For the Record

Axios Launches Corporate Communications Platform:

Axios next month will launch AxiosHQ, "a communications platform that will enable businesses to update their employees — including through internal newsletters — in Axios’s just-the-facts, bullet-point style," Benjamin Mullin of The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The software will include subscription tiers with access to a dedicated editing team and "a tool that recommends grammar and usage changes based on a database of edits from Axios staff." In an interview, CEO and former Pulitzer Prize Board member Jim VandeHei "said he always wanted Axios's communication style, which he described as 'exponentially more efficient,' to be part of the company's subscription solutions." Clients of the service include Delta Air Lines and AT&T.

Poitras Departs First Look Media:

In an open letter released Thursday, 2014 Public Service contributor Laura Poitras alleged that she was fired by First Look Media in late November "after [she] spoke to the press about The Intercept's failure to protect whistleblower Reality Winner and the cover-up and lack of accountability that followed, and after years of raising concerns internally about patterns of discrimination and retaliation." The company has subsequently asserted that Poitras "had not been active in any capacity with our company for more than two years," which has been disputed by the filmmaker. Following her termination and the departure of fellow 2014 Public Service contributor Glenn Greenwald in October, former Nation writer Jeremy Scahill "is the only member of the founding team remaining at the organization," according to Sarah Ellison of The Washington Post.

Complaint Alleges Amazon E-book Price Fixing:

Amazon is "accused of fixing the price of e-books sold on the e-commerce site through anticompetitive agreements with the nation’s top five publishers" in a complaint filed Thursday, according to Rebecca Klar of The Hill. The class action lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York by Manhattan law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, "alleges that Amazon and the publishers entered into price fixing agreements in 2015, allowing the publishers to increase their e-book prices by up to 30% while protecting Amazon from price competition from other e-book retailers," resulting in alleged violations of antitrust and consumet-protection laws. The suit "follows a similar class action case the firm filed against Apple and the so-called Big Five in 2011" that resulted in large settlements.

Newspapers Challenge Removal of Postal Rate Cap:

The News Media Alliance and the National Newspaper Association — collectively "representing thousands of local newspapers across the United States" — announced Thursday that they "have joined a legal challenge of an order by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) that would effectively eliminate a congressionally-mandated limit on postal rate increases for periodicals and marketing mail, which since 2006 has required postal rate increases to remain within a statutory price cap tied to the Consumer Price Index." Under the new system, the United States Postal Service "will be able to increase the postage assessed to newspapers by roughly 9% annually over the next five years," which the organizations perceive as being unsustainable. "The PRC is placing the Postal Service's balance sheet problems — which Congress can fix — on local newspapers and other mailers at the worst possible time," said David Chavern, president and chief executive of the News Media Alliance. "As many newspapers are the only source of local news about a community, this will undoubtedly increase the number of 'news deserts' across the country."

Bryan Monroe (1965-2021):

Former National Association of Black Journalists President Bryan Monroe died Wednesday morning of a heart attack at his home in Bethesda, Md., according to Ray Sanchez of CNN. An associate professor of practice in journalism at Temple University, Monroe oversaw the Biloxi-Gulfport Sun Herald's 2006 Public Service Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina as assistant vice president of news at Knight-Ridder and conducted the first post-election interview with former President Barack Obama in 2008. "I've never met someone who was as comfortable in any environment — whether with a group of politicians, students, Black journalists, or white journalists," said CNN Senior Vice President Sam Feist, who recruited Monroe to serve as a political editor for the network. "Bryan navigated those worlds better than anybody and the bridges he built between people and between groups will be around a long long time."

Foley Leaves Women's Wear Daily:

Longtime Women's Wear Daily Executive Editor Bridget Foley has been laid off from her position, Matthew Schneier of The Cut reported Wednesday. "It's a huge part of my life," said Foley, who was employed by the magazine for more than 30 years. "It's been a privilege to cover this industry through such remarkable times of change. I was privileged as a chronicler, and also as a participant, to be involved at a very heady time in fashion and media." James Fallon, the editorial director of parent company Fairchild Fashion Media, did not respond to Schneier's request for comment. Known for being "alternatingly imperious and gentle in her fashion-show reviews," Foley continued to write for the publication in her most recent role, earning three bylines as late as January 10.

Former Condé Nast Podcast Producers Draft Open Letter:

In an open letter released Tuesday, 11 former Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE) contract producers and editors "allege the company mishandled their employment, outsourced their work to additional contractors, and, generally, bungled the network through mismanagement" as the media company attempted to create a podcast network centered around The Pitchfork Review, Get Wired, and In Vogue, according to Ashley Carman of The Verge. The producers and editors allege that they "often worked longer hours than scheduled" without benefits. In a statement to Carman, CNE "said it saw 'much growth' in its audio business in 2020 and suggested it might look to rehire some people."

Google Admits to Australian Search 'Experiments':

Google "has been hiding some Australian news sites from search results, in a move media outlets say is a show of 'extraordinary power' as the tech company bargains with the Australian government over financial payment for content," Paul Karp of The Guardian reported Wednesday. A spokesperson confirmed the company is "experiments that will each reach about 1% of Google Search users in Australia to measure the impacts of news businesses and Google Search on each other" until an unspecified juncture in February. The Australian government announced in December that it is "attempting to impose a new code on Google and Facebook that would force them to negotiate a fair price" for displaying local news. Mel Silva, the vice-president for Google Australia and New Zealand, has claimed that the "overwhelming majority" of respondents to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission harbor "concerns about key aspects of the code or are downright opposed to it."

Alden Filing Discloses Tribune Bid, Baltimore Sun Interest:

Alden Global Capital "reported [...] that it had offered to purchase full control of Tribune Publishing" in a late December filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Lenfest Institute for Journalism Executive Director Jim Friedlich in an essay for the Columbia Journalism Review. The filing also "discloses Tribune board discussions and direct Alden conversations" concerning the potential acquisition of The Baltimore Sun with Stewart Bainum, the chair of Choice Hotels. "Let's hope that the presence of a willing buyer for one major Tribune property engenders other serious interest from local buyers as the process moves forward," added Friedlich. "Local news doesn’t need another hedge-fund loss."

Voice of America Reassigns White House Reporter After Pompeo Appearance:

Voice of America Director Robert Reilly has ordered the reassignment of Senior White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara for asking questions of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "during a VOA-sponsored appearance on Monday," Paul Farhi of The Washington Post reported Tuesday. After Pompeo "spoke about 'American exceptionalism' and criticized oppressive regimes" at the event, Widakuswara queried him about his efforts to "repair the U.S. reputation around the world" and a previous statement in which he indicated that President Trump would serve a second term despite losing the 2020 presidential election to President-elect Biden. A group of VOA employees previously "filed an anonymous whistleblower complaint last week asserting that Pompeo’s appearance in VOA's auditorium would pose a coronavirus health risk and that orders to carry the speech on VOA's TV channels and live streams amounted to the promotion of government 'propaganda.'"