For the Record

Following a Tuesday morning tweet in which President Trump implored The New York Times to "apologize to me a second time, as they did after the 2016 Election [...] on this one they will have to get down on their knees & beg for forgiveness," Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker responded on behalf of the organization. "Once again, repeating it over and over doesn't make it any more true," he tweeted. "Never apologized, never had a reason to." In the November 2016 note, which did not contain an apology to any party, former Publisher Arthur Sulzberger and Executive Editor Dean Baquet avowed "to rededicate ourselves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism" after "an erratic and unpredictable election."

"Heartbroken":

2003 Explanatory Reporting contributor Julia Angwin asserted that she was "ousted" as editor-in-chief of technology news startup The Markup on Tuesday, prompting the resignations of five of the news organization's seven staff writers. In a letter addressed to endower Craig Newmark, Angwin alleged that co-founder and Executive Director Sue Gardner sought "to change the mission of the newsroom to one based on advocacy against tech companies." Co-founder Jeff Larson has replaced Angwin as editor-in-chief. It is unclear if these developments will affect the site's scheduled July launch.

"Speak Truth To Power":

Filipina journalist Maria Ressa offered ruminations on her career and the state of journalism at the Time 100 gala in New York Tuesday. "I think we're living through a very unique moment where again it proves that information is power," she said. "It's a completely chaotic time where technology has helped make facts disputable, eroded truth, and crippled trust." Ressa, who has reported extensively on Rodrigo Duterte's extrajudicial killings, is currently facing 11 retaliatory charges (including alleged tax evasion and "cyber libel") from the Filipino government.

"Big Budgets":

The Tuesday launch of Luminary's $8-per-month "Netflix for podcasts" subscription service belies historical funding challenges and the onset of "subscription fatigue" in other media. "Podcasts are already abundant, ubiquitous, free, on-demand, mobile and convenient," said digital media consultant Bill Rosenblatt. "What can anyone add to this mix that consumers will pay for?"

"False News Reports":

Citing the potential dissemination of misinformation, the government of Sri Lanka has banned numerous social media platforms (including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Viber) and the TunnelBear VPN following the Easter Sunday suicide bombings. "While it's understandable to want to do something after such a serious event, evidence from the impact of social media shutdowns in other contexts show that they don't have the impact people expect," said Claire Wardle, a communications scholar and the founder of First Draft.

"An Unrivaled Name":

Pioneering British photojournalist Doreen Spooner died this weekend. She was 91. The daughter of photo editor Len Spooner (a colleague of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa), she was the first female staff photographer at a national British newspaper and was considered one of the foremost documentarians of the "Swinging London" era. Her oeuvre included notable portraits of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Windsor, Sixties pop star Lulu and Albert Einstein.

New Guidance:

Last month, the Associated Press announced it would direct journalists in its stylebook to avoid using "'racially charged,' 'racially divisive,' 'racially tinged' or similar terms as euphemisms for 'racist' or 'racism' when the latter terms are truly applicable." According to Harvard Kennedy School professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad, "I think that the AP is absolutely on the right side of history on this decision."

"Final Conclusions":

Several editions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election" (including a volume with supplemental reportage from The Washington Post and a Skyhorse Publishing edition introduced by Alan Dershowitz, a critic of the inquiry) occupy three of the top four spots on Amazon's print bestseller list. A redacted iteration of the report was released in PDF form by the Department of Justice Thursday.

"Please Contact Detectives":

Two teenagers arrested in connection with the murder of Northern Ireland-based investigative journalist Lyra McKee were released on Sunday without being charged. According to The Daily Beast, McKee "was reportedly covering a riot in the city of Londonderry when she was shot and killed" Thursday. 

"Run Afoul":

According to The Washington Post, MediaNews Group parent company Alden Global Capital "moved nearly $250 million of employee pension savings into its own accounts in recent years, an unusual move that is triggering federal scrutiny" from the Department of Labor. MNG, which previously was known as Digital First Media, is attempting a hostile takeover of Gannett. "MNG believes that Alden’s management of the pension plan assets for which it provided management services has at all times complied with all legal requirements," said spokesperson Hugh Burns, who confirmed the investigation.