For the Record

"If and When":

According to Vice News, investigators in Sweden "say they’re considering reopening a 2010 rape case against Assange, and U.K. lawmakers are urging the British government to make him answer those allegations." If a formal extradition request is made by the Swedish government, Home Secretary Sajid Javid will have to determine if it takes precedence over the United States charges that prompted the WikiLeaks founder's arrest last week.

"Zeitgeists Change":

Former New York Review of Books Editor Ian Buruma has responded to criticism of his publication of an article by musician and journalist Jian Ghomeshi, who was acquitted of sexual assault charges in 2016. "In publishing Ghomeshi’s article, I misread the force of the zeitgeist and ran into the trip-wire that magnified indignation," he said. "I acknowledge that I should have been more careful in the editing. But I still think the intensity of the reaction has been alarming and is detrimental to the freedom of expression."

"Deepen the Partnerships":

Veteran Chicago journalist Susan Smith Richardson has been named CEO of the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, the organization announced Thursday. In an interview with NiemanLab, Richardson discussed her plans for the newsroom, which was founded in 1989 as one of the first investigative nonprofits. "We need to think about different ways to communicate our expertise, define those areas that we have historically owned as a news organization, and think about new ways to communicate that and tell stories," she said.

"Taking a Leap":

Since assuming the editorship of Vanity Fair in 2017, Radhika Jones has reaffirmed the publication's commitment to diversity, featuring such figures as the black, queer comedic actor Lena Waithe and six members of the new congressional class, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). "There is an attitude to it, it’s forward-looking. That’s where we want to be," Jones said.

"Superbly Qualified":

The Condé Nast board has named Roger Lynch as CEO, effective April 22. A former investment banker and technology executive best known for his stewardship of Pandora and Dish's Sling TV app, Lynch said that a sale of the media company is not imminent. "The [Newhouse] family has owned it for decades, and I expect it to stay that way. That's part of the appeal. I wouldn't have taken this job otherwise." The "unorthodox choice" came partially at the behest of New Yorker editor and 1994 Nonfiction winner David Remnick, who included Lynch on a shortlist for the Newhouse family.

"Bias":

Republican members of the Georgia House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would create a state journalism ethics board under the auspices of the chancellor of the state's university system. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the proposed body would "create 'canons of ethics,' issue advisory opinions, develop voluntary accreditation, set up a system for investigating complaints and sanctioning accredited violators of such canons." News organizations would be required to provide copies of photographs and audio and video recordings taken by reporters and photographers to individuals interviewed by the media. PEN America has condemned the bill as a potential threat to free expression.

"Lot of Loneliness":

With Americans older than 65 set to become the nation's largest demographic for decades to come, AARP has started to offer digital literacy workshops. In particular, journalists and media analysts fear older Americans are susceptible to misinformation on Facebook. "The evolution of Facebook from the hip thing Obamaites used to target young suckers into the scary thing Russians used to target old suckers has been fascinating to live through," said Sonny Bunch, executive editor of the Washington Free Beacon.

"Here for You":

New York nonprofit local newsroom The City launched Tuesday night. Partially funded by New York Media, the parent company of New York magazine, the site intends to fill the void left by the recent downsizing of the New York Daily News and the elimination of several digital organizations and alt-weeklies, most notably The Village Voice.

"They Have The Data":

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), chairman of the House antitrust subcommittee, and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) intend to introduce a new version of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act Wednesday. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bipartisan legislation would "give publishers a 48-month safe harbor" from antitrust laws, "during which they would be free to work together to push their case on issues from revenue splits to data-sharing to content-licensing." Collins, who does not support potential antitrust actions against Facebook and Google, said that the bill would provide a "level playing field so they can negotiate with these much larger essentially new companies that are causing an advertising drain."

Meme Wars:

Memes are poised to continue their dominance of conservative political discourse in the 2020 election. "This is a new way of doing politics," Boston University professor Gianluca Stringhini said. "A new weapon that campaigns can use." Many on the left continue to eschew the images. According to Angelo Carusone, president of the liberal watchdog group Media Matters, "Every [left or liberal] meme has to have a million qualifiers, so that it’s no longer a meme. It’s a Medium post."