Crypto site The Block has been FTX’s funded by Bankman-Fried
The Block, which covers crypto news, has been secretly funded for over a year with money funneled to The Block’s CEO from the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency trading firm, reports Sara Fischer of Axios. Fischer reports, “The payments, which employees of The Block were previously unaware of, could undermine the news company’s credibility and cast doubt […]
Semafor climate and energy editor Spindle departs, cites Chevron concerns
Semafor climate and energy editor Bill Spindle has left the news startup due to concerns about Chevron advertising around his content, reports Loree Seitz of The Wrap. Seitz reports, “‘I’m not saying they or Chevron improperly influenced the climate coverage. I could ‘call it as I saw it,” Spindle posted on Twitter. ‘What concerned me was my belief that […]
Judge rules Starbucks can get messages between union group and reporters
A federal judge has ordered the organization behind a unionization drive at Starbucks stores in western New York to turn over all of its messages with journalists, reports Paul Farhi of The Washington Post. Farhi writes, “The order would likely affect thousands of messages between organizers and a large swath of news organizations that have covered the […]
CNBC, Bloomberg run headlines of Twitter layoffs based on fake workers
CNBC and Bloomberg ran headlines Friday saying that laid-off Twitter employees were leaving the building carrying boxes based on photos of people carrying boxes that were not company workers, reports Alex Heath of The Verge. Heath writes, “In videos circulating on Twitter Friday morning, two men carrying boxes are seen standing near the entrance to Twitter’s San Francisco building, […]
The problem with misleading readers about climate change
Emily Atkin of Heated takes news site Semafor to task for having Chevron sponsor its energy newsletter. Atkin writes, “If I sound pissed today, it’s because I am. I am so tired of our nation’s most powerful and reputable media outlets refusing to engage with legitimate journalistic questions about the harmful impact of their fossil fuel […]
Crain’s Chicago ends political endorsements
Jim Kirk, the publisher and executive editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, writes about why the publication is ending political endorsements. Kirk writes, “We no longer see value, however, in drawing a conclusion on behalf of our readers about who best should lead the city and the state from City Hall, from the Governor’s Mansion or […]
The Wire retracts stories on Facebook parent Meta
The Wire has retracted stories that it wrote about Facebook parent Meta. A story on its website states, “We are still reviewing the entire matter, including the possibility that it was deliberately sought to misinform or deceive The Wire. “Lapses in editorial oversight are also being reviewed, as are editorial roles, so that failsafe protocols are […]
Ex-WSJ reporter alleges law firm used hackers to ruin his career
A former Wall Street Journal reporter is accusing a major U.S. law firm of having used mercenary hackers to oust him from his job and ruin his reputation. Reuters reporter Raphael Satter writes, “In a lawsuit filed late Friday, Jay Solomon, the Journal’s former chief foreign correspondent, said Philadelphia-based Dechert LLP worked with hackers from India to steal emails […]
The lack of ethics in Nikki Finke’s journalism
Matt Belloni, former editorial director at The Hollywood Reporter, writes for Puck about legendary entertainment industry reporter Nikki Finke, who died Sunday at the age of 68. Belloni writes, “I’m all for being super-aggressive on a story—but she’d try to destroy lives, to get agents and assistants fired if they wouldn’t do her bidding. She’d torment publicists […]
OSHA orders ExxonMobil reinstate two scientists fired for leaking to WSJ
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration ordered ExxonMobil Corp. to immediately reinstate two employees and pay them more than $800,000 in back wages, interest and compensatory damages. A federal whistleblower investigation found the company terminated them illegally after suspecting them of leaking information to The Wall Street Journal. In September 2020, the […]
