Media Insider: TikTok Sues Trump Administration, Vanity Fair Features Breonna Taylor, GQ Opens Shop

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round-up of media stories from the week.

THE NEW YORK TIMES | MIKE ISAAC AND ANA SWANSON
TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Trump Ban

TikTok has filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of depriving it of due process when President Trump used his emergency economic powers to issue executive orders against the company. President Trump believes the app poses a national security threat because of its Chinese ties and filed two executive orders against it. The first order will block the app from operating in the country and the second requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from its American assets and any data that it had gathered in the U.S. TikTok explained the grounds for its lawsuit in a blog post, saying the administration “failed to follow due process and act in good faith, neither providing evidence that TikTok was an actual threat nor justification for its punitive actions.” The company continued by saying many of its top personnel — including its chief executive, general counsel, and global chief security officer — are based in the U.S. and are not subject to Chinese law. Legal experts believe the courts will be reluctant to challenge the president on national security grounds.

More news on TikTok: TikTok CEO Resigns and Walmart teams up with Microsoft to bid on TikTok’s U.S., Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand operations.

LOS ANGELES TIMES | CHRISTI CARRAS
Breonna Taylor appears on cover of Vanity Fair issue edited by Ta-Nehisi Coates

An illustration of Breonna Taylor will be featured on the cover of the September issue of Vanity Fair. Celebrated author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates will guest edit the issue and share the captivating story of Taylor’s life as told by her mother, Tamika Palmer. The September issue, titled “The Great Fire,” also will include an interview with the cover artist Amy Sherald and additional art by photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier. Coates will join Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Radhika Jones on Instagram for a live conversation about the issue.

Related: Kerry James Marshall paints a masterful image of history and hope on the cover of Vogue.

VULTURE
Vulture to Double Podcast Coverage

Vulture announced it will increase coverage of podcasts due to high demand from its listeners and readers. Vulture will now have a dedicated podcast section on its website where users can find frequently updated podcast news and reviews. The expansion also includes the launch of 1.5x Speed, a weekly recommendations newsletter from Vulture’s podcast critic Nick Quah. Vulture’s upcoming coverage includes an interview with Karina Longworth, creator of You Must Remember This, a podcast on the forgotten history of Hollywood’s first century, and coverage of the 100th episode of Vulture’s own podcast, Good One, featuring John Mulaney.

iHeartMedia partners with Newt Gingrich and Dan Patrick for new podcast networks.

MEDIAPOST | SARA GUAGLIONE
Conde Nast Expands ‘GQ’ Brand With GQ Shop

GQ is advancing to the next step in the brand’s e-commerce ecosystem with the launch of its first e-commerce shop, The GQ Shop. GQ editors and art directors worked together to design the collection. The line will include long- and short-sleeved shirts with the recognizable GQ logo; items from an exclusive collaboration with streetwear brand Online Ceramics; a hat and subscription bundle; and the GQ Best Stuff Box. A limited-edition long sleeve shirt hand-dyed by editor-in-chief Will Welch also is available for purchase. All proceeds from the limited-edition shirt will be donated to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The GQ Shop is size-inclusive with items ranging from small to 3XL and prices ranging from $40-$100. The product line is expected to expand with new items in the fall.

Facebook joins the e-commerce trend with the debut of Facebook Shop.

BUSINESS INSIDER | ROB PRICE
Apple’s new iPhone operating system is making it harder for Facebook to track people, and Facebook says it will decimate part of its business

Facebook spoke out against Apple’s plan for the upcoming iOS 14 update. The software update will require developers to show Apple users a warning that they are tracking and collecting data and users need to voluntarily opt-in for it to be shared. Facebook predicts a 50% cut in revenue if companies lose the ability to deliver targeted advertising due to the loss of personalized data. In a blog post this week, Facebook shared its concerns for its business and the businesses that rely on the social network: “We understand that iOS 14 will hurt many of our developers and publishers at an already difficult time for businesses. We work with more than 19,000 developers and publishers from around the globe and in 2019 we paid out billions of dollars. Many of these are small businesses that depend on ads to support their livelihood.”

CVS Pharmacy launched a new ad platform CVS Media Exchange.

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Erin Wade is a Senior Customer Content Specialist with PR Newswire. She is also an animal lover and aspiring world traveler. Tune into her insights as a social curator at @TotalCSR.