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| John Stossel |
John Stossel sues Facebook, claiming he was defamed when the platform appended fact-checking labels to two videos he posted about climate change. The complaint also names Science Feedback and Climate Feedback, two fact-checking companies that Facebook uses to determine the accuracy of posts. In one of those video posts, Stossel “explored a scientific hypothesis” that “while climate change undoubtedly contributes to forest fires, it was not the primary cause of the 2020 California fires.” Facebook then flagged the content as “misleading” and “missing context.” According to the lawsuit, “Stossel was given no meaningful avenue to contest these unilateral decisions about the truth of his journalism.” Stossel’s lawsuit seeks “general, special and compensatory damages” of at least $1 million and exemplary and punitive damages of at least $1 million. In a statement to Variety, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We believe this case is without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously against the allegations.”
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| Lee Hill |
GBH, Boston’s public radio platform, names Lee Hill the first executive editor for GBH News. Hill is currently the executive producer for WNYC’s daily national news program The Takeaway. Before WNYC, he was a founding editor of Inside Energy, a Colorado-based journalism collaboration between NPR and PBS stations. Upon joining the GBH News team in November, Hill will oversee news content and strategy across platforms and lead the newsroom's interaction with local communities. The position of executive editor was created as part of GBH News’ digital transformation. GBH was known as WGBH until August 2020, at which point the “W” was dropped from its name to reflect an increasing focus on digital platforms. GBH News general Pam Johnston said that Hill’s “outstanding journalism credentials will add to the success of GBH News and help us find innovative ways to reach and engage our expanding audience”
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Crain Communications has acquires Green Market Report, a digital media brand that covers financial news about the cannabis industry. The acquisition will be finalized on September 30. New York-based Green Market Report was launched in 2017 by Debra Borchardt, who was a vice president at Bear Stearns before working at TheStreet.com, Women’s Wear Daily and Forbes, and Cynthia Salarizadeh, a former managing partner at KCSA Strategic Communications. It includes a network of freelance journalists and garners 150,000 monthly page views. “They focus on the financial, business and economic side of the cannabis industry, so it's a natural fit with our other business brands," said Crain Communications president and CEO KC Crain. “The combination of Crain’s experience and Green Market Report’s expertise will turn us into a leader in the industry,” Borchardt said.
Symbolic.ai forms a partnership with News Corp to begin using the company’s AI-native publisher platform in the newsrooms of News Corp publications to augment research, writing and publishing... Mediaite launches a newsletter that promises to give readers a summary of—media newsletters... The Fund for American Studies launches the Journalism Excellence Fellowship, a program that will provide promising young journalists the opportunity to work alongside top writers, reporters, and media professionals.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has roots going back to 1786, is going out of business, the paper’s owners, Block Communications, announced on Jan. 7... GQ editor Will Welch is stepping down to take on a new Paris-based role with the musician Pharrell, who is also men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton... Semafor says it has raised $30 million on a $330 million valuation, following its first profitable year. 
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Michael Kaminer, who was responsible for the Observer’s “Power List” for the past 13 years, has cut ties with the publication... The New York Times Company continues the march toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027... The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing more than $6 million in funding to eight organizations working to address the challenges local news and information environments face along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative outlets Fox News, Newsmax and the Daily Caller are holding back from signing Pete Hegseth’s edict restricting press access in the Pentagon... CBS News sees the first executive departure of the Bari Weiss era as head of standards and practices Claudia Milne exits... Indiana University shuts down the print version of The Indiana Daily Student.
