Russia's government declares The Moscow Times an "undesirable organization", meaning any Russian who cooperates with the outlet could get five years in prison (Associated Press)

Mediagazer: Russia's government declares The Moscow Times an “undesirable organization”, meaning any Russian who cooperates with the outlet could get five years in prison (Associated Press)

Top News:

Associated Press:

Russia's government declares The Moscow Times an “undesirable organization”, meaning any Russian who cooperates with the outlet could get five years in prison— The Russian prosecutor general's office on Wednesday declared The Moscow Times, an online newspaper popular among …
Discussion:

Nikolaus von Twickel /
@niktwick: For me this means that three out of my five employers since 2007 are now “undesirable” for the Russian regime.

Paige Reynolds /
@paige_reynolds_: Absolutely WILD but also totally expected. Cut my teeth here as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, just-arrived-in-Moscow-and-could- barely-speak-Russian 20-year-old !! Respect for anyone still out there fighting the good fight 💪

Samantha Berkhead /
@samberkhead: Russia has criminalized The Moscow Times' reporting — an unsurprising move, given our commitment to telling the world the truth about what is happening in Russia. Our mission is more important than ever. We refuse to give in to the Kremlin's pressure.

Eva Hartog /
@evahartog: Unbelievable and predictable at the same time. This is Russia, criminalising an underfunded small group of journalists committed to fair coverage of the country 👇🏼

Tomas Hirst /
@tomashirstecon: An inability to accept a free press is a sign of weakness and fragility of a nation, not a display of strength. Russia's backslide into paranoid authoritarianism has no real winners, and an ever growing list of of self-inflicted losses.

Kevin Rothrock /
@kevinrothrock: Welcome to the club, boys and girls.

Tomas Hirst /
@tomashirstecon: Seemed inevitable but still extremely sad. MT was my first employer and was a fantastic place to work - full of brilliant journos passionate about Russia.

Mack Tubridy /
@macktubs: I understand the urge for people to congratulate us on this designation, but the reality is that being labeled “undesirable” makes it a lot harder for us to do our work and endangers our staff. It's not a “good” thing. So, if you have a rich uncle, ask him to donate money to MT. @moscowtimes: ⚡⚡ Russia has named The Moscow Times an “undesirable” organization, Russian news agencies report. The label bans MT from operating in Russia and puts anyone affiliated with it at risk of criminal prosecution.

Andrew Roth /
@andrew__roth: This was a training ground for so many excellent journalists. Unsurprising given Russia's war in Ukraine but this headline still made me pause for thought. @MoscowTimes provided stellar coverage for so many years and will continue to do so, “undesirable” or not @derksauer

Steve Rosenberg /
@bbcstever: Russia's Prosecutor General's office has designated independent news site The Moscow Times an “undesirable organisation,” in effect banning its activities in Russia & criminalising engagement with it.

404 Media:

TUAW is back online after shutting down in 2015; the new owners seem to be using TUAW as an AI content farm, copying others' posts and using ex-writers' names— This month, “Christina Warren” started blogging again for The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), a legendary and long-dead Apple …

Discussion:
Engadget, @flargh@mastodon.social, @josephcox@infosec.exchange, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @baldur@toot.cafe, @film_girl, @kevinlovestech@mstdn.ca, @shawnhooper@fosstodon.org, @ichris@mastodon.social, @rawsoncj@threads.net, @waxy@xoxo.zone, @film_girl@threads.net, @jasonkoebler@threads.net, AppleInsider, Six Colors and @dangillmor@mastodon.social

Discussion:

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: Apple blog TUAW returns as an AI content farm

Peter Cohen /
@flargh@mastodon.social: @dankennedy_nu Pink slime took a really nasty turn this week with this story related to my old haunts (Apple technology journalism). An unscrupulous company acquired the URL of a long-dead Apple blog sold to, then shut down by AOL a decade ago, and resurrected it complete with AI-generated slime attributed to the old site's real authors. …

Joseph Cox /
@josephcox@infosec.exchange: New: beloved tech blog TUAW stole its old workers' identities, ran their work through AI, and is now churning out AI garbage articles under their names — “I think it's terrible. We (the TUAW authors) are trying to figure out what can be done.” — https://www.404media.co/...

Harry McCracken /
@harrymccracken@mastodon.social: Who could have predicted a nightmare like this? — (There's at least one fake AI story about me here.) — https://www.404media.co/...

Baldur Bjarnason /
@baldur@toot.cafe: “A Beloved Tech Blog Is Now Publishing AI Articles Under the Names of Its Old Human Staff” — https://www.404media.co/... > The site's new owners have stolen her identity, replaced her photo with an AI-generated one, and have been publishing what appear to be AI-generated articles under her byline. …

Christina Warren /
@film_girl: So someone bought the TUAW domain, populated it with AI-generated slop, and then reused my name from a job I had when I was 21 years old to try to pull some SEO scam that won't even work in 2024 because Google changed its algo. Assholes! H/t @gruber [image] @kevinlovestech@mstdn.ca: @shawnhooper Saw that story! Incredible! Makes me think every writer should have ownership of their work, and take it with them when they leave, especially now with AI theft like this! — Publish the archive themselves using Authory, Ghost, or something else. Keep control over it. — Thoughts? …

Shawn Hooper /
@shawnhooper@fosstodon.org: TUAW, a site that was shut down 10 years ago, was sold to a private equity firm, then to a company in Hong Kong, and has now stolen its old workers' identities and is running their old work through #AI summarizers. — https://www.404media.co/...

Chris Enns /
@ichris@mastodon.social: I hate AI crap like this so much: A Beloved Tech Blog Is Now Publishing AI Articles Under the Names of Its Old Human Staff https://www.404media.co/...

Chris Rawson /
@rawsoncj@threads.net: I wrote for tuaw.com from 2009 until 2015, when our malevolent overlords at AOL closed shop on us. The site lived on in a dusty Engadget archive... until now. TUAW has relaunched as an AI slop site. Apparently, I now wrote for the site starting in 2004. …

Chris Rawson /
@rawsoncj@threads.net: Engadget has now picked up on the AI-powered zombification of TUAW and the borderline(?) identity theft of its former authors, including me. This century is so dumb. What a time to be alive. https://www.engadget.com/... @waxy@xoxo.zone: TUAW relaunched as zombie content farm with AI articles under the names of its old staff: the new domain owners even generated AI photos for each author, despite not buying rights to any of the content https://www.404media.co/...

Christina Warren /
@film_girl@threads.net: Thank you @jasonkoebler and the people at @404mediaco for writing about this! https://www.404media.co/...

Jason Koebler /
@jasonkoebler@threads.net: Beloved Apple blog TUAW was shut down in 2015, sold to private equity, then sold to a company in Hong Kong. It recently relaunched as an AI content farm using the stolen identities and bylines of its former human staff. A nightmare: https://www.404media.co/...

Dan Gillmor /
@dangillmor@mastodon.social: Hong Kong clamps down on the speech of people who believe in human rights. — Hong Kong also permits thieving plagiarists to buy the expired domain name of a once-great tech blog and launch an “AI” bullshit factory that uses the names of people who wrote for the blog. — https://www.404media.co/...

Associated Press:

The US DOJ seized two domain names and 968 X accounts that were part of a Russian propaganda effort using fake social profiles, planned by a senior editor at RT— A Russian internet propaganda campaign backed by the Kremlin that spread disinformation in the United States and relied …

Discussion:
Reuters, Ars Technica, US Department of Justice, @thezedwards, @wiczipedia@threads.net, Semafor, Engadget, @gregotto, Washington Post, @bing_chris, The Register, SiliconANGLE, CyberScoop, @passantino@threads.net, CNN, Decrypt, NPR, CyberScoop, PCMag, The Verge, The Daily Beast, @renee.diresta@threads.net, @kevincolliernbc@threads.net, The Record, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, MeidasTouch News, @skykiss@sfba.social and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

David Gilbert /
Ars Technica: How disinformation from a Russian AI spam farm ended up on top of Google search results US Department of Justice: Justice Department Leads Efforts Among Federal, International, and Private Sector Partners to Disrupt Covert Russian Government-Operated Social Media Bot Farm

Zach Edwards /
@thezedwards: @Bing_Chris RT is outrageous. Imagine being a western brand still supporting the RT ad tech supply chains @ https://rt.com/ads.txt [image]

Nina Jankowicz /
@wiczipedia@threads.net: Ah, the halcyon days of relative tech transparency and public/private cooperation 🥹

Marta Biino /
Semafor: US agents shut down huge Russian AI bot farm as fears over misinformation grow

Mat Smith /
Engadget: The Morning After: US officials help take down AI-powered Russian bot farm with nearly 1,000 fake X accounts

Greg Otto /
@gregotto: Wow not even back a week and CyberScoop is already getting better answers from the Russians than the MaInStrEaM MeDiA https://cyberscoop.com/... [image]

Chris Bing /
@bing_chris: A story in two parts: “Farming is a beloved pastime for millions of Russians” [image]

Matthew Connatser /
The Register: FBI, cyber-cops zap ~1K Russian AI disinfo Twitter bots

Duncan Riley /
SiliconANGLE: Justice Department seizes domains linked to Russian disinformation campaign

Jon Passantino /
@passantino@threads.net: Whoa. A senior RT editor orchestrated a disinformation scheme that used fake social media accounts to push AI-generated posts targeting Americans https://www.cnn.com/...

Sean Lyngaas /
CNN: Justice Department says it disrupted Russian ‘bot farm’ used to spread propaganda in US

Jason Nelson /
Decrypt: US Disrupts AI-Fueled Russian Bot Farm on Twitter

Shannon Bond /
NPR: U.S. says Russian bot farm used AI to impersonate Americans

Michael Kan /
PCMag: US Disrupts Russian Bots Spreading Propaganda on Twitter

Gaby Del Valle /
The Verge: DOJ seizes ‘bot farm’ operated by the Russian government

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: 2 - in the olden days we might have gotten a statement or even a data set from Twitter to answer that question and more. Sad those days are over; the fact that DOJ sent these accounts to the company reinforces the value of multi stakeholder collaboration and analysis on inauthentic networks. …

Renee DiResta /
@renee.diresta@threads.net: 2 thoughts on this DOJ Russian bot disruption story 1 - that RT operated the tool is very interesting. At SIO we'd long described “covert social” activity (fake accts) as one quadrant within a much broader integrative full spectrum propaganda strategy that Russia (and other states) use, alongside overt state propaganda channels. …

Kevin Collier /
@kevincolliernbc@threads.net: Seizing these guys' domain names has been the main thing that Meta, the company that's most transparent about fighting propaganda campaigns, has urged the US to do. Meta can keep deleting accounts but it costs the Russians more resources to rebuild fake sites. https://www.justice.gov/...

Daryna Antoniuk /
The Record: Russian state media uses covert software for disinformation bots, US warns Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: U.S. Says It Disrupted Russian Effort To Spread Disinformation With Fake Social Media Accounts

Ron Filipkowski /
MeidasTouch News: DOJ Shuts Down Russian Bot Operation on X

Kailee /
@skykiss@sfba.social: Russian internet propaganda campaign backed by the Kremlin spread disinformation in the United States and relied on artificial intelligence has been disrupted, the Justice Department said Tuesday in announcing the seizure of 1,000 bogus social media accounts. …

Jamie Tarabay /
Bloomberg: US Says Russia Used AI-Powered Bots in Disinformation Scheme

TMZ.com:

George Stephanopoulos replies to a pedestrian on Biden, saying “I don't think he can serve four more years”; ABC says “George expressed his own point of view”— GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS BIDEN CAN'T SERVE 4 MORE YEARS … 6:28 PM PT — George Stephanopoulos tells TMZ …

Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, New York Post, @dylanbyers, New York Times, The Guardian, NBC News, The Hill, Fox News, New Jersey Online, New Republic, HuffPost, CBS News, Washington Post, Newser, @todarorichard, CNN, @redsteeze, @abbydphillip, @waylon_wc, @tmz, @themainnetwork, @collinrugg, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Mediaite and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: In video shared by TMZ, George Stephanopoulos says Biden can't ‘serve four more years’

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: George Stephanopoulos apologizes for saying Biden can't ‘serve four more years’

Dylan Byers /
@dylanbyers: NEW @PuckNews: ABC's George Stephanopoulos, who recently interviewed Biden and was today caught in TMZ video saying he doesn't think Biden “can serve four more years,” tells me, via spokesperson: “Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn't have.” In a

Michael M. Grynbaum /
New York Times: In TMZ Video, George Stephanopoulos Says Biden Can't Serve Another Term

Phil Helsel /
NBC News: ABC's George Stephanopoulos appears to say of Biden: 'I don't think he can serve four more years' Fox News: ABC distances itself from Stephanopoulos' claim Biden can't serve second term: ‘Not the position’ of network

Matt Arco /
New Jersey Online: Prominent TV journalist caught making off-the-cuff remark about Biden

Lee Moran /
HuffPost: George Stephanopoulos Caught On Camera Doubting Joe Biden, Just Days After Interview

Kaia Hubbard /
CBS News: Though Biden says he's staying in presidential race, top Democrats express doubts

Andrew Jeong /
Washington Post: George Stephanopoulos caught on camera expressing doubts about Biden

Jenn Gidman /
Newser: Stephanopoulos Caught Spilling His Inner Thoughts on Biden @todarorichard: George just interviewed Biden to try to boost his ratings. After the interview, he was asked if he thinks Biden can make it four more years, and he said he doesn't think so. It is time to “take the keys away” from Biden and bring in a better option. https://www.tmz.com/...

Oliver Darcy /
CNN: George Stephanopoulos gets blunt after Biden interview: 'I don't think he can serve four more years'

Stephen L. Miller /
@redsteeze: The Biden campaign chose to do scripted radio interviews that resulted in a black female host losing her job. The Biden campaign chose George Stephanopoulos as the go to interviewer, and he staid he thinks Biden can't serve another term. The campaign made these choices, just as

Abby D. Phillip /
@abbydphillip: .@brianstelter reacts to GMA anchor George Stephanopoulos' remarks that he doesn't think Biden can serve four more years. [video]

Waylon Cunningham /
@waylon_wc: Now that's a good man-on-the-street interview https://www.tmz.com/... @tmz: #GeorgeStephanopoulos just made a STUNNING comment: he told someone on the streets of #NewYork that he doesn't think President #JoeBiden can serve another term! https://www.tmz.com/... [video] @themainnetwork: Anyone thinking this wasn't done on purpose doesn't get politics. This guy is too strategic to just randomly say this - George Stephanopoulos Says Biden Can't Serve Another 4 Years https://www.tmz.com/...

Collin Rugg /
@collinrugg: BREAKING: ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos caught on video saying he doesn't think Biden can serve another 4 years after his interview. Stephanopoulos was intercepted in midtown Manhattan in footage released by TMZ. Reporter: “Do you think Biden should step down? You've [video]

Tess Patton /
The Wrap: After Biden Interview, ABC's George Stephanopoulos Says 'I Don't Think He Can Serve 4 More Years' | Video

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: George Stephanopoulos Says He 'Shouldn't Have' Commented on President Joe Biden's Ability to Serve Second Term

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: George Stephanopoulos Captured On Video Saying He Doesn't Think Joe Biden Can Serve Another Four Years

Charlie Nash /
Mediaite: 'I Don't Think He Can Serve Four More Years': George Stephanopoulos Says Biden Not Up to the Task After Interviewing Him

NPR:

Ex-WSJ reporter Stephanie Armour sues the paper, alleging it sought to shed staffers who incur big health care costs by invoking “trumped up performance issues”— A disability discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday by a veteran reporter who left the Wall Street Journal …

Discussion:
Poynter, @tatecurtis, @bizwriterkristi, @iape1096, @thetrough, @allisonprang, @davidfolkenflik, The Desk, Robert Housman on LinkedIn and Talking Biz News

Discussion:
@tatecurtis: A profoundly disturbing trend: Weaponizing performance reviews to reduce headcount. https://www.npr.org/...

Kristi E. Swartz /
@bizwriterkristi: 'Armour had been allowed to work from home several days a week to help her manage post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder, both of which constitute disabilities under D.C. human rights law. https://www.npr.org/... @iape1096: “Before leaving the paper, Armour was the representative of the Journal's newsroom on the union's board of directors.” https://www.npr.org/...

Ted Mann /
@thetrough: “Among the requirements during her 30-day review period: produce a scoop a week.” To rig the game is bad enough, but to be this obvious about it just makes the bosses look stupid. What a shameful way to treat a great reporter. https://www.npr.org/...

Allison Prang /
@allisonprang: Good story from @NPR on a lawsuit brought against @WSJ for pushing out one of its own longtime, fantastic reporters, @StephArmour1. There are some crazy tidbits in this story including this one: She was required to produce a scoop per week. https://www.npr.org/...

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: ‘Wall Street Journal’ sued by star reporter for discrimination - ⁦@StephArmour1⁩ alleges paper targeted higher paid staffers with health problems as part of effort to slash costs and layoffs - she left paper in spring My story for NPR https://www.npr.org/...

Robert Housman /
Robert Housman on LinkedIn: NPR's coverage of my client's employment discrimination lawsuit against Dow Jones (Wall Street Journal). — https://lnkd.in/erYzPh4n

Wall Street Journal:

Memo: Mark Thompson says CNN is cutting about 100 jobs, plans to launch its first CNN.com subscription product later in 2024, but offers few details, and more— CEO Mark Thompson said it was “a logical possibility” that CNN might pursue a subscription bundle similar to what the New York Times offers.

Discussion:

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: CNN to cut 100 jobs as it prepares to launch digital subscription products

John Koblin /
New York Times: CNN Cuts 100 Jobs, and Announces Plan for Digital Subscription Product

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: CNN to cut 100 jobs and launch digital subscription product

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: CNN Plans Launch of Digital Subscription Product by End of 2024 Amid Newsroom Layoffs

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: CNN to Lay Off 100 Staffers, Plots Digital Subscription Launch for End of Year

Taylor Herzlich /
New York Post: CNN CEO Mark Thompson to lay off 100 employees as he discloses fresh turnaround plans

Oliver Darcy /
CNN: CNN chief Mark Thompson announces sweeping overhaul of news network, cuts 100 jobs

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: CNN to Lay Off 100 Staffers as It Preps Major Revamp of Digital Efforts

Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: Major changes coming to CNN. A subscription product launching this year, with others to follow. A total reorg of its newsrooms. “strategic” push into AI. And layoffs, with about 100 staff to be cut today. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ... @pressgazette: CNN chief executive Mark Thompson has told staff that the organisation is cutting around 100 jobs, equivalent to approximately 3% of its total workforce https://pressgazette.co.uk/...

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: “CNN said it is cutting about 100 jobs and will launch its first CNN·com subscription product later this year as it looks to lessen its dependence on its cable-TV channel.” https://www.wsj.com/...

Brian Steinberg /
@bristei: This story about CNN has it all: *100 job cuts? ✅ *New digital ideas? ✅ *Pages of prose from CEO? ✅ ^A vague sense primetime needs help? ✅ https://variety.com/...

Rasmus Kleis Nielsen /
@rasmus_kleis: CNN is “nowhere near ready for the future” CEO Mark Thompson told colleagues. Dose of cold realism in an industry that often manages to continue business-as-usual serving aging, shrinking audiences and dwindling number of advertisers while rhetorically insisting they are digital

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: CNN Will Layoff About 100 Employees & Launch a Free Streaming Channel Plus a Digital Subscription Service This Year

New Yorker:

Q&A with NYT's Joe Kahn on newsroom flare-ups, defining and building NYT culture among newer employees, his family foundation donations, Gaza coverage, and more— Joe Kahn, the newspaper's executive editor, wants to incentivize his staff to take on difficult stories, even when they might engender scrutiny, or backlash.

Discussion:
@viktorshtrum.bsky.social, @kirk_bado, @brianstelter, @williams_paige, @chaykak and @claremalone

Discussion:
@viktorshtrum.bsky.social: I haven't read yet - but this New Yorker interview with Joe Kahn seems of interest to us on here who love to hate the NY Times [embedded post]

Kirk A. Bado /
@kirk_bado: “According to one estimate, nearly seven per cent of American newspaper employees now work at the Times. The growth comes as almost every other corner of media has been beset by layoffs.”

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Fantastic @ClareMalone Q&A with NYT exec editor Joe Kahn: “I have the word ‘executive’ in my title, but actually the more important part is ‘editor’ and being involved with the journalists themselves, with their editors, in working through the stories...” https://www.newyorker.com/...

Paige Williams /
@williams_paige: Voters might not list democracy as top issue because they take a democratic society for granted yet should 2024 coverage be more existentially urgent, less horse race? @ClareMalone asks Joe Kahn. Their conversation, out today: https://www.newyorker.com/...

Kyle Chayka /
@chaykak: David Remnick interviewed in El Pais https://english.elpais.com/... Joe Kahn interviewed in New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/...

Clare Malone /
@claremalone: I sat down with Joe Kahn of the NYT. We spoke abt the paper's emphasis on “independence,” what sorts of reporters are particularly valued at this moment in time, & the paper's various internal dramas. I also asked about his family foundation's donations. 1/https://www.newyorker.com/ ...

Poynter:

A profile of nonprofit National Trust for Local News, which has raised and invested $38M since 2021 to buy and recapitalize financially precarious publications— The National Trust for Local News has found that the nonprofit sector 'doesn't need more coaches.' Instead, it will send in a hands-on team.

Bloomberg:

Radio show and podcast This American Life plans to move its ad sales from the NYT to National Public Media on August 1, as the NYT looks to paywall its podcasts— The program will remain available through the New York Times' audio app — The long-running radio show and podcast …

Discussion:
@ashleyrcarman and Inside Radio

Discussion:

Ashley Carman /
@ashleyrcarman: TAL is no longer working with the New York Times to sell its ads. This follows the news that the NYT is looking to move podcasts behind its paywall, which suggests to me they're shifting strategy after enduring a tough market for podcast ads https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Press Gazette:

City AM editor Andy Silvester plans to leave the free London business newspaper after overseeing its transition to a digital-first newsroom and a new website— City AM editor Andy Silvester is leaving the free business newspaper after almost four years at the helm.

Variety:

Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews plans to leave as the president of CBS News after less than a year, amid cost cuts from parent company Paramount Global— CBS News may be on the hunt for another newsroom honcho. … Shaking up the senior executive structure at a major news organization in the middle …

Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Radio & Television …, New York Post, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and @bristei

Discussion:

John Koblin /
New York Times: CBS News President to Step Down

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews to exit after controversies at helm of network

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews to Exit Role

Corbin Bolies /
The Daily Beast: CBS News President Gets Out Before David Ellison's Massive Cuts Begin

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews to Exit, Shifts to Advisor Role Through 2024 Election

Washington Post:

A look at The Shade Room, which started as an Instagram celebrity gossip page on Black Hollywood and now aims to improve its standards and do original reporting— CEO Angie Nwandu said she wants to grow political coverage on her site that reflects the page's diverse Black audience: “Black people are not a monolith.”

Discussion:
@scottbrodbeck

Discussion:

Scott Brodbeck /