For the Record

Chinese Tech and Business Coverage Surges:

Despite the escalation of tensions between the United States and mainland China amid the introduction of the disputed Hong Kong national security law, "more U.S. media companies [...] are looking to invest in coverage of the country and its technology and business boom," according to Sara Fisher of Axios. Written by David Wertime, Politico's China Watcher newsletter "has quickly become one of its top-performing products since launching in May," while 2013 International Reporting winner David Barboza co-founded The Wire China in April. However, The Economist's Gady Epstein has speculated that "some news organizations could move their Asia bureaus" from Hong Kong "to places like Tokyo, Singapore or Taiwan" following the expulsion of many American journalists from Hong Kong and Beijing in March.

McClatchy Auction Begins:

The auction of McClatchy by the Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court is set to begin Wednesday, with the winning bid set to be announced by the firm no later than July 15, according to Marc Tracy of The New York Times. Tracy reported that the chain's acquisition by New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management (the principal owner of National Enquirer parent company American Media) is a "likely outcome," although a McClatchy spokesperson asserted that the company has "continued to engage with a number of parties over the past few weeks."

Pope: Reform Political Journalism:

In a new essay, past Pulitzer juror and Columbia Journalism Review Editor in Chief/Publisher Kyle Pope argues that the pandemic and a "a reckoning with our racist history that has sent even more into action" offer an opportunity "to set aside superficial trivia" (including the "journalistic laziness" of punditry) in political journalism. He added: "Ahead of Election Day, let’s write and report not just on what the candidates are saying, but on what they should be talking about."

The Lifeline of Notice Revenue:

With U.S. newspapers losing 75% of preexisting advertising revenue in the past decade and a half, government-required paid public notices "now provide a huge percentage of income for community newspapers" despite the advent of government websites that offer the same service, according to David Westphal of Poynter. Although critics such as Liena Zagare and Ben Smith have argued that the notices facilitate "a kind of zombie print press" that precludes community news start-ups from flourishing, Report for America President Steven Waldman's "longtime proposal to have governments place a greater share of general-purpose advertising in local news outlets" has gained traction in recent advocacy efforts. 

'Hamilton' Ineligible for Academy Awards:

Although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences amended its rules in April to allow streamed films with planned theatrical releases to compete next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas Kail's adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" will remain ineligible due to a separate prohibition on "live stage recordings," according to Marc Malkin of Variety. The Disney+ app "was downloaded 752,451 times globally, including 458,796 times in the U.S." over the July 4 weekend following the film's release on the platform.

Globe Introduces 'Right to Forget' Initiative:

As part of a broader diversity and inclusion plan announced by Editor Brian McGrory Wednesday in an internal memo obtained by Dan Kennedy of Media Nation, The Boston Globe will "launch a 'right to forget' initiative" that allows individuals who are charged or convicted of non-violent crimes "to appeal their presence in a story from the Globe archives and ask for it to be de-linked from search engines." McGrory added: "Our journalism was never meant to be a permanent obstacle to someone’s success, with the worst decisions and moments in regular people’s lives accessible by a few keystrokes for the rest of time."

Marqués on COVID-19 Coverage:

In a panel discussion with Houston Chronicle Executive Editor Steve Riley and Arizona Republic News Director Kathy Tulumello on CNN's Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter Sunday, Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Aminda Marqués González offered insights into the challenges faced by newsrooms covering the COVID-19 pandemic. "Frankly, we were the epicenter of this coronavirus epidemic from the get-go," said Marqués, the president, publisher and executive editor of the Miami Herald. "We did a story using the state's own data [...] and yet the state did move ahead to open up."

Big Tech CEOs to Testify in House Probe:

The chief executives of Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook "have agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its investigation into possible anti-competitive conduct in the online marketplace," a panel spokesperson confirmed to Cristiano Lima of Politico Wednesday. Lima added that the "blockbuster session," scheduled for late July, will mark "the first time the chiefs of all four companies have testified alongside one another before Congress" amid a yearlong probe conducted by the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law.

Tribune Publishing Adds Alden Board Member, Extends Cooperation Agreement:

Alden Global Capital co-founder Randall Smith has joined the board of Tribune Publishing, the media company announced Thursday. Additionally, the "cooperation agreement" precluding Alden from purchasing the company has been extended, with "standstill and voting commitments surviving until the conclusion of the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting" save for unspecified exceptions.

Essence Appoints Interim CEO, Promises Independent Review:

Essence Communications has appointed former Target diversity and inclusion executive Caroline Wanga as interim chief executive and vowed to authorize an independent review, which will “assess and review the company’s policies and practices" two days after a viral letter credited to #BlackFemaleAnonymous "alleged mistreatment, misconduct and mismanagement at the magazine under its current C-suite leadership, calling its much-revered image — which notably includes the highly popular Essence Festival, currently in progress — 'fraudulent,'" according to Maiysha Kai of The Root.