For the Record

Further Woes at McClatchy:

According to Rick Edmonds of Poynter, McClatchy froze an "unqualified" pension payment to retired executives scheduled for the beginning of the year. Treasurer Elaine Lintecum told Edmonds that the cancellation of the payment "was not taken lightly" but "would be viewed negatively by the federal insurer as terms of [a] possible takeover are being negotiated." Lintecum added that a bankruptcy filing is not imminent.

Military Bans TikTok From Devices Following Security Concerns:

According to Neil Vignor of The New York Times, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have banned the video-based social network TikTok from officially-issued smartphones amid "heightened scrutiny" from Congress and a national security review of the platform, which is owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance. "As we have said before, and recently confirmed through an independent security audit, we store all U.S. user data in the United States, with backup redundancy in Singapore," said Vanessa Pappas, the general manager of TikTok's American division. "TikTok's data centers are located entirely outside of China."

Unionization Push at Sports Illustrated:

The staff of Sports Illustrated announced its intention to unionize Monday. "Decisions made by new management [the Seattle-based media and technology company Maven] over the last few months have put SI's reputation and long-term health at risk," the staff told management in a letter delineating their concerns. Approximately 40 employees were laid off after the company took control of the brand in October.

Police TikTok:

With trust of law enforcement at its lowest ebb among members of the Generation Z cohort according to a 2019 Morning Consult survey, police officers have initiated presences on the TikTok video sharing platform to build bridges with younger audiences. "We want people to realize that we are, in fact, just like everyone else," said "Officer Daniels," who enjoyed a following on the now-defunct Vine before joining TikTok. "It's kind of hard to remember that the people who are pulling them over or writing them a ticket or taking them to jail are just like them when the uniform comes off."

The Nolan Way:

In an essay for The Guardian, former Gawker Senior Writer and digital media unionization pioneer Hamilton Nolan reflected on the structural shifts that have manifested in journalism over the last decade. "Your best stories will be forgotten, you won't make much money, and your archives will be lost to tech glitches," he said. "When it's all over, your entire body of work will have mattered to only a small handful of people, none of whom you will ever meet. Which is all to say: I recommend it highly."

Freelance Group Flourishes:

According to Max Willens of Digiday, the Freelance Solidarity Project met its growth target for 2020 by the end of December 2019. The organization, which operates under the auspicies of the National Writers Union and elected its first organizing committee in November, intends to finalize "letters of agreement that standardize the working relationships that media companies have with freelancers" by the end of the year.

Sonny Mehta (1942-2019):

Alfred A. Knopf Editor-in-Chief Sonny Mehta died Monday in Manhattan from complications of pneumonia. He was 77. After serving for nearly two decades as the founding editor of Pan Books' Picador imprint (where he popularized works by two-time Fiction finalist Robert Stone, Hunter S. Thompson and Douglas Adams), Mehta moved to the venerable house at the behest of Robert Gottlieb in 1987, playing an integral role in the careers of such figures as 1988 Fiction winner Toni Morrison, two-time Fiction winner John Updike and 1992 Special Citation recipient Art Spiegelman.

Luxury Developers Acquire Old Newspaper Headquarters:

As the bullish urban real estate market enters its second decade, erstwhile newspaper headquarters (such as John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood's landmarked 1925 neo-Gothic Tribune Tower) are transforming into luxury condo and rental properties. Although the Tower, which is slated to open to residents in early 2021, will include the Chicago newspaper's sign and other historical elements in its 162 apartments, developers of Manor Riverwalk took a different approach, electing to demolish the Tampa Tribune's building.

Vox Launches Individualized Data Platform:

According to Megan Graham of CNBC, Vox Media is rolling out Forte, a first-party data platform that "intends to help advertisers drill into consumer interests and actions, and figure out which kind of ad creative would work best for that consumer mindset." The platform, which is compliant with the newly effective California Consumer Privacy Act, will enable the media company's advertisers to create targeted messages for readers of its properties, ranging from gift guide The Strategist to tech news site The Verge.

Quartz Names New Editor:

Quartz has appointed Katherine Bell as its editor-in-chief, the news organization announced Thursday. Bell, who will succeed founder Kevin Delaney, most recently served as editor-in-chief of Barron's. "Katherine is a fantastic journalist with a sharp eye for the most important business stories of our day, a brilliant thinker on digital media, and an inspirational newsroom leader," said Zach Seward, CEO of Quartz.