WGA East members working for PBS member stations reach a deal, averting a strike; the union says the deal expands protections to animation writers (Gene Maddaus/Variety)

Mediagazer: WGA East members working for PBS member stations reach a deal, averting a strike; the union says the deal expands protections to animation writers (Gene Maddaus/Variety)

Top News:

Variety:

WGA East members working for PBS member stations reach a deal, averting a strike; the union says the deal expands protections to animation writers— Writers on “Frontline,” “American Experience,” “NOVA” and other PBS shows have averted a strike after reaching a deal with three affiliates.
Discussion:

Katie Kilkenny /
The Hollywood Reporter: PBS Strike Averted As Union and Member Stations Reach Tentative Deal

Jason Gordon /
Writers Guild of America East: Animation Writers Demand Union-Coverage for PBS-Made Animated Series

Emma Keates /
AV Club: The PBS writers have reached a deal

Press Gazette:

Jason Cowley, the editor-in-chief of UK magazine the New Statesman, is stepping down from the position at the end of December after 16 years— New Statesman editor-in-chief Jason Cowley has announced he will step down at the end of December after 16 years at the title.

Discussion:

George Eaton /
@georgeeaton.bsky.social: Congrats to Jason on a wonderful 16 years as NS editor. — I joined under him in 2009 and, like many others across the industry, I'll always be grateful for the opportunities he's given me. pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/ med...

Helen Lewis /
@helenlewis.bsky.social: Jason Cowley took a big chance on me all the way back in 2010, when I had no track record as a writer (I'd been a copy & desk editor) and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for everything that's happened since. — It's the end of an era! — pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/ med...

Gabriel Milland /
@gabrielmilland.bsky.social: Someone once explained to me how Jason Cowley rescued the New Statesman from crankdom. Basically, John Pilger's column was gradually moved further and further back in the magazine until everyone forgot it actually existed. Fabian gradualism in a nutshell for you. — pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/ med...

Columbia Journalism Review:

A look at the Agora Center for Research, a Ugandan newsroom sitting between activism and investigative reporting, posting its work on various social media sites— Reporting that pops up in different media, documents as proof, and crowdsourced investigations have revealed corruption.

Deadline:

The English Premier League ends its content partnership with IMG and plans to bring content production and distribution in-house in 2026— The UK's Premier League soccer is to start producing and distributing its own content for the first time in two decades after ending its partnership with IMG.

Discussion:
Premier League Football News …, Advanced Television and @brandonsvg.bsky.social

Discussion:
Premier League Football News, Fixtures …: Premier League and IMG joint statement: Premier League media production operations

Brandon Costa /
@brandonsvg.bsky.social: Big news in the UK as the Premier League will take all international media production in-house beginning in 2026-27. — That includes the production of each season's 380 matches. — For the past 20 years, IMG has handled that, operating an entity called “Premier League Productions.” [image]

The Guardian:

National World, one of the UK's biggest newspaper groups, gets a £56.2M buyout offer from shareholder Media Concierge, a 40% premium to its Nov. 21 stock price— Media Concierge submits £56.2m cash offer for National World, underbidder in the auction for the Telegraph titles

Discussion:
Press Gazette, Financial Times, London Evening Standard and HoldtheFrontPage

Discussion:

Bron Maher /
Press Gazette: Battle for future of National World as shareholder launches takeover bid

Daniel Thomas /
Financial Times: Yorkshire Post owner attracts £56mn buyout bid from largest shareholder

Henry Saker-Clark /
London Evening Standard: Media Concierge launches £56.2m takeover move for National World

The New York Times Company:

The New York Times names Dick Stevenson as Washington bureau chief; Stevenson has been at the paper for nearly 40 years and Washington editor since 2021— Dick, who embodies the mission of producing independent journalism, brings decades of experience to the role.

Discussion:
The Wrap

Discussion:

TechCrunch:

Texas' AG opens a probe into the World Federation of Advertisers to find if it conspired to boycott “certain social media platforms”; X sued the WFA in August— Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Thursday he is opening an investigation into the World Federation of Advertisers …

Discussion:

Wendy Davis /
MediaPost: Texas AG Investigates WFA Over Ad ‘Boycott’

Elon Musk /
@elonmusk: @KenPaxtonTX It's still a major problem

Lola Gayle /
@lolagaylec.bsky.social: Absurd and a waste of taxpayer funds. Typical for Paxton though. — TechCrunch - Texas AG opens investigation into advertising group that Elon Musk sued for ‘boycotting’ X Texas Attorney General: Attorney General Ken Paxton Opens Investigation Into Possible Conspiracy by Advertising Companies to Boycott Certain Social Media Platforms

Attorney General Ken Paxton /
@kenpaxtontx: BREAKING: I have opened an investigation into a possible conspiracy by advertising companies to boycott certain social media platforms. It is completely unacceptable and un-American that the Department of Justice under the Biden Administration failed to enforce antitrust laws

Thomas Barrabi /
New York Post: Texas AG Ken Paxton investigates GARM ad cartel over boycott ‘conspiracy’

Didi Rankovic /
Reclaim The Net: X Takes Aim at Twitch in Legal Fight Over Ad Boycotts

The Desk:

DirecTV terminates its Dish acquisition after a group of Dish creditors rejected a modified bond exchange offer— Pay television provider DirecTV on Thursday officially announced it will terminate its agreement to acquire rival satellite company Dish Network and its streaming service Sling TV from Echostar this week.

Discussion:
StreamTV Insider, The Streamable, Axios, DIRECTV, Denver Business Journal, Front Office Sports, RetailWire, SpaceNews, Benzinga, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Los Angeles Times, Cord Cutters News, Media Play News, Streaming Better, Advanced Television, The Wrap, Variety, UPI, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck, Reuters, WORLD SCREEN and Bloomberg

Discussion:

Bevin Fletcher /
StreamTV Insider: DirecTV, Dish merger hangs by thread as deadline looms

David Satin /
The Streamable: Merger of DIRECTV and DISH is officially dead after bondholders stand firm

Tim Baysinger /
Axios: DirecTV to spike Dish deal over debt swap exchange DIRECTV: DIRECTV Announces Termination of Agreement to Acquire EchoStar's Video Distribution Business

Greg Avery /
Denver Business Journal: Dish Network-DirecTV deal collapses

Jon Houke /
RetailWire: DirecTV and Dish Network Are Not Merging, Deal Is Canceled Effective Immediately

Jason Rainbow /
SpaceNews: DirecTV calls time on plans to merge with Dish

Anusuya Lahiri /
Benzinga: EchoStar Shares Sink As DirecTV Terminates Acquisition Agreement

Gnaneshwar Rajan /
Reuters: DirecTV terminates Dish deal over failed debt swap

Michelle Chapman /
Yahoo Finance: DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: DIRECTV & Dish Network Merger is Officially Dead as Bondholders Reject Debt Swap

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: DirecTV Ends $1 Dish Acquisition After Satellite TV Operator's Debt Holders Refuse Exchange Offer Terms

Ross A. Lincoln /
The Wrap: DirecTV Terminates Dish Acquisition Over Debt Exchange Dispute

Todd Spangler /
Variety: DirecTV Ditches Dish Deal

Doug Cunningham /
UPI: DIRECTV cancels deal to buy DISH after creditors reject debt swap terms

Gnaneshwar Rajan /
Reuters: DirecTV to terminate Dish deal over debt swap exchange, Axios reports

Mansha Daswani /
WORLD SCREEN: DIRECTV Abandons DISH Acquisition

Editor and Publisher:

A look at The 51st, a worker-led nonprofit news startup in Washington, DC, and how the founders studied worker-led organizations and similar newsrooms— The 51st has set out to redefine local journalism in Washington, D.C., as one of the country's growing number of worker-led, nonprofit newsrooms.

Discussion:
Gretchen A. Peck on LinkedIn, The 51st and r/Journalism

Discussion:

Gretchen A. Peck /
Gretchen A. Peck on LinkedIn: I love a phoenix-from-the-ashes news story, and The 51st in Washington, D.C., is a perfect example. Check out Diane Sylvester's reporting …

Teresa Frontado /
The 51st: Meet our team — What's your relationship to D.C.? Are you from the area, and if not, why did you move here?

New York Post:

Email: WaPo senior politics editor Dan Eggen says he was told Monday that he will “be removed” at the end of 2024, and “will leave it to others to explain why”— The Washington Post abruptly removed its politics editor without giving him a reason for the decision …

Discussion:

Lachlan Cartwright /
@lachcartwright: Scoop: Washington Post senior politics editor Dan Eggen is being removed from his post at the end of the year. In a message to colleagues he writes: “I struggled with how to write this message since there is an element of begging to it that is not particularly attractive. But

Will Slaughter /
@bamabonds: With government contracts on the line, @washingtonpost continues to bend the knee (or more properly have its knees bent for it) to MAGA reality. The purported courage of the liberal press, when its rice bowl is threatened, is flimsy indeed.

Paul Farhi /
@farhip: Surprising. Dan is a vet. Knows his stuff.

Nicole Perlroth /
@nicoleperlroth: What is happening right now at WaPo is a Murdoch-esque downward slide into the Daily Mail. I feel so badly for the great journalists at the Washington Post right now. Every American should want this paper to be successful and should fear what comes if it isn't.

Bill Hangley Jr /
@hangleyjr: if you haven't unsubscribed yet, you probably should. this is almost certainly the result of Bezos's new bootlicking toady publisher wanting a bootlicking toady political editor

Ali Winston /
@awinston: Nooooo coincidence https://x.com/...

Dan Froomkin /
@froomkin: I've been waiting all day to get a hint of what this means. Anyone? Was he too aggressive about Trump? Not aggressive enough? Who made the call? There's plenty of reason to assume the worst — that he was shitcanned by Lewis to make room for Bezosian lickspittles. But who knows?

Lachlan Cartwright /
@lachcartwright: what the hey: I was informed Monday that I will be removed as senior politics editor at the end of the year. I will leave it to others to explain why." Eggen says he is “crushed” by the news. I have reached out to @washingtonpost for comment.

Ali Winston /
@awinston: This is fucking CRAZY. Eggen is one of the most reputable journalists at the Post. I've read people like him and Ellen Nakashima religiously over the years . Bezos and Lewis are gutting that institution, trashing its integrity and remaking it in the image of Fleet Street @sjvn@mastodon.social: Self-censorship is how you start losing freedom of the press: — https://nypost.com/...

Sarah Scire /
@scire.bsky.social: All today ... Washington Post senior politics editor Dan Eggen says he was removed from post, Wall Street Journal laid off politics editor Ben Pershing, and New York Times announced Washington bureau chief Elisabeth Bumiller is stepping down

Press Gazette:

Reach's audience director says Google's Discover feed has become Reach's single largest traffic referral source, mostly promoting “soft-lens” content— Google's smartphone-based content recommendation feed, Google Discover, has become the single largest traffic referral source …

Discussion:
Martin Little on LinkedIn, @adders.blog, @jim.londoncentric.media and @londoncentric.media

Discussion:

Martin Little /
Martin Little on LinkedIn: Getting lots of interesting questions from people this morning about this interview on Press Gazette on Google Discover. …

Adam Tinworth /
@adders.blog: Interesting, but this feels very precarious. You can be systemstic and get results from search, but Discover is reminiscent of social algorityms, and we know where they lead. pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/ re...

Jim Waterson /
@jim.londoncentric.media: Reach openly explaining how it's doing barrel-scraping clickbait targeting the links served up on browser homepages. — If I wanted to put properly reported local journalism on Google/Apple News/MSN homepages, they won't take it as I'm not a corporate news outlet! — pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/ re... …

Jim Waterson /
@londoncentric.media: Reach openly explaining how it's doing barrel-scraping clickbait targeting the links served up on browser homepages. — If I wanted to put properly reported local journalism on Google/Apple News/MSN homepages, they won't take it as I'm not a corporate news outlet! — pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/ re... …

The New York Times Company:

Elisabeth Bumiller, the NYT's Washington bureau chief since 2015 and nearly a 30-year NYT veteran, is stepping down to return to writing and reporting— Elisabeth, incomparable Washington bureau chief since 2015, has decided to return to writing and reporting.

Discussion:
@peterbakernyt, @ignatiuspost, @glennthrush, @moorehn, @peterbakernyt, @andrew_marshall, @peterbakernyt, @moorehn and @edmundlee.bsky.social

Discussion:

Peter Baker /
@peterbakernyt: ... challenging periods ever when so much was at stake. And she did it with extraordinary intelligence, integrity, grace, determination, good judgment and most of all a spine of steel. No one has done more to deliver first-rate journalism in Washington under such ... (2)

David Ignatius /
@ignatiuspost: @BumillerNYT has been a peerless Washington bureau chief. A total professional, hard to compete against but easy to admire.

Glenn Thrush /
@glennthrush: No one could have done the job better.

Heidi N. Moore /
@moorehn: Leave aside that the Washington bureau chief played a major role in the miserable Trump-enabling coverage of Maggie H a b e r m a n, the Judy Miller of the Trump Administration. The nation got through that period of miserable stenography, but barely.

Peter Baker /
@peterbakernyt: When the history of the current media era is written, there should be a major chapter about Elisabeth Bumiller (@BumillerNYT). She has led the @nytimes Washington Bureau tirelessly for nearly a decade, a modern record, including one of the most ... (1) https://www.nytco.com/...

Andrew Marshall /
@andrew_marshall: one of the best

Peter Baker /
@peterbakernyt: ... withering pressure. We're going to miss her as a boss but the good news is she's a magnificent writer too and soon we'll get to see her byline again. (3)

Heidi N. Moore /
@moorehn: Oh, I dunno, I remember when young women came forward to say Glenn Thrush had sexually harassed them with the promise of helping their careers and Ms. Bumiller here sided with the harasser and suggested that young women were just too sensitive. https://jezebel.com/...

Edmund Lee /