For the Record

Embattled:

In the two years since the dismissal of longtime Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, News Corp Executive Co-Chairman Lachlan Murdoch has emerged as an "absentee manager" at the network, "choosing instead to work from the company's Los Angeles office." However, sources believe that Murdoch's diffidence has facilitated an environment where President Trump "derives 'policy' ideas from segments he likes and counts Sean Hannity as one of his closest advisers."

Uncertain Future:

Megyn Kelly and NBC News executives "have been holding conversations about a new role for her" following her on-air defense of blackface Halloween costumes. Kelly also has "parted ways" with CAA and hired attorney Bryan Freedman.

Going Pro:

According to a University of South Carolina-University of Oklahoma study of non-professional photography in newspapers, professional photos are "graphically appealing," "emotional" and "intimate," while non-professional photos tend to be "informational." "When newsrooms eliminate their photojournalism staff, they also eliminate a compelling component of news," said University of Texas communications scholar Natalie Jomini Stroud.

Terror:

Suspicious packages containing potential explosive devices have been sent to a variety of public figures and media outlets, including Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Eric Holder, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and CNN. A potentially unrelated package (including children's clothes and a football) was sent to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We’ve seen this before. We’ve seen worse. We will not be intimidated and will bring these perpetrators to justice," New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said.

Merits:

Despite a recent resurgence of libel lawsuits, including former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's $147.5 million suit against The New York Times, libel law "is in good shape — and is protective of speech, particularly on matters of public concern." Nevertheless, according to University of Georgia law professor Jonathan Peters, "[T]he baseless threats and the filing of so many high-profile flimsy suits [...] is a cause for concern."

"Community-Focused":

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has laid off the editorial staff of The WikiTribune, a digital media venture. The company plans to "[shift] its focus away from traditional news-gathering and [move] to a 'community-oriented strategy' that prioritizes working with contributors." According to Wales, the platform "is in an extended pilot period" and will begin publishing in 2019.

"Extremely Tough":

Refinery29, a "media and entertainment company focused on millennial women," will lay off more than 40 full-time employees after falling short of its annual revenue target. The layoffs "account for about 10% of the company’s total workforce."

"News Wars":

Twitter has suspended 18 additional accounts linked to Alex Jones's InfoWars, a spokesperson said Monday. However, traffic to Jones's main portal has continued to increase since he was banned by most major platforms this summer.

Safe:

A suspected intruder "was shot after kicking down the glass doors at WTTG FOX 5’s building in [Washington], D.C." on Monday. The suspect, George Odemns, is "believed to have mental health issues" and "was known to both Fox executives and police" after sending a series of "bizarre emails" to the station.

Information Fix:

According to Chartbeat, Facebook users "went directly to publishers' mobile apps and sites" and search engines during an August 3 outage. "Facebook drives a tremendous amount of traffic to publishers — but at the same time, it also competes in terms of consumer time and attention," said Josh Schwartz, a Chartbeat data scientist.