Capital B, written for and by Black people, launches as a nonprofit newsroom
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Tuesday, February 1, 2022
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Capital B, written for and by Black people, launches as a nonprofit newsroomCo-founders Akoto Ofori-Atta and Lauren Williams raised $9 million, including $95,000 from 550 small donors, to found the news startup after leaving leadership positions at The Trace and Vox. By Sarah Scire. |
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The New York Times buys Wordle for a price in the “low seven figures”The viral game — which you can currently play without paying or registering or even seeing an ad — will stay free…for now. By Sarah Scire. |
What We’re Reading
MediaJustice
A new report discusses the negative impact of Big Tech on minority-owned media →
“Marginalizing people of color is profitable for these tech platforms, and that's why we need solutions that think beyond the current gatekeepers into a future where alternative newspapers and press can reach our communities.”
The Verge / Ashley Carman
The Joe Rogan controversy is what happens when you put podcasts behind a wall →
“This has always been the promise of open RSS: even if one platform doesn't like your content, you can still be heard. Still, podcasting is moving away from this world, meaning other platforms that are cheering on Spotify's demise should take note of how it's handling the situation.”
The Guardian / David Agren
“We only have a pen”: Fury as a fourth journalist is killed in Mexico on the last day of January →
“Roberto Toledo was shot dead by three gunmen on Monday afternoon in a carpark in the city of Zitácuaro, where he reported for a local news outlet, Monitor Michoacán…Adding to the sense of impotence among reporters is the fact that several journalists attacked or killed this month were enrolled in a scheme supposedly designed to provide for reporters under threat.”
Digiday / Sara Guaglione
How podcast publishers and platforms are working to grow non–English language audiences →
“We are increasingly looking into taking successful formats and then making them in other languages — not translating it, but rather refitting it to fit the particularities of the culture.”
Poynter / Rick Edmonds
Alden’s attempted takeover of Lee Enterprises heats up →
“After a holiday hiatus, hedge fund Alden Global Capital's attempt at a hostile takeover of Lee Enterprises is heating up again.”
The Daily Beast / Justin Baragona and Diana Falzone
These local news stars bounced from scandal to the Newsmax anchor desk →
“Bianca de la Garza, a former Boston news anchor who gained notoriety for being a central figure in a high-profile embezzlement case, is now a co-host of one of the network's weekday afternoon broadcasts. And despite a history of racially inflammatory and anti-vaccine rhetoric, former Pittsburgh news anchor Wendy Bell debuted her own Newsmax show this past weekend.”
The Guardian / Michael Sainato
Leaked messages reveal New York Times’ aggressive anti-union strategy →
“This is an unproven experiment with permanent consequences,” Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien wrote in a January 19 memo entitled “Why a tech union isn’t right for us.”
Variety / Mónica Marie Zorrilla
Univision and Televisa complete their merger →
“In short, TelevisaUnivision now owns the largest library of Spanish-language programming in the industry with roughly 300,000 hours of content. The unified company will also be launching a global streaming service sometime in 2022, which will include both free and premium subscription tiers, and creative partnerships with Eugenio Derbez, Selena Gomez, Maria Dueñas, Mario Vargas Llosa and Santiago Limón.”
Reuters / Dawn Chmielewski
Gimlet Media science podcaster calls parent company Spotify’s support of Joe Rogan a “slap in the face” →
“Until Spotify implements stronger methods to prevent the spread of misinformation on the platform, we will no longer be making new Science Vs episodes, except those intended to contradict misinformation being spread on Spotify,” Wendy Zukerman, the executive producer and host of Gimlet Media’s Science Vs podcast, wrote.
WBEZ Chicago / Claudia Morell
Chicago Public Media completes its acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times →
“To help finance the new operation, Chicago Public Media has announced it raised … $61 million dollars in philanthropic support.”
Vanity Fair / Charlotte Klein
Taylor Lorenz is leaving The New York Times to become a Washington Post columnist →
"I think the Times is an incredible institution but mainstream media organizations have kind of struggled to figure out how they deal with talent … I think I use the internet as a modern internet person. These are tensions that are going to play out in any legacy newsroom in different ways.”
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