Media Moves

Vladimir Putin

Sputnik, Russia-government funded news agency, is being probed by FBI to determine whether it’s a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin and required to file with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Media organizations that are involved in legitimate news-gathering activities are exempt from FARA, but a U.S. intelligence report issued in January claimed that Sputnik was acting as part of the Russian “propaganda machine” during the 2016 presidential election by casting Donald Trump as “the target of unfair coverage from traditional U.S. media outlets.” French president Emmanuel Macron has also accused Sputnik, along with the state-controlled news organization Russia Today, of behaving like “agents of influence and propaganda” as regards their coverage of the recent elections in France. The investigation has included the Sept. 1 questioning of former Sputnik White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg, who a report from Yahoo News claims provided investigators with a thumb drive containing thousands of internal Sputnik emails and documents. If it is determined that Sputnik is covered by FACA, its executives in the U.S. could face criminal charges and fines, while its reports would have to be labeled as foreign propaganda, not news.

Nina Garcia

Marie Claire creative director and longtime ProjectRunway judge Nina Garcia has gotten the nod to replace outgoing editor-in-chief Robbie Myers at Hearst’s Elle. Myers, who had helmed the fashion and beauty title since 2000, announced her departure from the magazine in a memo sent out on Monday, though she will remain with Hearst as a consultant to the company’s president, David Carey. Garcia, who started her career at Mirabella, was fashion director of Elle from 2000 to 2008. Myers’ career has included stints at Rolling Stone, Interview, Seventeen, InStyle and Mirabella. The change of editors at Elle is likely not the only transition to face Hearst in the coming months: WWD reports that Harper’s Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey is rumored to be on her way out at that title. Garcia takes the reins at her new job on Sept. 18.

Michael Musto

Logo, Viacom’s LGBT-inspired entertainment brand, has signed on Village Voice writer Michael Musto as a weekly columnist for its digital site NewNowNext. The column, titled “Musto Unfiltered,” will bring readers Musto’s spin on the personalities, issues and gossip affecting the LGBT community. In addition to the Village Voice, Musto has written for the New York Times, Paper Magazine and Out.com. He is also the author of four books, including Downtown and Manhattan on the Rocks. “Michael’s column is a refreshing new voice for our readers, and is just the latest in the continued growth of NewNowNext,” said the site’s editorial director, Matthew Breen.