Good morning. Here are 10 media stories.
- Fannie Mae will anchor a new development there
After The Washington Post moves to its new One Franklin Square headquarters next year, the paper’s old home at 1150 15th St. NW is coming down, Michael Neibauer writes. “From Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee, Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, and a slew of Pulitzer Prize-winning stories throughout the years, there is a mountain of history in the Washington Post headquarters. But the D.C. Preservation League, the District’s leading advocacy group on behalf of historic properties, has opted not to attempt to landmark the building. The history, DCPL has said, is in the newsroom, not the architecture.” (Washington Business Journal)
- Act V, ownership
Ira Glass, who founded “This American Life” nearly 20 years ago, now owns the entirety of the popular public radio program, Robert Feder reports. “Chicago Public Media, parent company of WBEZ and production partner in the show since its inception, this week agreed to turn over its ownership stake to Glass in exchange for ongoing profits from “This American Life” and its podcast spinoff, “Serial.” (Robert Feder)
- Are Digital First Media execs merely milking papers for profits?
That’s the question poised by Nieman Lab’s Ken Doctor, who outlines a grim series of cutbacks made by the newspaper publisher in recent months. Altogether, about 150 employees will likely lose their jobs, and the company has shuttered many of its centralized initiatives that made it a technology-driven enterprise. “Today, DFM execs and those at the company’s properties point to the absence of a roadmap — or at least a known roadmap — to get from today to a better tomorrow.” (Nieman Lab)
- Newspapers print first chapter of historic novel
In a throwback to the days when books were serialized in dailies, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian have both published the first chapter of Harper Lee’s rediscovered novel, “Go Set a Watchman.” Spoiler alert: It features a grown-up Scout Finch and contains a revelation about her brother, Jem. (Wall Street Journal) | Tangentially related: The New York Times will not include Ted Cruz’s biography on its bestseller list even though it appears to have sold the requisite number of copies. Here’s The Times’ explanation, via Dylan Byers: “‘We have uniform standards that we apply to our best seller list, which includes an analysis of book sales that goes beyond simply the number of books sold,’ Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy explained when asked about the omission. ‘This book didn’t meet that standard this week.’ Asked to specify those standards, Murphy replied: ‘Our goal is that the list reflect authentic best sellers, so we look at and analyze not just numbers, but patterns of sales for every book.'” (Politico)
- Donald Trump meant what he said
Since Donald Trump‘s racist remarks accusing Mexican immigrants of being “rapists,” at least eight interviewers have asked the GOP presidential contender whether he stands by those statements. In every instance, he has affirmed the conviction of his utterances, Erik Wemple writes. “Got it? He meant what he said! Surely we’re missing other instances, but stay tuned for more of the same: The first Republican presidential debate is less than a month away.” | Meanwhile, Tom Kludt has compiled a list of media outlets and individuals The Donald has praised or castigated. (CNN)
- Where are the lucrative licensing rights for Facebook Instant Articles?
In a column for MIT Technology Review, Michael Wolff notes that Facebook guarantees news publishers zero dollars in exchange for hosting their content, while Netflix and Hulu pay millions of dollars in licensing fees. “In effect, digital content is being divided between a lucrative high-end entertainment world, where licensors receive a negotiated fee for allowing the distribution of their property, and a low-end publishing world where content is expected to be ‘free,’ supporting itself on often elusive advertising sales and ad-splits.” (MIT Technology Review)
- Freelancing is hard, cont.
Here’s a fun (or heartbreaking) Friday read: Over at The Toast, Sarah Miller gives us a look inside the great lengths a freelancer must sometimes go to extract his or her commission. The article carries the following disclaimer “Sarah Miller’s previous work for The Toast, for which she has been paid by Nikki in a timely fashion, can be found here.” (The Toast)
- With a new “All Things Considered” lineup, NPR aims for diversity
A series of staffing changes made to NPR’s flagship news broadcast, “All Things Considered,” indicates that the public radio network is putting its commitment to diversity on display, Andrew Beaujon writes. Among the appointments: Michel Martin former host of “Tell Me More,” will be joining “All Things Considered,” along with Carline Watson and Kenya Young, who were executive producer and producer on “Tell Me More,” respectively. That leaves just one “straight white dude” hosting the program. (Washingtonian)
- Front page of the day, selected by Kristen Hare
On Friday, the Aiken Standard in Aiken, South Carolina led with an editorial and Thursday’s decision to remove the Confederate Flag from the statehouse. (Courtesy the Newseum)
- Job moves, edited by Benjamin Mullin
Derek Willis will be a news applications developer at ProPublica. He is a reporter for The Upshot. (ProPublica) | Michel Martin will be a host of “All Things Considered.” Previously, she was host of “Tell Me More.” Carline Watson will be weekday executive producer at “All Things Considered.” Previously, she was executive producer of “Tell Me More.” Kenya Young will be executive producer of “Weekend ATC.” Previously, she was a producer on “Tell Me More.” (Washingtonian) | Mallary Tenore is now executive director at Images & Voices of Hope. Previously, she was managing director there. (IVOH) | Veronica Chao is now editor of Globe Magazine. Previously, she was editor of the Improper Bostonian. (Media Nation) | Dave Tepps will be deputy managing editor at Express. Previously, he was sports editor at The Palm Beach Post. (@Davetepps) | Job of the day: The Atlantic is looking for a staff writer. Get your résumés in! (Mediagazer) | Send Ben your job moves: bmullin@poynter.org.
Corrections? Tips? Please email me: bmullin@poynter.org. Would you like to get this roundup emailed to you every morning? Sign up here.
