The Sternberg Effect
joshsternberg
Why publisher content studios are set up to fail
Everything is in its own dominion Yesterday, the New York Times laid off 68 staffers, mostly on the advertising side, as the company, like all media companies, continues to navigate the devastating impact the coronavirus has had on the business. In a memo sent to New York Times employees, CEO Mark Thompson and COO Meredith … Continue reading
On racism in media
The time is near, the mission’s clear. In 2017, after the #MeToo dam burst open, the media industry was one of the first to face a reckoning with the bad behavior from men in power. Lists were made and whisper networks moved from text and email threads into the open. An air of accountability swept … Continue reading
Can asking companies to not spend on Facebook for a month work?
Won’t find moments in a box, but there’s momentum happening Over the weekend, Patagonia became the latest company to announce that it will be suspending its Facebook ad spend through the month of July. This followed decisions from The North Face and REI to also pull their spend. The #StopHateforProfit social activism campaign, a coalition … Continue reading
Trump, platforms, deepfakes and advertising: 2020 in a nutshell
You’re gonna be a (stable) genius anyway President Donald Trump’s refrain of “Fake News” has been a defining phrase of his administration. He levies it against the press, while at the same time creating his own. Yesterday, for example, Trump posted a manipulated video to his Twitter. Taking a year-old viral clip of a Black … Continue reading
When brands' policies don't match their messages of support
The time is near, the mission’s clear, and yet… Two weeks ago, we talked about how companies glom onto moments, often putting out messages of support only to not follow through in actions; last week, we talked about companies pursuing checkbook activism, often giving money to organizations and initiatives that line up with the moment. … Continue reading
Calls to fix platforms grow louder from Congress and civil rights groups
But will they have an impact? Chef Jose Andres, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize from former Congressman John Delaney for his work with his World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that serves food to people devastated by disaster, had his Twitter account suspended this morning. The reason? Violation of DMCA. Possibly? Platforms play … Continue reading
Newsrooms face an internal reputation crisis
We’ve built a foundation but where do we stand? In mid-March, right before New York City went into lock-down, media companies here had frequent discussions about how to handle the coming typhoon. Some listened to their employees, and began working from home immediately. Others, well, didn’t. And when we do eventually return to work, some … Continue reading
Magna reduces ad sales outlook
Another signal we’re in for a very bumpy road Looking into its annual crystal ball in December, Magna predicted a world where ad sales would jump 5.7 percent globally, and here in the U.S., we were going to see revenue growth of 6.6 percent. Today, six months later, we live in a vastly different world, … Continue reading
Tumult inside media companies shows a toxic industry
We all have a notion there’s something more to do It’s pretty remarkable looking at how the media landscape has shifted over the last three years. The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have emboldened staffers to start speaking up about how media companies are not immune to the implicit (and in some cases, explicit) … Continue reading
Is "brand safety" a crutch for advertisers?
Maybe so, maybe not Today’s going to be a short one. This morning, Ad Age has a story about how marketers are blocklisting Black Lives Matter keywords like “George Floyd,” “black people,” and “BLM” at Vice. Vice reviewed its catalog of news stories between June 2 and June 8 to see how much revenue each … Continue reading
The backlash to checkbook activism
Checkbook activism, where companies drop tons of cash into causes, is having a moment. As we discussed almost two weeks ago, when the brands come to protest, it’s often a hollow gesture. Over the last couple of days, we’re seeing a few threads from this tapestry unravel. The first can be seen from Judd Legum’s … Continue reading
CCPA set to be enforced on July 1
Hello, everybody! (Hi Dr. NickI) Quick housekeeping note: A few have reached out to me that they haven’t been getting these emails. I suggest checking your spam folder and marking this address as ‘not spam.’ Or if it’s in your Promotions tab, marking it as important. Then again, I guess if you’re seeing this, you’re … Continue reading
Truth matters isn't just a slogan. It's an operating principle.
The big news over the weekend: New York Times opinion editor James Bennet and Philadelphia Inquirer executive editor Stan Wischnowski both resigned after each outlet’s procedural errors led to bad decisions enraging both newsrooms and many readers. The Inquirer’s headline “Buildings Matter, Too,” and the NYT’s publishing Senator Tom Cotton’s op-ed were each systemic breakdowns, … Continue reading
When media companies misread the moment
What a year this week has been, right? Keeping this one short because it’s Friday and our brains are fried. At least mine is. But that could just be because my two-year-old discovered he can launch himself out of his crib, so the past two nights he’s slept on the floor in our room, which … Continue reading
Not everything is fit to print
Good morning. This little old newsletter was supposed to be a tiny slice of the internet where I could discuss the business of media, but as the last week or so has unfolded, it’s become less about the slinging of banner ads or the ways sales teams are trying to figure out how to sell … Continue reading
Unnecessary Journalism Phrases
- How about “lifeless body” when describing a dead person? Here’s a good (bad)...
- bobbymacReports: A growing number of stories with a growing number
- Alliterative Journalism Phrases
- Apologies on the lack of posts
- While not necessarily an unnecessary journalism phrase, friend...
- 50. Old Man Winter - 11/7/11
- Push The Envelope Submitted by unretrecissement and her...
- 49. A.M. in the Morning/P.M. in the Afternoon/Evening, at Night - 11/3/11
- 48. Emergency Situation - 11/2/11
- 47. Roll(ed)(ing) in his/her grave - 10/31/11
