Some lessons from the MIT Media Lab controversy

When the news first broke that the MIT Media Lab had a close relationship with deceased billionaire and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, some saw it as a momentary lapse in judgment, and there was widespread support for Media Lab director Joi Ito. But then New Yorker writer Ronan Farrow reported that the Epstein relationship was much deeper than it first appeared — including the fact that Ito got a significant amount of money from Epstein for his own personal investments. Much of the earlier support evaporated, and Ito agreed to resign. And there were other spinoff effects as well: Richard Stallman, a free-software pioneer and veteran MIT professor, also resigned, after being criticized for comments he made on an internal email list that downplayed the impact of Epstein’s sexual abuse. To explore these and other issues, CJR had a series of one-on-one and roundtable interviews — using its Galley discussion platform — with a number of journalists and other interested observers, including WBUR reporter Max Larkin, Slate writer Justin Peters, Gizmodo editor Adam Clark Estes and Stanford researcher Becca Lewis. We talked about why places like the Media Lab often get a free pass from reporters, and why there’s so much technology writing that focuses on the “hero/genius” trope, where the all-knowing founder gets credit for inventing something amazing, even if the thing they invented either doesn’t work (Theranos) and/or they are terrible people in a variety of ways (Steve... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-10-03 10:50:57 UTC ]
News tagged with: #mark zuckerberg #bill gates #jeff bezos

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Endeavour Media: making waves

A year after going into liquidation, digital indie Endeavour Media (the new iteration of Endeavour Press) is "sailing on as before" and now has its sights set on audio. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why this digital publisher refuses to blame Facebook for media's woes

Subscribe to us on iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher, Google Play and iHeartRadio too. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend!Ben Lerer has a message for digital publishers: Stop blaming the big, bad duopoly for eating your homework. Continue reading at AdAge.com Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Medium are digital media’s never-ending merry-go-rounds

Time is a flat circle. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Facebook, about two years ago, launched Facebook Live and encouraged publishers to join in on the fun. And, of course, publishers did because Facebook offered a vast potential for distribution and controlled a not-insignificant amount... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN America Approaches Its Awards Night With News Media Appearances

Ahead of PEN America's literary awards night, the organization's president Jennifer Egan tells CNN, 'I feel like the next phase is going to be an engagement with the truth.' The post PEN America Approaches Its Awards Night With News Media Appearances appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Serena Williams cartoon not racist, Australian media watchdog rules

Herald Sun newspaper’s depiction of player ‘spitting the dummy’ at US Open had been widely condemnedA Herald Sun cartoon that depicted Serena Williams jumping in the air and “spitting the dummy” after losing a match to Naomi Osaka was not racist, the Press Council has found.The News Corp cartoon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Charkin: Nine Lessons From a Small Indie Publisher

'Time will tell whether Mensch has published its first triumph or its first turkey,' writes Richard Charkin, small press publisher. The post Richard Charkin: Nine Lessons From a Small Indie Publisher appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jill Abramson on media layoffs: 'The villains are Facebook and Google'

The former New York Times editor skewers everyone in her new book, but ‘there isn’t one business model that’s going to save journalism’, she saysMerchants of Truth, the new book by the former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson, is a deep dive into multiple crises that have bedeviled... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital media layoffs shouldn't come as a surprise

The current strain of schadenfreude coursing through the digital-publishing ecosystem regarding BuzzFeed is entirely understandable. Not particularly helpful, but entirely understandable.In late January, the Wall Street Journal reported that BuzzFeed was cutting 15 percent of its global... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed, Vice and other outlets slash jobs in a challenging market for digital media

When it debuted in 2006, BuzzFeed quickly became a social media sensation. Its listicles, quizzes and funny videos went viral and created a huge audience online. The New York-based start-up later hired hundreds of journalists to do serious journalism, creating a platform that many saw as the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vice to axe 250 staff in latest round of digital media job losses

Cuts follow recently announced redundancies at HuffPost and BuzzFeedVice has announced plans to sack 250 staff, as a wave of job cuts affecting the digital media industry continues to hit companies around the world amid questions over the sustainability of ad-supported online publishing.Almost... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards Include Daciūtė’s ‘Fox’ in Translation

The lengthy list of Youth Media Awards from the ALA includes the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for young readers' content translated into English. The post American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards Include Daciūtė’s ‘Fox’ in Translation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bad week for digital media: The Players’ Tribune lays off eight

The athlete-centric sports publisher has laid off eight employees as the business undergoes a strategic shift. The post Bad week for digital media: The Players’ Tribune lays off eight appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WarnerMedia shuts investment arm that backed Mic, Mashable and other digital media startups

Time Warner Investments was one of the most prominent backers of publishing, video and advertising technology companies. The post WarnerMedia shuts investment arm that backed Mic, Mashable and other digital media startups appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2019-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Iron Stream Media Launches Three New Imprints

Alabama-based publisher Iron Stream Media, which recently acquired New Hope Publishers, is launching three new imprints for the Christian marketplace: Ascender Books, Iron Stream Books, and New Hope Kidz. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump’s Social Media Photos Reportedly Altered to Make Him Look Thinner and His Hands Bigger

President Donald Trump purports to hate “fake news” but he seems to have no problem with fake photos. At least that’s what Gizmodo discovered when it started carefully looking at the images on Trump’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts and discovered photos of the president that make him... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2019-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg Media's CRO thinks it's a great time to be a publisher

Subscribe to us on iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher, Google Play and iHeartRadio too. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend!It is, to hear Bloomberg Media's Keith Grossman tell it, both the best of times and the worst of times to be a publisher, depending on who you ask. On... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Northern California pastor exits church after controversy over anti-LGBTQ sign

A Northern California pastor has parted ways with his church following outrage over a sign outside the parish that read, “Bruce Jenner is still a man, homosexuality is still a sin.” The sign, shared on the pastor’s Facebook page, sparked protests and national news coverage. Justin Hoke announced... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viral publisher First Media joins Snapchat with repurposed Facebook video

First Media decided to join Snapchat after the platform no longer required publishers to share only exclusive content. The post Viral publisher First Media joins Snapchat with repurposed Facebook video appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's Time the Book Business Took Music Lessons

What can book publishers learn from the music industry? A lot, says Digital Perspectives columnist Bill Rosenblatt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andersen and Vodafone offer free book about social media safety

Vodafone Foundation, the telecommunications company's charitable arm, and Andersen Press are offering parents a free children’s book about using social media responsibly. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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