For the Record

Facebook Updates News Feed Algorithm:

As advertisers pause their activities on Facebook or withdraw altogether, the company announced Tuesday that it will modify its News Feed algorithm to "analyze groups of articles on a particular story topic and identify the ones most often cited as the original source," according to Sara Fischer of Axios. The company also will "down-rank news in its algorithm that doesn't have bylines, or present information about the company's editorial staff on the publishers' website." 

A History of Capitalizing the B in Black:

As hundreds of American news organizations begin to capitalize the B in Black, Poynter's Kristen Hare spoke to several journalists about the change, including former NABJ President Sarah Glover: "It's not like it's an original idea [...] Black journalists and allies recognized that the change is very necessary and has been for decades." Associated Press Vice President and Editor at Large for Standards John Daniszewski, a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, elaborated on the recent decision to codify the convention in the AP Stylebook: "Following George Floyd’s killing in May, the discussion intensified and expanded to include AP’s top news leaders. The senior news leadership, in a 90-minute conference call with AP Race and Ethnicity team leader Andale Gross and Stylebook Editor Paula Froke, decided on June 19 to change AP style to Black and Indigenous."

Tribune Publishing in Talks to Give Alden Additional Seat:

Tribune Publishing is in talks to add Alden Global Capital co-founder Randall Smith to its board "as part of an agreement that would prevent the hedge fund from making a hostile bid to buy the rest of the newspaper company in the near future," according to Cara Lombardo and Lukas I. Alpert of The Wall Street Journal. Although it was widely reported that the hedge fund would attempt to take over Tribune following the expiration of a settlement agreement on June 30, Alden informed the Tribune board "that it didn’t intend to move quickly because of the instability triggered by the pandemic."

Times Withdraws From Apple News:

The New York Times announced Monday that "it was exiting its partnership with Apple News, as news organizations struggle to compete with large tech companies for readers’ attention and dollars," according to Kellen Browning and Jack Nicas of the newspaper. In an internal memo, New York Times COO Meredith Kopit Levien cited the lack of a "direct path for sending those readers back into our environments, where we control the presentation of our report, the relationships with our readers and the nature of our business rules" as a justification for the withdrawal. Previously, The Times decided not to participate in the Apple News Plus subscription service, which launched last year.

McClatchy, Tribune Approach Critical Deadlines:

This week "may decide the fate of two of America’s largest newspaper chains that collectively serve almost a fifth of all American local newspaper readers," according to Ken Doctor of NiemanLab. On June 30, a clause prohibiting hedge fund Alden Global Capital and Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong from actively buying or selling shares of Tribune Publishing will expire, while final bids for McClatchy's 30 newspapers are due as part of its bankruptcy proceedings on July 1. Although "leaders in the field of nonprofit journalism are deciding over these 48 hours whether or not to make a bid for all of McClatchy," FTI Consulting has projected an "unrecovered advertising revenue loss between 17% and 28% as a result of COVID-19 by Q4 2021" among American newspapers.

Broadway to Remain Closed Through 2020:

The Broadway League said Monday that "theater owners and producers will refund or exchange tickets previously purchased for shows through Jan. 3," while a precise return date has yet to be determined due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Michael Paulson of The New York Times. However, the League added that "returning productions are currently projected to resume performances over a series of rolling dates in early 2020" after safety protocols are established. 

Curbed LA Stops Production:

Curbed LA Editor Jenna Chandler confirmed Friday that the local real estate news site has stopped production in anticipation of the news organization's merger with New York magazine this fall, in which the brand will relaunch as a national verticle alongside Vulture, the Cut and the Strategist. The Los Angeles team will continue to publish a bimonthly newsletter and retain a separate tip line from Curbed's main office in New York.

Suarez: Miami Benefits From Local Herald Ownership:

In a June 20 letter to Judge Michael E. Wiles of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez asked the court "to consider the public interest — and the vital role of local journalism — when weighing the fate of the [Miami] Herald’s parent company," according to Ben Wieder of the Herald. "We seek to ensure that the Miami Herald and McClatchy’s other papers emerge from the process with owners who are locally rooted and locally invested in our community, motivated primarily by a desire to serve the broader public interest, not the narrow bottom line," Suarez said. He added that philanthropic organizations "are standing by to work with a new owner to increase that investment." (Pulitzer Prize Board Co-Chair Aminda Marqués González is president, publisher and executive editor of the newspaper.)

Starbucks, Diageo Join Facebook Advertising Pause:

Several major corporations (including Starbucks, Diageo and Levi Strauss) have paused advertising on Facebook in the wake of a campaign from the advocacy group Stop Hate for Profit, citing their "unease with how [the platform] handles misinformation and hate speech," according to The New York Times' Dealbook newsletter. Although Facebook "rolled out new measures to flag problematic political posts and expand its policies around hate speech" in response to the campaign Friday, Proctor & Gamble has yet to rule out a pause, while competitor Unilever no longer will advertise on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through the end of the year.

On Capitalizing "Black":

Numerous news organizations recently have decided to capitalize the "b" in "Black" when refering to African Americans, including the Associated Press. The New York Times and Washington Post are weighing the change. Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet said in the paper that, “It has been the subject of a lively and surprising debate,” and indicated that he will announce a decision on the issue soon.