Downturn:
Disney "disclosed a $157 million write-down on its stake in Vice as part of reporting results for the September 2018 quarter" Thursday, representing "a decline of around 40 percent from Disney’s original $400 million investment in Vice three years ago."
"An Iconic Brand":
Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon has agreed to purchase Fortune magazine for $150 million in cash. The sale marked the publication's second acquisition this year. "Our vision is to establish Fortune as the world’s leading business media brand," Chatchaval said. He will not play a role in the daily operations of the magazine.
"Disinformation Is Necessary":
Although the QAnon conspiracy theory (which alleges that "a vast array of well-known liberal names" will be tried at Guantanamo Bay) has failed to meet its promised benchmarks, its social media-based adherents have embraced the "strategy of failed millenarianism" in continuing to propagate the theory. "The [...] strategy for coping with dissonance is to reinterpret the prediction so that it means something either less concrete or less imminent," said Syracuse University political scientist Michael Barkun.
"Misguided Action":
CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta's "hard pass" credential (enabling access to the White House grounds) was revoked by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Wednesday night after he "drew the ire of President Trump and his allies by asking multiple questions at a post-midterms news conference" that afternoon. The move was condemned by various media figures and entities, including Peter Baker, the White House Correspondents' Association and Chuck Ross of The Daily Caller.
Monopoly:
In an interview with former Pulitzer Prize Board member Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Swan, President Trump stated that his administration is "looking at" pursuing potential antitrust cases against Google, Facebook and Amazon "very seriously" while also hailing the firms as "great companies."
Mourning:
In their first interview since the death of their father, the sons of Jamal Khashoggi "issued an emotional appeal for the return of their father's body." "All what we want right now is to bury him in Al-Baqi [cemetery] in Medina with the rest of his family," said Salah Khashoggi, the journalist's eldest son.
Future Games:
Hailed as the potential "future of media" a year ago, "once-viral" game-show app HQ Trivia is "dealing with some serious issues, including a declining audience [...] and the aftermath of a dramatic change of CEOs." "Games are a hits business and don’t grow exponentially forever," former CEO Rus Yusupov has tweeted.
Gag Order:
Insider, Inc. has asked all employees to sign "a new confidentiality and proprietary developments agreement" that includes a lifetime non-disparagement clause. While Insider claimed that the clause has been in place for "many years," several staffers did not recall signing the agreement. Former Reuters COO Stuart Karle (who teaches media law at the Columbia Journalism School) characterized the agreement as "pretty typical, but kind of dumb."
"We Don't Mind Changing":
Technology news site Recode will merge with Vox Media, co-founder and Editor at Large Kara Swisher announced Thursday. Although it will continue to exist as a semiautonomous "brand and business," Recode's staff will report to Vox Editor in Chief Lauren Williams. Current Editor Dan Frommer will depart during the transition.
"Visionary Leadership":
Former New York Times Executive Editor and 1989 International Reporting winner Bill Keller will step down as editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project. Following his departure, Keller will join its board of directors of the nonprofit criminal justice news organization.
