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The “No TikTok on United States Devices Act,” which would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to block and prohibit transactions with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, has been introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley. Hawley says the Chinese-based app poses national security risks including the ability of the Chinese government to use US user data for such purposes as surveillance, microtargeting, deepfakes or blackmail. TikTok denies the charges, with company spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter saying that the proposed ban “takes a piecemeal approach to national security.” Hawley also shepherded through a proposal to ban TikTok on government devices as part of a $1.7 trillion federal funding bill at the end of last year.
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| Victor Navasky |
Victor Navasky, who was editor of The Nation from 1978 to 1995, and subsequently served as publisher and editorial director until 2005, died on Jan. 23 at the age of 90. Navasky’s publishing career got its start at Yale Law School, where he co-founded and edited Monocle, a satirical magazine. He later wrote for the New York Times Magazine and was also campaign manager for former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark’s unsuccessful 1974 bid for a Senate seat. In addition to upholding The Nation’s left-wing bona fides, Navasky boosted its financial fortunes, more than tripling its circulation. Among other accolades, he won a National Book Award for 1980’s Naming Names, an account of ex-Communist writers, directors and producers who testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee and informed on colleagues. After stepping down at The Nation, he chaired the Columbia Journalism Review. “Victor was a true believer in the power of independent media,” said Katrina vanden Heuvel, who succeeded Navasky as The Nation’s editor.
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Gannett’s job-slashing binge has extended to the FSView & Florida Flambeau, a Florida State University student newspaper that was bought by the Tallahassee Democrat, a Gannett paper, in 2006. According to a report on Poynter.org, FSView lost at least three paid positions and had its weekly print pages cut from 12 to eight. Until this semester, the paper had seven paid positions, with pay topping out at $11 an hour—Florida’s minimum wage—for up to 20 hours a week. “While these decisions are difficult, we are strategically aligning our resources to best serve our readers and advertisers to ensure the future of journalism,” said Gannett spokesperson Carlene Cox.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
