For the Record

Weisman Demoted:

New York Times Deputy Washington Editor Jonathan Weisman was demoted Tuesday following a pair of Twitter controversies, including an incident involving former Pulitzer Prize juror Roxane Gay. According to a Times spokesperson, Weisman "will no longer be overseeing the team that covers Congress or be active on social media." After meeting with Executive Editor Dean Baquet, Weisman offered a brief comment to reporter Marc Tracy:  "I accept Dean's judgment. I think he’s right to do what he’s doing. I embarrassed the newspaper, and he had to act."

Salinger Ebooks Released:

Alexandra Alter of The New York Times has reported that the estate of J. D. Salinger has authorized electronic editions of the author's four books, "making him perhaps the last 20th-century literary icon to surrender to the digital revolution." Salinger's son, Matt, reiterated that the author's vast archive of unpublished writing is being digitized and will be released in the coming decade: "[T]here’s a lot of material, and yes, it will be published." ("Franny and Zooey," which collected an earlier short story and novella, was considered for the 1962 Fiction Prize.)

Sulzberger, Baquet Convene Town Hall Meeting:

According to The Daily Beast, New York Times Publisher A. G. Sulzberger and Executive Editor Dean Baquet addressed recent controversies at the newspaper in a town hall meeting Monday, including "a credulous headline that characterized [President] Trump's post-mass shooting televised speech as a sincere call for national unity and [...] the Twitter behavior of Times Deputy Washington Editor Jonathan Weisman." Among other changes, Baquet revealed that the publication's "standards editor is working on producing a written standard for when the paper should use the word 'racist.'"  

Baron Refutes Sanders:

Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron has responded to Sen. Bernie Sanders' assertion that the newspaper's coverage of his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination has been shaped by his disdain for Amazon. "Sen. Sanders is a member of a large club of politicians — of every ideology — who complain about their coverage," he said. "Contrary to the conspiracy theory the senator seems to favor, Jeff Bezos allows our newsroom to operate with full independence, as our reporters and editors can attest." The Amazon founder purchased the publication in 2013.

"New Gannett" Faces Growing Pains:

The imminent merger of Gannett and GateHouse Media may be complicated by several factors, including an incipient digital transformation and hedge fund Alden Global Capital's Friday acquisition of a 9.4% stake in the latter company, following its protracted hostile takeover attempt at Gannett. However, NiemanLab's Ken Doctor believes that the stake is primarily indicative of "a spurned Heath Freeman [Alden's president] spitting in the soup of the megamerger."

Epstein Death Reflective of Underreported Crisis:

According to Poynter's Al Tompkins, the apparent suicide of financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at New York's Manhattan Correctional Center Saturday "points to the leading cause of death in jails." Although reporting on the subject (such as the Reno Gazette’s "Death Behind Bars" investigation in 2017) has become more commonplace, it is frequently hampered by a lack of data.

Journal, Times Attain Subscription Records:

News Corporation announced in its fiscal 2019 earnings report Thursday that The Wall Street Journal reached a record 2.6 million subscribers, with digital-only subscribers accounting for about 69% of the total subscriber base. The New York Times also announced a new record of 4.7 million subscribers Wednesday.

Weisman's Social Media Use Under Scrutiny:

The New York Times is examining the social media presence of Deputy Washington Editor Jonathan Weisman after he asked former Pulitzer Prize juror Roxane Gay "for an enormous apology" when she pointed out that the journalist had misidentified an African-American congressional candidate sponsored by the progressive Justice Democrats PAC. According to Politico's Michael Calderone, Weisman "came under fire last week for suggesting that two congresswomen of color, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), weren’t really from the Midwest." 

Apple News Pays Off:

Lucinda Southern of Digiday has reported that publishers such as Vice Media and The Stylist Group have "gotten traffic and, more importantly, revenue lifts from Apple News in the last three months," with the latter on track to earn more than $12,000 in monthly earnings from the platform by the end of the year. However, some publishers fear that perceived design issues in the News+ subscription service may jeopardize future ad campaigns.

Carlson Vacations Amid Scandal:

Fox News host Tucker Carlson announced Wednesday that he will be taking a vacation after his comments about white supremacy being a "hoax" resulted in widespread calls for his termination from the network. A spokesperson told CNN's Oliver Darcy that the vacation "was in the works before he made the comments" and that Carlson plans to return on August 19.