Endgame:
Following a period of influence coinciding with the White House career of former Executive Chairman Steve Bannon, interest in Breitbart "seems to have dissipated" on multiple fronts, including web traffic and earned media.
Lifeline:
For the first time, Guardian Media Group's digital revenue outflanked traditional sources. Following several rounds of layoffs and other structural changes, the company earned £108.6m from digital sources and £107.5m from print and events in the 12-month period ending in April 2018. In addition to advertising and subscriptions, digital revenue included "375,000 one-off contributions from readers."
"Fundamentally Restructuring":
Following days of speculation, the New York Daily News laid off half its newsroom staff on Monday, "marking the latest round of cuts at the beleaguered Tronc company’s media holdings." According to an email sent by Tronc, "We are reducing today the size of the editorial team by approximately 50 percent and re-focusing much of our talent on breaking news — especially in areas of crime, civil justice and public responsibility."
"A Priority":
Women's publications "once fairly understated about politics have decided to take a stand," increasing coverage of "sexual harassment, reproductive rights and identity politics." "The general public doesn’t understand the appetite women in America have today for all things politics, digitally," Glamour Editor in Chief Samantha Barry said.
Crossing The Line:
Federal prosecutors investigating attorney Michael Cohen reportedly have determined that American Media Inc. "was not always operating in what campaign finance law calls a 'legitimate press function'" in the 2016 presidential campaign. In addition to suppressing stories through payouts, the company's publications allegedly "promoted [President] Trump and savaged his opponents, sometimes with unsubstantiated stories alleging poor health, extramarital affairs and the use of prostitutes."
Binge Alert:
Sens. Brian Schatz and John Thune have introduced the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act of 2018. Spurred by a false missile alert in Hawaii earlier this year, the bipartisan bill would reform the current false alarm system, "explore new ways of alerting the public through online video and audio streaming services" (including Netflix and Spotify) and "require active alerts issued by the President or FEMA to be repeated" on all platforms.
"I'll Always Come Back":
Chance The Rapper has purchased Chicagoist from WNYC. Founded by Gothamist in 2004, the local news blog was shut down with its sister publications by then-owner Joe Ricketts in November 2017 when Gothamist employees voted to unionize. "I look forward to re-launching it and bringing the people of Chicago an independent media outlet focused on amplifying diverse voices and content." Chance concurrently referenced the acquisition in "I Might Need Security," a new song.
"Not Aware":
British MP Damian Collins revealed that a Facebook data set "on tens of millions of Americans" collected by psychologist Aleksandr Kogan for Cambridge Analytica was accessed in Russia and other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Kogan said, "this could be really innocuous, it could be as simple as a [...] representative was in Russia and they remotely access[ed] the server to see some of the files [...] it could have nothing to do with the Russian authorities, it could just be someone checking their mailbox." Last week, Britain's Information Commissioner's Office announced its intention to fine Facebook £500,000 for "failing to safeguard user data."
"From Content Creation To Monetization":
With a demand for "low-cost, high-quality technology" in "a digital media industry where many players are struggling to meet their financial targets," Vox Media will begin to license Chorus, the in-house publishing platform that powers its portfolio. The product likely will compete with The Washington Post's nascent Arc suite, which has signed such clients as Advance Local and Bonnier Group.
Ousted:
Billboard and Hollywood Reporter CEO John Amato has resigned from Valence Media following an internal investigation "raised concerns about evidence of sexual harassment and other wrongdoing," including "potential involvement" in financial improprieties related to the company's 2016 acquisition of SpinMedia. Additionally, employees who filed human resources complaints against Amato's friends were allegedly "fired or had their jobs threatened for unrelated perceived offenses."
