For the Record

Chris Matthews Steps Down:

The host of MSNBC's "Hardball" announced his retirement, effective immediately, on the air Monday, while expressing regret at comments had has made about women's physical appearances. "Compliments on a woman’s appearance that some men, including me, might have once incorrectly thought were OK, were never OK. Not then and certainly not today. And for making such comments in the past, I’m sorry," Matthews said.

Twitter, Facebook Withdraw From SXSW Over Coronavirus:

Facebook announced Monday that it will not participate in this year's South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas because of "concerns related to coronavirus." Twitter announced that it would withdraw from the conference Sunday as part of its suspension of "non-critical business travel and events." In a Monday tweet, the conference reiterated that it is "proceeding as planned" and "working closely on a daily basis with local, state and federal agencies to plan for a safe event."

Crowding Out the Competition:

In his first piece as New York Times media columnist, Ben Smith ponders consolidation in the news business, potentially leading to domination by his new employer. "I spent my whole career competing against The Times, so coming to work here feels a bit like giving in. And I worry that the success of The Times is crowding out the competition," he wrote.

Hong Kong Media Baron Arrested:

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested Friday for allegedly participating in a pro-democracy protest last August. Lai, who owns Next Media Group, "publishes a popular pro-democracy newspaper and website called Apple Daily" and is one of the city's most prominent supporters of the democracy movement, according to Elaine Yu of The New York Times.

Cahiers Staff Resigns in Ownership Flap:

The staff of venerable French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma have resigned en masse, citing the influence of its new owners. "The new shareholders include eight producers who create a conflict of interest for a critical publication," the journalists said. "Whatever articles are published, there would be a suspicion of interference." Founded in 1951, the magazine's writing staff has included such notable directors as Éric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut.

Gannett Initiates New Layoffs, Eliminates Vermont Printing:

Gannett has initiated a new round of layoffs after reporting a 9.7% Q4 loss Thursday. As of February 27, affected publications include the Palm Beach Post (where 10 newsroom jobs were eliminated), the Naples Daily News and the Des Moines Register. The Burlington Free Press announced that it will move its printing operations to Portsmouth, N.H. as a cost-saving measure.

Times Releases Anti-Doxxing Guidelines:

The New York Times has released its internal anti-doxxing resources on the NYT Open Medium platform. "To help our Times colleagues think like doxxers, we developed a formal program that consists of a series of repeatable steps that can be taken to clean up an online footprint," said staffers  Kristen Kozinski and Neena Kapur. "Our goal with this program is to empower people to control the information they share, and to provide them with tools and resources to have a better awareness around the information they intentionally and unintentionally share online."

Top Editors Leave Chicago Tribune Amid Expected Alden Cuts:

Chicago Tribune Publisher and Editor-in-Chief R. Bruce Dold has been replaced by Tribune Publishing Chief Content Officer Colin McMahon effective immediately, CEO Terry Jimenez announced Thursday. Managing Editor Peter Kendall also will leave effective tomorrow. According to David Roeder of the Chicago Sun-Times, the departures come as Tribune Publishing "braces for cuts expected to be ordered by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which has a 32% stake in the company." Tribune Publishing's shares fell more than 2% after the announcement. Dold, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 1994, was with the publication for 42 years.

The Precarity of Writing:

In a new essay for The Guardian, Lynn Steger Strong details the plight faced by many contemporary writers. "The thing I'm most sure I had though, that was a direct result of my extraordinary privilege, is the blindness with which I bounded toward this profession, the not knowing," she said. "To be a writer is a choice, after all, and I continue to make it. But perpetuating the delusion that the choice is not impossibly risky, precarity-inducing, only hurts the participants' ability to reconsider the various shapes their lives might take in service of sustaining it and them."

Arizona Republic Ends Candidate Endorsements:

The Arizona Republic announced Wednesday that it no longer will endorse candidates in elections. "Our pages will continue to weigh in on large policy issues, including ballot initiatives, but will step back from recommending candidates in the more partisan arena of electoral politics," Editor Greg Burton and Editorial Page Director Phil Boas said in a joint statement. "Choosing candidates has sometimes inhibited our ability to further the dialogue, because many readers think our endorsements compromise our analysis."