A profile of John Paul Vranesevich, the owner and only full-time reporter for the Beaver Countian who beat the national media on a Donald Trump shooting scoop (Elahe Izadi/Washington Post)

Mediagazer: A profile of John Paul Vranesevich, the owner and only full-time reporter for the Beaver Countian who beat the national media on a Donald Trump shooting scoop (Elahe Izadi/Washington Post)

Top News:

The Guardian:

Australian Financial Review Editor-in-Chief Michael Stutchbury plans to step down after 13 years, as AFR owner Nine Entertainment cuts 200 jobs to save $30M— Publication's longest-serving editor calls time amid unrest at Nine Entertainment over job cuts and and latest pay offer
Discussion: Sydney Morning Herald and Mumbrella

Discussion:

Colin Kruger /
Sydney Morning Herald: Michael Stutchbury retires from AFR, James Chessell appointed editor-in-chief

Lauren McNamara /
Mumbrella: AFR's Michael Stutchbury steps down after 13 years

Washington Post:

A profile of John Paul Vranesevich, the owner and only full-time reporter for the Beaver Countian who beat the national media on a Donald Trump shooting scoop— The owner of the Beaver Countian is the western Pennsylvania news site's only full-time reporter.

Discussion:
@weldpond

The Bookseller:

Academics say publisher Taylor & Francis hadn't told them about selling access to authors' research as part of a $10M+ Microsoft AI deal, nor let them opt out— Authors have expressed their shock after the news that academic publisher Taylor & Francis, which owns Routledge …

Discussion:
Music Ally, @leaton01@scholar.social, Ariel Guersenzvaig on LinkedIn, Rebecca Clements on LinkedIn, Lydia Khalil on LinkedIn, Vicky Nagy on LinkedIn, @koutropoulos@social.ds106.us, @JorisMeys@mstdn.social, @BenPatrickWill@mastodon …, @Zeb_Larson@zirk.us, @Samuelmoore@hcommons.social, @rwg@aoir.social, Pivot to AI and Flaming Well, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Authors protest after Taylor & Francis signs Microsoft AI deal

Lance Eaton /
@leaton01@scholar.social: Academic publisher sells their library access to AI....expect more of it in the future; most of the contracts that authors sign are giving over the rights and often clauses about future and unidentified uses. — The big publishers continue to rent-seek & exploit scholars...expect all the other major academic publishers. …

Ariel Guersenzvaig /
Ariel Guersenzvaig on LinkedIn: Academic publishers were already ripping us off. I have a chapter in an edited book published by T&F, and I didn't even receive a hard copy when the book was released. …

Rebecca Clements /
Rebecca Clements on LinkedIn: This is so egregious & unethical. Academic publishing is already broken but even that doesn't make selling the work of authors to AI training models without …

Lydia Khalil /
Lydia Khalil on LinkedIn: This is pretty outrageous though not surprising. Academic publishing has always been a total scam. …

Vicky Nagy /
Vicky Nagy on LinkedIn: “Shocked” is a mild response. Outraged is better. — The treatment of academics by successive governments around the world …

Apostolos K. /
@koutropoulos@social.ds106.us: I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! (NOT!) Academic authors ‘shocked’ after Taylor & Francis sells access to their research to Microsoft AI https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Joris Meys /
@JorisMeys@mstdn.social: So one of the big scientific vampir... publishers sold their portfolio to train AI. No author had any say in that, or was paid for it. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Ben Williamson /
@BenPatrickWill@mastodon.social: As an editor of a journal publishing critical work on tech, and an editor of a Routledge collection on AI in education, I'll be writing to our publisher on Monday about its $10m deal with Microsoft for AI training data https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Zeb Larson /
@Zeb_Larson@zirk.us: Predictable grotesque behavior by Taylor and Francis. Academic authors get robbed left and right, but this is a new low: it's selling off allegedly valuable knowledge for what feels like two pieces of stale bread. https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Samuel Moore /
@Samuelmoore@hcommons.social: Lots of academics wondering what they should do about this and the answer is as simple as not publishing your monograph with Taylor & Francis or any of their imprints. There are so many other publishers who will do a better job and won't sell your data to Microsoft. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ...

Robert W. Gehl /
@rwg@aoir.social: After 15+ years of hustling to publish #academic journal articles and books, a significant proportion of my work is now being sold off to #Microsoft to train #LLMs. I never consented to this, and of course when I started my career, I never predicted this. — https://www.thebookseller.com/ ... …

Australian Financial Review:

Google has quietly renewed deals with Australian outlets, sources say as year-long deals, worth tens of millions of dollars under the News Media Bargaining Code— Google has been quietly renewing deals worth tens of millions of dollars with Australian publishers under the News Media Bargaining Code …

Discussion:
Mumbrella

Discussion:

Nathan Jolly /
Mumbrella: Google agrees to renew news media deals... for now

International Journalists' Network:

A look at China Fact Check, an independent group of volunteer fact checkers of international news reports for Chinese audiences operating exclusively via WeChat— False information is especially widespread in China due to government censorship, the country's pervasive Great Firewall …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple's Eddy Cue has pushed TV+ studio chiefs to exert more control over budgets, hoping to change Apple's reputation as the biggest spender in town— The iPhone maker is starting to exert more control over its production partners — Netflix extended its lead over fellow streaming services …

Discussion:
9to5Mac, @lucas_shaw and more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Benjamin Mayo /
9to5Mac: Apple TV+ attempts to rein in budgets on new projects, as The Morning Show season four spends $50 million on cast alone

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: A number of people refer to Apple as the ‘new HBO.’ While one could make this case creatively — not my area of expertise — this overlooks that HBO has produced many massive hits. Apple has not. Caveat: It's early. HBO didn't even fund big scripted programs until 20 years in.

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: Over the last several years, Apple has spent more than $20B on programs with lots of critical raves but few hits. The company is starting to closely examine its spending, hoping to push back on its reputation in Hollywood. This week's newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/...

CNN:

Hunter Biden drops his lawsuit against Fox News over its “mock trial” miniseries about his overseas financial dealings, after filing it last month— Hunter Biden on Sunday abruptly dropped a lawsuit he filed last month against Fox News over the network's fictionalized miniseries …

Discussion:
Reuters, Variety, Deadline, Axios and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Hunter Biden Drops Lawsuit Against Fox News

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Hunter Biden Ends Fox News Suit Over Mock Trial Series; Could Refile Later - Update

Rebecca Falconer /
Axios: Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Fox News over miniseries

Los Angeles Times:

LA County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated and urged the state AG to prosecute an LA Times reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies— For at least three years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated — and ultimately urged …

Discussion:
@mayalau, @_hamilton_matt, @jackfleonard, @mattdpearce, @jackfleonard, @keribla and @mayalau

Discussion:

Maya Lau /
@mayalau: The leak referenced in this story was critical in my being able to write articles, with my colleagues, that helped change laws to open more police disciplinary files for public review, undoing decades of secrecy in California.

Matt Hamilton /
@_hamilton_matt: After Times reporter @mayalau was leaked a list of problematic sheriff's deputies, the Sheriff's Department investigated her for years + wanted her charged for receiving stolen property. Important + chilling story from @keribla and @AleneTchek https://www.latimes.com/...

Jack Leonard /
@jackfleonard: This important @latimes story exposes an outrageous attempt by the LA Sheriff's Department to criminalize constitutionally protected journalism and lays bare the department's buffoonish investigation driven by clownish critical thinking. 🤡 https://www.latimes.com/...

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: Although I'm not surprised to hear of yet another abuse of press freedoms by the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. under Alex Villanueva, I'm disturbed ⁦@AGRobBonta⁩ can't muster more than a non-comment about this inappropriate investigation of ⁦@mayalau⁩. https://www.latimes.com/...

Jack Leonard /
@jackfleonard: And the sheriff's investigator who was targeting then-@latimes reporter @mayalau is Mark Lillienfeld, who was himself previously the subject of a leak investigation into whether he improperly helped a friend (a judge) charged with battery. https://www.latimes.com/...

Keri Blakinger /
@keribla: For >3 years, LASD secretly investigated — & urged the Cal AG to prosecute — an @latimes reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies. They claimed her 1A-protected reporting was actually a crime. My latest, with @AleneTchek: https://www.latimes.com/...

The Hollywood Reporter:

A year after the start of the double strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, studio executives, and agents have mixed responses on whether the strikes were worth it— While some of the creatives that shut down the entertainment industry in 2023 say the fight was absolutely worth the sacrifice …

Discussion:
@thr, @tvgrimreaper, @chuckslavindotcom@threads.net, @thr, AV Club, Digital Journal, @nelsoncarvajal, @patrickbigpix and @aworkmanwriter

Discussion:
@thr: Perhaps the most important result of the strike are the provisions that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA secured on AI. But the jury is still out on how effective the unions' AI language will be https://thr.cm/8RBCCB1 @tvgrimreaper: I'm no longer doing my, much more limited, streaming bonus calculations (travel!), but I hope these numbers leak out for comparison purposes. [image]

Chuck Slavin /
@chuckslavindotcom@threads.net: My comment: Another question worth asking... Would I have settled? NO! We had all the leverage as the fall lineup approached. A certain crowd folded... the same crowd that originally was only leveraging the strike for political gain. “Hoodwinked”. Actors, Writers Strike: One Year Later, Reckoning With the Decision | …

@thr:
One year after the strike, SAG-AFTRA actors are grappling with one of their union's signature 2023 contract gains: a bonus to reward performers for successful made-for-streaming titles https://thr.cm/p5MBXJG

William Hughes /
AV Club: One year later, how are the strike victories holding up?

Nelson Carvajal /
@nelsoncarvajal: “He called the WGA strike “one of the great self-inflicted wounds in union history,” adding that the work stoppage allowed companies time to reflect and make deep financial cuts all at once, rather than by tapering slowly over time.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Patrick Goldstein /
@patrickbigpix: Is it any surprise that virtually all of the complaints in the Hollywood Reporter's look back on the SAG-AFTRA strike come from anonymous writers, studio execs and talent agents: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Columbia Journalism Review:

Selina Cheng says her editor told her that staff advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict with WSJ's reporting of the issue in Hong Kong— After 2019, as China tightened its grip on Hong Kong and mass protests gripped the city, police raided the Apple Daily …

Discussion:
Media Voices, @joshgerstein, @bkesling, @lathram, @jennyabamu, @gaufre, @sewellchan, Talking Biz News and Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Discussion:

Josh Gerstein /
@joshgerstein: This @selina_cheng situation remains extremely embarrassing for the Wall Street Journal and damaging to its reputation at a time when it would be better for everyone worldwide to be rallying to its side over Evan Gershkovitch's plight https://www.cjr.org/...

Ben Kesling /
@bkesling: The latest bold leadership move from @emmatuckerWSJ “I pushed for press freedom in Hong Kong. The Wall Street Journal fired me.” https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr

James Graff /
@lathram: I knew Dow Jones used the term “restructuring” for layoffs cynically—but here it really pushed the envelope https://www.cjr.org/...

Jenny Abamu /
@jennyabamu: Never met a free press outlet anywhere in the world that doesn't support free press. Standing with Evan, Selina Cheng and press freedom everywhere. https://www.cjr.org/... @gaufre: “The Journal, she said, continues to report on incidents related to press freedom in the city, such as trials against the press, so having its employees advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict.” https://www.cjr.org/...

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: Powerful essay by @selina_cheng, Hong Kong journalist who says she was let go after running to lead the Hong Kong Journalists Association. https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Hong Kong foreign press club ‘concerned’ after head of journalists' union Selina Cheng fired by Wall Street Journal

RELATED:

South China Morning Post:
Media orgs, WSJ union, and a congressional panel express support for Selina Cheng, who says WSJ fired her for assuming Hong Kong Journalists Association's chair

Discussion:

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Women Press Freedom @CFWIJ said: “We urge WSJ and Dow Jones to reconsider their actions and reinstate Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Canadian press advocacy group @MAP_Canada said: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of their treatment of Selina Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor @HKLabourRights and 40 overseas HK civil society groups in an open letter said they were “shocked” by the move and called on WSJ to provide an explanation for the dismissal. https://hklabourrights.org/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: International press groups are leading a growing chorus of support for HKJA chairwoman @selina_cheng days after she was fired by @WSJ A (non-exhaustive)🧵on the groups around the globe speaking up https://www.scmp.com/... @ceccgov: Chairs are tracking concerns about the firing of reporter @Selina_Cheng upon her election as President of @HKJA_Official, and the disturbing questions about whether @WSJ is abetting the erosion of press freedoms in #HongKong. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Jane Manchun Wong /
@wongmjane@threads.net: WSJ only stands with their American journalists

Tom Grundy /
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Wall St Journal union urges paper to reinstate head of Hong Kong journalists' group Selina Cheng amid outcry

Ryan Ho Kilpatrick /
China Media Project: Code of Silence — In other parts of the world, getting elected to lead one's local press group … journalism.columbia.edu: Statement from the Columbia Journalism School Faculty in Support of Press Freedom and Selina Cheng, '16 M.S. Stabile

BBC:

A Russian court convicts Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentences him to 16 years in prison; the Wall Street Journal calls the trial a “sham”— US journalist Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, after a secretive trial decried as a “sham” by his employer.

Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, @wsjpr, Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, @justinbaragona, @teroterotero, HuffPost, @davidfolkenflik, @kimzetter, Associated Press, Politico, @jtoonkel, @jrezaian, @maxseddon, @jaketapper, @brettbruen, @bbcstever, CBS News, @potus@threads.net, @senatorwarner@threads.net, Washington Post, Alistair MacDonald on LinkedIn, Reuters, Lynn Cook on LinkedIn, Axios, Brian Tierney on LinkedIn, Lucy Knight on LinkedIn, Voice of America, Nora Eckert on LinkedIn, CNN, The Wrap, Newser, Business Insider, NPR, @sylkegruhnwald@infosec …, Semafor, Politico, The US Sun, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, New York Times, Reuters, Fox News, Talking Biz News, SPJ News and News/Media Alliance

Discussion:

Georgi Kantchev /
Wall Street Journal: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison After Wrongful Conviction @wsjpr: Today, Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker released the below statement on @WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. Statement here: https://www.dowjones.com/... #IStandWithEvan [image]

Eliot Brown /
Wall Street Journal: For Years, Evan Gershkovich Saw Those He Knew Convicted and Imprisoned in Russia. Now It Has Happened to Him. Dow Jones: July 19, 2024: Statement from Almar Latour and Emma Tucker on WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich

Justin Baragona /
@justinbaragona: So is Trump saying that he's struck a deal with Putin to release Evan Gershkovich that will only take effect if he's elected? If not, what's the other explanation from Trump for promising to bring him home for “NO COMPENSATION” once he's won? [image]

Tero Kuittinen /
@teroterotero: Reporters ignoring this happening to their colleague is so dark

Marco Margaritoff /
HuffPost: Brittney Griner Speaks Up About Imprisoned WSJ Reporter: ‘We Have To Get Him Back’

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: WSJ chief executive and editor in chief issue statement on reporter's conviction by Russian court [image]

Kim Zetter /
@kimzetter: omg. Worst possible outcome for WSJ reporter charged with treason in Russia. Horrible

Kirill Zarubin /
Associated Press: Russia convicts US journalist of spying in a trial widely seen as politically motivated

Jamie Dettmer /
Politico: What a rushed trial for Evan Gershkovich might mean

Jessica Toonkel /
@jtoonkel: It is outrageous that my colleague Evan Gershkovich was sentenced today to 16 years in a Russian prison for doing his job. Journalism is not a crime. It has been 478 days since he has been wrongfully detained. #journalismisnotacrime #FreeEvan @WSJ

Jason Rezaian /
@jrezaian: This sentence is the cruel and obvious outcome of a ridiculous process. It's long past time to bring Evan, Paul Whelan and all American hostages home to their families. #IStandWithEvan https://www.cnn.com/...

Max Seddon /
@maxseddon: A court in Russia has sentenced Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter arrested last year on absurd espionage charges, to 16 years in high-security prison. Russia rushed through the trial and didn't bother presenting public evidence. It may be a prelude to an exchange. Free Evan! [video]

Jake Tapper /
@jaketapper: It's Friday July 19, 2024. WSJ's Evan Gershkovich was detained by the Russian FSB Mar 29, 2023. 1 year & 111 days ago HE WAS JUST “CONVICTED” AND SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN A SHAM TRIAL https://www.cnn.com/... JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME! FREE EVAN NOW! #IStandWithEvan [image]

Brett Bruen /
@brettbruen: This is the same country that just praised Trump's selection of #JDVance Might be a good moment for either of these men to condemn Moscow's jailing of an American journalist & demand his release...

Steve Rosenberg /
@bbcstever: A court in Yekaterinburg has convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a high security penal colony. The trial has been dismissed as a ‘sham’ by US officials & the WSJ. [video]

President Joe Biden /
@potus@threads.net: Today, Evan Gershkovich received a sentence of 16 years in a Russian prison, despite having committed no crime. I will not mince words: he was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.

Mark R. Warner /
@senatorwarner@threads.net: Evan Gershkovich's conviction is a devastating blow to freedom of the press everywhere. The charges, trial, and conviction are a complete sham manufactured by Putin — a corrupt, desperate leader who will stop at nothing to suppress truth and quell dissent. …

Robyn Dixon /
Washington Post: Russian court convicts journalist Evan Gershkovich, imposes 16-year sentence

Alistair MacDonald /
Alistair MacDonald on LinkedIn: An utter disgrace. Russia's shameful and false jailing of my colleague Evan Gershkovich. Using a young man's life as a bargaining tool … Reuters: Russian court jails US reporter Gershkovich for 16 years after convicting him of espionage, state media says

Lynn Cook /
Lynn Cook on LinkedIn: BREAKING NEWS: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison After Wrongful Conviction — The sentencing came after a secret trial that the U.S. has condemned as a sham. …

Brian Tierney /
Brian Tierney on LinkedIn: I am shocked and disappointed by the news of Evan Gershkovich's unjust conviction. — This event represents not only a violation of his human rights …

Lucy Knight /
Lucy Knight on LinkedIn: Indeed, a disgraceful and sham conviction. An absolutely devastating outcome for Evan Gershkovich and his family. Please keep the story alive. …

Nora Eckert /
Nora Eckert on LinkedIn: An awful day. WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison. Evan is just about two years older than I am. …

John Johnson /
Newser: Russia Sentences American Journalist to 16 Years

Charles Maynes /
NPR: Russian court sentences U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison

Sylke Gruhnwald /
@sylkegruhnwald@infosec.exchange: Journalism is not a Crime. — https://www.bbc.com/...

Mathias Hammer /
Semafor: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in prison by Russian court

Ellie Doughty /
The US Sun: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is sentenced to 16 years in Russia on trumped-up spying charges after sham closed trial

Ivan Nechepurenko /
New York Times: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison

The Hollywood Reporter:

Nielsen: the Republican National Convention's final night averaged 25.38M US viewers over 14 outlets, up 7% from 2020; people 55+ were about 72% of the audience— Thursday's multi-network coverage beats the final night from four years ago, but the four-day average is lower.

Discussion:

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: RNC Night 4 Watched by 25 Million Viewers, Up 6% From Trump's 2020 Speech

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: TV #'s for Trump's speech mirror what happens at his rallies, where some spectators tend to leave early. CNN's ratings pattern looked just like Fox's. Between 10:45 and 11pm: 2.2 million. Between midnight and 12:15am: 1.4 million. Some viewers were transfixed; others were tired.

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: How many people stayed tuned to the Trump speech til the very end? The quarter-hour cable news #'s can give us a peek. Fox News viewership peaked between 10:45 and 11pm ET: 10.4 million. Between midnight and 12:15am, when Trump finished: 7.1 million. @tvmojoe: viewers 18-34: 1.7m (2020)—>1.35m (2024) viewers 35-54: 5.25m (2020)—>4.94m (2024) viewers 55+: 16M (2020)—>18.36m (2024) Yes, younger auds watch via streaming— but that was true in 2020 and since then, more older audiences have cut the cord. No evidence of Gen Z Trump boom

@tvmojoe:
also worth noting: Per Nielsen, viewership peaked during the 10:45-11 p.m. quarter hour (at 28.4m). That's right around when the speech started going off the rails. I don't have data, but audiences definitely tuned out as night wore on, which is to be expected as it gets later

@tvmojoe:
Last night's Trump rally/acceptance speech averaged 25.4 m viewers across 14 networks, down from the 32.2m who watched in 2016 (when Trump was a private citizen) but up a tick from his 2020 WH acceptance speech (23.5m.) His speech was DOWN in all key demos but up 2.6m viewers 55+

Annabella Rosciglione /
Washington Examiner: Trump's speech peaked during assassination attempt recall, with 25 million viewers

David Bauder /
Associated Press: From a media perspective, it was a tale of two Trump speeches — and long enough for both

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Trump convention speech nets Fox News 10 million viewers

Selome Hailu /
Variety: Donald Trump Speech Powers Most-Watched RNC Coverage, Peaking at 28.4 Million Viewers

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Trump's speech scores Fox News highest-ever RNC rating with 10M viewers

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: Trump's big night at Republican convention draws 25 million TV viewers

Brandon Mioduszewski /
Bloomberg: Trump Acceptance Speech Draws 25.4 Million Viewers, Tops 2020

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Republican Convention Viewership Rises To More Than 25 Million On Final Night Featuring Donald Trump's Speech

Sara Fischer /
Axios: More than 25M watched Trump's RNC speech

Zachary Leeman /
Mediaite: Fox News Scores Massive Ratings Win After Going ALL IN With RNC Coverage As Competition Bleeds Viewers

Mark Joyella /
Forbes: 20 Million Watch Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech; Fox News Beats All Cable And Broadcast Networks

Ramin Setoodeh /
Variety: Donald Trump Became a Reality TV Star Again With His Rambling Convention Speech

Jon Allsop /
Columbia Journalism Review: Trump's message, after the tone

Publishers Weekly:

AAP: in May, book sales rose 10.9% YoY, after an 18.3% gain in April, and adult fiction digital audio sales rose 24.1% YoY; sales rose 5.5% YoY for January-May— Despite a string of dispiriting developments—including the ongoing restructuring of Hachette Book Group, the collapse …