New: Politico founder Robert Allbritton has been discussing significantly expanding his publication NOTUS to fill the void in DC media left by Washington Post cuts. Allbritton has even considered a potential NOTUS name change, though plans are fluid.
www.semafor.com/article/03/0...
New: Internal tension at the Associated Press over use of AI. One of the AP newsroom leaders leading the company's AI initiatives told staff that many editors preferred an AI-written article to a human one, and told them when it comes to using AI in the newsroom "resistance is futile."
CNN CEO Mark Thompson told employees in a brief meeting this afternoon that he doesn't have many details to share yet about the network's future under Paramount. He told staff to keep up the good work in the meantime, and he would schedule a staff town hall in the near future...
Yesterday* not today
FWIW: A spokesperson for Crockett's campaign is completely denying that Godfrey was asked to leave the event.
The Atlantic is obviously working on its own broader story about the Texas campaign, which will be interesting...
Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to me: "In a democracy, elected officials answer questions from the press rather than hide from them. This is completely unacceptable behavior by Rep. Crockett and her team, and needs to be addressed immediately.”
www.semafor.com/article/02/2...
First in @semafor.com: Jasmine Crockett's campaign is taking a more hostile stance on the national media. It ejected an Atlantic reporter from an event today in Texas and told the Capitol Police that a CNN reporter was trespassing after he attempted to visit a campaign office...
In a meeting today, Politico's leadership said the news organization has not seen federal government subscriptions return in a "meaningful way" after DOGE pressure forced many agencies to cancel their Politico Pro subscriptions (about 20% never left, the company said).
New: Politico in launching in Australia www.semafor.com/article/02/2...
interesting from @maxtani.bsky.social on the future of the economist ->
(A CBS source said the conversation was mostly about Paramount's displeasure with her use of their trademarked IP on her social media accounts)
www.semafor.com/article/02/2...
New:Paramount's legal team privately warned a well-known former Survivor contestant about wading into politics after she criticized the company for caving to the administration and got into an online fight with another current contestant on the show who supports Trump
www.semafor.com/article/02/2...
Apple News’ political honeymoon is over as MAGA ratchets up the pressure
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
Crypto news sites take down posts critical of crypto PR
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
Science magazine founder courted Epstein for cash, emails show
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
The Guardian debuts new flagship video podcast
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
Regulatory threats have gotten Apple News to change some of its content abroad. After years of keeping Daily Mail off the app in the UK, a note to regulators there got Apple News to reverse course and allow the Daily Mail in www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
In last night's @semafor.com media newsletter, I wrote about how Trump's allies on the right want him to use regulatory power to pressure news aggregators like Apple News, Yahoo, MSN, and others to feature more conservative content. www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
YIKES. “Ars Technica published an article containing fabricated quotations generated by an AI tool and attributed to a source who did not say them. That is a serious failure of our standards. Direct quotations must always reflect what a source actually said.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social
From last night's @semafor.com media newsletter: PodcastOne is trying to take itself private. The company is behind dozens of podcasts, including shows from Adam Carolla, A&E, the History Channel, and others.
From last night's @semafor.com media newsletter: It costs about a million dollars a year to be a TBPN sponsor
From last night's @semafor.com media newsletter: The Guardian is launching a video-first daily news podcast hosted by Kai Wright and Carter Sherman.
It's part of a larger push by the publication into video, and a further investment in the US, where the Guardian now has 200 staffers.
Murray’s response, referencing the decision not to endorse Kamala Harris in 2024: "The non-endorsement was an event, but the problems go beyond” it.
At a WaPo town hall today, one reporter told exec editor Matt Murray: "Bezos says we have to go break even when his own actions, and the person he appointed to run this place, his actions have led to some of our problems. It just feels wildly out of balance."
In 2013, Epstein's foundation got Business Insider to remove his mugshot from a story so it wouldn't show up in Google search results
www.semafor.com/article/02/0...
For last night's @semafor.com media newsletter, I wrote about the latest Epstein file release, which further laid out ties to prominent media figures showed how he tried to manipulate media to bury negative coverage.
www.semafor.com/article/02/0...
From the @semafor.com media newsletter: The Washington Post was set to debut a big marketing campaign with a new slogan, "We The People," but had to scrap the whole thing after MS Now launched a $20 million brand relaunch with the slogan "We The People."
www.semafor.com/article/02/0...
Jeff Bezos' statement, his first since last week's layoffs: "The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity. Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
Will Lewis is resigning as WaPo CEO, former Tumblr CEO Jeff D’Onofrio is the paper’s new acting CEO and publisher, per memos to staff
