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Russia has added journalists from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post to the list of 92 US citizens who have been permanently denied entry into the Russian Federation. A statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry tagged all three papers as part of the “liberal globalist media outlets involved in manufacturing and spreading fake claims about Russia and its armed forces, and engaged in using propaganda to cover Washington’s hybrid war.” Among the 14 WSJ journalists on the list is its editor in chief, Emma Tucker. In addition to five Times journalists and four from the Post, US citizens such as Judi Dotson, who leads Booz Allen Hamilton’s global defense business, are also included. The Russian statement goes on to say, “We are resolved to act consistently with regard to including more individuals who are involved in anti-Russia activities on the list of persons who are denied entry to the Russian Federation in response to the outlandish sanction frenzy that the US ruling elite have worked themselves into.”
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Trump Media engaged in a little arm-twisting to help a foreign worker jump to the front of the line in the visa process, according to a report on ProPublica. The report says that the former president’s media company contacted Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) for assistance in expediting the visa application of Vladimir Novachki, who currently serves as Trump Media’s chief technology officer. The request noted that one of the reasons Novachki, previously a software developer in North Macedonia, was recruited was because American candidates for the same work were more expensive, a person involved told ProPublica—a stance seemingly at odds with Trump’s stated desire to “strengthen Buy American and Hire American Policies.” While it’s common for companies to ask members of Congress to help expedite such applications for applicants or companies based in the lawmaker’s district, Trump Media’s Sarasota, FL headquarters are about 1,500 miles from Bacon’s Nebraska district. A spokesperson for Bacon told ProPublica that Trump Media got around that hurdle by having the request come from a Trump Media employee who lived in Bacon’s district. A lawyer for Trump Media sent ProPublica a letter threatening a lawsuit over the report and accusing the outlet of intending “to publish yet another hit piece on the company that includes false, misleading, and defamatory statements.”
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The California General Assembly passed a bill on Aug. 28 requiring internet browsers and mobile operating systems to let consumers easily opt out from the sharing and selling of their private data with websites that use it for targeted advertising. The new legislation creates an “opt-out preference signal” tool that consumers could use to opt out of sharing their information by just pushing a button to activate the signal on their internet browser. By doing that, they would be sending send opt out requests to every website they visit by default. After California’s General Assembly passed the bill, the Senate also approved it, sending it back to the assembly with several amendments. If those are OKed, the bill will then go to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
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.
