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@maxtani.bsky.social

media reporter @semafor

56.4K followers515 following449 posts

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@maxtani.bsky.social

Bari Weiss was set to speak at the Seminar — an off-the-record gathering of senior PR and communications professionals — but has dropped out, I'm told.

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New: Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner and Politico's CEO, incoming EIC met with staff today to discuss a recent letter from employees saying Döpfner's “repeated use of POLITICO to promote his political agenda” risked “taking on the appearance of editorial slant.” www.semafor.com/article/04/2...

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Infantino also told me that FIFA plans on giving out the FIFA Peace Prize again next year and that "a lot" of people want it... www.semafor.com/article/04/1...

semafor.comGlobal fans should be able to visit US for World Cup, FIFA president saysThe head of soccer’s governing body said at Semafor World Economy that he remains optimistic about the World Cup amid geopolitical tensions and Trump administration policies.
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Before my interview with FIFA President Gianni Infantino last week, I caught an interesting interaction backstage between him and Sen. Alex Padilla, who talked to the FIFA president about ICE and the FIFA Peace Prize...

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@maxtani.bsky.social

Before my interview with FIFA President Gianni Infantino last week, I caught an interesting interaction backstage between him and Sen. Alex Padilla, who talked to the FIFA president about ICE and the FIFA Peace Prize...

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@maxtani.bsky.social

New: CNN decided against airing a potential segment interviewing Mark Ruffalo over his advocacy against the Paramount/WBD merger. A producer privately said there were “legal considerations around what we can and cannot cover or say while the merger is ongoing.” www.semafor.com/article/04/1...

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Paramount is pulling its ads from @theankler.com, I'm told. The decision seems to stem from columnist Richard Rushfield's opposition to the Paramount/WBD merger. Rushfield was one of the signatories of yesterday's letter from 1k Hollywood players opposing the deal...

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More: Rushfield was seen at Cinemacon over the past few days with "Block the merger" pins. This seems to have pushed Paramount over the edge, tho there's some dispute over whether he was distributing pins or simply holding them...

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New: Democratic senators sent a letter to the Pentagon and Stars & Stripes yesterday, questioning the new, more restrictive rules imposed on the paper. They also questioned whether the Defense Department had killed any stories since the new rules were implemented... www.semafor.com/article/04/0...

Stars and Stripes@starsandstripes.bsky.social

Pete Hegseth doesn’t want you to see cartoons in this newspaper anymore. And loyal readers of Stars and Stripes are hopping mad. You don’t mess with Sunday color comics. Read the words of our ombudsman: www.stripes.com/opinion/2026... #Flashes

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In an email to Fortune's editor shared with me, WSJ EIC Emma Tucker praised Fortune's use of AI in its journalism, saying "anyone who doesn't get what you are doing at Fortune, or thinks it is 'wrong', should get out of journalism fast!"

The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com

Journalist Nick Lichtenberg produced more stories in six months than any of his colleagues at Fortune delivered in a year. His work involves what some view as the third rail of journalism: AI playing a leading role in writing stories. 🔗 on.wsj.com/3PyDukm

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New: I wrote about the battle between Gov. Wes Moore and the Baltimore Sun. The paper has been investigating Moore's record/past for misstatements/exaggerations. But in an unusual move, the owner of the Sun appears to be directly involved in the reporting process... www.semafor.com/article/04/0...

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In a note to staff this morning shared with me, Business Insider said it is giving out a new quarterly AI Award for best use of AI at the company. Winner gets $400…

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NPR CEO Katherine Maher: "The court made clear that the government cannot use funding as a lever to influence or penalize the press, whether as a national news service or a local newsroom."

The Associated Press@apnews.com

BREAKING: A judge blocks a Trump administration order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS.

bit.lyJudge blocks Trump order to end funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting ServiceA federal judge has agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.U.S.
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From last night's @semafor.com media newsletter: At a meeting last week with WaPo staff, Jeff Bezos was asked about the Post's AI-generated podcasts. He suggested that if no one is listening to them, maybe the Post should stop producing them.

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New: When the Washington Post ran tests on its AI personalized podcasts, the paper found that between 68% and 84% (!!) of the pods had potential issues. Still, the paper decided to release the product anyway, saying it would “iterate through the remaining issues” www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

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Talked to Gavin Newsom briefly yesterday about the California AG probe of the Paramount/WBD deal. Newsom, who noted that he's known David Ellison for years, argued that he was concerned about the likelihood that Paramount would lay off thousands of Hollywood workers.

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As we first reported in last night's @semafor.com media newsletter, NOTUS is rebranding/dramatically expanding. In a memo to staff this morning, the organization said it plans to "launch this new version of NOTUS under a new name" and double staff from 50 to 100.

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New: Internal tension at the Associated Press over use of AI. One of the AP newsroom leaders leading the company's AI initiatives told staff that many editors preferred an AI-written article to a human one, and told them when it comes to using AI in the newsroom "resistance is futile."

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CNN CEO Mark Thompson told employees in a brief meeting this afternoon that he doesn't have many details to share yet about the network's future under Paramount. He told staff to keep up the good work in the meantime, and he would schedule a staff town hall in the near future...

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First in @semafor.com: Jasmine Crockett's campaign is taking a more hostile stance on the national media. It ejected an Atlantic reporter from an event today in Texas and told the Capitol Police that a CNN reporter was trespassing after he attempted to visit a campaign office...

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First in @semafor.com: Jasmine Crockett's campaign is taking a more hostile stance on the national media. It ejected an Atlantic reporter from an event today in Texas and told the Capitol Police that a CNN reporter was trespassing after he attempted to visit a campaign office...

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FWIW: A spokesperson for Crockett's campaign is completely denying that Godfrey was asked to leave the event. The Atlantic is obviously working on its own broader story about the Texas campaign, which will be interesting...

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In a meeting today, Politico's leadership said the news organization has not seen federal government subscriptions return in a "meaningful way" after DOGE pressure forced many agencies to cancel their Politico Pro subscriptions (about 20% never left, the company said).

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New:Paramount's legal team privately warned a well-known former Survivor contestant about wading into politics after she criticized the company for caving to the administration and got into an online fight with another current contestant on the show who supports Trump www.semafor.com/article/02/2...