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Amazon may be coming to TikTok’s rescue in the nick of time as the app faces an April 5 deadline to cut ties with its Chinese owner or face a ban in the US, according to the New York Times. An unnamed Trump administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said the Amazon offer was made in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. However, the Times also noted that “various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously.” In addition, the Wall Street Journal reports that mobile technology company AppLovin has also made its interest in TikTok known and has talked to casino magnate Steve Wynn about backing it. President Trump has made numerous promises to save TikTok regardless of any national security concerns. He has also said that he could further extend the pause that has been put on the ban.
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| Radhika Jones |
Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones is heading out the door at the Condé Nast title she has headed up since 2017. Her last day at the paper will be sometime this spring. After starting her editorial career as arts editor of the English-language Moscow Times, Jones served as managing editor of The Paris Review, culture editor at Time, and editorial director of the books department at the New York TImes before being tabbed to succeed Graydon Carter at Vanity Fair. During her tenure, Vanity Fair has been left comparatively unscathed, holding onto its reputation as one of Condé Nast’s strongest brands, known for such events as its annual Oscar Party as much as for the content of its editorial pages. In a memo to the magazine’s staff, Jones said that she was leaving behind her a “thriving modern publication with incisive, lively reporting,” and that having achieved most of the goals she had set for herself at the brand, she would be leaving in order to follow “the pull of new goals in my life.” Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour noted that Jones would play a major role “as we start the search for a new editor.”
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Newspapers have dodged the bullet as regards the proposed tariffs on newsprint—for now. Goods that are compliant with the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which includes newsprint and other paper-based products used by U.S. newspapers and magazines, remain exempt from the 25 percent tariffs imposed on goods from Canada and Mexico, as well as the additional 10 percent baseline tariff announced April 2. However, an investigation is still being conducted that could result in lumber-specific tariffs on imports from Canada.
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.
Trump Media & Technology Group is discussing a spin-off of the Truth Social platform following the expected closing of its $6B merger deal with TAE Technologies... Condé Nast sells off Them, the digital LGBTQ-focused platform it launched in 2017, to Equalpride, publisher of Out, The Advocate, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness and Pride.com... CBS News has parted ways with longevity influencer Peter Attia, one of the 19 contributors that editor-in-chief Bari Weiss brought on as part of her plan to present a wider variety of voices on the platform. 
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. 
