Democracy under siege—and the press, too

On Wednesday afternoon, a mob of right-wing extremists and indignant livestreamers stormed the Capitol. Along their path, they left a note to the journalists who were covering the scene, a message that seemed a harrowing extension of a presidency marked by anti-press virulence: etched into a door was the phrase murder the media. It’s hard not to take that seriously—as was noted by Rachael Pacella and Paul W. Gillespie, both journalists who had survived the 2018 mass shooting at the Capital Gazette, in Annapolis, Maryland. And yet, as Masha Gessen wrote for The New Yorker, no one in charge seemed to take the mob seriously enough. The harm done to the press was alarming. All through the afternoon, reporters in Washington photographed rioters kicking, toppling, stomping, and pouring water on their equipment as they yelled “Fuck you, propaganda!” and chanted “CNN sucks.” An AP spokesperson told the New York Times that members of the crowd stole some equipment; a group appeared to be trying to burn it. One person shouted at a couple of Washington Post reporters, “How many more fucking people gotta die? All the lies you’ve told, all this time––that’s what made this happen. A lady died because of your lies!” (That was possibly a reference to Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally shot by police during the siege.) Yesterday afternoon, the US Press Freedom Tracker said it was investigating several instances of assault, equipment damage, and other mayhem caused by the mob. Hours before... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-01-08 13:30:11 UTC ]

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Religion and Spirituality Book Deals: July 27, 2022

Robin Jones Gunn brings a new trilogy to Revell; Katie Davis Majors lands a triple book deal at Multnomah, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen King, Andrew Solomon, and a bunch of agents are set to testify in the PRH antitrust trial.

The federal government’s civil suit to block the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House is chugging along, with the trial set to begin on August 1. Exhibits to the joint pretrial motion, filed July 15, included lists of witnesses for both sides. Witnesses for both sides... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-20 16:13:34 UTC ]
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At Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp Announces Dana Canedy’s Departure

The publisher of the Simon & Schuster imprint, Dana Canedy, is leaving to write her memoir's sequel, which S&S is to publish in 2024. The post At Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp Announces Dana Canedy’s Departure appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-07-19 21:52:50 UTC ]
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Dana Canedy to Step Down at Simon & Schuster

On July 27, exactly two years to the date since she took over S&S's flagship imprint, Dana Canedy will step down from her position as senior v-p and publisher. Her predecessor, S&S president and CEO Jonathan Karp, will lead the imprint "for the foreseeable future." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Boris Johnson memoir could earn him ‘north of £1m’

Insiders say outgoing prime minister unlikely to write about personal life but book deal possible this autumnBoris Johnson could be paid more than £1m for his memoir, according to publishing insiders. But anyone expecting a kiss-and-tell may be disappointed, as industry professionals have said... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-07-15 10:12:09 UTC ]
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S&S Launches Banned Books Promotion for Bookstores

In response to growing book censorship, Simon & Schuster has launched a “Read banned books!” promotion that provides information on challenged titles, in-store displays, and social media materials. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Post Hill Press Starts New Imprint, Twin Flame

The imprint, which will publish nonfiction titles in the spirituality, relationships, and sexuality categories, is led by editorial director Elena Vega, who formerly worked as an editor for Macmillan and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Opens Open-Access Book Deal with Max Planck Society

Springer Nature calls its arrangement, through the Max Planck Digital Library, its largest open-access institutional book deal yet. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson More Than 80 Max Planck Institutes Participating in an agreement the company calls its largest institutional... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-05-13 00:44:39 UTC ]
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Unnnamed Press Prepares for Transition

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump swooped in to profit from White House photographer’s book deal – report

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[ The Guardian | 2022-03-31 22:37:41 UTC ]
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From the Archive: March 30, 1998

This summer, the courts will rule on Bertelsmann subsidiary PRH’s planned purchase of Simon & Schuster. But 24 years ago, the industry was agape over Bertelsmann’s acquisition of Random House. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A new book on songwriting is coming from Bob Dylan.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-09 17:15:40 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Canada To Open a Canadian Scribner Imprint

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-02-23 01:48:53 UTC ]
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Britney Spears lands ‘record-breaking’ book deal for tell-all memoir

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[ The Guardian | 2022-02-22 01:12:57 UTC ]
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Author Joanne Harris turns down US book deal over censoring of ‘f-bomb’

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[ The Guardian | 2022-02-19 14:04:53 UTC ]
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Publishers, Agencies Start Receiving Subpoenas as DoJ-PRH Case Ramps Up

As Penguin Random House and the Department of Justice continue to prepare for an August trial in which PRH hopes to block the government’s effort to kill its acquisition of Simon & Schuster, professionals throughout the industry are finding themselves pulled into the legal fray. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Jessica Chastain has optioned Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers for TV.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-05 16:49:39 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster file withering response to DOJ antitrust suit

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Publisher Pulls Alice Sebold's Memoir As 1981 Rape Conviction Is Overturned

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[ The Huffington Post | 2021-12-01 22:20:50 UTC ]
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