Study Hall Digest 2/12/2018

Hi

Newsweek has basically been trashed. After being raided by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in late January, several reporters and top editors were let go in what may have been retaliation for a story that Newsweek reporters were working on about the organization’s parent company, a shady mega-church with a charismatic and possibly corrupt leader. At least 10 pretty high-profile journalists and editors have either left or been fired, including the editor-in-chief Bob Roe, investigative reporter David Sirota and Celeste Katz, who was investigating Newsweek’s parent company. While the DA raid was surprising, Newsweek and IBT have been shit shows for a number of years, treating their employees terribly, churning through journalists at a rapid clip (it wasn’t uncommon for people to leave after just a few months there), and pivoting to produce hilariously bad content. But IBT’s investigative arm was strong, so it’s unfortunate to lose most of it. Hopefully something will rise from the ashes.

Meredith, the corporation that produces Better Homes and Gardens, Rachel Ray Everyday, and a bunch of other magazines, is now in control of Time Inc. It seems like it’s about to sell off many of Time’s properties, including Sports Illustrated, and perhaps the flagship Time itself. Employees of the newly merged company were given tote bags with Meredith-branded swag emblazoned with their new logo: “Be Bold. Together.” One former editor blames a culture of overspending on the company’s demise: travel and expenses often exceeded $25,000 a month per employee and bonuses of $100,000 weren’t uncommon. But that was in the 90s, when the company was making lots of money, so I don’t think it’s fair to place blame for its current woes on the flush times of yesteryear. But ah, now I’m imagining a media world where you could…make money….those were the days.

Remember when BuzzFeed told its employees it should never editorialize about politics on Twitter…well.

Samhita Mukhopadhyay, is moving from a vaguely social justice-y clickbait farm to a vaguely social justice-y clickbait farm that also produces some good, not click-baity stuff too.

ProPublica defended two freelance journalists who were sued for libel, even though ProPublica wasn’t named in the suit. Good for them!

Choire Sicha on the media, fashion, and the New York Times, including this little gem: “Most of voice is just a series of crutches applied regularly.”

If you report on powerful people these days, expect to be surveilled. From Harvey Weinstein to Roger Ailes, millionaires and billionaires are increasingly trying to discredit journalism by discrediting the journalists behind it. The Koch Brothers might’ve even hacked into Intercept journo Lee Fang’s Photobucket account and leaked a picture of him smoking weed!

If you get off watching milquetoast wonks like Ezra Klein lecture you about why the Democratic Party is actually good and smart, good news! You will soon be able to do that on Netflix and HBO.