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When Slate went back to its 1996 homepage, it learned some web design lessons for 2026
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The Daily Digest: October 13, 2026 When Slate went back to its 1996 homepage, it learned some web design lessons for 2026 “I am a direct traffic girly and I know I’m not alone.” By Laura Hazard Owen. From bad to worse: 2026 is shaping up to be “a Super El Niño year for local news” What we’re reading The New York Times / Benjamin Mullin Hillary Clinton steps to the podcast mic (with Kara Swisher) as the midterms approach → “Ms. Swisher, Mrs. Clinton, and Vox Media will share advertising revenue from the episodes.” Gothamist / Liam Quigley New York Public Radio CEO steps down after eight months on the job → Christy Tanner started in February. A three-person “temporary Office of the CEO” will oversee the organization until a permanent replacement is found. Semafor / J.D. Capelouto and Max Tani Fox stays positive on data centers even as public backlash grows → “Fox’s opinion and morning shows, including My View with Lara Trump, Fox & Friends, and Life, Liberty & Levin, leaned on the promise of AI, economic investment and the race with China, skewing Fox’s coverage more favorably, [Semafor’s] analysis showed. The network’s news shows were more measured.” The Guardian / Michael Savage “Restore the authority”: the challenge for the BBC’s new director of news → “Those concerned that the corporation is at risk of losing its bearings point to a BBC website piece about penis fillers or recent social videos of reporters holding cheap mics, content creator-style. Meanwhile, they fear flagship shows such as the Today program or the 10:00 news, which continue to attract large audiences, have not been nourished or championed online.” ⁂ “The critical ingredient in successful antitrust cases is to demonstrate that there is unmistakably a commercial motive and that the commercial motive predominates. And I don’t think they would ever be able to do that here.” → —William E. Kovacic, a former chairman of the FTC, on the Justice Department's investigation into whether major TV networks violated antitrust laws when they suspended pool coverage of President Trump (The New York Times / David McCabe, Michael M. Grynbaum, Benjamin Mullin, Lauren Hirsch, and Glenn Thrush) ⁂ The Hollywood Reporter / Erik Hayden Getty Images to file for bankruptcy and go private → “After abandoning a $3.7 billion merger with rival Shutterstock in late June over a regulatory roadblock, Getty Images now plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and go private in partnership with Charles Koch’s investment firm.” ⁂ 52 The number of articles Cris Tolomia wrote for Quartz’s website on October 8. Almost all of the news on Quartz’s homepage is produced by Tolomia, who appears to be making heavy use of AI. (Press Gazette / Rob Waugh) Nieman Lab | View in browser | Unsubscribe You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for it at niemanlab.org. Nieman Journalism Lab · Harvard University · 1 Francis Ave. · Cambridge, MA 02138 · USA