For the Record

Apple Announces Enhanced Privacy Features:

Apple "announced on Monday at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that its upcoming iOS 15 update will give iPhone users even more insight and control over their own data," including an add-on virtual private network (VPN) service and "Hide My Email, which will let you generate a fake email address for the many websites that now force you to enter one just to use or read them," Sara Morrison of Recode reported Monday. “Privacy is a fundamental human right," said Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi, who led the presentation. Apple's Mail app also will offer a Mail Privacy Protection feature, which will block email trackers commonly embedded in newsletters and marketing mailings. The release of iOS 15 has yet to be announced.

Choire Sicha Joins New York Magazine: 

Former Gawker and New York Times editor Choire Sicha will join New York magazine as an editor-at-large, the publication announced Monday. "Whenever Choire writes anything, you stop what you’re doing and read it — this has been true for pretty much his entire career," said Editor-in-Chief David Haskell. At the publication, Sicha "will regularly write short-form pieces for Intelligencer, the magazine's news and politics vertical, along with longer essays and critical pieces." He also will oversee "special projects, especially [...] new New York editorial products." Prior to joining The Times as editor of the Styles section in 2017, Sicha co-founded The Awl network of websites.

Atlantic Staffers Announce Intention to Unionize:

Staffers at The Atlantic "announced Monday their plans to form a union," invoking in their mission statement a 1916 John D. Rockefeller Jr. essay published by the magazine in which he said the "right of men to associate themselves together for their mutual advancement is incontestable," Kerry Flynn of CNN reported Monday. "We have just had one of the most extraordinary years in the history of our magazine," past Pulitzer juror and Editor-In-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg said in an internal email. "We look forward to even greater journalistic achievements in the years ahead, and we believe that the process before us can be collaborative in a way that reflects our culture and editorial mission." The bargaining unit would consist of about 85 employees, including "writers, editors, the art team, copy desk, audience, fact-checking, podcasts and experimental storytelling."

Publishers Explore Digital Education Programs:

A range of publications (including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone and WWD) "are adding more programs to their digital education portfolios" following "a surge of interest in online education programs" during the pandemic, Sara Guaglione of Digiday reported Wednesday. The Times' longstanding Learning Network team "has more than doubled in the past two years, with nine full-time employees," while The Journal's Fitness Challenge program "had one of the highest open and click-through rates we've seen for a WSJ newsletter,” according to Ebony Reed, the newspaper's new audiences chief. Both WWD and Rolling Stone are collaborating with online education platform Yellowbrick on fashion and film courses with such institutions as The New School’s Parsons School of Design and New York University. "The more a business like ours can offer compelling ways to engage online with our content and our brands — we are always looking to pursue that,” said Gus Wenner, Rolling Stone's chief operating officer.

Bugbee Succeeds Sicha at Styles:

New York magazine Editor at Large Stella Bugbee will succeed Choire Sicha as styles editor of The New York Times, the newspaper announced Wednesday. "Stella brings to The Times a broad and ambitious vision for Styles coverage, one that embraces fashion and lifestyle even as it explores issues of politics, gender, power and fame," said Executive Editor Dean Baquet, Managing Editor Joe Kahn and Assistant Managing Editor Sam Sifton. "As the nation and world cautiously start to reopen in the wake of the last 15 months of fear and grief and lives lived largely at home, she’ll help us document the rebirth of how we live, how we present and how we consume." Bugbee previously was president and editor in chief of New York-owned vertical The Cut, "which she joined in 2011, took over a year later and grew into a powerhouse that was in 2018 named Adweek’s Website of the Year." Sicha will join New York as an editor at large later this summer.

CPJ's Simon Prepares to Step Down:

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Executive Director Joel Simon "will step down by the end of the year after almost a quarter century at the organization, including 15 years in his current role," the independent non-governmental organization announced Wednesday. Board Chair Kathleen Carroll, a past chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, "will lead a committee of board members to identify a successor to Simon, who will assist with the transition." Global executive search and leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart also will assist with the search. Simon "lives and breathes the mission to help journalists in trouble and hundreds of them are safer because of his work,” Carroll said.

Eggers Limits Hardcover Release to Indie Bookstores:

2001 General Nonfiction finalist Dave Eggers will limit hardcover distribution of his forthcoming novel "The Every" to independent bookstores and publisher McSweeney’s website, Elizabeth A. Harris of The New York Times reported Wednesday. The novel, which is set to be released on October 5, "will have at least 32 different covers randomly distributed." Six weeks later, Vintage will publish e-book, paperback and audio iterations of the book for other retailers. "I don’t like bullies," Eggers said. "Amazon has been kicking sand in the face of independent bookstores for decades now. [...] One of the themes of the book is the power of monopolies to dictate our choices, so it seemed a good opportunity to push back a bit against the monopoly, Amazon, that currently rules the book world. So we started looking into how feasible it would be to make the hardcover available only through independent bookstores. Turns out it is very, very hard." Paul Bogaards, deputy publisher and executive director of communications at Knopf and Pantheon, said that the arrangement "is good for all parties involved": "They go out and they’re supporting indies, and then six weeks later we get the trade paperback, which is great for us."

Former Hollywood Reporter Editor Joins Unnamed Media Venture:

Former Hollywood Reporter Editorial Director Matthew Belloni "has joined as a founding partner for a new media company that will cover politics, finance, tech and entertainment," Jeremy Fuster of The Wrap reported Sunday. The previously announced venture, which includes such co-founders as former Vanity Fair editor Jon Kelly and former Conde Nast executive Liz Gough, "aims to compete with the Substack model, which has been attracting brand-name journalists to build their own businesses on that platform." Its business model also is influenced by The Athletic, which hired a range of top sports journalists. “Just like Hollywood, media is undergoing a dramatic transformation for the digital future," said Belloni. "It's super-exciting to bring my years of experience to building an innovative new company while continuing to cover an industry I care about so passionately."

Associated Press Editor Calls for Independent Investigation Following Gaza Office Bombing:

Associated Press Executive Editor Sally Buzbee has called for an "independent investigation into Israel's bombing of a building in Gaza that was home to her news organization as well as broadcaster Al Jazeera," according to a Reuters report. Buzbee added that the news organization "had not yet seen any evidence from Israeli officials to justify the bombing," which destroyed the 12-story al-Jalaa tower block Saturday. "We've heard the Israelis say they have evidence," she said. "We don’t know what that evidence is. We think it is appropriate at this point for there to be an independent look at what happened." The wire service's journalists, who were unhurt, are now working out of Agence France-Presse's Gaza offices. In a call with AP CEO Gary Pruitt, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered his "unwavering support for independent journalists and media organizations around the world," a State Department spokesman said in a statement. (AP Vice President and Editor at Large for Standards John Daniszewski is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.)

Buzbee Named Washington Post Editor:

Associated Press Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Sally Buzbee has been named executive editor of The Washington Post, the newspaper's Paul Farhi reported Tuesday. Buzbee, a past Pulitzer juror, will "take over leadership of The Post’s nearly 1,000-person newsroom next month," said Publisher Fred Ryan. The appointment marks the first time a woman has led the 143-year-old news organization. She succeeds longtime incumbent Martin Baron, who retired in February after serving in the role since 2013. "The Post has such a rich journalistic legacy, and such a terrific staff,” said Buzbee. "It's exciting to join this organization at a time of growth and innovation." Added Ryan: "We looked for someone steeped in the courageous journalism that is The Post’s hallmark, and who can extend our reach to news audiences in the U.S. and abroad. We sought a bold leader who can manage our dynamic newsroom and bureaus across the globe […] We looked carefully for someone who shares our values of diversity and inclusion, and who is committed to prioritizing them in our news coverage as well as our hiring and promotion."