A Black Man Was Elected Mayor in Rural Alabama, but the White Town Leaders Won’t Let Him Serve

How many American cities operate like this, either explicitly or in spirit? The answer is not going to be a small number.  #Democracy [Link]

Bryan Goldberg: Why audience for online news is declining

I don't think the web is dying, but it's certainly not novel anymore - and you can't depend on its breadth alone to gain an audience. This is yet another call for "niche" publications - i.e., outlets that know who they&

Apple slams UK surveillance-bill proposals

Stories like this make me wonder if we'll ever get to a point where governments stop trying to backdoor encryption. Freedom from surveillance is a necessary prerequisite for free speech; observation always creates a chilling effect. These efforts aren't about fighting crime. This is about power.

Texas resigns from ERIC, a national program that keeps voter rolls updated

For a group of people that talks a lot about voter fraud, the Republican Party do seem to enjoy setting up the conditions to commit it.  #Democracy [Link]

Roald Dahl Museum Calls Author’s Racism ‘Undeniable and Indelible’

This is something we're going to contend with as our son gets a little older. Roald Dahl is an influential children's author (who lived where I grew up) who was also, unmistakably, a bigot with a deeply cruel streak. Some of these books are strikingly not

Dear Alt-Twitter Designers: It’s about the network!

You can have the best tech in the world, or the loftiest ideals, but social media is about people and communities more than anything else. If you don’t have that, and can’t nurture disparate, diverse spaces that grow organically over time, you don’t have a social media

Media Startups Draw Less Backing, But AI Is A Bright Spot

I don’t know that it’s fair to count AI startups as media startups. Given the (justified) labor disputes going on right now, I’d offer that they’re closer to anti-media, and I’m not sure that I’d think of them as a bright spot. There’s

Meta provides Facebook messages in Nebraska abortion case prosecution

Or: why real privacy legislation would also protect women seeking reproductive healthcare. These laws aren't just a principle; they save lives.  #Technology [Link]

UPS pilots won’t fly if Teamsters strike

Really interesting to see people from across industries and disciplines fight for better conditions at the same time. I'd say it's promising; even hopeful. I would like to see them all succeed, and for more to follow.  #Labor [Link]

Vox Media stops using Chorus, proprietary CMS, for its own websites

Honestly, every media company should get out of the CMS business and just use WordPress or another open source alternative. This is not your core value or competitive advantage. Build tools that support your journalism (and then open source those, too).  #Media [Link]

Local TV stations form new coalition to urge streaming reform

There's the potential here to upend niche sports coverage on live streaming services, which in part work through local broadcasting. And the legal ramifications of designating live TV streaming services as TV providers would be interesting. #Media [Link]

Media Is at a Unique Inflection Point

The subtext here is simple: to survive, media companies must know their audiences well (not just in aggregate) and serve their unmet needs directly. This has been true for a long time, but economics have sharpened the point.  #Media [Link]