X releases its first transparency report since Elon Musk took over; X took action on 2,361 accounts over hateful content in H1 2024, down from 1M in H2 2021 (Vittoria Elliott/Wired)

Mediagazer: X releases its first transparency report since Elon Musk took over; X took action on 2,361 accounts over hateful content in H1 2024, down from 1M in H2 2021 (Vittoria Elliott/Wired)

Top News:

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: Annemarie Dooling on LinkedIn, Adweek and @laurahazardowen

Discussion:

Annemarie Dooling /
Annemarie Dooling on LinkedIn: Unless you understand the intention of the person visiting your content, it doesn't matter how well you can game search with publish times and updates, they're going to leave anyway. …

Brad Pareso /
Adweek: Google Discover and WhatsApp Emerge as Traffic Opportunities for News Publishers, While Social Falls

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:
@ivanlevingston and @pressgazette

Discussion:

Ivan Levingston /
@ivanlevingston: The Free Press, a media startup launch by former NYT journalist Bari Weiss, has raised new funding at a $100mn valuation. scoop w/ @DanielThomasLDN @JFK_America https://www.ft.com/...

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, HuffPost, Adweek, The Hill, Variety, @bsdtectr.bsky.social, @brianstelter, The Wrap, TVLine, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck and Deadline

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

Nick Visser /
HuffPost: Univision To Host Town Halls With Harris, Trump As Candidates Squabble Over Debate

Brad Pareso /
Adweek: Univision to Host Separate Town Halls for Harris, Trump

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 @bsdtectr.bsky.social: Acevedo has already been knocked for doing a softball interview with Trump earlier this year. [embedded post]

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.

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

Telegraph:

The Spectator appoints ex-UK cabinet minister Michael Gove as editor, starting on October 8, after its takeover by GB News co-owner Sir Paul Marshall— Former Cabinet minister will take over from Fraser Nelson on Oct 8 - three months after standing down as MP

Discussion:
The Guardian, Press Gazette, Politico, Bloomberg, Associated Press, @davidfolkenflik, @strykermcguire, @warwickmansell, @hasanpatel, @brokenbottleboy, @dhothersall, @carolineslocock, @noahkeate, @danbarker, @rupertmyers, @freddiesayers, @euanrellie, @jonnelledge, @gordonrayner and

Discussion:

Charlotte Tobitt /
Press Gazette: Michael Gove to replace Fraser Nelson as Spectator editor under new ownership

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: Rupert's longtime longshot pick for PM

Stryker McGuire /
@strykermcguire: Great to welcome ⁦@michaelgove⁩ back to journalism. ⁦@FraserNelson⁩ is a tough act to follow; at a time when great magazines were foundering everywhere, Fraser managed to propel ⁦@spectator⁩ from strength to strength. https://www.spectator.co.uk/ ...

Warwick Mansell /
@warwickmansell: Wow-Michael Gove now teaming up with his old friend Sir Paul Marshall, who has just bought the Spectator. Gove was close to Sir Paul M during the latter's time chairing the academy chain Ark Schools. Sir Paul donated to Gove's Tory leadership campaigns in 2016 and 2019.

Hasan Patel /
@hasanpatel: Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new leader of the opposition who will unite hard right media, think tanks and politicians under his stewardship. @michaelgove to be named the @spectator editor https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ ...

Mic Wright /
@brokenbottleboy: Michael Gove as editor of The Spectator. Just when you thought you might not have to see him all over the media anymore.

Duncan Hothersall /
@dhothersall: Some carefully chosen words here. Fraser Nelson “steps down” in favour of Michael Gove at the Spectator, days after the title was bought by GB News owner and hedge fund tycoon Paul Marshall. Nothing says “No change in editorial direction” like immediately replacing the editor.

Caroline Slocock /
@carolineslocock: Didn't take long for the new owner of the Spectator, Paul Marshall, a co-owner of GB News, to replace Nelson with Gove. This picture of Gove with Marshall in 2010 speaks volumes, as does Gove's defence of evidence of extremism revealed by various tweets https://hopenothate.org.uk/.... [image]

Noah Keate /
@noahkeate: Huge media news - Fraser Nelson has edited the Spectator since 2009. How the magazine's direction/choice of topics/writers change after such a long tenure will be fascinating to watch. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ ...

Dan Barker /
@danbarker: Interesting news from The Spectator: - Fraser Nelson stepping down - Michael Gove the new Editor - Charles Moore the new Chair I expect Fraser Nelson will be inundated with offers, but it would be interesting to see what he'd do at The Standard (formerly Evening Standard)

Rupert Myers /
@rupertmyers: Congratulations to ⁦@michaelgove⁩ on becoming editor of ⁦⁦@spectator⁩ and good luck to ⁦@FraserNelson⁩ in whatever he does next. It was a joy to occasionally write under his editorship. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ ...

Freddie Sayers /
@freddiesayers: We have some major announcements today here at The Spectator. Fraser Nelson is to step down as Editor, after 15 incredibly successful years. He leaves the magazine modernised, digitised and with more readers than ever before. I am delighted to say he will continue to write for

Euan Rellie /
@euanrellie: I don't always agree with @TheSpectator - I'm a softie liberal by comparison - but I really enjoy reading it and I'm pleased that the brilliant and quirky @michaelgove is taking over as editor. https://www.spectator.co.uk/ ...

Jonn Elledge /
@jonnelledge:

Gordon Rayner /
@gordonrayner: 🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Gove made editor of Spectator Michael Gove to be editor of The Spectator following takeover https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ ...

Associated Press:

A US bankruptcy judge says he will approve an auction of Alex Jones' Infowars and its assets in November 2024 to help Jones pay $1B+ to Sandy Hook families— Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ' Infowars media platform and its assets will be sold off piece by piece in auctions this fall …

Discussion:

Chris Morris /
Fortune: Infowars is going on the auction block

Ty Roush /
Forbes: Alex Jones' Infowars Will Be Auctioned Off To Help Pay Sandy Hook Families $1.5 Billion—Here's What To Know

Sue Stone /
@knittingknots2@mstdn.social: Judge to approve auctions liquidating Alex Jones' Infowars | AP News — https://apnews.com/...

Sean Craig /
The Daily Beast: Alex Jones' Infowars Will Be Sold for Parts at Auction to Pay Sandy Hook Families

Karen Dalton-Beninato /
@kbeninato@mstdn.party: If I had the budget I'd buy all the chairs, sit across from the shell of the studio, and laugh. — https://apnews.com/...

Ellsworth Toohey /
Boing Boing: Alex Jones' InfoWars auctioned to pay Sandy Hook damages @dogzilla@masto.deluma.biz: So sad, too bad — Judge to approve auctions liquidating Alex Jones' Infowars | AP News https://apnews.com/...

Elizabeth Williamson /
New York Times: Alex Jones's Infowars Will Be Auctioned Off to Pay Sandy Hook Families

Charisma Madarang /
Rolling Stone: Alex Jones' Infowars to Be Auctioned Off to Help Pay $1.5 Billion He Owes Sandy Hook Families

Sean Burch /
The Wrap: Alex Jones' InfoWars to Be Auctioned Off to Pay $1.5 Billion Defamation Damages

Wired:

X releases its first transparency report since Elon Musk took over; X took action on 2,361 accounts over hateful content in H1 2024, down from 1M in H2 2021— In the first half of 2024, the report says, X received nearly 67 million reports of hateful conduct, and took action on more than 2,000 accounts.

Discussion:
Engadget, Fortune, Washington Post, Quartz, Digiday, @safety, @crumbler@threads.net, Los Angeles Times, Mashable and @daithaigilbert, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Karissa Bell /
Engadget: X just released its first full transparency report since Elon Musk took over

Cristiano Lima-Strong /
Washington Post: Musk decries government ‘censorship.’ His X has been more compliant.

William Gavin /
Quartz: Elon Musk criticizes censorship, but his X grants more government requests than Twitter did @safety: We are thrilled to introduce X's Global Transparency Report, covering the period from January to June 2024. This report highlights the extensive efforts by our Safety team to cultivate a healthy and secure environment, reaffirming that X remains a safe platform for all users.

Casey Newton /
@crumbler@threads.net: So, according to X's own numbers, content moderation there has declined by 99.99 percent. — Meanwhile revenue has dropped 84 percent. — In case anyone wondered if there's a business case for content moderation. — RE: https://www.threads.net/...

Queenie Wong /
Los Angeles Times: Elon Musk's X says it's policing harmful content as scrutiny of the platform grows

Chase DiBenedetto /
Mashable: X just released its first transparency report in years. Here's what they aren't saying.

David Gilbert /
@daithaigilbert: Elon Musk has finally published a Twitter transparency report. In the last report, covering the second half of 2021, the number of accounts Twitter took action against for posting hateful content was: 1,000,000 Under Musk? 2,600 accounts Says it all https://www.wired.com/...

TechCrunch:

Automattic sends a cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine, alleging unauthorized use of the WordPress trademark, after WP Engine sent a C&D letter on September 23— The brouhaha in the WordPress community looks likely to escalate into a legal battle around trademarks.

Discussion:
Search Engine Journal, @carnage4life, TechRadar, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Roger Montti /
Search Engine Journal: WordPress Files to Trademark ‘Managed WordPress’ & ‘Hosted WordPress’

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life: WordPress hit the same problem other open source cloud software like Redis, MongoDB and ElasticSearch have. You do a bunch of R&D only for another company to host your software and provide the same or better service with your free labor. [image]

Dare Obasanjo /
@carnage4life: Usually companies change licenses in response to this form of asymmetric competition. It's unusual to first demand a portion of revenue and then sue for trademark violations instead. The business impact on Automattic/WordPress must be non-trivial https://techcrunch.com/...

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:
@justinbaragona, @thatjakepc, @mattdpearce, @davidgross_man, @marisakabas2, @nikkimcr, @marisakabas2, @tessaduvall, @leah_sottile, @samwangphd, @davitydave, @youngvulgarian, @marisakabas2, @jokelley, @marisakabas2, @tbridis, @teachequitably1, @tattersking, @radfemme74 and Los Angeles Times

Discussion:

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]

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?

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/ ...

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

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/ ...

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.

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: @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/ ...

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]

Marisa Kabas /
@marisakabas2: https://www.thehandbasket.co/ ... [image] @jokelley: Given how prominent Ben is in the political journalism landscape, this right here makes the Nuzzi story an industry-wide scandal

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

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]

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

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— The new Glasgow-focused title from local newsletter start-up Mill Media will be named The Bell, Press Gazette can reveal.

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

Discussion:

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/

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/... @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/...

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

Axios:

The International Fund for Public Interest Media plans to raise $150M by mid-2025 to help independent media in 50 low- and mid-income countries over three years— - Of the 40 countries already eligible for funding, 30 will hold elections between 2026 and 2028, the fund notes in its investment thesis.

Discussion:
@sarafischer

Discussion:

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

Discussion:

Kristin Brzoznowski /
WORLD SCREEN: James Cameron Joins Stability AI Board Of Directors

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

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

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

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

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: