A year after the start of the double strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, studio executives, and agents have mixed responses on whether the strikes were worth it (Katie Kilkenny/The Hollywood Reporter)

Mediagazer: A year after the start of the double strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, studio executives, and agents have mixed responses on whether the strikes were worth it (Katie Kilkenny/The Hollywood Reporter)

Top News:

BBC:

A Russian court convicts Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentences him to 16 years in prison; Wall Street Journal calls the trial a “sham”— US journalist Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, after a secretive trial decried as a “sham” by his employer.
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, @wsjpr, Dow Jones, @justinbaragona, New York Post, HuffPost, @teroterotero, Politico, @davidfolkenflik, @kimzetter, Washington Post, @jtoonkel, @jrezaian, @maxseddon, @jaketapper, @brettbruen, @bbcstever, Reuters, @potus@threads.net, @senatorwarner@threads.net, CBS News, Alistair MacDonald on LinkedIn, Lynn Cook on LinkedIn, Axios, Brian Tierney on LinkedIn, Courthouse News Service, Lucy Knight on LinkedIn, Al Jazeera, CNN, Nora Eckert on LinkedIn, Breitbart, Euractiv, Associated Press, Raw Story, Voice of America, The Wrap, Newser, Mediaite, Business Insider, NPR, @sylkegruhnwald@infosec …, Semafor, Politico, The US Sun, Bloomberg, The White House, SWAMY WORLD, The Guardian, New York Times, Committee to Protect …, Reuters, Fox News, Talking Biz News, SPJ News and News/Media Alliance

Discussion:

Georgi Kantchev /
Wall Street Journal: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison After Wrongful Conviction @wsjpr: Today, Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker released the below statement on @WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. Statement here: https://www.dowjones.com/... #IStandWithEvan [image] Dow Jones: July 19, 2024: Statement from Almar Latour and Emma Tucker on WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich

Justin Baragona /
@justinbaragona: So is Trump saying that he's struck a deal with Putin to release Evan Gershkovich that will only take effect if he's elected? If not, what's the other explanation from Trump for promising to bring him home for “NO COMPENSATION” once he's won? [image]

Jon Levine /
New York Post: Trump says he will free Evan Gershkovich ‘FOR NO COMPENSATION’ immediately after being elected president

Marco Margaritoff /
HuffPost: Brittney Griner Speaks Up About Imprisoned WSJ Reporter: ‘We Have To Get Him Back’

Tero Kuittinen /
@teroterotero: Reporters ignoring this happening to their colleague is so dark

Jamie Dettmer /
Politico: What a rushed trial for Evan Gershkovich might mean

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: WSJ chief executive and editor in chief issue statement on reporter's conviction by Russian court [image]

Kim Zetter /
@kimzetter: omg. Worst possible outcome for WSJ reporter charged with treason in Russia. Horrible

Robyn Dixon /
Washington Post: Russian court convicts journalist Evan Gershkovich, imposes 16-year sentence

Jessica Toonkel /
@jtoonkel: It is outrageous that my colleague Evan Gershkovich was sentenced today to 16 years in a Russian prison for doing his job. Journalism is not a crime. It has been 478 days since he has been wrongfully detained. #journalismisnotacrime #FreeEvan @WSJ

Jason Rezaian /
@jrezaian: This sentence is the cruel and obvious outcome of a ridiculous process. It's long past time to bring Evan, Paul Whelan and all American hostages home to their families. #IStandWithEvan https://www.cnn.com/...

Max Seddon /
@maxseddon: A court in Russia has sentenced Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter arrested last year on absurd espionage charges, to 16 years in high-security prison. Russia rushed through the trial and didn't bother presenting public evidence. It may be a prelude to an exchange. Free Evan! [video]

Jake Tapper /
@jaketapper: It's Friday July 19, 2024. WSJ's Evan Gershkovich was detained by the Russian FSB Mar 29, 2023. 1 year & 111 days ago HE WAS JUST “CONVICTED” AND SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN A SHAM TRIAL https://www.cnn.com/... JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME! FREE EVAN NOW! #IStandWithEvan [image]

Brett Bruen /
@brettbruen: This is the same country that just praised Trump's selection of #JDVance Might be a good moment for either of these men to condemn Moscow's jailing of an American journalist & demand his release...

Steve Rosenberg /
@bbcstever: A court in Yekaterinburg has convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a high security penal colony. The trial has been dismissed as a ‘sham’ by US officials & the WSJ. [video] Reuters: Russian court jails US reporter Gershkovich for 16 years after convicting him of espionage, state media says

President Joe Biden /
@potus@threads.net: Today, Evan Gershkovich received a sentence of 16 years in a Russian prison, despite having committed no crime. I will not mince words: he was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American.

Mark R. Warner /
@senatorwarner@threads.net: Evan Gershkovich's conviction is a devastating blow to freedom of the press everywhere. The charges, trial, and conviction are a complete sham manufactured by Putin — a corrupt, desperate leader who will stop at nothing to suppress truth and quell dissent. …

Alistair MacDonald /
Alistair MacDonald on LinkedIn: An utter disgrace. Russia's shameful and false jailing of my colleague Evan Gershkovich. Using a young man's life as a bargaining tool …

Lynn Cook /
Lynn Cook on LinkedIn: BREAKING NEWS: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison After Wrongful Conviction — The sentencing came after a secret trial that the U.S. has condemned as a sham. …

Brian Tierney /
Brian Tierney on LinkedIn: I am shocked and disappointed by the news of Evan Gershkovich's unjust conviction. — This event represents not only a violation of his human rights …

Lucy Knight /
Lucy Knight on LinkedIn: Indeed, a disgraceful and sham conviction. An absolutely devastating outcome for Evan Gershkovich and his family. Please keep the story alive. …

Nora Eckert /
Nora Eckert on LinkedIn: An awful day. WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison. Evan is just about two years older than I am. …

Kirill Zarubin /
Associated Press: Russia convicts U.S. journalist of espionage after a trial widely seen as politically motivated

Roxanne Cooper /
Raw Story: Russian court convicts WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage

John Johnson /
Newser: Russia Sentences American Journalist to 16 Years

David Gilmour /
Mediaite: BREAKING: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced By Russia to 16 Years Prison in ‘Sham’ Trial

Charles Maynes /
NPR: Russian court sentences U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison

Sylke Gruhnwald /
@sylkegruhnwald@infosec.exchange: Journalism is not a Crime. — https://www.bbc.com/...

Mathias Hammer /
Semafor: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in prison by Russian court

Ellie Doughty /
The US Sun: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is sentenced to 16 years in Russia on trumped-up spying charges after sham closed trial The White House: Statement by President Joe Biden on the Sentencing of Wrongfully Detained American Evan Gershkovich SWAMY WORLD: Russia convicts US reporter of espionage after a trial widely seen as politically motivated

Shaun Walker /
The Guardian: Russian court sentences US journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison

Ivan Nechepurenko /
New York Times: Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Russian Prison

Columbia Journalism Review:

Selina Cheng says her editor told her that staff advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict with WSJ's reporting of the issue in Hong Kong— After 2019, as China tightened its grip on Hong Kong and mass protests gripped the city, police raided the Apple Daily …

Discussion:
@joshgerstein, @gaufre, @jennyabamu, @sewellchan, @lathram, @bkesling, South China Morning Post, Talking Biz News, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP and Semafor

Discussion:

Josh Gerstein /
@joshgerstein: This @selina_cheng situation remains extremely embarrassing for the Wall Street Journal and damaging to its reputation at a time when it would be better for everyone worldwide to be rallying to its side over Evan Gershkovitch's plight https://www.cjr.org/... @gaufre: “The Journal, she said, continues to report on incidents related to press freedom in the city, such as trials against the press, so having its employees advocating for press freedom publicly would create a conflict.” https://www.cjr.org/...

Jenny Abamu /
@jennyabamu: Never met a free press outlet anywhere in the world that doesn't support free press. Standing with Evan, Selina Cheng and press freedom everywhere. https://www.cjr.org/...

Sewell Chan /
@sewellchan: Powerful essay by @selina_cheng, Hong Kong journalist who says she was let go after running to lead the Hong Kong Journalists Association. https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr

James Graff /
@lathram: I knew Dow Jones used the term “restructuring” for layoffs cynically—but here it really pushed the envelope https://www.cjr.org/...

Ben Kesling /
@bkesling: The latest bold leadership move from @emmatuckerWSJ “I pushed for press freedom in Hong Kong. The Wall Street Journal fired me.” https://www.cjr.org/... via @cjr

Ezra Cheung /
South China Morning Post: Hong Kong reporter says Wall Street Journal fired her over press freedom role Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Hong Kong foreign press club ‘concerned’ after head of journalists' union Selina Cheng fired by Wall Street Journal

RELATED:

South China Morning Post:
Media orgs, WSJ union, and a congressional panel express support for Selina Cheng, who says WSJ fired her for assuming Hong Kong Journalists Association's chair

Discussion:

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Women Press Freedom @CFWIJ said: “We urge WSJ and Dow Jones to reconsider their actions and reinstate Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Canadian press advocacy group @MAP_Canada said: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of their treatment of Selina Cheng.” https://x.com/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor @HKLabourRights and 40 overseas HK civil society groups in an open letter said they were “shocked” by the move and called on WSJ to provide an explanation for the dismissal. https://hklabourrights.org/...

Connor Mycroft /
@connor_mycroft: International press groups are leading a growing chorus of support for HKJA chairwoman @selina_cheng days after she was fired by @WSJ A (non-exhaustive)🧵on the groups around the globe speaking up https://www.scmp.com/... @ceccgov: Chairs are tracking concerns about the firing of reporter @Selina_Cheng upon her election as President of @HKJA_Official, and the disturbing questions about whether @WSJ is abetting the erosion of press freedoms in #HongKong. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...

Jane Manchun Wong /
@wongmjane@threads.net: WSJ only stands with their American journalists

Tom Grundy /
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP: Wall St Journal union urges paper to reinstate head of Hong Kong journalists' group Selina Cheng amid outcry

Ryan Ho Kilpatrick /
China Media Project: Code of Silence — In other parts of the world, getting elected to lead one's local press group … journalism.columbia.edu: Statement from the Columbia Journalism School Faculty in Support of Press Freedom and Selina Cheng, '16 M.S. Stabile

Chris Lau /
CNN: Hong Kong journalist says she was fired by WSJ after taking top post at union under attack by Beijing

Los Angeles Times:

LA County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated and urged the state AG to prosecute an LA Times reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies— For at least three years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department secretly investigated — and ultimately urged …

Discussion:
@keribla, @mayalau and LA Public Press

Discussion:

Keri Blakinger /
@keribla: For >3 years, LASD secretly investigated — & urged the Cal AG to prosecute — an @latimes reporter who wrote about a leaked list of problem deputies. They claimed her 1A-protected reporting was actually a crime. My latest, with @AleneTchek: https://www.latimes.com/...

Maya Lau /
@mayalau: It's an outrage that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department would criminally investigate me as a reporter for doing my job. It's the kind of action that's aimed at intimidating journalists from digging into government agencies. (1/2) https://www.latimes.com/...

The Hollywood Reporter:

Nielsen: the Republican National Convention's final night averaged 25.38M US viewers over 14 outlets, up 7% from 2020; people 55+ were about 72% of the audience— Thursday's multi-network coverage beats the final night from four years ago, but the four-day average is lower.

Discussion:

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: RNC Night 4 Watched by 25 Million Viewers, Up 6% From Trump's 2020 Speech

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: TV #'s for Trump's speech mirror what happens at his rallies, where some spectators tend to leave early. CNN's ratings pattern looked just like Fox's. Between 10:45 and 11pm: 2.2 million. Between midnight and 12:15am: 1.4 million. Some viewers were transfixed; others were tired.

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: How many people stayed tuned to the Trump speech til the very end? The quarter-hour cable news #'s can give us a peek. Fox News viewership peaked between 10:45 and 11pm ET: 10.4 million. Between midnight and 12:15am, when Trump finished: 7.1 million. @tvmojoe: also worth noting: Per Nielsen, viewership peaked during the 10:45-11 p.m. quarter hour (at 28.4m). That's right around when the speech started going off the rails. I don't have data, but audiences definitely tuned out as night wore on, which is to be expected as it gets later

@tvmojoe:
viewers 18-34: 1.7m (2020)—>1.35m (2024) viewers 35-54: 5.25m (2020)—>4.94m (2024) viewers 55+: 16M (2020)—>18.36m (2024) Yes, younger auds watch via streaming— but that was true in 2020 and since then, more older audiences have cut the cord. No evidence of Gen Z Trump boom

@tvmojoe:
Last night's Trump rally/acceptance speech averaged 25.4 m viewers across 14 networks, down from the 32.2m who watched in 2016 (when Trump was a private citizen) but up a tick from his 2020 WH acceptance speech (23.5m.) His speech was DOWN in all key demos but up 2.6m viewers 55+

Annabella Rosciglione /
Washington Examiner: Trump's speech peaked during assassination attempt recall, with 25 million viewers

David Bauder /
Associated Press: From a media perspective, it was a tale of two Trump speeches — and long enough for both

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Trump convention speech nets Fox News 10 million viewers

Selome Hailu /
Variety: Donald Trump Speech Powers Most-Watched RNC Coverage, Peaking at 28.4 Million Viewers

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: Trump's speech scores Fox News highest-ever RNC rating with 10M viewers

Christi Carras /
Los Angeles Times: Trump's big night at Republican convention draws 25 million TV viewers

Brandon Mioduszewski /
Bloomberg: Trump Acceptance Speech Draws 25.4 Million Viewers, Tops 2020

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: Republican Convention Viewership Rises To More Than 25 Million On Final Night Featuring Donald Trump's Speech

Sara Fischer /
Axios: More than 25M watched Trump's RNC speech

Zachary Leeman /
Mediaite: Fox News Scores Massive Ratings Win After Going ALL IN With RNC Coverage As Competition Bleeds Viewers

Mark Joyella /
Forbes: 20 Million Watch Trump's RNC Acceptance Speech; Fox News Beats All Cable And Broadcast Networks

Ramin Setoodeh /
Variety: Donald Trump Became a Reality TV Star Again With His Rambling Convention Speech

Jon Allsop /
Columbia Journalism Review: Trump's message, after the tone

Publishers Weekly:

AAP: in May, book sales rose 10.9% YoY, after an 18.3% gain in April, and adult fiction digital audio sales rose 24.1% YoY; sales rose 5.5% YoY for January-May— Despite a string of dispiriting developments—including the ongoing restructuring of Hachette Book Group, the collapse …

The Hollywood Reporter:

A year after the start of the double strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, studio executives, and agents have mixed responses on whether the strikes were worth it— While some of the creatives that shut down the entertainment industry in 2023 say the fight was absolutely worth the sacrifice …

Discussion:
@chuckslavindotcom@threads.net, @thr, Raw Story, AV Club, @thr, @nelsoncarvajal, @patrickbigpix and @aworkmanwriter

Discussion:

Chuck Slavin /
@chuckslavindotcom@threads.net: My comment: Another question worth asking... Would I have settled? NO! We had all the leverage as the fall lineup approached. A certain crowd folded... the same crowd that originally was only leveraging the strike for political gain. “Hoodwinked”. Actors, Writers Strike: One Year Later, Reckoning With the Decision | … @thr: Perhaps the most important result of the strike are the provisions that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA secured on AI. But the jury is still out on how effective the unions' AI language will be https://thr.cm/8RBCCB1

William Hughes /
AV Club: One year later, how are the strike victories holding up?

@thr:
One year after the strike, SAG-AFTRA actors are grappling with one of their union's signature 2023 contract gains: a bonus to reward performers for successful made-for-streaming titles https://thr.cm/p5MBXJG

Nelson Carvajal /
@nelsoncarvajal: “He called the WGA strike “one of the great self-inflicted wounds in union history,” adding that the work stoppage allowed companies time to reflect and make deep financial cuts all at once, rather than by tapering slowly over time.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Patrick Goldstein /
@patrickbigpix: Is it any surprise that virtually all of the complaints in the Hollywood Reporter's look back on the SAG-AFTRA strike come from anonymous writers, studio execs and talent agents: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Yahoo Finance:

Netflix says India brought in the second-highest net subscriber additions in Q2 and was the third highest-country in revenue growth— Netflix (NFLX) is all in on a country that's been historically difficult for its competitors: India. — The country brought in the second-highest net subscriber additions …

Discussion:
Seeking Alpha, WORLD SCREEN, The Information and Next TV

Discussion:

Mansha Daswani /
WORLD SCREEN: Netflix Reports 17 Percent Revenue Gain In Q2

Daniel Frankel /
Next TV: Netflix Solidly Beats Revenue Forecasts With 17% Growth in Q2, Adds More Than 8 Million Subscribers

RELATED:

Reuters:
Netflix added 8.05M subscribers in Q2, vs. 5M est., as it benefited from its crackdown on password sharing and popular titles like Bridgerton and Baby Reindeer

Discussion:

Thomas Barrabi /
New York Post: NBC's Peacock 33% price hike to take effect ahead of 2024 Summer Olympics — here's what to know

Sean McNulty /
The Ankler: ☀️NETFLIX Adds 8M Subscribers, Wall Street: ‘Whatevs’

Alex Sherman /
CNBC: With corners of the media industry in upheaval, Netflix makes clear it's staying out of the fray

Emma Roth /
The Verge: Netflix is getting more comfortable with ads

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Adds 8M Subscribers As It Grows Streaming Lead on Rivals

Christopher Grimes /
Financial Times: Netflix earnings surge on boost from ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Bridgerton’

Mark K. Miller /
TVNewsCheck: Netflix's Subscriber And Earnings Growth Gather More Momentum As Password-Sharing Crackdown Pays Off

Filipe Espósito /
9to5Mac: Netflix growth slows as platform cracks down on password sharing

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Netflix adds 8 million global subscribers during Q2 2024

Lauren Aratani /
The Guardian: Netflix adds 8 million subscribers due in part to success of Baby Reindeer and Bridgerton

David Satin /
The Streamable: Netflix Added 8 Million Subscribers in Q2 2024, Now at Nearly 278 Million

Tony Maglio /
IndieWire: Netflix Added 8 Million Subscribers from April to June

CNBC:
Netflix reports Q2 revenue up 16.8% YoY to $9.56B, vs. $9.53B est., paid memberships up 16.5% YoY to 277.65M, vs. 274.4M est., net income up 44% YoY to $2.15B

Discussion:
Variety, Tubefilter, NPR, ABC7, Associated Press, StreamTV Insider, MediaPost, RTÉ, AdExchanger, Advanced Television, Next TV, Netflix, The Information, Axios, Lillian Rizzo on LinkedIn, Fortune, The Drum, Deadline, IGN, The Wrap, Quartz, New York Times, @ainemacdermot.bsky.social, Ad Age, Variety, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter

Discussion:

Sam Gutelle /
Tubefilter: Netflix and YouTube “feed each other pretty nicely,” according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos

Lola Murti /
NPR: Netflix ends its cheapest ad-free subscription

Samantha Delouya /
ABC7: Netflix is axing its cheapest, ad-free plan in the US

Bevin Fletcher /
StreamTV Insider: Netflix marks Q2 growth, expects ad tier scale in 2025

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: Netflix Reports First-Half Surge In Ads, Subscribers

Alyssa Boyle /
AdExchanger: Netflix's Advertising Business Is Boosting Profit Margins

Colin Mann /
Advanced Television: Netflix ad tier subs up 34%

Jon Lafayette /
Next TV: Another Senior Executive Leaves as Netflix Says Ad Business Won't Be a ‘Primary Revenue Driver’ in 2025 Netflix: Fellow shareholders, — We had a strong Q2 with 17% revenue growth and an operating margin of 27% vs. 22% last year.

Martin Peers /
The Information: Netflix's Advertising Cloud Looms Larger

Sara Fischer /
Axios: Netflix's head of ad sales departs amid strong earnings report

Lillian Rizzo /
Lillian Rizzo on LinkedIn: Netflix reported second quarter earnings on Thursday, with the media giant beating analyst estimates as it added more global subscribers and saw its advertising business grow. …

Paolo Confino /
Fortune: Netflix vanquishes doubts about its ability to keep growing just about every profit metric

Kendra Barnett /
The Drum: Netflix Q2 subscribers & revenue jump as streamer doubles down on burgeoning ads business

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Could A Price Hike Be Coming To Netflix Ad Tier? Co-CEO Greg Peters Doesn't Rule It Out, But Says Execs “Love” Being “Lower”

Rebekah Valentine /
IGN: Netflix Bracing for Subs Decline After Sustained Growth Thanks to Ad Tiers

Loree Seitz /
The Wrap: Netflix's VP of Ad Sales Pete Naylor to Depart as Streamer Expands Global Reach

Bruce Gil /
Quartz: Netflix's ad strategy is working

Nicole Sperling /
New York Times: Netflix Adds 8 Million Subscribers

Áine /
@ainemacdermot.bsky.social: Cut the prices 44%, then you'd be doing something worthwhile. [embedded post]

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Netflix Tops 277 Million Subscribers With Strong Q2 Gain, Beats Earnings Forecasts

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Netflix says its ad tier now accounts for 45%+ of all signups in the markets where it's available, and ad tier memberships grew 34% QoQ in Q2 to 40M MAUs in May

NBC News:

BSODs hit thousands of Windows PCs due to a defective update from CrowdStrike, disrupting TV broadcasters, including Sky News and NBC News— Major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, all issued ground stops Friday morning citing communications issues.

Discussion:
@george_kurtz, The Guardian, NewsBTC, @davidgrayrhodes, @matthewkeyslive, NPR, @aidanfitzryan, @netcapgirl, @vxunderground, @tomwarren, @troyhunt, @trungtphan, @skysportsnews, NBC Bay Area, Financial Times, Mashable, The Sun, SWAMY WORLD, The US Sun, Ars Technica, Quartz, Gizmodo, Associated Press, The Record, Politico, The Daily Beast, Broadband TV News, Variety, Deadline and HuffPost, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

George Kurtz /
@george_kurtz: CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We

Julia Kollewe /
The Guardian: CrowdStrike Windows IT outage: Microsoft software update causes chaos with transport, banks and businesses

Ronaldo Marquez /
NewsBTC: Bitcoin Price Skyrockets To $66,000 Amid Global IT Outage

David Rhodes /
@davidgrayrhodes: .@SkyNews have not been able to broadcast live TV this morning, currently telling viewers that we apologise for the interruption. Much of our news report is still available online, and we are working hard to restore all services.

Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: The CrowdStrike issue caused Paramount-owned cable channels to go offline early Friday morning, including Paramount Network, which was in the middle of airing the movie “Gremlins.” [image]

Aidan Ryan /
@aidanfitzryan: Spokesperson for Audacy, owner of WEEI and Magic 106.7, says the company was affected by the global software outage Fri: “Like many companies around the world, we did experience issues as a result of today's outages. All of our stations were back up and running by 8:00 a.m. ET.”

Sophie /
@netcapgirl: idk what's worse, that crowdstrike has kernel access to basically every system in the world or that airlines run on windows server

Tom Warren /
@tomwarren: this isn't the first time that CrowdStrike's csagent.sys kernel driver has caused Windows BSODs. I'd imagine many executives are waking up this morning and immediately looking at moving away from CrowdStrike. It's very hard to win back trust after an event like this

Tom Warren /
@tomwarren: CrowdStrike says “the issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.” If only it was that simple. That fix requires the machines to be online, but they're boot looping due to CrowdStrike's faulty kernel driver 🤦 ♂️

Troy Hunt /
@troyhunt: Something super weird happening right now: just been called by several totally different media outlets in the last few minutes, all with Windows machines suddenly BSoD'ing (Blue Screen of Death). Anyone else seen this? Seems to be entering recovery mode: [image]

Troy Hunt /
@troyhunt: If you're watching this unfold and aren't unfamiliar with the name “CrowdStrike”, they're a *massive* player in the security space and have billions of dollars of annual revenue. Their products include “EDR”, which is endpoint detection and response. Think of it as antivirus.

Trung Phan /
@trungtphan: The Crowdstrike engineer who pushed the update that caused the global IT meltdown, crashing Microsoft devices (BSOD), taking down government IT services in Australia, New Zealand and several US states while disrupting global banks, media and airlines (gonna be a crazy flying day) [image] @skysportsnews: Due to a global technical issue, Sky Sports News is currently unable to broadcast live. For all the latest sports news, scores and action, go to the Sky Sports app or website.

Kat Tenbarge /
NBC Bay Area: Microsoft outage takes down Starbucks mobile ordering, causing chaos for baristas

John Thornhill /
Financial Times: Digital paralysis shows the dangers of e-globalisation

Conor O'Brien /
The Sun: ‘My day is ruined’ rant furious parents as CBBC drops off air in tech outage

SWAMY WORLD:
Global IT outage disrupts U.S. hospitals, leading to surgery and doctor's appointment cancellations

Sean Keach /
The US Sun: ‘So pleased I have a Mac’ gloat Apple fans after rogue update breaks Microsoft Windows PCs in ‘biggest IT outage ever’

Kevin Purdy /
Ars Technica: Major outages at CrowdStrike, Microsoft leave the world with BSODs and confusion

Kyle Barr /
Gizmodo: Chaos Reigns as Global Outage Breaks Everything from Airlines to Emergency Services

Juan Lozano /
Associated Press: Global tech outage live updates: Flights grounded and offices hit as internet users face disruptions

Alexander Martin /
The Record: CrowdStrike oopsie crashes Windows workstations across the world

Dan Ladden-Hall /
The Daily Beast: Blue Screen of Death Plunges Airports and Banks Into Chaos

Julian Clover /
Broadband TV News: Broadcasters hit by Global IT outage Variety: Sky News Off Air Briefly, Planes Disrupted During Global Microsoft IT Outage Linked to Cybersecurity Firm Crowdstrike

Jake Kanter /
Deadline: Sky News Falls Off Air, U.S. Flights Grounded Amid Global Tech Meltdown Linked To Microsoft

Variety:

Disney announces that Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, is departing its board of directors after six years— Disney announced that Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, is departing its board of directors after six years. — Disney and Catz did not provide an explanation for why she stepped down from the Mouse House's board.

Discussion:

Amanda Gerut /
Fortune: Oracle CEO Safra Catz steps down from Disney's board after Ellisons' big move in Hollywood

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: Told Catz's departure is amicable and stems from avoiding any conflict of interest as Oracle chairman Larry Ellison funds a Paramount/Skydance merger (a company to be run by his son, David). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Disney Board Director Safra Catz Departs After 6 Years

Ashley Carter /
@ashleylcarter1@threads.net: Oracle CEO Safra Catz is departing The Walt Disney Co.'s board of directors. With Catz's departure, the Disney board has been reduced from 12 directors to 11. The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Company Announces Departure Of Board Director Safra A. Catz

Samantha Masunaga /
Los Angeles Times: Oracle CEO Safra Catz exits Disney's board of directors

New York Times:

A Manhattan judge sets a tentative date for Harvey Weinstein's retrial for November 12, 2024, after Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction was overturned in April— Manhattan prosecutors are proceeding with new charges against the disgraced movie mogul after his previous conviction was overturned.

Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Associated Press, The Independent, ABC News, BBC, Breitbart, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, The US Sun, Reuters, The Wrap, ABC7, Fox News and New York Post

Discussion:

Larry Neumeister /
Associated Press: Harvey Weinstein retrial in NYC tentatively set for November

Gustaf Kilander /
The Independent: Harvey Weinstein retrial on rape and sexual assault charges set for November 12

Aaron Katersky /
ABC News: Harvey Weinstein set to be retried on sex crime charges Nov. 12

Max Matza /
BBC: Judge sets Harvey Weinstein retrial date for November

Caitlin Huston /
The Hollywood Reporter: Harvey Weinstein Retrial Tentatively Set for November

Elaine Mallon /
Washington Examiner: Harvey Weinstein will be retried on rape charges thrown out in April

Israel Salas-Rodriguez /
The US Sun: Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is helped into court in wheelchair as judge sets date for retrial on rape charges

Raquel ‘Rocky’ Harris /
The Wrap: Harvey Weinstein Rape and Sexual Assault Retrial Set for November

Kyle Schnitzer /
New York Post: Harvey Weinstein trial date set in Manhattan retrial

New York Times:

A study of 14K domains used in the C4, RefinedWeb, and Dolma datasets finds a dramatic drop in content available to train AI models as publishers tighten access— New research from the Data Provenance Initiative has found a dramatic drop in content made available to the collections used to build artificial intelligence.

Discussion:

Glenn Fleishman /
@glennf@twit.social: One of my arguments that LLMs didn't have a lot of room to improve further was that training data is finite. This article reveals that data owners' restricting access is drying up sources quickly too: https://www.nytimes.com/...

Clem /
@clementdelangue: Great points by @BlancheMinerva @YJernite in a @kevinroose @nytimes article https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]

Edmund Lee /
@edmundlee: The data is drying up for AI startups like @openai, @kevinroose reports. It's no longer a free buffet. It explains why OpenAI was willing to pay $250mm for access to @wsj and other @newscorp pubs, but now I wonder if those prices were too low: https://www.nytimes.com/...

Kevin Roose /
@kevinroose: I wrote about a big new study showing that as much as 25% of high-quality data from popular AI training sets has been restricted in the past year, as publishers scramble to update robots.txt and change their terms of service to prevent AI scraping. https://www.nytimes.com/...

Catarina Peyroteo Salteiro /
Catarina Peyroteo Salteiro on LinkedIn: Data is the cornerstone of proper-working artificial intelligence. The amount and the quality of these datasets have a preponderant role in how AI …

Francis Saele /
Francis Saele on LinkedIn: Do we have a new AI risk? SAI - Stupid AI? Over the past year, many of the most important web sources used for training A.I. models have restricted …

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly /
Observer: A.I. Companies Are Running Out of Training Data: Study @researchbuzz@researchbuzz.masto.host: #AI #AITraining #data #datasets #GiftArticle — ‘The researchers estimate that in the three data sets — called C4, RefinedWeb and Dolma — 5 percent of all data, and 25 percent of data from the highest-quality sources, has been restricted.... The study also found that as much as 45 percent of the data in one set, C4, had been restricted by websites’ terms of service.' …

Wall Street Journal:

X's Grok AI model struggles to generate accurate headlines and news summaries, especially for breaking news, elevating jokes and rumors into some X news items— Grok posted incorrect information, amplified unverified claims and failed to identify sarcasm as details of Trump shooting unfolded

Discussion:
New York Post, @alexacorse, @rachaelmyrow, Wired, Forbes and The Wrap

Discussion:

Dana Kennedy /
New York Post: Elon Musk takes several shots at CrowdStrike after global outage — including taking aim at company's DEI policy

Alexa Corse /
@alexacorse: Grok does work sometimes, and journalists certainly make mistakes too, but some of the errors we've seen from Grok show how much it's struggled:

Alexa Corse /
@alexacorse: for example, one Grok headline over the weekend said: “Vice President Harris Shot.” instead of Trump. https://www.wsj.com/... @rachaelmyrow: “There's a long way to go. At the end of the day when it comes to breaking news like the shooting, you will always need humans to help provide context when facts are not yet known.” https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ

Antonio Pequeño IV /
Forbes: Elon Musk's X Introduces Trump-Themed Hashtags After He Endorses Former President

Lauren Cahoone /
The Wrap: Elon Musk Unveils Trump Shooting Fist-Pump Emoji on X

Press Gazette:

In an interview, Metro executives say the free newspaper is now profitable in both print and digital, after it underwent a major restructuring in March 2023— Metro is growing commercially even as free London rival Evening Standard forced to reduce print output.

Discussion:
Sofia Victoria Delgado on LinkedIn, Emily Shackleton on LinkedIn and Media Voices

Discussion:

Sofia Victoria Delgado /
Sofia Victoria Delgado on LinkedIn: Metro.co.uk going from strength to strength 💪 Don't just take it from me banging on about audience, take it from managing director Richard Thomson …

Emily Shackleton /
Emily Shackleton on LinkedIn: More positive news from Metro.co.uk towers! Read all about Metro newspaper's road to profit explained brilliantly by Richard Thomson and Jo Mazenko …

Bloomberg:

Podcasts seem to be recovering: Audacy's podcast business is profitable, iHeartMedia's and Acast's Q1 podcast revenue grew 18% YoY and 25% YoY, respectively— The dark days of financial and legal woes appear to be ending as the industry sees signs of revival — Hello, hello, and welcome back to Soundbite.

Discussion:
Molly DeMellier on LinkedIn, @ashleyrcarman, The Information and Press Gazette

Discussion:

Molly DeMellier /
Molly DeMellier on LinkedIn: When I tell people I work in podcasting, I'm often asked if I'm worried the medium is just a fad, something everyone flocked to during the pandemic and now is dwindling. …

Sahil Patel /