NEW YORK: Just when Americans need it most, a US newspaper industry already under stress is facing an unprecedented new challenge.
Readers desperate for information are more reliant than ever on local media as the coronavirus spreads across the US They want to know about cases in their area, where testing centers are, what the economic impact is. Papers say online traffic and subscriptions have risen — the latter even when they’ve lowered paywalls for pandemic-related stories.
But newspapers and other publications are under pressure as advertising craters. They are cutting jobs, staff hours and pay, dropping print editions — and in some cases shutting down entirely.
Circulation and web traffic are up at the Sun Chronicle, a daily in Attleboro, Massachusetts, as it scrambles to cover the coronavirus pandemic. It’s “all we do,” said Craig Borges, executive editor and general manager. But with many local restaurants, gyms, colleges and other businesses closed, the paper has laid off a handful of sales and mailroom employees and a political reporter. It has about a dozen newsroom employees left.
“Hopefully we can work this out and make it through,” Borges said.
Researchers have long worried that the next recession — which economists say is already upon us — “could be an extinction-level event for newspapers,” said Penelope Abernathy, a University of North Carolina professor who studies the news industry.
More than 2,100 cities and towns have lost a paper in the past 15 years, mostly weeklies, and newsroom employment has shrunk by half since 2004. Many publications struggled as consumers turned to the Internet for news, battered by the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and the rise of giants like Google and Facebook that dominated the market for digital ads.
More recently, big national newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have diversified revenue by adding millions of digital subscribers. Many others, however, remain heavily dependent on advertising.
Twenty global news publishers recently surveyed by the International News Media Association expect a median 23% decline in 2020 ad sales. In the US, newspaper ad revenues have dropped 20% to 30% in the last few weeks compared with a year ago, FTI Consulting’s Ken Harding wrote in another INMA report.
On Monday, the largest US newspaper chain, Gannett, announced 15-day furloughs and pay cuts for many employees. On Tuesday, another major chain, Lee Enterprises, also announced salary reductions and furloughs. The Tampa Bay Times, owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute, cut five days of its print edition and announced furloughs for non-newsroom staff.
Further down the food chain, many smaller publishers — particularly local alt-weeklies with a heavy focus on dining, arts and entertainment — are making even harder decisions.
In rural Nevada, Battle Born Media is scaling back or ceasing publication of six rural weekly newspapers. The Reno News & Review, an alternative weekly, suspended operations and laid off all staffers. C&G Newspapers, which publishes 19 weekly newspapers near Detroit, suspended print publication. Alternative paper Pittsburgh Current went online-only.
Report for America, which subsidizes journalists in local newsrooms and at The Associated Press, says some of its local-media partners report such deteriorating finances that they may not be able to pay their half of these reporters’ salaries.
In suburban St. Louis last week, businesses were calling and canceling ads as fast as editor Don Corrigan and his staff could write articles to fill the empty space left behind. A local hospital wanted to run a full-page ad offering tips to fight the virus in the three community weeklies he runs — but wanted it for free. A softhearted Corrigan agreed.
He announced this week that the Webster-Kirkwood Times, South County Time and West End World will stop publishing, although he’s keeping the website running. “I don’t think people realize how much it costs to put out a newspaper,” he said, noting that some readers are belatedly suggesting a GoFundMe page or a paywall for the web site.
A $2.2 trillion relief act signed Friday by President Donald Trump could provide loans or grants to smaller local publishers who maintain their payrolls. Industry executives are also discussing future government bailout requests that would preserve the independence of news organizations, two newspaper-industry trade groups wrote in a Monday letter to Trump and congressional leaders.
One proposal under discussion would recommend creating a federal fund to pay for government newspaper ads that offer health advice. Another possibility might be to offer people tax credits for subscriptions.
The Shepherd Express newspaper, which took its name from an Allen Ginsberg poem, has for 38 years told residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about up-and-coming musicians, hot restaurants, crooked politicians and where to find hemp-related products. Last week, it suspended publication and laid off staff.
Editor, publisher and owner Louis Fortis is keeping the website operating and promises to resume printing at some point, in some form. Yet he’s feeling the same uncertainty as millions of other Americans. “I’m very disappointed,” he said. “On the other hand, you have to look at the big picture. People are dying.”
Local newspapers are facing their own coronavirus crisis
https://arab.news/5m2t2
Local newspapers are facing their own coronavirus crisis
- More than 2,100 cities and towns have lost a paper in the past 15 years, mostly weeklies, and newsroom employment has shrunk by half since 2004
Renowned Lebanese journalist quits MTV over death threats by alleged Hezbollah supporters
- ‘I decided to leave MTV because of the intimidations that reached the point of death threats,’ says Dr. Eman Shweikh on X
- Samir Kassir Eyes Center reports that since Nov. 12 Shweikh had been subjected to a campaign of threats, incitement, accusations of treason
DUBAI: A renowned Lebanese journalist has taken to social media platform X to announce her departure from MTV following alleged death threats believed to have been made by supporters of Hezbollah.
Not mentioning the Iran-backed group by name, Dr. Eman Shweikh, a TV presenter at MTV, journalist and university professor, wrote: “I decided to leave MTV because of the intimidations that reached the point of death threats and the harassment that I am exposed to, which reached the point of following me home and chasing me on the road, in addition to harassing my family.”
The Samir Kassir Eyes Center reported that since Nov. 12 Shweikh had been subjected to a campaign of threats, incitement and accusations of treason due to her political opinions that she publishes on X, and because of her work for MTV.
The purported threats and harassment prompted her to leave her job at the channel.
The TV presenter added in her tweet: “The (Lebanese) state is absent, and laws are inexistent, and I do not want to expose my life and the lives of my family to danger. I want to live in safety and peace. Thank you to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of MTV Michel Murr.”
Shweikh’s tweet received thousands of likes and hundreds of retweets and comments.
Replying to her tweet, advocate Tarek Chindeb said: “The threat to kill journalist Eman Shweikh makes us believe at every moment that we cannot build a state in Lebanon in the presence of illegal weapons and militias outside accountability.”
Expressing solidarity, Chindeb hoped that the Lebanese security and judicial authorities would do their duty to protect her, and arrest the culprits.
Political analyst Magdi Khalil also replied to Shweikh’s tweet, saying: “Ideological militias do not know participation, but rather overpowering. They do not know dialogue, but rather the threat of violence.”
MTV journalist Nawal Berry and cameraman Dany Tanios were attacked in July while attempting to cover the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.
It was not the first time Berry and her team had been assaulted by Hezbollah loyalists. During the early days of the Oct. 17 revolution in 2019, she and her team faced a violent attack and had their camera smashed.
Supporters of Hezbollah have a history of assaulting and threatening journalists. Targets have included Layal Alekhtiar, who received death threats in 2021 and faced legal action last year for interviewing an Israeli spokesperson; Dima Sadek; Ali Al-Amin; and others.
At the time of publishing, Shweikh could not be reached for comment.
What is Bluesky, the fast-growing social platform welcoming fleeing X users?
- Bluesky said in mid-November that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and talk to others online
SAN FRANCISCO: Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk.
What is Bluesky?
Championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That invite-only period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other features. The platform resembles Musk’s X, with a “discover” feed and a chronological feed for accounts that users follow. Users can send direct messages and pin posts, as well as find “starter packs” that provide a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow.
Why is Bluesky growing?
Bluesky said in mid-November that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and talk to others online. The post-election uptick in users isn’t the first time Bluesky has benefited from people leaving X. The platform gained 2.6 million users in the week after X was banned in Brazil in August — 85 percent of them from Brazil, the company said. About 500,000 new users signed up in one day in October, when X signaled that blocked accounts would be able to see a user’s public posts.
Across the platform, new users — among them journalists, left-leaning politicians and celebrities — have posted memes and shared that they were looking forward to using a space free from advertisements and hate speech. Some said it reminded them of the early days of Twitter more than a decade ago.
Despite Bluesky’s growth, X posted after the election that it had “dominated the global conversation on the US election” and had set new records.
Beyond social networking
Bluesky, though, has bigger ambitions than to supplant X. Beyond the platform itself, it is building a technical foundation — what it calls “a protocol for public conversation” — that could make social networks work across different platforms — also known as interoperability — like email, blogs or phone numbers.
Currently, you can’t cross between social platforms to leave a comment on someone’s account. Twitter users must stay on Twitter and TikTok users must stay on TikTok if they want to interact with accounts on those services. Big Tech companies have largely built moats around their online properties, which helps serve their advertising-focused business models.
Bluesky is trying to reimagine all of this and working toward interoperability.
Media group IMI and UAE Media Council sign deal to recruit and train local talent
- Collaboration is part of the Media Apprenticeship Program launched last year by the Media Council and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council
- It targets existing Emirati media professionals, as well as graduates and final-year students in media-related studies
DUBAI: IMI, a media group in the UAE formerly known as International Media Investments, has signed a cooperation agreement with the UAE Media Council to train and recruit local talent and develop media infrastructure in the country.
The initiative is part of the Media Apprenticeship Program, an initiative launched in May 2023 by the UAE Media Council and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council. It targets existing Emirati media professionals, as well as graduates and final-year students in media-related studies, with the aim of developing the next generation of talent in the nation’s media sector.
The agreement was signed at IMI’s new headquarters in Abu Dhabi by Mohammed Saeed Al-Shehhi, secretary-general of the UAE Media Council, and Rani Raad, CEO of the recently rebranded IMI Group, which owns several news outlets including Sky News Arabia, The National newspaper, Al-Ain News and CNN Business Arabic.
“We are proud to be the first global media group in the UAE to partner with the UAE Media Council on this initiative,” said Raad.
IMI Group, he added, can offer “aspiring Emirati talent unique opportunities to learn about the best media assets and standards” through its network of companies and the IMI Media Academy.
Launched in September, the IMI Media Academy employs the latest learning methodologies and offers an advanced curriculum focusing on the media industry, journalism and content creation.
Al-Shehhi highlighted the need to forge stronger partnerships with private media companies, and for cohesive country-wide efforts to develop the sector.
He said the partnership with IMI demonstrates the Media Council’s “commitment to empowering the media sector to attain global leadership by investing in the development of national skills and talents and equipping them with the latest media tools and technologies.”
It also aligns with the council’s desire “to nurture a new generation of talents capable of spearheading the sector and achieving significant accomplishments in the future,” he added.
Spotify introduces ‘Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24’ residency program for emerging talent
- Initiative covers songwriting and music production, music marketing, music rights and industry knowledge, and touring and performing
- The Kingdom is an ‘incredibly exciting market’ for Spotify, says platform’s regional managing director
DUBAI: Spotify this month introduced Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24, the first iteration of a program dedicated to the promotion and development of the emerging music scene in the Kingdom.
“We’re incredibly thrilled to launch Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24 and are eager to see the impact it will have on the career growth of the selected artists,” Akshat Harbola, managing director of Spotify in the Middle East and North Africa region, told Arab News.
The program, which ran from Nov. 6 to 11, represented “a long-term investment in nurturing up-and-coming talent, starting with a residency format this year,” he added.
It brought together four local talents who feature on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Arabia playlist, a showcase of the best new music by independent artists and labels from the region: BrownMusic, known for merging Arabic and English lyrics with contemporary experimental electronic beats; hip-hop artist Grzzlee; Kali-B, a singer, songwriter and producer; and Seera, an all-female Arabic psychedelic rock band.
They were chosen by Spotify’s local editorial team as “standout talent” that had “already made an impression on our Fresh Finds Arabia playlist,” Harbola said.
Spotify seeks to showcase different musical genres through the program, he added, and so “we took special care to prioritize a diverse range of styles that highlight the new generation of creators” from Saudi Arabia. The selected artists “have proven they can connect with listeners and are ready to elevate their careers.”
The residency program provided them with support, mentorship and a host of resources aimed at accelerating their growth as artists and expanding their presence in the Saudi music industry, Spotify said.
The program’s curriculum focused on four topics: songwriting and music production; music marketing; music rights and industry knowledge; and touring and performing.
Experts such as lyricist, writer and creative director Menna El-Kiey, and musicians and producers Ntitled, El Waili, Soufiane Az and Ismail Nosrat, offered guidance to the participants on songwriting, beat-making, mixing and mastering.
Amin Kabbani, vice president of Arabic talent at entertainment company Live Nation Middle East, provided insights into planning and executing a successful tour, managing logistics and engaging with fans.
Sony Publishing MENA led the session on music rights and industry knowledge, during which the participants learned about intellectual property, and how to protect their work and navigate the business side of their art.
Spotify also worked with the artists to record new tracks at creative hub Merwas in Riyadh, and the results will be released by the end of the year. Nada Al-Tuwaijri, the CEO of Merwas, said the studio is “committed to nurturing talent and providing artists with the tools and environment they need to unlock their creative potential.”
She added: “The Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24 initiative aligns perfectly with our vision of supporting emerging talent in the Kingdom, the region and beyond.”
Harbola said that the Kingdom is “an incredibly exciting market” for Spotify and although he was “unable to share specific listenership rankings, the level of engagement in Saudi Arabia is truly remarkable.”
The company is seeing a “strong surge” in the popularity of pop music, especially Egyptian pop, and Khaleeji music, “which remains central to Saudi listeners,” he added.
The platform’s focus on the Kingdom has grown in recent months through initiatives such as “Tarab,” a campaign that celebrated Khaleeji music and spotlighted Saudi-based RADAR Arabia artist Sultan Al-Murshed in New York’s Times Square.
Harbola said that the burgeoning local music scene and audience engagement on Spotify is driving the company’s efforts to introduce initiatives such as Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24 and commit to them on a long-term basis
“While we don’t have set dates for future iterations (of the residency), our focus remains on curating unique experiences tailored to artists’ needs in different markets, whether through this initiative or other Spotify Music Programs across MENA,” he added.
Lebanese journalist Soukaina Mansour Kawtharani killed in Israeli strike on Joun
- Her death brings the toll of Lebanese media workers killed to 12
LONDON: Lebanese journalist Soukaina Mansour Kawtharani was killed alongside her two children and other family members in an Israeli airstrike on a three-story residential building in Joun, near Sidon in southern Lebanon.
Kawtharani, who worked as a correspondent for Radio Al-Nour, a station seen as close to Hezbollah, was reported dead on Wednesday by the radio station.
The airstrike targeted the building, which was housing displaced families, on Tuesday.
Joseph Qosseifi, president of the Lebanese Press Editors’ Association, condemned the attack, calling it a “crime” and urging international human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court, the General Federation of Arab Journalists and UNESCO to take action.
In a statement issued through the official National News Agency, he said: “The Israeli enemy makes no distinction between civilians and combatants in its bombardments, violates every law, charter and pact, and speaks only the language of fire and blood.”
The building, reportedly owned by the Ghosn family — relatives of Carlos Ghosn, the Brazil-born French Lebanese businessman and former automotive executive — was completely destroyed in the strike, which killed 15 people, including eight women and four children, and injured 12, according to the Health Ministry.
Kawtharani’s death brings the number of Lebanese journalists and media workers killed since the beginning of the Israeli-Hamas conflict to 12, according to the Lebanese Press Editors’ Association.
