For the Record

Bolsonaro Threatens Greenwald:

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened 2014 Public Service contributor Glenn Greenwald with jail time after alleging that the journalist is "aligned with criminal hackers" for reporting the contents of hacked phone conversations involving the country's justice minister. "He doesn't have the power to order people to stop," Greenwald countered. "To detain someone, you need to present evidence to a court showing that a crime was committed. That evidence does not exist."

Optics Wars:

Following former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees on Wednesday, many news reports have focused on what The Atlantic's David A. Graham characterized as a "theater criticism" approach. "Instead of detailing the substance of the hearings, " said Graham, "reporters quickly began weighing how they change the odds for impeachment. Did Mueller bring it closer? Did his fumbled performance make it more distant? To do so, they’re analyzing the event as drama." Politico's Jake Sherman defended the optics-driven takes: "Democrats TOLD us it was about optics. Bringing the report to life, they said. They told us very little new would be learned, but having Mueller say it would be impactful."

The Podcast Primary:

According to Omar Sanchez of The Wrap, Democratic presidential candidates already have made more than 1,200 appearances on podcasts in the pre-primary season. Among active candidates, spiritual writer Marianne Williamson leads the pack with 43 appearances in 2019, while Rep. Eric Swalwell made 48 appearances before dropping out on July 8. "Some have called this the hidden primary," said Yphtach Lelkes, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

FTC Fines Facebook:

The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that it will assess an unprecedented $5 billion fine and compliance oversight on Facebook for "deceiving users about their ability to control privacy of their personal info." However, the technology platform recouped the fine by the end of the day due to a successful Q2 earnings report. "The fact that Facebook's stock value increased with the disclosure of a potential $5 billion penalty may suggest that the market believes that a penalty at this level makes a violation profitable," said Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who dissented from the agreement.

Hyperlocal, Via Text:

As part of a $3.99/month pilot program, Cleveland.com reporter Emily Bamforth is sending hyperlocal news updates via text to residents of Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb seven miles from the city's downtown. “Anyone who has tried to tackle hyperlocal has died on the mountain," said Cleveland.com President Chris Quinn. "[But] everybody who's tried hyperlocal has done it with traditional stories. This isn't that."

Another Point of View:

Vancouver journalist and opioid user-activist Garth Mullins has assembled an editorial board of fellow user-activists for his new podcast, Crackdown, which chronicles the longstanding impact of the opioid epidemic on the city's Downtown Eastside neighborhood. "Sometimes people need to hear it right from the person who is affected and what they're going through,” said Laura Shaver, a board member and director of a methadone users association.

Knight Announces Tech-Democracy Initiative:

The Knight Foundation announced Monday that it will invest $50 million in research on technology's impact on democracy. "Technology is fundamentally changing our society, yet we are flying blind," said Sam Gill, the organization's vice president for communities and impact. As part of the program, research centers will be established at Carnegie Mellon University, George Washington University, New York University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Washington.

Faber Turns 90:

Now celebrating its 90th anniversary, the British publishing house Faber & Faber has popularized the work of generations of literary luminaries, including 1948 Poetry winner W. H. Auden, 1969 Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett and 2003 Poetry winner Paul Muldoon. "There aren't many independent publishing houses of Faber’s scale anymore — what might be called small majors," said Jonathan Galassi, president of Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Ressa Trial Begins:

A libel trial against Rappler founder Maria Ressa has begun in Manila. Ressa, a noted Filipina press freedom advocate and critic of the Duterte regime, has described the charges as "preposterous and baseless." The editor, who received the 2019 Columbia Journalism Award, is being represented by Amal Clooney and her London law firm.

Justice Department Opens Tech Antitrust Review:

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is opening an antitrust review of major technology platforms and companies, including Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. "Without the discipline of meaningful market-based competition, digital platforms may act in ways that are not responsive to consumer demands," Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim said.