Merged:
The approval of AT&T's $80 billion acquisition of Time Warner augurs a new era in which "mergers between content providers and distributors" likely will become commonplace.
News v. Propaganda:
Seven media groups are demanding Facebook stop treating ads for news sites as though they are political ads.
Seized:
New York Times reporter Ali Watkins' phone and email records were seized by the Justice Department — here's why it matters.
The Grandfather:
Last Poets co-founder Jalal Mansur Nuriddin died following a long battle with cancer on Monday. While rooted in the Black Arts Movement, the group anticipated later developments in hip-hop by amalgamating poetry with funk- and jazz-based backing tracks, leading Nuriddin to be dubbed the "grandfather of rap."
"There’s nobody here":
2018 International Reporting winner Manny Mogato briefed the Filipino American Press Club of New York on his coverage of the Duterte regime earlier this week. "They're scared," he said.
The Art of the Schmooze:
Although 1985 General Nonfiction winner Studs Terkel is best remembered for his popular oral histories, 1993 General Nonfiction winner Garry Wills recently contended that Terkel "was as much identified with Chicago as Herb Caen was with San Francisco, or Jimmy Breslin with New York, or H.L. Mencken with Baltimore."
Breach:
Michael Ferro's proposed sale of 25.6% of Tronc to McCormick Media failed to materialize as a result of a "breach of ... obligations" by the latter party. A Tronc spokesperson refused to comment, citing the matter as a "private transaction not involving the company."
Chronicling the Unnoticed:
1994 Spot News Reporting contributor and 2016 Feature Writing finalist Sonny Kleinfeld retired this week after a four-decade career on the metro staff of The New York Times. "Some reporters relish traveling to Novosibirsk or Malacca," he said. "I liked Canarsie. I liked Bayside. They were local. I liked being local."
By the Book:
In a conversation with The New York Times about his reading interests, former President Bill Clinton recommended Pulitzer-winning books by William Styron ("The Confessions of Nat Turner"), Barbara Tuchman ("The Guns of August") and Robert Caro ("The Years of Lyndon Johnson"). Clinton also cited Sven Beckert's "Empire of Cotton" (a 2015 History finalist) and Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele's early work on income inequality.
'There was no other way':
Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko staged his death on Tuesday "in a highly coordinated effort with Ukrainian law enforcement as part of an investigation into threats made against his life." A veteran of the First Chechen War, Babchenko has been highly critical of the Putin administration in recent years.
