Paramount shares rose ~7% after news that Skydance and National Amusements had reached a tentative deal; source: the deal could be done as soon as this weekend (Lucas Manfredi/The Wrap)

Mediagazer: Paramount shares rose ~7% after news that Skydance and National Amusements had reached a tentative deal; source: the deal could be done as soon as this weekend (Lucas Manfredi/The Wrap)

Top News:

The Wrap:

Paramount shares rose ~7% after news that Skydance and National Amusements had reached a tentative deal; source: the deal could be done as soon as this weekend— A deal between the two parties could potentially be completed by as early as the weekend, an individual familiar with the matter tells TheWrap
Discussion: Reuters, Seeking Alpha, Variety and The Information

Discussion:

Dawn Chmielewski /
Reuters: Skydance Media's deal to gain control of Paramount could be sealed this weekend, sources say

Joshua Fineman /
Seeking Alpha: Paramount deal with Skydance expected to be completed by weekend - CNBC

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Paramount Stock Rises on New Skydance Merger Offer

Sahil Patel /
The Information: David Ellison's Skydance Reaches New Deal to Buy Paramount Global Owner

RELATED:
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:
Radio & Television …, Cord Cutters News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, CNBC, Variety, TechRadar, Reuters, Broadband TV News, The Streamable, Sports Media Watch, The Desk, @xpangler, @rfaughnder, @sherman4949, @richlightshed, @sherman4949, New York Times, Jessica Toonkel on LinkedIn, Media Play News, New York Post, Awful Announcing, The Information, Financial Times, Advanced Television, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Deadline, @paulconstant.com and Forbes

Discussion:

Adam Jacobson /
Radio & Television Business Report: Paramount Shares Rise On Word of ‘Revived’ Skydance Deal

Callum Jones /
The Guardian: Paramount and Skydance squeak closer to merger deal

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

Amelia Schwanke /
TechRadar: Paramount and Skydance could be the next big streaming giant - here's what that might mean for Paramount Plus

Julian Clover /
Broadband TV News: Paramount agrees new Skydance bid

David Satin /
The Streamable: Ownership Stunner: Skydance, Paramount Agree to Preliminary Merger Deal Terms After Talks Resume

Todd Spangler /
@xpangler: The renewed Skydance-NAI discussions are “extremely serious” but there's still no certainty a sale will make it to the finish line, ⁦@Variety_Cynthia⁩ reports https://variety.com/...

Ryan Faughnder /
@rfaughnder: Guess it's too late to leak that I'm also interested in bidding for National Amusements. Oh well

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/... New York Times: Sources: talks between Skydance and Shari Redstone's National Amusements resume, just weeks after the parties called off initial negotiations

Jessica Toonkel /
Jessica Toonkel on LinkedIn: Just weeks after walking away, Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, has reached a deal with Skydance to sell her family company. …

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: David Ellison's Skydance Media Reportedly Inks New Preliminary Deal to Buy Paramount Global Holding Company National Amusements

Josh Kosman /
New York Post: Shari Redstone reaches preliminary deal to sell controlling stake in Paramount to Skydance Media for $1.75B

Andrew Bucholtz /
Awful Announcing: After Paramount Global bid failed, Skydance is now trying to buy it through National Amusements

Martin Peers /
The Information: Amazon's Stock Record as Jassy Approaches Three-Year CEO Anniversary Advanced Television: Paramount / Skydance back on? — Paramount has resumed merger talks with Skydance Media …

Meg James /
Los Angeles Times: David Ellison agrees to buy Redstone family firm that controls Paramount Deadline: Back In Business: Skydance And Shari Redstone Reach Terms On New Merger Proposal For Paramount

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]

Antonio Pequeño IV /
Forbes: Paramount Reaches Tentative Merger Deal With Skydance—Stock Spikes 8% 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

Discussion:
Stereogum, Vibe, Fortune, @reigncoates, @mattbelloni, Fast Company, IndieWire, New York Post, The Wrap, The Desk, Variety, The Streamable, Axios, Cord Cutters News, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times and Forbes

Discussion:

Danielle Chelosky /
Stereogum: Internet Archive Creates Searchable MTV News Database After Paramount Deletes Entire Site

Amber Corrine /
Vibe: Paramount Reportedly In Talks To Sell BET For $1.6B To “Buyers That Include” Its CEO Scott Mills

Michelle F. Davis /
Fortune: Paramount merger with Skydance back on under new terms following collapse of talks @reigncoates: They pulled the rug from under Tyler and tried to raise the price in the 25th hour. Now they're gonna get less. BET has no IP of note. Paramount is just dumb.

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/...

Chris Morris /
Fast Company: Skydance-Paramount merger is reportedly back on after Barry Diller expresses interest New York Post: Paramount mulls $1.7B offer to sell BET to its CEO and NYC private equity firm: report

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

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

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

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

Platformer:

Q&A with Adam Mosseri on Threads' first year, not leaning into political content, driving engagement, focusing on real time content, fediverse, and more— Programming note: With this post, we now go on a short summer break. See you back here July 15. — A year ago this week, Meta introduced Threads to the world.

Discussion:

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: What Meta should change about Threads, one year in

Roni Laukkarinen /
@rolle@mementomori.social: Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram and Threads about the integration to the Fediverse: — “So everything has become at least three, if not six, or seven times more difficult than we thought. But we're committed to it, and we're making progress. We have some announcements coming soon. …

Steven Melendez /
Fast Company: One year of Threads: How is Meta's X rival really doing?

Will Oremus /
@willoremus@threads.net: Threads turns 1 this week. We interviewed @mosseri and wrote about how far it has come (175m active users), how far it still has to go to catch X (pretty far tbh), and whether its refusal to embrace hard news, politics or even “social issues” will help or hinder it in getting there. …

Adam Mosseri /
@mosseri@threads.net: It's hard to believe it's been a year... a huge props to the Threads team for shipping improvements week after week, and an even bigger thanks to the Threads community for being here. Everyone has something valuable to say — and we aim to build a place where anyone can comfortably share their ideas.

Richard MacManus /
@ricmac@mastodon.social: Adam Mosseri is tamping down #fediverse expectations for Threads. As a UK user, I've certainly noticed that things haven't happened very fast! But I also sense frustration on their part re European rules especially -> “The fediverse is a long-term bet. It isn't driving a lot of Threads growth. …

Kurt Wagner /
@kurtwag8@threads.net: New: Threads has more than 175m monthly users, up from 150m three months ago. Threads also plans to run ads “sooner rather than later.” I chatted with @mosseri about ads, politics, and how they want to differentiate Threads from X one year after launch https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Jaap /
@J_aa_p@mastodon.social: With more than 175 million monthly users, Meta has its sights set on overtaking Twitter — https://www.platformer.news/ ... #Twitter #Threads #Platformer

Casey Newton /
@crumbler@threads.net: On the occasion of Threads' first birthday, I talked to @mosseri about growing the team, leaning into real-time conversation, and the challenges of the Fediverse. We also talked about news and politics on the app: https://www.platformer.news/ ...

Kurt Wagner /
Bloomberg: Meta's Threads Considers Ads as Rivalry With X Approaches First Anniversary

Drew Harwell /
@drewharwell@threads.net: So Threads will be a place for news and takes from people you don't follow for everything *except* for politics and social issues. Even though they can have a giant impact on people's lives.

Tim Chambers /
@tchambers@indieweb.social: The Fediverse gets a shout out here: — https://www.platformer.news/ ... [image]

RELATED:

The Verge:

Mark Zuckerberg says Threads has 175M+ MAUs, up from 150M in April, ahead of its one-year anniversary on July 5; source: Meta may turn on ads in Threads in 2025— A year and a half ago, Threads was but a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg's eye. — Now, the rival to Elon Musk's X has reached …

Discussion:
Reuters, @zuck@threads.net, Garbage Day, MobileSyrup, Neowin, Axios, TechCrunch, The Information, Washington Post, @alexheath@threads.net, @mattnavarra@threads.net, @technicallymims@threads.net, @documentingmeta@threads.net, @walthickey, @benedictevans@threads.net, @kevinrothrock@infosec …, @carnage4life@threads.net, Android Headlines, @maxwelltani and @willoremus, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Mark Zuckerberg /
@zuck@threads.net: Threads now has more than 175M monthly actives. What a year.

Ryan Broderick /
Garbage Day: Some diatribe about wokeness — You can find audio versions of Garbage Day on every major podcasting app.

Bradly Shankar /
MobileSyrup: Threads has reached 175 million users in its first year

John Callaham /
Neowin: Threads now has more than 175 million monthly active users nearly a year after its launch

Aisha Malik /
TechCrunch: Threads nears its one-year anniversary with more than 175M monthly active users

Sylvia Varnham O'Regan /
The Information: Meta's Threads App Hits 175 Million Monthly Active Users

Alex Heath /
@alexheath@threads.net: have heard this app is still getting a lot of flyby traffic from its hooks in Instagram, but it's still not nothing to launch a new app and have it grow like this. monetization (ads) maybe coming next year now and there's focus on growing in key markets for X now (e.g. Japan)

Matt Navarra /
@mattnavarra@threads.net: Meta Plans To Bring Ads To Threads “Sooner Rather Than Later” @Mosseri said “I would love to do it sooner rather than later. It's just really a question of opportunity cost. Is that the best way to drive business versus making Instagram ads a little bit better on any given month? …

Christopher Mims /
@technicallymims@threads.net: just want to thank Threads for connecting me with more PMs at Meta than I ever would have imagined existed @documentingmeta@threads.net: The way that a new text based app has been launched and grown to 175M users in a year despite established incumbents in the space, is nothing short of a miracle and should be studied in business schools. What a year it has been for the app and for this account! Phew. Thanks Elon!

Walter Hickey /
@walthickey: Threads has 175 million users https://sherwood.news/...

Benedict Evans /
@benedictevans@threads.net: Yes, but how many user seconds is that? 🙃

Kevin Rothrock /
@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange: One year and 175 million users later, and it's still impossible to find any Russia experts or journalists regularly posting on Threads. — https://www.theverge.com/... [image]

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@threads.net: Threads launched a year ago and has hit a bunch of key milestones in recent weeks. - 175M monthly active users - There is now a free API for publishing posts and managing content. - Fediverse interoperability now includes viewing & liking comments on your posts from Mastodon.

Will Oremus /
@willoremus: Threads turns 1 this week. We interviewed @mosseri and wrote about how far it has come (175m users), how far it still has to go to catch X (pretty far), and whether its refusal to embrace hard news, politics or even “social issues” will help or hinder it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

The Guardian:

The Murdoch-owned Sun in the UK abruptly switches political allegiance, endorsing the Labour Party ahead of the July 4 election— After years of critical coverage, tabloid backs Labour for first election since 2005, saying: ‘It is time for a change’ — The Sun newspaper has made an abrupt volte-face …

Discussion:
The Sun, Financial Times, @gmhales, @garethharding, @thesun, @leohickman, New Yorker and Boing Boing

Discussion:
The Sun: It's time for a change... OVER the last five decades we have supported both Labour and Conservative parties.

Gavin Hales /
@gmhales: In the voice of Mrs Merton/Caroline Ahearne: “What was it about the 212 seat majority predicted by the polls that first convinced you to change your mind?” https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Gareth Harding /
@garethharding: The Sun backs Labour for first time since Blair. Not sure it makes much difference at this stage and perhaps cynical opportunism by Murdoch - who likes to back winners - but big win for Starmer, “who has fought hard to change his party for the better.” https://www.thesun.co.uk/... @thesun: The Sun Says: It's time for a change... Here's an early look at tomorrow's front page. https://www.thesun.co.uk/... [image]

Leo Hickman /
@leohickman: Striking thing about this (v predictable and cynical) Sun endorsement of Labour is that Starmer has not had to court Murdoch - in stark contrast to Blair in '97. Power of these newspapers has shifted - now have hugely diminished influence compared to '97 https://www.thesun.co.uk/...

Sam Knight /
New Yorker: Britain Awaits a Wipeout Election

Rob Beschizza /
Boing Boing: Murdoch tabloid gives nod to Labour Party in UK election

CNN:

Some WH reporters say Biden's mental fitness could have been better covered before the debate, particularly after the release of Robert Hur's report in February— President Joe Biden's White House repeatedly and aggressively shot down reports on the president's age and any possible limitations …

Discussion:
New York Times, Poynter, Fox News, The Daily Beast, CBS News, Deadline, New York Post, Columbia Journalism Review and San Diego Union-Tribune

Discussion:

Kelly McBride /
Poynter: After the debate, plenty of insider texts but little transparency among political reporters Fox News: Democrats, White House aides angry over Biden's debate denial: ‘Everyone is freaking the f— out’

Dominic Patten /
Deadline: Biden Comments On Possibly Stepping Aside Send Cable News Into A Frenzy; NYT Says POTUS “Clear-Eyed” About Hurdles Going Forward

Josh Christenson /
New York Post: Ex-NY Times executive editor blasts DC reporters for roles in Biden ‘cover-up’: ‘Simply astounding’

Josh Hersh /
Columbia Journalism Review: What did we know and when? Alex Thompson on investigating Biden's mental decline

Press Gazette:

Brad Stone, editor of Bloomberg Businessweek, which moved to monthly circulation, says print may make a comeback as readers want “distraction-free luxury”— Editor of Businessweek Brad Stone said he believes print journalism could make a comeback as the 95-year-old title moved from weekly to monthly circulation this week.

Discussion:
Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: BW editor Stone: Print will make a comeback

Dan Gillmor:

Journalists need to reject formulas that have made them ineffective, like presenting “both sides”, after the SCOTUS ruling giving presidents unrestricted power— This is the first in a series of posts. — Dear journalists: This is your moment.

Discussion:
Semafor, @karlauerbach@sfba.social, @fheinderyckx@mastodon.social, @androcat@toot.cat, @WarnerCrocker@mastodon.social, @mkb@mastodon.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @BruceMirken@mas.to, @dkiesow@threads.net, Melanie Sill on LinkedIn, Fox News, @tofugolem@mastodon.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social and @melaniesill@mastodon.social

Discussion:

Karl Auerbach /
@karlauerbach@sfba.social: I just read the piece referenced below by @dangillmor — Everyone should read it. — Its message is that our system of news information dissemination has become a simple, sterile amplifier of whatever material, true or false, it encounters. …

Francois Heinderyckx /
@fheinderyckx@mastodon.social: .@dangillmor: “Far too much of today's political journalism (...) is a toxic mess. The ingredients include (...) presenting ‘both sides’ when one is flagrantly lying; relentlessly normalizing extremism; chasing trivial shiny objects while mostly ignoring issues that matter … @androcat@toot.cat: @Mediagazer aka “Not repeating falsehoods, not giving tacit approval to the reprehensible”

Warner Crocker /
@WarnerCrocker@mastodon.social: Concur. If things don't change soon in this business they'll soon be just ink-stained typists and talking mouthpieces. — At its moment of peril, democracy needs journalists to be activists — #politics #journalism — https://dangillmor.medium.com/ ... [image] @mkb@mastodon.social: @Mediagazer @karlauerbach Someone here on Mastodon framed it as [the poor paraphrasing is my fault]: — If one person says it is raining and another says it is not, a journalist's job is not to quote both of them. A journalist's job is to look out the window and see which one of them is correct.

Dan Gillmor /
@dangillmor@mastodon.social: If Biden does decide not to run again, one of the worst effects will be the New York Times' conclusion that it can decide the outcome of our political campaigns. — The paper's campaign to remove Biden — using its “news” and commentary pages — has been unrelenting. …

Bruce Mirken /
@BruceMirken@mas.to: @dangillmor nails it: — “If our #democracy falls, one key enabler will have been the most consequential failure to date of a a vital institution do its job: #journalism... “Please, journalists, declare independence from business as usual, from the counterproductive customs that have prevailed in our media even as the danger has escalated. …

Damon Kiesow /
@dkiesow@threads.net: Journalism has always been activist. To say it is not is to believe the status quo has always been and that it is the perfect state of affairs. https://dangillmor.medium.com/ ...

Melanie Sill /
Melanie Sill on LinkedIn: The New York Times is on an old-school crusade focused on Joe Biden's age and the paper's belief he should leave the presidential race. I've seen this before. …

Melanie Sill /
Melanie Sill on LinkedIn: A clarion call: who will be remembered as #journalism's heroes of these times, as Ida B. Wells, Edward R. Murrow are remembered for theirs? …

Tofu Golem /
@tofugolem@mastodon.social: @dangillmor — We have already seen the response of American mainstream journalists: they downplayed the severity and threat of this ruling. — They are doing everything possible to avoid letting the public know what a threat to the republic this ruling was. …

Dan Gillmor /
@dangillmor@mastodon.social: My new post: “At its moment of peril, democracy needs journalists to be activists” — “Dear journalists: This is your moment, your opportunity. — “It's your chance, maybe your final one, to stand proudly for reality and democracy, for freedom of expression, for human rights. …

Melanie Sill /
@melaniesill@mastodon.social: A clarion call: who will be remembered as #journalism's heroes of these times, as Ida B. Wells, Edward R. Murrow are remembered for theirs? This is the moment to shed old formulas in unprecedented times, writes @dangillmor in the first of a planned series of posts. https://dangillmor.medium.com/ ... #USPol #journalists

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, One Man & His Blog, TechCrunch, @Mastodon@mastodon.social, @CyberpunkLibrarian …, @researchbuzz@researchbuzz …, @KrissyKat@hoosier.social, @yaohsi@istanza.ch, @garry@mstdn.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, Melanie Sill on LinkedIn, @mho@social.heise.de, @amberage@eldritch.cafe, @ernie@writing.exchange, @buddiesofbudgie@floss.social, @seanfobbe@fediscience.org, J. Nathan Matias on LinkedIn, @bretcarmichael@mastodon …, @nileane@nileane.fr, @btp@fosstodon.org, @Edent@mastodon.social, @frozencanuck@mas.to, @dimillian@mastodon.social and @IceCubesApp@mastodon.online

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/ ... @CyberpunkLibrarian@hackers.town: While Meta is doing everything to keep journalism and politics out of Threads and X is doing... whatever the fuck it is X does, Mastodon is adding bylines to articles posted on instances. — https://www.theverge.com/... @researchbuzz@researchbuzz.masto.host: #news #media #SocialMedia #journalism #journalists #Mastodon — 'You will notice that underneath some links shared on Mastodon, the author byline can be clicked to open the author's associated fediverse account, right in the app. …

KrissyKat /
@KrissyKat@hoosier.social: This is pretty cool! — “We've decided to create a new kind of OpenGraph tag ... It looks like this: <meta name="fediverse:creator" content="@Gargron" />." — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... @yaohsi@istanza.ch: Unfortunately, I foresee that it will be of no use as journalists are X junkies at the last stage — https://techcrunch.com/...

Garry Knight /
@garry@mstdn.social: Twitter/X alternative Mastodon appeals to journalists with new ‘byline’ feature — 'Starting Tuesday, the company is adding clickable author bylines on link posts that can direct Mastodon users to the author's account on the fediverse, if active, in turn allowing journalists to gain more exposure and increase their following.' …

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/ ...

Melanie Sill /
Melanie Sill on LinkedIn: I left Twitter two years ago and have only one regret: That so many journalists and news organizations stayed, despite the platform's deterioration …

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? …

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. …

Ernie Smith /
@ernie@writing.exchange: Good news—@tedium is one of the sites doing this. https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... @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. @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.

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. …

Bret Carmichael /
@bretcarmichael@mastodon.social: This is a smart move by @Mastodon. #Twitter / #X journalism is struggling, and #Threads doesn't want journalism. Mastodon is leaning into it though, “To reinforce and encourage Mastodon as the go-to place for journalism, we're launching a new feature today.” … @nileane@nileane.fr: Some great podcast recommendations in @Mastodon's latest announcement post 👀 — https://blog.joinmastodon.org/ ... [image]

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. @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/ ...

TechCrunch:

Telegram rolls out the ability for creators to share paid content to channels using its Stars digital currency and for channels to convert Stars to Toncoin— Telegram launched a digital currency called Stars for in-app use last month. Now, the company is expanding its use cases to paid content.

Discussion:
MediaPost, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Colin Kirkland /
MediaPost: Telegram Applies ‘Stars’ Digital Currency To Paid Content

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:
Reclaim The Net, The Reporters Committee …, Techdirt, @alex, @elonmusk, @sergiovengeance, @centralunplan, @scottlincicome, @aricohn, @mkhammer, @murielblaivephd, @jeninyounesesq, @g_shullenberger, @rationalist69, @pluribuspub, @michaelkpate, @aaron_renn, @scottgreenfield, @emmma_camp_, @jess_miers, Public Knowledge, Ann Rutledge on LinkedIn, Fox News, Reason, Freedom of the Press …, @KevinCarson1@kolektiva.social, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social and News/Media Alliance

Discussion:

Didi Rankovic /
Reclaim The Net: Former Biden Advisor Claims “The First Amendment Is Out of Control,” Hinders Government Action

Lserino /
The Reporters Committee for Freedom …: Reporters Committee statement on US Supreme Court's NetChoice ruling

Mike Masnick /
Techdirt: Tim Wu 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.

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]

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.

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/... @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/... @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/...

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/...

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/...

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/...

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/...

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/...

Shiva Stella /
Public Knowledge: Supreme Court Decision in NetChoice Case Protects Online Free Speech

Ann Rutledge /
Ann Rutledge on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/... No duh. — This is a very good 11th hour analysis. And now I would like to point out the last-hour element missing from Tim Wu's argument and venture a rationale. …

Fox News:
Former Biden adviser's op-ed lambasted for claim that the ‘First Amendment is out of control’

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

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

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). …

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. …

The Verge:

Reddit users: Netflix is phasing out its cheapest $11.99/month ad-free tier for existing subscribers as planned, pushing its $6.99, $15.49, and $22.99 tiers— Netflix is following through on its plan to phase out its cheapest ad-free tier for existing subscribers.

Discussion:
The Streamable, @tvgrimreaper, Neowin, PYMNTS.com, @tvgrimreaper, Android Authority, GameSpot, PCMag, Android Headlines, Android Central, Tom's Guide, How-To Geek, PhoneArena, MobileSyrup, Android Police, 9to5Mac, Financial Express, Business Standard, TechRadar, BGR, Mashable, Trusted Reviews, r/television, r/mildlyinfuriating and Slashdot, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Matt Tamanini /
The Streamable: Netflix Eliminating Cheapest Ad-Free Plan, Forcing Some Customers to Ad-Supported or More Expensive Plans @tvgrimreaper: Maybe Netflix got tired of reading all those “Netflix just doesn't have enough ad inventory” stories?

@tvgrimreaper:
The price increases will continue until morale improves. As if the video market hasn't already been flooded with price crashing ad inventory, look out below for ad prices now.

Andrew Grush /
Android Authority: Netflix begins phasing out its cheapest ad-free plan in select markets

Jibin Joseph /
PCMag: Netflix Is Forcing People on Its Basic Tier to Pick a New Plan

Arol Wright /
How-To Geek: Netflix is Starting To Kill Off Its Basic Plan

Bradly Shankar /
MobileSyrup: Netflix is phasing out its cheapest ad-free plan in Canada Financial Express: Netflix starts pushing users to watch ads or buy more expensive plan in these countries to boost revenue

Harsh Shivam New Delhi /
Business Standard: Netflix to discontinue basic ad-free subscription plan in these countries

Cesar Cadenas /
TechRadar: Netflix is kicking subscribers off its old cheap ad-free plan - now they have a tricky choice

Matt Binder /
Mashable: Netflix ‘Basic’ subscribers are getting warnings about their plans coming to an end

Chris Smith /
Trusted Reviews: Netflix turning off cheaper ad-free tier, asking users to choose new plan r/television: Netflix is starting to phase out its cheapest ad-free plan / The streamer announced that it's taking away the plan from existing subscribers, starting with the UK and Canada.