hamilton Nolan /
@hamiltonnolan.bsky.social: I expect this Shane Smith and Bill Maher podcast to cut through all the BS that the media puts out there

Elizabeth Lopatto /
@lopatto.bsky.social: if you work at Vice and want yo talk with me about the “Shane Smith rides again” article in WSJ, I'm all ears www.wsj.com/business/med...

Engadget:

YouTube plans to restrict some content pertaining to the real use of guns from viewers under 18 starting on June 18, a year after a watchdog group report— Last year, a nonprofit flagged gun-related videos recommended to children's accounts. — YouTube quietly snuck in a policy change …

Discussion:
The Hill and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Julia Shapero /
The Hill: YouTube to restrict some firearm content for young users

David Klepper /
Associated Press: YouTube toughens policy on gun videos and youth; critics say proof will be in enforcement

Reuters:

Netflix plans to donate $1M to the Innocence Project to settle a defamation lawsuit by ex-prosecutor Linda Fairstein over a 2019 Central Park Five show— Netflix (NFLX.O) settled a defamation lawsuit brought by best-selling author and former Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein …

Discussion:
@theferocity.bsky.social, Vibe, UPI, The Wrap, Deadline, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Sheri Walsh /
UPI: Netflix, ex-prosecutor Linda Fairstein settle defamation lawsuit over ‘Central Park Five’ docuseries

Jacob Bryant /
The Wrap: Ava DuVernay Calls Linda Fairstein a Bully ‘Responsible’ for Wrongful Central Park 5 Conviction in Statement on Settlement

Dominic Patten /
Deadline: Ava DuVernay Rips Central Park 5 Prosecutor After Lawsuit Settlement, Praises Netflix For “Unwavering Support” & $1M Innocence Project Donation

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: Netflix, Ava DuVernay settle defamation lawsuit brought by ‘When They See Us’ prosecutor

Gene Maddaus /
Variety: Linda Fairstein and Netflix Settle Suit Over Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five Series

TechCrunch:

Substack adds the ability for writers to send videos to their subscribers via its direct messaging feature Chat— Newsletter platform Substack is introducing the ability for writers to send videos to their subscribers via Chat, its direct messaging feature, the company announced on Wednesday.

Discussion:
On Substack

Discussion:

Jasmine Sun /
On Substack: Introducing video to Substack Chat

The NewsGuild:

Unions at eight Tribune publications including The Virginian-Pilot and Orlando Sentinel ratify their first contract with Alden after five years of talks— After five long years of negotiations between Alden Global Capital and a joint bargaining committee, journalists at eight Tribune …

Discussion: