Q&A with NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik on the Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. saga, Ben Smith's defense of Nuzzi and sexual relations with sources, and more (Marisa Kabas/The Handbasket)

Mediagazer: Q&A with NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik on the Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. saga, Ben Smith's defense of Nuzzi and sexual relations with sources, and more (Marisa Kabas/The Handbasket)

Top News:

Financial Times:

Sources: Bari Weiss' The Free Press raised about $15M at a ~$100M valuation; Bari Weiss posted an article this week that said the outlet had 800,000+ readers— The fundraise values Bari Weiss's venture at $100mn — US media start-up The Free Press has raised a further round of funding from investors …
Discussion: @pressgazette

Axios:

Univision says Harris and Trump will appear at separate town halls in front of a Spanish-speaking audience in October, moderated by journalist Enrique Acevedo— - “There are more than 36 million Hispanics eligible to vote in the U.S., making them the largest minority in the country …

Discussion:
TelevisaUnivision, @brianstelter, @bsdtectr.bsky.social, The Hill, The Wrap, TVLine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck and Deadline

Discussion:
TelevisaUnivision: Noticias Univision Announces 2024 Townhalls with Former President Donald Trump & Vice President Kamala Harris

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: MSNBC says Kamala Harris “will join Stephanie Ruhle from Pittsburgh, Penn. for her first one-on-one network interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.” Airing tonight at 7pm ET. @bsdtectr.bsky.social: Acevedo has already been knocked for doing a softball interview with Trump earlier this year. [embedded post]

Ashleigh Fields /
The Hill: Harris, Trump agree to separate town halls on Univision

Gene Maddaus /
Variety: Trump and Harris to Appear at Separate Univision Town Halls With Latino Voters

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Agree to Participate in Dueling TelevisaUnivision Town Halls

The Handbasket:

Q&A with NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik on the Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. saga, Ben Smith's defense of Nuzzi and sexual relations with sources, and more— The longtime media reporter sounds off. … Johnson was hired there in 2013 by then-Editor in Chief Ben Smith …

Discussion:
@marisakabas2, @justinbaragona, @samwangphd, @marisakabas2, @davitydave, @youngvulgarian, @jokelley, @radfemme74, @thatjakepc, @mattdpearce, @davidgross_man, @tessaduvall, @marisakabas2, @teachequitably1, @tattersking, @nikkimcr, @leah_sottile, @tbridis, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap and New York Post

Discussion:

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas2: “My feeling is you can do almost anything as a journalist that you're willing to disclose to your editors, but also to your audiences. & if you're uncomfortable disclosing it to your audiences, maybe that's a sign that it's something you shouldn't be doing"https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ...

Justin Baragona /
@justinbaragona: .@marisakabas2 spoke to @davidfolkenflik about Ben Smith's “bonkers” take on the whole Olivia Nuzzi-RFK situation, and he had a lot to say. “This is pretty bananas as a claim.” https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ... [image] @samwangphd: A must-read on the ethics of a journalist forming a personal relationship with a subject. Among others, @ChrisCillizza @maggieNYT should read and think a moment. Tweeps, cite more journalists who need to see this in replies https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ...

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas2: NEW: I spoke to @NPR media correspondent @davidfolkenflik about @semaforben's newsletter and the Nuzzi/RFK Jr. fiasco. “I think it is fair for readers of Semafor, if they so choose, to question what the ethical standards are after reading this.” https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ...

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas2: https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ... [image]

David Lytle /
@davitydave: He should feel embarrassed for believing this, let alone writing it for publication. How fucking cynical.

Marie Le Conte /
@youngvulgarian: side note but on this - it's interesting to see how the British press likes to paint itself, given that Serena Cowdy was essentially hounded out of British political journalism not ten years ago for exactly that, and no one involved was nearly as high profile as Nuzzi/RFK [image] @jokelley: Given how prominent Ben is in the political journalism landscape, this right here makes the Nuzzi story an industry-wide scandal

Jake Cole /
@thatjakepc: Truly incredible year for the American press. Rubberstamping every single piece of Israeli propaganda and taking a brief sabbatical from that to defend the professionalism of inappropriate relationships with subjects. Just a completely debased profession.

David Grossman /
@davidgross_man: The Havrilesky quote is what really gets me. Why does the world need the “excitement” of journalists sleeping with their sources?

Tessa Duvall /
@tessaduvall: Why so many prominent *male* journalists feel the need to defend Olivia Nuzzi — while countless women in the profession are screaming from the rooftops about how her alleged behavior harms the perception of ALL of us — is beyond me.

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas2: this is some really sick shit from ben smith. what the actual fuck. https://www.semafor.com/... [image]

Gay Bittertweets /
@teachequitably1: Ben Smith's implication here (for his employees) is that real journalists sleep with their sources to get the story, everyone who doesn't is an ineffective “anonymously emailing moralist,” and he will notice if they don't since he expects all the details of his reporters' trysts. @tattersking: This is genuinely infuriating to me. The idea that fucking the subject of your article is just a mild faux pas and honestly a fact of cool metropolitan life and anyone with a problem with it should get a life is putrid. Journalists are supposed to critique power, not fuck it

Nikki Mccann Ramírez /
@nikkimcr: this one should have absolutely been nuked in the drafts [image]

Leah Sottile /
@leah_sottile: Last week a source gave me a jar of salsa she'd just canned from her garden, and I went through an entire mental exercise over if taking it compromised my ethics. Meanwhile, Ben Smith writes this bullshit:

Ted Bridis /
@tbridis: Semafor editor Ben Smith, regularly contrarian on media ethics, wonders why it's a big deal for journalists to sleep with subjects of our reporting (but still wants his reporters to tell him when they are involved romantically with people they cover) https://www.semafor.com/... [image]

Jacob Bryant /
The Wrap: Alyssa Farah Griffin Defends NY Mag Writer Who ‘Blurred Ethical Lines’: ‘Olivia Nuzzi Scandal? No, RFK Scandal!’

The Hollywood Reporter:

Filing: OpenAI agrees to give representatives for authors suing the company access to review its training data to see if OpenAI used authors' copyrighted works— At a secure room in its San Francisco office, representatives for authors suing OpenAI will examine materials that were used to train its AI system.

Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and Music Ally, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Authors suing OpenAI will soon be inspecting its training data

The Hollywood Reporter:

Stability AI says filmmaker James Cameron has joined its board of directors; Stability AI CEO Prem Akkaraju was previously CEO of VFX company WETA Digital— The director says that “the intersection of generative AI and CGI image creation is the next wave” of film technology …

Discussion:
TVBEurope, Stability AI, AV Club, Rolling Stone, Ars Technica, Forbes, Deadline, The Verge, Destructoid, Reuters, SlashFilm, Variety, IndieWire and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Jenny Priestley /
TVBEurope: James Cameron joins board of AI visual media company

Ana Guillen /
Stability AI: James Cameron, Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker, Joins Stability AI Board of Directors

Emma Keates /
AV Club: James Cameron is joining the board of an AI firm

Benj Edwards /
Ars Technica: Terminator's Cameron joins AI company behind controversial image generator

Dani Di Placido /
Forbes: Guillermo Del Toro Strikes Back Against AI-Generated Art

Mike Fleming Jr /
Deadline: He Has Called His ‘Terminator’ Film A Cautionary Tale About Artificial Intelligence; Now, James Cameron Joins Stability AI Board Of Directors

Charles Pulliam-Moore /
The Verge: James Cameron is joining Stability AI's board of directors

Tiago Manuel /
Destructoid: James Cameron Joins board of big AI company

Jaspreet Singh /
Reuters: ‘Titanic’ director James Cameron joins Stability AI board

Valerie Ettenhofer /
SlashFilm: The Director Who Warned Us About Artificial Intelligence Will Now Try To Embrace It

Carolyn Giardina /
Variety: James Cameron Joins Stability AI Board of Directors

Press Gazette:

Mill Media plans to launch Glasgow-focused title The Bell on September 30 on Ghost, initially without a paywall, and release content three times per week— Mill Media's fifth title will initially launch outside a paywall. — The new Glasgow-focused title from local newsletter start …

Discussion:
@alistairkgrant, @theglasgowbell, The Bell, @mlothianmclean, @millmediauk, @joshi, @mlothianmclean and

Discussion:

Alistair Grant /
@alistairkgrant: Looking forward to reading @theglasgowbell. The more journalism in Scotland, the better.

Moya Lothian-McLean /
@mlothianmclean: The Bell will go out 3x a week via email, like other Mill titles, but we're the first to also have a (beautiful) dedicated site. It will house upcoming pieces by the likes of @DaniGaravelli1 & @MagsTaylorish. All completely free for now. Sign up here: https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/ @millmediauk: Big news in @pressgazette: Our new title @theglasgowbell launches on Monday 🔔 It's led by @mlothianmclean and @robbiejourno, and will start publishing next week. https://pressgazette.co.uk/...

Joshi Herrmann /
@joshi: 🔔Our Glasgow publication is here! Follow @theglasgowbell and make sure to join the mailing list before Monday, when we start publishing. It's led by @mlothianmclean and @robbiejourno, who spoke to @pressgazette about our plans. https://pressgazette.co.uk/...

Moya Lothian-McLean /
@mlothianmclean: @DaniGaravelli1 @MagsTaylorish Why ‘The Bell’? You can read more in the Gazette article but it references the bell in Glasgow City Council's coat of arms, which itself represents St. Mungo's bell. Plus it means I can say ‘Got a tip? Give us a bell!’. Which I will be doing. Repeatedly. https://pressgazette.co.uk/...

Moya Lothian-McLean /
@mlothianmclean: Thrilled to reveal my new role is at the @theglasgowbell 🔔and we'll be launching Monday! Sign up now, via next tweet. Nice write up in @pressgazette, where you can read more of what's on the immediate cards for @robbiejourno and me. Read here: https://pressgazette.co.uk/...

The Hollywood Reporter:

Wrapbook, which simplifies the payroll process for TV, film, and commercial productions, raised $20M from Bessemer Ventures at a $750M valuation— The financial services firm plans to grow by more than 100 staffers as it takes aim at private equity owned Cast & Crew and Entertainment Partners.

Discussion:
FinTech Global and WKRN-TV

Nieman Lab:

Chartbeat: Facebook traffic to 700 US news sites fell 40% from January 2023 to July 2024 to ~500M page views, as page views from Google Search grew 10% to 1.5B— Traffic from Google Discover now exceeds traffic from Google Search for some publishers, but what works there is a bit of a guessing game.

Discussion:
@laurahazardowen

The Hollywood Reporter:

WBD launches Max in Japan via local partner U-Next and plans to roll out the streaming service direct-to-consumers in Australia and New Zealand in H1 2025— Max officially launched in Japan via local partner U-Next. … On the day that Max launched in Japan via local partner U-Next …

Discussion:

Patrick Frater /
Variety: WBD's Max Readies Rollout in Asia-Pacific, Requires Multiple Models: ‘Our Goal Is to Reach the Fan Base’

Nathan Jolly /
Mumbrella: HBO Max to launch streaming service in Australia

Globe and Mail:

Netflix pauses funding for some professional development programs in the Canadian film and TV industry as Canada imposes a 5% tax on foreign streamers' revenue— /arts/arts/arts//artsThe future of several professional development programs crucial to the health of the Canadian film …

Discussion:
@mgeist and iPhone in Canada Blog

Discussion:

Michael Geist /
@mgeist: The CRTC moved ahead with Bill C-11 mandated streamer payments without addressing issues such as what constitutes Cancon and what existing payments will be counted as contributions. This was the inevitable response: Netflix pulls millions in sponsorship. https://x.com/...

The Hollywood Reporter:

SAG-AFTRA calls a strike against League of Legends, formerly exempt from the video game strike, alleging parent Formosa Interactive tried hiring non-union labor— The union charges one of the multiplayer game's producers, Formosa Interactive, with attempting to work around its ongoing video game strike …

Discussion:
SAG-AFTRA, Associated Press, Polygon, AV Club, Reuters, The Wrap, The Verge, Variety, Engadget and Los Angeles Times, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Sarah Parvini /
Associated Press: Video game actors' union calls for strike against ‘League of Legends’

Nicole Carpenter /
Polygon: The SAG-AFTRA strike will now impact League of Legends — here's why

Matt Schimkowitz /
AV Club: SAG-AFTRA adds League Of Legends to the list of struck video games

Danielle Broadway /
Reuters: US video game actors call strike on maker of popular game ‘League of Legends’

Jeremy Fuster /
The Wrap: League of Legends Added to SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike

Ash Parrish /
The Verge: SAG-AFTRA calls for a strike against League of Legends

Jennifer Maas /
Variety: ‘League of Legends’ Added to Actors' Video Game Strike as SAG-AFTRA Accuses Producer Formosa Interactive of Unfair Labor Practices

Anna Washenko /
Engadget: SAG-AFTRA strikes against League of Legends over voiceover company actions

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: SAG-AFTRA calls strike against ‘League of Legends,’ the latest move in video game actors' battle

The Guardian:

The UK's Channel 5 says Phillip Schofield, who quit ITV's This Morning in May 2023 after 21 years due to an affair, will appear on survival show Cast Away— Former ITV presenter will appear in Channel 5's Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded off Madagascar

Discussion:

K.J. Yossman /
Variety: Disgraced Morning Show Anchor Phillip Schofield Plots Comeback With Channel 5 Special ‘Cast Away’

Joanna Crawley /
Daily Mail: Phillip Schofield breaks silence over dramatic TV comeback amid outrage over his ‘narcissistic’ tale of survival ‘both on a desert island and off it’

Yasmin Rufo /
BBC: Phillip Schofield to make TV return in Cast Away

Clemmie Moodie /
The Sun: Phillip Schofield sensationally signs with Channel 5 for ‘top secret’ new show 16 months after being dumped by ITV

Scott Bryan /