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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Some lessons from the MIT Media Lab controversy'


Now Public, Demand Media Has Bigger Market Cap Than NYT

Demand Media started trading on the New York Stock Exchange this week, making it one of the first IPOs of 2011 and certainly one of the largest media IPOs that will be seen all year. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #demand media


Summit Business Media To File for Chapter 11

Summit Business Media has joined the ranks of publishers seeking to reorganize and slash debt through a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Media Decoder: TED Starts an E-Books Line

TED, known for exclusive events and online videos of speeches by celebrities like Al Gore, Bono and Malcolm Gladwell, plans to publish its own short ebooks, beginning with three that went on sale Wednesday. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media decoder #online videos #al gore #malcolm gladwell #short ebooks


Survey: Organic Growth, New Devices To Have Biggest Impact On Media Over Next Two Years

Organic growth will be the primary driver of the media business over the next 12 to 24 months, according to nearly 500 executives in the information, marketing services and technology sectors, according to the first annual Media Growth survey from investment banker The Jordan, Edmiston Group and... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media business #organic growth #biggest impact #primary driver #marketing services #edmiston group


For Publishers, Who Are the Gatekeepers of Social Media?

Ten years ago, as the prospect of monetizing Web sites started becoming a reality for publishers, different departments butted heads over prime real estate: editorial wanted it for content; sales wanted it for advertising; marketing wanted it for promotion. Today, as the emphasis shifts away... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Oxford Media Convention: Trinity Mirror's Sly Bailey on the 'need to educate' Hunt

Sly Bailey, the chief executive of newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror, has issued cutting criticism of the culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's understanding of the full media issues regarding News Corporation's relationship to BSkyB. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trinity mirror #news corporation