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The Epoch Times chief financial officer Weidong (Bill) Guan has been arrested and charged with laundering at least $67 million in stolen money through company accounts. A federal grand jury indicted Guan on one count of money laundering and two counts of bank fraud claiming he lied to a financial institution about the source of the money, some of which allegedly came from fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits. The scheme supposedly involved using cryptocurrency to purchase discounted prepaid debit cards, which were then loaded with illegally obtained funds, prosecutors said. Affiliated with Falung Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China, The Epoch Times has been a longtime critic of the Chinese Communist Party and has emerged as a prominent supporter of Donald J. Trump and his allies. It “intends to and will fully cooperate with any investigation dealing with the allegations against Mr. Guan,” and suspended Guan. The Justice Department noted that “the charges do not relate to the media company’s newsgathering activities.” No other employees were named in the indictment.
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| Christophe Deloire |
Reporters Without Borders secretary general Christophe Deloire, who had led the organization since 2012, died June 8 following a battle with cancer. Deloire was also founding president of the Forum on Information and Democarcy, and in 2023 was appointed general delegate of the états généraux de l'information, an initiative spearheaded by French president Emmaunel Macron. He was instrumental in helping Russian broadcast journalist Marina Ovsiannikova flee the country in 2022 after she came under fire for denouncing the war in Ukraine on live television, and worked for the release of journalist Olivier Dubois, who was held by Islamic extremists in Mali for two years and freed in 2023, in addition to aiding numerous other jailed reporters. “Christophe Deloire led the organization at a crucial time for the right to information. His contribution to defending this fundamental right has been considerable," said Pierre Haski, chairman of RSF's Board of Directors.
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| Mathias Döpfner |
Axel Springer, the German media company that owns US-based Politico and Business Insider, appears to be throwing in the towel on hybrid work. The company’s CEO, Mathias Döpfner, says it intends to return to an “office-first culture” that will require employees to show up at the office five days a week. That edict will also apply to its US units. Döpfner says the decision is based on “the strength of personal interactions.” According to German news platform Medieninsider, he has written an email to his managers asking them to present concepts by July outlining how the move back to office work could work legally and operationally. A company statement asserted that “in the long run, more physical proximity and personal interaction are essential for creativity, motivation, a sense of belonging, team spirit, and alignment on a common mission.”
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United Airlines is formally launching Kinective Media by United Airlines, a media network that gives marketers the opportunity to scale their reach across a wide range of channels including United's mobile app and inflight entertainment screens, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which runs from June 17-21. Kinective Media uses insights from travel behaviors to connect customers to personalized, real-time advertising, content, experiences and offers from leading brands. The networks, which is already working with brands such as Norwegian Cruise Line and Macy's, is focusing on premium brand relationships across key verticals such as retail, luxury goods, financial services, automotive, media brands and travel. "We've built a first-of-its-kind, real-time, adtech-enabled traveler media network," said Richard Nunn, CEO of United’s MileagePlus loyalty program.
Boston Globe Media acquires InstaTrac, a company that provides subscription-based services aimed at making government information easier to find, track, and understand... AARP names former New Republic CEO and publisher Michael Caruso as its SVP and chief content officer, unifying the organization's portfolio of media, live events and digital platforms... The Fund for American Studies, an educational nonprofit, awards its inaugural Journalism Excellence Fellowships.
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. 
