What Power Does a Subscriber Have?

Seemingly as I was writing my last post, Jeff Bezos was poasting himself - it did not go well. Matt Pearce - who I should be clear, I think is one of the smartest and most committed people out there fighting for journalism - yesterday had advocated for subscribers not to cancel their subscriptions to the Post or to his former home, the…

http://jacob.kramer-duffield.com/2024/10/29/what-power-does-a-subscriber-have/

The Washington Post and the Oakland A’s are in the Same Business

On October 25, 2024, word began to spread across social media - the Washington Post was not going to make an endorsement in the 2024 Presidential election. The publisher, Will Lewis, wrote a milquetoast defense, saying “We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates” - notwithstanding that the Post had endorsed a candidate in every race save one, since 1976.

http://jacob.kramer-duffield.com/2024/10/28/the-washington-post-and-the-oakland-as-are-in-the-same-business/

Podcast Paywalls Don’t* Work

According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times is planning on putting podcasts behind a paywall: The publisher is exploring making only the three most recent episodes of “The Daily” available to nonsubscribers, and making new episodes of its “Serial” show exclusive to subscribers for an initial period. The plans are still evolving and might change...

http://jacob.kramer-duffield.com/2024/06/26/podcast-paywalls-dont-work/