Nieman Lab daily news digest

The Daily Digest: September 30, 2026 How publishers are rethinking audience engagement: Five takeaways from the Future of Media Technology Conference “It would be a mistake to try to replicate the creator economy.” By Gretel Kahn. Federal appeals court upholds Thomson Reuters’ landmark AI copyright win What we’re reading “I’m really fucking busy being the real Chris Hansen. It’s a seven-day-a-week job.” → —Chris Hansen, former host of To Catch a Predator, about the new film Primetime (Columbia Journalism Review / Susie Banikarim) ⁂ The Lens / Drew Hawkins, Delaney Nolan and Vivi Smilgius John Georges believes Meta AI deals will “save journalism” — and Louisiana’s largest newspaper → “‘My goal is to convince them that Louisiana’s paper of record is worthy of the same kind of lucrative contract,’ [Georges] said. He’s been chasing that goal for more than a year, watching other major news outlets sign licensing contracts with tech companies while he and his newspaper waited their turn. Georges wants Meta to treat him like a “big boy” and offer him one of those deals.” The Verge / Emma Roth Google reportedly tests paying publishers for AI search results → “Google has launched a pilot program that pays publishers for their contributions to its AI-powered search features, according to a report from The Information…One publisher that joined the program when it first started earned over $1 million in a year, while another that joined a few months ago has earned around $50,000 to $60,000.” The Cut / Andrea González-Ramírez How student journalists broke the “Cornell Seven” case → “Senior editor Cereese Qusba spent months reporting on the case before breaking the news of the lawsuit on September 18. ‘What happened to me was horrific and deeply disturbing,’ the plaintiff, who is only identified in court records as Jane Doe, told the Sun exclusively. ‘Almost two years later, I still carry the weight of its impact every day and night.'” ⁂ “We’re afraid of dying and of putting our families’ safety at risk.” → —Marcos Wesley Pedroso, co-founder of independent news site Tapajós de Fato, on its decision not to cover Brazil's elections following threats to staff (The Guardian / Tiago Rogero) ⁂ Bloomberg / Inci Ozbek X blocks nearly 500 accounts in Turkey after fund market crisis → “X made nearly 500 accounts from journalists, economists, academics and other public figures inaccessible in Turkey in the past week…While X didn’t specify why it had blocked the accounts, social media in Turkey has been flooded with posts on the fund crisis, including those criticizing the government’s handling.” The New York Times / Katie Robertson Condé Nast C.E.O. leaves to run Mattel → “Condé Nast’s chief executive, Roger Lynch, is stepping down after more than seven years leading the publisher, home to Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ, he announced Wednesday. Mr. Lynch said in a memo to employees he would become the chairman and chief executive of the toy company Mattel. He will remain on Condé’s board.” The Wall Street Journal / Alexandra Bruell Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch steps down → Mike Perlis, the former CEO of Forbes and Ziff-Davis Publishing, as well as Condé Nast’s lead independent board member, will become Condé Nast’s interim CEO. Lynch will become the CEO of Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars. Nieman Lab | View in browser | Unsubscribe You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for for it at niemanlab.org. Nieman Journalism Lab · Harvard University · 1 Francis Ave. · Cambridge, MA 02138 · USA