⁛ NewsDeplatformed: Meta and X are continuing to restrict access to the hacked and leaked copies of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s vetting documents for his now-running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. A communications official for X said that the platform had temporarily suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein’s account over rules prohibiting posting unredacted private personal information, but the journalist Nancy Levine Stearns told Semafor that her account was also temporarily suspended for linking to the dossier (other reporting suggested that Stearns was not the only X user who was prohibited from sharing the link). Meta also blocked links to the dossier on its platform, citing its policy that prohibits sharing “content from hacked sources or content leaked as part of a foreign government operation to influence US elections.” All of this has allowed much of the story to play out on Substack, where the dossier was first published and where the documents are still hosted. Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie told Semafor he had no idea Klippenstein was going to publish the hacked materials beforehand. In a post earlier this week, he defended Klippenstein’s decision to publish: “It is the journalist’s burden to resist the pressures of antagonists in pursuit of the truth. At its best, this kind of journalism is a service to us all. Its practitioners need and deserve all the protections that their right to freedom of the press and freedom of expression can offer.” Meta narrative: After their keynote earlier this week, Meta gave away Ray-Ban Smart Glasses to attendees. A tipster pointed out to us that while many news organizations have strict rules about accepting pricey gifts from companies or individuals they cover, some journalists were happy to accept the glasses, which retail for $300 or more. ⁋ PublishingBlooming Onion: In the months since G/O Media sold the Onion to a new ownership group, the satirical news publication has been at work reviving old fan favorite products and business models. The company’s recently relaunched print subscription is performing better than its leadership anticipated, and new CEO Ben Collins told The New York Times it is also planning to grow its events business. Additionally, the Onion is announcing this week the relaunch of a beloved video series, I’m told. How to run a magazine: David Remnick has a simple answer for Peter Kafka on how he edits The New Yorker: Its prose should be “clear and available.” ⁌ TVAmazin’: There really can’t be any more broken experience in media than trying to watch the New York Mets as a cord-cutter. There is literally no way to subscribe directly or, in any normal sense, indirectly. The only path — discovered thanks to some excellent New York Post service journalism — is as follows: You subscribe to a $100+ monthly DirecTV subscription (five-day free trial subscriptions available, no other streaming TV service works), and use that service to authenticate with the SNY app. The Mets are doing OK, but they’re not that good. Scott Havens, help! ✦ MarketingSpherical: Richard Attias last Monday told an audience of journalists assembled to hear about Riyadh’s high-powered Future Investment Initiative conference, where he’d recently spent time with MSG Entertainment chief Jim Dolan, whose Las Vegas Sphere is much in demand. “The guy is overwhelmed by requests — and not just from the rich countries, who want their own sphere,” Attias said.
Correction: An earlier version of the introduction to this newsletter said that the Partnership for New York City, the city’s main business lobby, had supported Eric Adams; it did not. |