Media Insider: BuzzFeed Pulls Out of RNC Deal, Podcasts Test Charging for Content, Colleagues Remember NPR Photojournalist

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the week.

Photo by Mr.TinDC used under CC BY-ND 2.0.

BuzzFeed Pulls Out of $1.3M Advertising Deal with RNC Over Donald Trump (Politico)

BuzzFeed pulled out of an advertising agreement with the Republican National Committee over objections to Donald Trump’s rhetoric, Politico reports. A source close to BuzzFeed told Politico that the main consideration was the site’s employees – that BuzzFeed could not countenance “having employees make ads, or working at the company and having our site promoting things, that limit our freedom and make it harder for them to live their lives.”

Will People Pay for Podcasts? (Digiday)

The Football Ramble is one of five U.K. podcasts that recently has started charging for content. Thus far, podcasts remain a mostly ad-supported medium, Digiday reports. Now, Swedish podcast platform Acast is now letting creators on its platform sell ad-free content directly to listeners with Acast+, Digiday says.

Colleagues Remember NPR Photojournalist Killed in Afghanistan (FishbowlDC)

NPR colleagues recently remembered photojournalist David Gilkey and his passion for his work. Gilkey recently was killed in Afghanistan, along with interpreter and journalist Zabihullah Tamanna, and their driver, a soldier with the Afghan National Army. They were killed when their armored Humvee came under fire in an attack by the Taliban. Gilkey was the second American journalist and first American civilian journalist killed in Afghanistan since 1992, FishbowlDC reports.

Twitter Introduces Comment Moderation Tools in Periscope Broadcasts (PR Newswire)

Twitter has introduced a new tool to combat spam and abuse in Periscope broadcasts. Designed to be transparent, live, and community-led, the new reporting tool gives people watching a live broadcast the ability to report comments they find inappropriate as they appear on the screen.

The Weather Channel Bets on Streaming Local News (Digiday)

The Weather Channel is betting that as the TV industry loosens the bundle, it can be the go-to source for distributors seeking cheap local news content, Digiday reports. The company launched Local Now, an ad-free streaming local news channel, earlier this year. Local Now currently is available on Sling TV as part of the web-TV service’s core $20 monthly bundle, which also offers channels like ESPN, AMC and CNN, Digiday says.

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Christine Cube is a senior audience relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. Follow @cpcube or check out her latest on Beyond Bylines on PR Newswire for Journalists.