For the Record

National Enquirer Remains in Limbo:

The collapse of a proposed 2019 $100 million sale of the National Enquirer and two other tabloids to Hudson News amid parent company American Media Inc.'s recent merger with "a distribution company specializing in products like face masks and hand sanitizer" has "raised questions for some industry observers as to whether the Enquirer had become too hot to handle," Sarah Ellison and Jonathan O'Connell of The Washington Post reported. Although a "significant sales drop-off" following the COVID-19 pandemic informed Hudson CEO James Cohen's decision to back out of the deal, sources told Ellison and O'Connell that a "lingering federal investigation" and potential liability for the alleged blackmailing of Jeff Bezos factored into the decision.

Civil Co-Founder Starts Journalism Cooperative:

Former Civil co-founder Maria Bustillos and other figures involved in the failed blockchain-funded journalism venture have formed the Brick House news cooperative, according to Ben Smith of The New York Times. The cooperative will "offer subscriptions to nine small publications for $75 a year," ranging from the preexisting Popula (an "alt-global" online magazine edited by Bustillos) to comics site Awry. "I want to start a new business model and to get people thinking," said Bustillos.

BuzzFeed Announces First-Look Television Deal With Universal:

BuzzFeed has entered into a first-look television contract with Universal Television, the studio announced Tuesday. According to Reid Nakamura of The Wrap, the contract "will see the studio produce scripted content based on stories and original reporting published by the media company," beginning with an adaptation of "Meet the Women Who Are Building a Better Romance Industry," a 2018 BuzzFeed News story by Bim Adewunmi.

General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital Driving Oracle TikTok Bid:

Growth equity firm General Atlantic and venture firm Sequoia Capital "are maneuvering to be part" of a potential Oracle-led deal to acquire the U.S. operations" of video-sharing app TikTok as it seeks to avoid a national security ban by the Trump administration, Rolfe Winkler, Miriam Gottfried and Cara Lombardo of The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Although the Oracle effort "quickly won President Trump’s public support" in contrast to a proposed Microsoft-led deal, both investment firms "own large stakes in Beijing-based ByteDance," TikTok's parent company. The platform has sued the Trump administration in response to the potential ban.

Vulture Expands Podcast Coverage:

Vulture Editor Neil Janowitz announced Monday that the New York magazine subsidiary will "[ramp] up coverage of podcasts, as the medium attracts more listeners and the site’s readers are hungry for podcast news and reviews." In addition to syndicating Nick Quah's Hot Pod newsletter, the site will launch a Quah-penned recommendations newsletter (1.5x Speed) Wednesday and publish "more frequent podcast features and reviews" in a dedicated section. "Vulture was one of the first sites to have a dedicated podcast critic in Nick Quah, and I’m thrilled to be expanding both his footprint on the sites and our coverage of the medium more broadly," said Janowitz.

Report for America Launches 'Experienced Corps':

Report for America will launch an "experienced corps" of journalists with more than 10 years of experience after being approached by several newsrooms, Poynter's Kristen Hare tweeted Monday. Up to half (or $30,000) of each member's salary will be funded by Report for America during their first year in addition to guaranteed subsequent funding. The national service program was co-founded by former FCC Senior Advisor Steven Waldman and the GroundTruth Project in 2017, with initial funding provided by the Google News Initiative, the Knight Foundation and Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

Zuckerberg on TikTok Fears:

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg "raise[d] the alarm about the threat from Chinese tech companies and, more specifically, the popular video-sharing app TikTok" in several Washington appearances throughout 2019, including in a speech at Georgetown University and at a private dinner with President Trump, Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Aruna Viswanatha of The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Zuckerberg also "discussed TikTok specifically in meetings with several senators," including Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). A spokesperson for Hawley said the senator's "concerns about TikTok predated the meeting with Zuckerberg." 

News Avoidance and 'Folk Theories of Journalism':

An article in the academic publication Journalism Studies by Ruth Palmer (IE University), Benjamin Toff (University of Minnesota/Reuters Institute) and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (Oxford) explores folk theories of journalism in the context of "news avoiders" who access news less than once a month, according to Joshua Benton of NiemanLab. The trio found that "news and politics merges in their mind[s] into one giant ouroboros of negativity" for many avoiders, while others predicated their reticence on the "sensationalistic and negative" articles published by "commercial enterprises." Palmer, Toff, and Nielsen conclude that these theories are based on a kind of "collective wisdom [...] which can limit the effectiveness of any potential remedies."

Publishers Join Apple Fight:

In a letter sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook Thursday, a trade body representing The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other publishers "said the outlets want to know what it would take for them to get better deal terms — which would allow them to keep more money from digital subscriptions sold through Apple’s app store," according to Benjamin Mullin of The Wall Street Journal. The letter appears to have been precipitated by Epic Games' pending lawsuit accusing Apple and Google of "monopolistic behavior" in levying large fees on subscriptions.

Garcia-Ruiz Named Chronicle Editor in Chief:

Washington Post Managing Editor Emilio Garcia-Ruiz will replace past Pulitzer juror Audrey Cooper as editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, the publication announced Thursday. As one of four managing editors working under Executive Editor Marty Baron, Garcia-Ruiz oversaw the newspaper's digital expansion. "Emilio has an impressive track record of innovation and producing great journalism on all platforms," Hearst Newspapers President Jeff Johnson said. "As we continue to develop our digital and video strategies, his experience and leadership will greatly benefit the Chronicle and the communities we serve."