For the Record

Times Editorial Board Opens Endorsement Curtain:

According to Michael Calderone of Politico, The New York Times editorial board "is veering sharply away from its traditional closed-door endorsement process for Democratic presidential aspirants, conducting interviews with the [...] contenders on the record and airing parts of the discussions — along with the board's final decision — on its FX show, 'The Weekly.'" In an internal memo, 2015 Editorial Writing winner and Deputy Editorial Page Editor Kathleen Kingsbury said that her goal was to make the process "our most transparent to date."

Trump 2020 Campaign Revokes Bloomberg Credentials:

President Trump's re-election campaign announced Monday that it will no longer credential Bloomberg News as a result of the organization's decision to continue coverage of the administration "as the government of the day" while ceasing investigations of Democratic presidential candidates for the duration of owner Michael Bloomberg's campaign. The company has long eschewed investigations of its owner. "We have covered Donald Trump fairly and in an unbiased way since he became a candidate in 2015 and will continue to do so despite the restrictions imposed by the Trump campaign," said John Micklethwait, the news organization's editor-in-chief and a former Pulitzer Prize juror. The news organization has said that it will "reassess" its policy if Bloomberg receives the Democratic nomination. (Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Robert Blau is executive editor of projects and investigations at Bloomberg News.)

Ohio Newspapers Trim Publication Schedule for FCC Compliance:

According to Keith Kelly of the New York Post, three Ohio newspapers (including the Dayton Daily News, the Springfield News-Sun and The Journal-News) will publish triweekly effective immediately "to get around Federal Communications Commission rules banning" Apollo Global Management "from having a TV station and daily newspaper in the same market" following the private equity firm's recent acquisition of Cox's media properties. The rule, which was introduced in 1975 to forestall the monopolization of local media markets, was accompanied by a grandfather clause and ultimately loosened by the FCC in a 2017 decision since reversed by the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in September.

Hearst Battles Proposed Union:

According to Anna Merlan of Vice, Hearst has allegedly "[conducted] a 'classic union-busting' campaign" following the announcement of a proposed Writer's Guild of America, East collective bargaining unit on November 11, including the establishment of a purported misinformation microsite and "pressure to revoke the union cards employees have already signed." Merlan, who participated in the formation of a WGAE bargaining unit at Gizmodo Media Group, added that the microsite reportedly obfuscated the media company's obligation to "maintain the status quo during negotations [...] a bargaining committee is always, always made up of both WGAE organizers and employees at the companies they represent." 

Alden Continues Tribune Acquisitions:

Lukas I. Alpert of The Wall Street Journal reported on Twitter Monday that Alden Global Capital has acquired another ~7% of Tribune Publishing, bringing its plurality stake in the media company to 32%. "Not clear what the end game here is," he said. Through its ownership of Digital First Media, the hedge fund has been accused of "strip-mining" various newspapers through layoffs and drastically reduced budgets.

National Enquirer Chief Speaks to New York DA:

According to Kara Scannell and Mark Morales of CNN, American Media CEO David Pecker "has spoken with prosecutors with the New York district attorney's office as part of its investigation into the Trump Organization's handling of hush money payments to women who alleged affairs" with the president. The prosecutors "are investigating whether any state laws were broken, such as whether the Trump Organization falsified any business records relating to the [Stormy] Daniels payment."

Chicago Reader Goes Nonprofit:

Following similar restructurings by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Salt Lake Tribune, the Chicago Reader announced on Wednesday that it will transition to nonprofit status under the aegis of the Reader Institute for Community Journalism. Although as many as 150 alternative weeklies continue to operate in the United States, the sector has struggled since CraigsList siphoned off much of its advertising revenue in the early 2000s, culminating in the closure of The Village Voice last year. While independent Chicago media columnist Robert Feder reported that the Reader "hasn't turned a profit in ages," revenue is "said to be up almost 50% this year." The newspaper has been owned by the Chicago Sun-Times since 2012.

White Nationalists, Holocaust Deniers Continue to Operate on Facebook:

Although Facebook promised to deplatform white nationalist content earlier this year, an investigation by Julia Carrie Wong of the Guardian has revealed that "longstanding Facebook pages" of various organizations continue to operate alongside those of two Holocaust denial groups. A Facebook spokesperson said: "We are investigating to determine whether any of these groups violate our policies against organized hate. We regularly review organizations against our policy and any that violate will be banned permanently." The spokesperson said, "Facebook does not ban Holocaust denial, but does work to reduce the spread of such content by limiting the distribution of posts and preventing Holocaust-denying groups and pages from appearing in algorithmic recommendations."

Bloomberg News Announces Conflict-of-Interest Policies:

Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief and former Pulitzer Prize juror John Micklethwait announced in an internal memo Sunday that the organization "will stop writing unsigned editorials and its reporters will avoid investigating the personal life and finances of its owner, Mike Bloomberg, as the news organization seeks to avoid conflicts of interest in covering Bloomberg's newly announced candidacy for president," according to Paul Farhi of The Washington Post. Micklethwait added that the outfit's Projects and Investigations division, which is overseen by Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Robert Blau, will continue to report on the Trump administration "for the moment [...] as the government of the day"; however, this decision may be reevaluated if Bloomberg and Trump secure the nominations of their respective parties.

McClatchy's Future Contingent on Pension Bailout:

Josh Smith and Gerry Saul of Bloomberg reported Tuesday that McClatchy "could file for bankruptcy within the next year" as a result of $124 million in unfunded pension obligations and longstanding debt from its 2006 acquisition of Knight-Ridder. "If they can't offload the pensions or get pension plan relief, they'll have to file for bankruptcy," media analyst Craig Huber said.