Age Verification: Separate Parental Controls From Fraud Prevention
The CEO of Persona (leading ID verification platform), has more a more thoughtful understanding of the problems surrounding age verification than any lawmaker seems to: "Applying fraud prevention techniques to what should be a parental controls problem is overreach"
All Adults Must Verify ID on Social Media
Not "could be", all adults WILL be forced to verify their ID on social media. You can't only verify children's IDs, you have to verify everyone's to know who is children.
VOA Layoffs Cripple Audit, Obscuring Agency Finances
@KariLake calls mass layoffs at Voice of America and its parent agency "streamlining" An official US gov't audit could not reach conclusions on agency's finances because it failed to provide even basic info - in part because staff had been so...
AI Hype Inflates Expectations, Not Reduces Workload
"AI gets celebrated like the messiah of productivity, but instead of actually offsetting the workload, it's just raised the bar on what people are supposed to accomplish" Thanks for including my thoughts Katelyn Chedraoui https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/social-media-professionals-burnout-ai-metricool-news/
X Bans Undisclosed AI War Videos, Suspends Revenue
So X will no longer help fund toxic fake AI videos of the war. Unless it’s properly labeled? Baby steps I suppose. Will they continue to suppress posts of external links to reliable news brands with journalists literally on the...
Versant Aims to Acquire Top‑earning Media Properties
Versant, the newest company in the media sector, is getting ready to tackle some of the most lucrative properties in the business..... https://t.co/Hf3JAskeC5 via @variety
Versant Eyes Major Sports Rights Amid NFL Opt-Out
Versant Sees Chance to Snatch Big Sports Rights as NFL Opt-Out Looms https://t.co/Hf3JAskeC5 via @variety
Journalistic Editing Skills Transform Book Publishing Success
Making the leap from journalism to book-length work brought one writer into contact with a new challenge: being truly edited. Lessons from @julietizon: https://janefriedman.com/how-editing-like-a-journalist-will-make-your-publishing-journey-easier/
G7 Nations Under 50% Trust in Media and Government
Nearly every G7 nation has less than 50% trust in both media and government. Source: Visual Capitalist https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-do-people-trust-the-media-or-government-more/
Weiss' Strategy Benefits Netanyahu, Trump as CBS Rises
Semafor: "Weiss’ approach has paid some dividends." For Netanyahu and Trump. A new CBS News emerges amid Iran crisis https://t.co/BllROEbkrD
Murdoch: Ellison‑Backed CNN Will Challenge Fox, Yet News Is Tough
How would he know about running news? Lachlan Murdoch Says Ellison-Backed CNN Will Be “Strong Competitor” Of Fox News, But “Running News Is Hard” https://t.co/E0JCNrMqTL
All-Stars Debate Paramount-WBD Future, Sarandos, Zaslav Legacy
🎙️ 🎙️ NEW POD: Puck all-stars @MattBelloni & @WilliamCohan debate David Ellison’s existential Paramount-WBD challenge, Ted Sarandos’ next play, and the legacy of David Zaslav… this is a fun one… Apple: https://t.co/FhmAiCfP7H Spotify: https://t.co/skJZmlCppk @PuckNews
Legacy Media Mindset Doomed; Ellisons Get Digital Right
Consistently and without fail, the biggest mistake former TV and studio executives make is retrofitting legacy media economics into digital media models. The Ellisons aren’t building a legacy media conglomerate. They understand the tech and more importantly the new medium...
War Dominates Headlines in Every Local Paper
Speaking of which, every local paper in proximity of places I’ve lived has the war as its top story. https://t.co/Cb342dq6za
Google Discover Traffic Plummets 46%, Search Remains Steady
Big Discover drop but Google search is relatively stable -> Reach (The UK’s largest commercial news publisher) explained Google Discover traffic dropped by 46% in the second half of 2025 but overall Google search traffic is stable "Chief executive Piers North...
U.S. Urges Americans to Leave Dangerous Countries Immediately
Americans are now trapped in these countries. Those following the news would also know this. And a good time to reflect on how journalists and news organizations have rushed to the Middle East to keep us informed despite the dangers...
NYT Publisher Calls for Broad Support of Local Press
Great message from NYT Publisher on the importance of a free and plural press, asking for support for *any news organization* particularly your local one. Please share widely. https://t.co/RL3cniGT4b
Platform Chooses Retaliation Over Democratic Participation
“It was evidence that a platform, often labelled as hostile to journalism and hostile to democracy, chose retaliation over participation under the rules developed through a deliberated parliamentary process. Are we surprised?” https://t.co/1JpLHLneQT
Journalists Must Skip Trump‑Hosted Correspondents’ Dinner
No self-respecting journalist should attend a Correspondents' Association Dinner with Trump there. Nothing about any of this is a laughing matter.
Paramount's 25% CW Stake Equals CBS and Warner Combined
Fun fact: Paramount will now own 25% of the CW Network. CBS and Warner each held 12.5% stakes so...25%.
Scott Jennings' False Iran Claim Debunked, Sparks Newsroom Drama
Scott Jennings peddled an absurd Trump talking point on Iran to the masses over the weekend. Then the actual journalists at CNN did reporting that undercut the claim. The episode has led to some drama behind the scenes, @get_status has...
Legacy Streamers Stuck on Repackaged Old Content
This is the problem with all legacy media streaming services - will be fascinating to see if David Ellison & team can change this narrative at $PSKY
Mass Media and Tech Layoffs Threaten Economic Stability
Genuine q as I’m no economist: seems like plenty more media/tech layoffs incoming — Paramount/WBD, big tech w/AI, decline of trad media, etc — so an abundance of well paid people fighting for no jobs in markets that don’t want...
RedBird Reshapes Streaming Landscape with Major Studio Deals
Friday: RedBird helps Paramount pry Warner Bros. away from Netflix. Monday: RedBird helps Artists Equity ink major streaming deal with Netflix.
Meta Defends BitTorrent Piracy as Fair Use Claim
I’m sorry, I was cryptic with the tweet below at a time when y’all may need a laugh. As I read this, Meta is arguing in a court of law that its use of BitTorrent to transfer pirated works was...
Top Unbiased Iranian Journalists Covering the Conflict
Who are the best Iranian journalists and content creators covering the conflict who are not just stanning the monarchy?
Whatnot's Beauty Sales Surge 800% to 4,000 Items Hourly
On @Whatnot, the live shopping platform, beauty sales grew almost 800% in 2025, now representing one of its fastest-growing verticals. Buyers are purchasing nearly 4,000 beauty items per hour. More in the Live Shopping Update, presented by Whatnot: https://t.co/s9HQHL6Je5 https://t.co/VKyyHOKjyK
World's Longest-Serving News Anchor Duo Celebrated
Meet the longest-serving news anchor team in the world — Delightful read from @katie_robertson https://t.co/L2xancAgbj
Today's Newsletter Dives Into Wild Pop Culture & Tech
Yapper ads, the Most Evil Gay Guy, pop culture OpenClaw, Gucci runway texts, Jim Carry conspiracies, #sendBaron, Zuck's $170M mansion, Opensource Palantir, how the AIs kill, and MORE in today's newsletter. https://t.co/cJl7zQOUi6
AP Becomes Third Major Publisher Partnering with Kalshi
By my count, AP is the third major news publsher to partner with Kalshi (CNN and CNBC also have deals with Kalshi). Polymarket has deals with WSJ and Barron's parent cmpany Dow Jones as well as Yahoo Finance. https://t.co/BN62xOIVjq
Paramount Poised to Outshine Warner Bros Discovery
Tale of Two Slide: Can Paramount Suceeed where Warner Bros Discovery Failed? Today: (Top) — $PSKY + $WBD 2021: (Bottom) — WarnerMedia+Discovery https://t.co/qQblRU5byq https://t.co/nR1QFgHVJU
No Evidence Bans Improve Minors' Mental Health
"There is no scientific evidence to support the assumption that banning minors from accessing services would have a positive effect on their mental health and development." https://t.co/eOCmTZvNiE
Murdoch Predicts Paramount-Warner Will Keep Third‑party Sales
Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch says he expects Paramount-Warner to continue to sell content to third parties and anticipates that will be a condition of the deal.
New Surveillance Laws Threaten Free Internet, Must Resist
Once built, this surveillance infrastructure will be abused, just as every prior expansion of government surveillance and censorship power has been. We must do everything in our power to stop these laws where we can and preserve a free and...
The Internet Is Turning Into a Digital Panopticon
I have a piece out in @guardian today on how the internet is becoming a fully surveilled digital panopticon and why we need to fight back https://t.co/Nyu66hrTmC
Age‑Verification Laws Threaten Free Speech, Empower Government Control
“All lawmakers will claim that they are [enacting age verification] to protect youth from some harm, but they fail to mention the convenient power it hands to government to control and chill speech they oppose, and even punish their critics,”...
Paramount Keeps HBO Intact After $110B Warner Merger
That’s a relief: Ellison said, “Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO. They built a phenomenal brand. They’re a leader in the space, and we just want them to continue doing more of it.“
Paramount Merges HBO Max with Paramount+, Retains Cable Assets
New: Paramount Will Combine HBO Max and Paramount+, Won’t Sell or Spin Off Cable Assets https://t.co/o9Loe8qBMA
Rare Asset May Not Return Soon, Says Sarandos
💯 Priceless quote from Ted Sarandos ending his post-mortem interview with @Lucas_Shaw Lucas: "If you feel like this is a rare asset, that also means that an asset like this may not come up again anytime soon, right?" Ted: "Possibly. Or...
Google Discover Gets Major Profile Updates – New Article
Nice new article on Google Discover and the latest Discover profile changes by my teammate @JohnnyHerge https://t.co/iQap8dufeJ
Paramount's UFC Deal Returns Fights to HBO
Paramount boss David Ellison confirms their @ufc agreement enables them to put fights on @HBO, sorta brings HBO back to its fighting roots @BrandoLightShed $PSKY $WBD https://t.co/Dph8xQXjcP
Banning Kids From Social Media Harms Everyone
The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all by @TaylorLorenz https://t.co/Oop5i0wy6J
Focus on Churn Retention, Not Just Cost Cuts
the only analysis on this, imo, outside of "efficiency savings" through mass layoffs (🤮🤮🤮🤮) and tech stack consolidation is what percentage of "churn and return" customers from these two cohorts would extend their subscription lifetime with very little CAC increases.
Paramount CEO: No Production Cuts, Streaming Demands Investment
"We have no intention to pull back on production," says Paramount CEO David Ellison, who adds combining streaming requires investing in content to achieve growth goals.
CNN's Streaming App Fails; Merge Back to HBO Max
If CNN can't get a decent sub growth push with the recent strikes in Iran, it should be a sign that a standalone CNN streaming app is a Bad Idea, and should be brought back into HBO Max. Then again,...
Bruce Honors Mascots While Chasing P&G Sale
Meet Bruce. He’s Got a Long Line of Advertising Mascots to Honor in Quest to Sell for Procter & Gamble https://t.co/CEGcvtR0UM via @variety
Paramount CEO: No Asset Sales if WBD Merger Proceeds
Paramount CEO David Ellison says no asset sales planned at this time if WBD deal goes through.
Paramount to Merge Paramount+ with HBO Max
On investor call, Paramount confirms it plans to put P+ and HBO Max together, making one service from the two.
BiotechTV Welcomes New Contributor Wassim Laroussi
BiotechTV is growing today. I’m happy to welcome @WassimLaroussi3 as our newest contributor. I’ve been impressed with his own videos, and he is going to do some very cool stuff for @BiotechTV. https://t.co/LUcm1sTqGz
Key FCC and Broadband Policy Moves Unveiled
Policyband Headlines ■ @FCC Merger Approval a Breeze for Charter-Cox ■ How Far Can @BrendanCarrFCC Go to Keep @NFL on Free TV? ■ @FSFthinktank's Long Calls for New Cable Rules if 39% Cap Goes ■ Malone Seeks @FCC Approval to Take Control of...