"Belt-tightening":
Reflecting an unprecedented downturn in women's magazines, Glamour will publish its final print issue in January. "This whole industry is on a wild roller-coaster ride," said Harriet Brown, a Syracuse University journalism professor. "In a different media climate, maybe they could survive, but this one won’t support it."
"With Criminal Intent":
Der Spiegel announced that reporter and editor Claas Relotius "falsified his articles on a grand scale and even invented characters, deceiving both readers and his colleagues." The magazine "will set up a commission of experienced internal and external persons to investigate the indications of falsification" and will "report publicly on their findings and recommendations for improving safety mechanisms." Relotious was stripped of a German journalism award.
"So Important For Democracy":
McClatchy's proposed acquisition of Tribune Publishing collapsed after former Tribune chairman Michael Ferro "torpedoed the deal" when it emerged that the resulting company "would be weighed down with more than $1 billion in debt."
All The Way To Fresno:
The Fresno Bee has struggled following pronouncements from Rep. Devin Nunes, who characterized the publication as an ally of "radical left-wing groups," and Fresno Unified School District President Brooke Ashjian, who referred to reporter Mackenzie Mays as a "ministress of propaganda" on Twitter. "The best thing you can hope for is survival at this point," said reporter Rory Appleton.
"Protect, Preserve and Practice":
The Times Square New Year's Eve celebration will honor "the media and press freedom by inviting prominent journalists to be its special guests." The Committee to Protect Journalists has been designated as the event's charity honoree. "In a place that is synonymous with news and home to multiple national news broadcasts, and which itself was named after a newspaper (which started the New Year’s celebration here in 1904), no theme could be more apt as we enter 2019," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.
The Shield:
1995 Beat Reporting winner and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Executive Editor David Shribman will retire from the publication at the end of the year. "It comes at a difficult time for the Post-Gazette […] David shielded — legitimately shielded — editors and reporters under his supervision, sometimes, from the whims of the owners," said Tom Waseleski, the paper's former editorial page editor.
Replacement:
Former Disney COO Tom Staggs "has emerged as a top candidate to become CBS Corp.’s new chief executive." When initially approached for the position, Staggs, who left Disney when it became clear that he would not ascend to CEO in 2016, "expressed reservations but remained open to further discussions." Other potential candidates include Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch and interim CEO Joe Ianniello. The search "comes in the aftermath of busted merger talks between CBS and its sister media company Viacom" and the termination of former CEO Les Moonves.
Engaged:
Content intelligence firm Chartbeat released the "fourth annual tabulation of engaged minutes among its clients" Tuesday. According to its analytics, the best read digital story of 2018 was Brian Stelter's obituary of late CNN contributor Anthony Bourdain. Rounding out the top five were an opinion piece by "Anonymous," a senior official in the Trump administration; the BBC's Brexit blog; Maureen Dowd's profile of Uma Thurman for The Times; and a New York magazine interview with Quincy Jones.
"Other Channels":
Retired technology journalist Walt Mossberg (formerly of The Wall Street Journal and Recode) announced Monday that he will deactivate his Facebook account by 2019. "I am doing this [...] because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable here," he wrote. Mossberg noted that he would consider resuming use of the platform "if the company or the service change significantly for the better [...] or become effectively regulated."
Dismissed:
CBS's board of directors announced Monday that former CEO Les Moonves will be terminated for cause. As a result, Moonves will forfeit a proposed $120 million severance package. The board cited Moonves's "willful and material misfeasance, violation of company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the company’s investigation" as grounds for his dismissal.
