Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, names Sherrie Westin as its new CEO, as it plans to "reimagine" Sesame Street starting in fall 2025 (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)

Mediagazer: Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, names Sherrie Westin as its new CEO, as it plans to “reimagine” Sesame Street starting in fall 2025 (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)

Top News:

CBS News:

SCOTUS orders lower courts to take another look at Texas' and Florida's social media laws, says neither lower court conducted proper analysis of 1A challenges— Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered lower courts to take another look at a pair of laws from Florida and Texas …
Discussion: TechCrunch, Reuters, Engadget, The Verge, New York Post, Fox News, Forbes, Associated Press, @crumbler@threads.net, @sandeepvaheesan, @daphnehk, @ishapiro, @attorneynora, @pat_hedger, @robpwj, @nicoperrino, @jordanonrecord, @jameeljaffer, @matthewstoller, @steve_vladeck, @jamescz19, @bykatiebuehler, @zephyrteachout, @thomas_a_berry, @anupamchander, @neil_chilson, @jeffjarvis, @tracethelaw, @zephyrteachout, @jess_miers, @aricohn, @robertfreundlaw, @willoremus, Politico, @mjs_dc, @sdkstl, @mjs_dc, @joshgerstein, Media Play News and Semafor, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Aisha Malik /
TechCrunch: Supreme Court sends Texas and Florida social media moderation laws back to lower courts Reuters: The Supreme Court will decide if Florida and Texas are violating social media First Amendment rights

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: Supreme Court remands social media moderation cases over First Amendment issues

Lauren Feiner /
The Verge: Supreme Court rules in major internet speech cases

Ryan King /
New York Post: Supreme Court sends challenge to Florida, Texas laws restricting social media regulation back to lower courts Fox News: Supreme Court dismisses state challenges to red state restrictions on social media platforms

Alison Durkee /
Forbes: Supreme Court Throws Out ‘Social Media Censorship’ Cases In Florida And Texas

Mark Sherman /
Associated Press: Supreme Court keeps hold on Texas and Florida efforts to limit how social media platforms regulate user content

Casey Newton /
@crumbler@threads.net: Content moderation is still legal ... for now

Sandeep Vaheesan /
@sandeepvaheesan: Concerning line in Moody v. NetChoice for all public regulation of communications networks: Can AT&T as an ISP block certain content and prioritize other content and claim it is engaged in protected “expressive” activity? [image]

Daphne Keller /
@daphnehk: Alito's NetChoice concurrence is literally (mis)citing the part of Packingham he criticized at the time as “undisciplined dicta[.]” [image]

Ilya Shapiro /
@ishapiro: 1. On NetChoice: The five opinions will take a while to digest, but the fact that SCOTUS was able to speak with one voice to send the cases back to lower courts to further consider the 1A issues here signals that justices are taking seriously our brave new social-media world.

Nora Benavidez /
@attorneynora: Supreme Court has vacated the NetChoice cases. A slight sigh of relief for our First Amendment. Government regulation should have no business dictating private speech. Statement from us at @freepress pending.

Patrick Hedger /
@pat_hedger: Key takeaway from the NetChoice cases. Florida and Texas went too far and their social media laws' days are numbered.

Robert Winterton /
@robpwj: NetChoice, CCIA, and the First Amendment WON at SCOTUS today in the NetChoice cases. The SCOTUS decision holds that social media sites have a constitutional right to decide what content they host. Here's a thread 🧵 highlighting quotes that explicitly defend these First [image]

Nico Perrino /
@nicoperrino: The majority opinion in @NetChoice reminds us of three core First Amendment principles: 1) Principles don't vary with new technologies. 2) States can't violate speech rights to achieve desired ideological balance. 3) Content publishers have the right to editorial discretion.

Jordan Fischer /
@jordanonrecord: Another day, another Fifth Circuit benchslap from SCOTUS (from today's Moody v. NetChoice decision). [image]

Jameel Jaffer /
@jameeljaffer: I was prepared for disaster, but the Netchoice decision is good. It rejects the broadest arguments made by the states and the platforms. It recognizes that platforms are ‘editors’ but dismisses the argument that regulation in this sphere is categorically unconstitutional. /1

Matt Stoller /
@matthewstoller: Court in NetChoice has a weird ruling, saying that NetChoice failed to prove the laws it is challenging on platform censorship are unconstitutional. Then the court adds a lot of (non-binding) commentary on how those laws are unconstitutional. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ...

Steve Vladeck /
@steve_vladeck: Justice Kagan has the consolidated ruling in NetChoice, holding for a unanimous-ish(!) Court that *neither* the Fifth Circuit *nor* the Eleventh Circuit applied the right test, and remanding for proper application of the standard for facial relief: https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ...

James Czerniawski /
@jamescz19: I love this line from the #NetChoice case: “The government may not, in supposed pursuit of better expressive valance, alter a private speaker's own editorial choices about the mix of speech it wants to convey.” It is not the government's job to do the balancing act. That's on us.

Katie Buehler /
@bykatiebuehler: BREAKING: A 9-0 Supreme Court punts on constitutionality of FL & TX laws barring social media platforms from removing content/users based on viewpoint, returning it to lower courts. (Moody v. NetChoice/NetChoice v. Paxton, No. 22-277/22-555) #SCOTUS https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Zephyr Teachout /
@zephyrteachout: The Netchoice remand today is a big win for the child social media laws being pushed around the country. Phew.

Thomas Berry /
@thomas_a_berry: Although the Supreme Court's opinion in the NetChoice cases did not reach the merits, this passage from Justice Kagan's majority opinion is hugely important and a victory for the view that both NetChoice and Cato urged. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Anupam Chander /
@anupamchander: Justice Kagan's majority opinion in Moody v NetChoice, on quick read, will protect against excessive government speech regulation of internet platforms' editorial decisions made through their algorithms. Consider this extensive list of editorial activity by internet platforms: [image]

Neil Chilson /
@neil_chilson: The Internet survives! [image]

Trace Mitchell /
@tracethelaw: While SCOTUS did not definitively rule on the constitutionality of the laws at issue, the majority makes clear that platforms do have constitutionally protected editorial rights. That is both correct and an important victory for anyone who cares about the First Amendment!

Zephyr Teachout /
@zephyrteachout: So Netchoice loses big in three ways 1) They actually lose (Remand) 2) Kagan says that “Texas's asserted interest relates to the suppression of free expression” which is a finding not applicable to most laws 3) Barrett is the swing here and leaves a lot of room

Jess Miers /
@jess_miers: SCOTUS attached a massive warning to their remand of the Netchoice cases: Laws that interfere with the editorial discretion of private online services, including their curation decisions, shall face a tremendous First Amendment hurdle. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ... [image]

Ari Cohn /
@aricohn: Upshot: SCOTUS vacates and remands the NetChoice cases because of the facial challenge irregularity that came up at oral arguments, but the Court takes the time to explain how it views the First Amendment principles at issue, with a not-at-all-disguised swipe at the 5th Circuit. [image]

Rob Freund /
@robertfreundlaw: Save this snippet from Netchoice for future conversations where people claim platforms are violating the First Amendment by “censoring” them. [image]

Will Oremus /
@willoremus: The Supreme Court vacates and remands the lower court rulings on both the Texas and Florida social media content moderation laws, essentially punting on any kind of substantive First Amendment ruling. Here's the decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ...

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: Kagan says social media platforms engage in protected speech when moderating content posted by third parties, and Texas' alleged interest in interfering with that practice amounts to the “suppression of free expression, and it is not valid” under the First Amendment. [image]

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: I would deem the NetChoice decision a significant, albeit incomplete, victory for the social platforms, and a loss for Florida and Texas; perhaps the biggest winners are the platforms' lawyers, who get to continue litigating these cases in the lower courts and billing for it.

Staci D Kramer /
@sdkstl: >>HOWEVER: Kagan's opinion for the court holds that content moderation IS “expressively activity” and that social media platforms ARE protected by the First Amendment, no matter their size, from state intrusion. That's a major holding.<<

Mark Joseph Stern /
@mjs_dc: The Supreme Court's second decision is NetChoice. Justice Kagan's complicated opinion for the court remands both cases to the appeals courts for the proper analysis of a First Amendment facial challenge, which, she says, they flunked the first time. https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ...

Josh Gerstein /
@joshgerstein: BREAKING: 2nd opinion from #SCOTUS this AM: Netchoice. TX and FL social media laws. Kagan writes. Newsfeeds and home pages are like newspapers “protected expressive activity.” Other parts of sites maybe not. Remanded to both appeals courts https://www.supremecourt.gov/ ...

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: U.S. Supreme Court Puts Hold on Texas, Florida Laws Regulating Social Media

Caroline Anders /
Semafor: SCOTUS punts on social media case, bars states from moderating content for now

The Verge:

Redbox's owner, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, files for bankruptcy protection; Chicken Soup took on $325M in debt when it acquired Redbox in 2022— Redbox's owner, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy protection overnight.

Discussion:

Jordan Valinsky /
CNN: Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul files for bankruptcy

Ben Kesslen /
Quartz: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, owner of Redbox, files for bankruptcy

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Bankrupt Redbox Parent Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment Installs New CEO And Board Of Directors

Lauren Edmonds /
Business Insider: Redbox's parent company stopped paying employees for over a week before finally filing for bankruptcy

Stephanie Kaloi /
The Wrap: Redbox Parent Company Files for Bankruptcy

G.O. Parsons /
@goparsons: For all the awesome employees wondering why Willy's Wonderland 2 hasn't been made... please see the article below. CSSE is the studio behind WW. Not sure what the future holds for WW — but I'll keep everyone updated when I do!

Eriq Gardner /
@eriqgardner: Redbox has filed for bankruptcy. End of an era. [image]

Zach Wilson /
@televisionaryzw: RIP to Redbox, at least until 10 years from now and the nostalgia that's currently about Blockbuster gets to them. “Remember when you'd go to the 7-11, get a Slurpee & some hot Cheetos & a Marvel movie from the Redbox?” https://www.theverge.com/...

Ranjan /
@ranjanxroy: TIL: the self-help book series from the 90s bought the DVD rental vending machine business for $325mm in debt

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Redbox Owner Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Jeremy Hill /
Fortune: The owner of Redbox DVD kiosks just filed for bankruptcy, saying results 'failed to meet management's expectations'

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life@mas.to: Redbox is an example of how technology transitions can completely wipe out a company. They lost out in the transition from DVDs to streaming, got bought by the Chicken Soup for the Soul company and have now filed for bankruptcy after missing payroll and debt payments. …

Daniel Frankel /
Next TV: End of the Line for Chicken Soup — Redbox Owner Files for Bankruptcy

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Redbox Reportedly Files For Bankruptcy

Janko Roettgers /
@jank0@sfba.social: Redbox is bankrupt https://www.theverge.com/...

Cheyenne MacDonald /
Engadget: The owner of Redbox has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The Hollywood Reporter:

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, names Sherrie Westin as its new CEO, as it plans to “reimagine” Sesame Street starting in fall 2025— The non-profit that produces ‘Sesame Street’ will have its first female CEO since the show's creator, Joan Ganz Cooney.

Discussion:
Variety

Discussion:

Jennifer Maas /
Variety: Sesame Workshop Names Sherrie Westin CEO

Press Gazette:

B2B information and data provider Wilmington sells its UK healthcare business, which includes Health Service Journal, to PE firm Inspirit Franklin for £26M— HSJ has been owned by Wilmington since 2017. — Health Service Journal will move under private equity ownership following a sale by owner Wilmington.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Some Hollywood writers and actors are struggling to meet salary or work requirements to keep their union's health insurance plans, following the 2023 strikes— After the 2023 work stoppages and amid a larger industry contraction, creatives face difficulties meeting minimums to keep their union plans …

Bloomberg:

BlackRock has agreed to buy Preqin, a UK-based provider of private markets data, for £2.55B in cash— The acquisition deepens BlackRock's ability to oversee risks and analyze data across fast-growing markets for private assets, and also expands its Aladdin technology systems …

Discussion:
Financial Times, Solondais, The Information and Paula Seligson on LinkedIn, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Paula Seligson /
Paula Seligson on LinkedIn: Big news in the alternative asset management space. BlackRock will acquire private capital database provider Preqin for £2.55 billion ($3.2 billion) in cash. …

BuzzMachine:

The two California bills to help fund local journalism would penalize Google and Meta for news' decline and benefit hedge funds that are destroying newspapers— There is still hope that California's perilous, protectionist legislation for news could be reformed, but not without effort.

Discussion:
@jeffjarvis and Los Angeles Times

Discussion:
@jeffjarvis: Just posted an update about California's news bills and my testimony in opposition—video included. I'm holding out hope for negotiation with Google's counterproposal. https://medium.com/...

Vanity Fair:

A look at WSJ's rocky reboot under Emma Tucker, who addressed editing bottlenecks and pushed for ambitious stories, while unnerving the newsroom with layoffs— The British-born editor has injected America's business paper of record with ambition and verve, while unnerving the newsroom with unapologetic cuts.

Discussion:
@mlcalderone, @charlottetklein and New York Post

Discussion:

Michael Calderone /
@mlcalderone: Deep look into the Wall Street Journal from @charlottetklein, who spoke to editor Emma Tucker and more than two dozen current/former staffers about layoffs, morale, and the future of the paper https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Charlotte Klein /
@charlottetklein: My last piece for VF is a look inside Emma Tucker's Wall Street Journal: https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Wired:

Quora-owned AI chatbot platform Poe is providing users with downloadable HTML files of paywalled articles from outlets including NYT, Forbes, and The Atlantic— WIRED was able to download stories from publishers like The New York Times and The Atlantic using Poe's Assistant bot.

Discussion:
MEDIANAMA, @carnage4life, @thekenyeung, @l0uryn, @timmarchman and @steve_e

Discussion:

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life: People say chatbots are a solution looking for a problem but it turns out you just didn't realize the problem was getting to read paywalled articles for free. [image]

Louryn Strampe /
@l0uryn: all hail @DefectorMedia https://www.wired.com/... [image]

Tim Marchman /
@timmarchman: New: Quora's chatbot service Poe will generate downloadable versions of paywalled articles on demand; we were able to retrieve stories from our site and others like the NYT, Atlantic, and Defector. https://www.wired.com/...

The Intercept:

A reporter who fought a seven-year legal battle to protect sources says Julian Assange's case sets a dangerous precedent that may severely hurt US press freedom— When Julian Assange abruptly found himself back in Australia and freedom this week after reaching a plea deal with the U.S. government …

Discussion:
@denniscearl, The Guardian, New York Times, @theintercept and South China Morning Post

Discussion:

Dennis Earl /
@denniscearl: “Many of his supporters have declared this a victory for Assange. But by obtaining a guilty plea, the Justice Department can also claim victory and ominously may use the same tactics to go after other reporters.” https://theintercept.com/... #JulianAssangeIsFree #FuckBiden #USpoli

Dennis Earl /
@denniscearl: “...he is a victim of an abusive prosecution by a government seeking to silence whistleblowers, and his case has set a dangerous precedent that could severely damage press freedom in the United States.” https://theintercept.com/... #FuckBiden #JournalismIsNotACrime #USpoli

Kenan Malik /
The Guardian: Julian Assange is free, but his case is a grim reminder of the fragility of press freedom

Mattathias Schwartz /
New York Times: The Digital World Is a Powder Keg. Julian Assange Lit the Fuse. @theintercept: “The most dangerous precedent in the case against Assange is the idea that the U.S. government can decide how to define journalism,” writes @JamesRisen1. https://theintercept.com/...

Variety:

Arnaud Lagardère returns as French publishing group Lagardère SA chair and CEO, after appealing an April 29 management ban by a court over embezzlement charges— Arnaud Lagardere, who had stepped down from his executive roles of chairman and CEO of the listed French media …

Discussion:
Publishers Weekly, Le Monde.fr, The Bookseller and Deadline

Discussion:

Barbara Casassus /
The Bookseller: Arnaud Lagardère returns to executive role at Lagardère

Variety:

Nielsen: the Biden-Trump debate drew an average audience of 51.3M viewers across 17 networks in the US, down from 2020's first debate, with nearly 73.1M— Networks include CNN, which originated the debate, as well as ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Scripps News, Telemundo, Univision, BET …

Discussion:
Politico, New York Post, The Free Press, New York Times, @dylanbyers, @brianstelter, Adweek, @antonej@threads.net, @parkerortolani@threads.net, Nielsen, MediaPost, CNN, Matthew Keys on LinkedIn, CBS News, The Desk, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, Financial Times, Washington Post, Forbes, The Wrap, CNN, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Next TV

Discussion:

Ryan King /
New York Post: Eye-popping 72% don't think Biden has the mental and physical strength to be president: poll

Olivia Reingold /
The Free Press: Inside the Biden Bubble

Michael M. Grynbaum /
New York Times: 51.3 Million Viewers Tuned In for Shaky Biden and Boisterous Trump

Dylan Byers /
@dylanbyers: CNN Debate *fast national* (not final) ratings in detail: Fox News: 8.82 million CNN: 8.75 million ABC: 8.70 million NBC: 5.17 million CBS: 4.81 million MSNBC: 3.94 million FOX: 3.48 million Fox Business: 372,000 HLN: 251,000 CNN Espanol: 46,000

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: This just in from CNN: “A combined 47.9 million total viewers watched the CNN Presidential Debate on television last night” across all the networks where it appeared.

Mark Mwachiro /
Adweek: CNN Presidential Debate Scores 51 Million Viewers Across All Networks [Final Numbers]

Antone Johnson /
@antonej@threads.net: So 85% of Americans didn't watch it.

Parker Ortolani /
@parkerortolani@threads.net: oh hey nobody watches debates no one cares no one will remember, said a delusional person

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: First Presidential Debate Earns 51.3M Viewers, Down 30%: Nielsen

Matthew Keys /
Matthew Keys on LinkedIn: CNN initially published an article claiming it had the highest-rated coverage of the presidential debate on Thursday. …

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Fox News grabs highest ratings for CNN Presidential Debate

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: CNN Biden-Trump debate draws 51.3 million TV viewers, a major drop from 2020

Zachary Leeman /
Mediaite: Trump-Biden Debate Draws 51 Million Viewers, Most Watched Event in CNN History

Anna Nicolaou /
Financial Times: Trump-Biden debate draws smaller audience as voters tune out US election

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: CNN Says 47.9 Million Watched Presidential Debate; TV Viewership Drops Considerably From 2020

Rick Porter /
The Hollywood Reporter: TV Ratings: Biden-Trump Debate Draws 48M Viewers, Way Below 2020

Jon Lafayette /