Media Insider: Attacks on Journalists Increase, Google to Pay EU Publishers for News

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s roundup of media news stories from the week.

20% of TV News Directors Report Attacks on Journalists
TV Tech | George Winslow

The problem of violence against journalists continued at troubling levels in 2021, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey. The survey found that more than one in five TV news directors reported there had been an attack on their newsroom employees in 2021 and that the problem was even bigger in larger markets. While the overall level was lower than 2020, news directors in markets 101 and smaller reported increases in attacks compared to 2020. A year ago, almost half of the attacks were against crews covering what news directors described as riots, protests and civil unrest. This year, attacks were much more varied and seemingly random, according to survey respondents.

Sadly, three journalists were killed in Mexico this past week, bringing the total this year to 11.

Revenue for hundreds of local news orgs went up in 2021, according to new data
NiemanLab | Sarah Scire

The median annual revenue for members of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers went up by 33% between 2020 and 2021, according to newly released data. The financial data showed the median annual revenue rose from $94,000 in 2020 to $125,000 in 2021. A post on the LION website credits the success to increased philanthropic and member support, as well as the peer-to-peer help LION helps facilitate. Chris Krewson, executive director of LION, said he believes a healthier ad market in 2021 is also part of the success, but noted that was an educated guess because his organization didn’t ask specific questions about ad dollars. The types of advertisers featured on member sites suggested improvements in the ad market for local news organizations, he said.

In more local-news news: Gannett is closing four newspapers in northern Kentucky as part of its shift to digital and regional coverage of local news.

Google paying more than 300 EU publishers for news, more to come
Reuters | Foo Yun Chee

Google has signed deals to pay more than 300 publishers in Germany, France and four other EU countries for their news. The move follows the adoption of landmark EU copyright rules three years ago that require Google and other online platforms to pay musicians, performers, authors, news publishers and journalists for using their work. The company will also roll out a tool that offers publishers an extended news preview agreement that allows Google to show snippets and thumbnails for a licensing fee. The company did not say how much publishers were being paid. 

Google and other big tech companies may see tougher tech rules under a new digital watchdog in Britain aimed at giving consumers more choice online.

Impremedia, publisher of Spanish-language newspapers, has a new owner
The New York Times | Benjamin Mullin

Impremedia, which runs publications like El Diario in New York and La Opinion in Los Angeles, is being acquired by My Code, an advertising network in Santa Monica, Calif., aimed at marketers seeking Hispanic, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander consumers. The companies declined to provide a price for the deal, but a person familiar with the sale said My Code had paid more than $10 million. The deal marks another chapter in the turbulent history of Spanish-language newspapers in the U.S., many of which have shut down in recent decades as print revenue has faded and digital upstarts have capitalized on advertiser demand for Hispanic audiences.

ICYMI: A law prohibiting social media companies from banning users over their viewpoints was reinstated by an appeals court.

CBS CEO addresses low morale, wants staff to curb ‘routine’ work emails after hours
The Wrap | Harper Lambert

CBS CEO George Cheeks has addressed complaints about the network’s workplace culture after the New York Post reported that CBS News staffers are being overworked and under-resourced by new boss Neeraj Khemlani. In a written memo and video message sent to staff members, Cheeks talked about improving work-life boundaries at CBS. “We need to set a goal to avoid sending emails, texts or otherwise engaging on routine matters after hours or over the weekend,” said Cheeks. He went on to say that he was advising managers to schedule “no-meeting” days or blocks in response to employees reporting that they were often made to work outside of normal workday hours and on weekends, and were otherwise denied the opportunity to “unplug.” Cheeks’ message comes in the wake of an “annual well-being” survey sent to employees of Paramount Global, which includes CBS, Showtime, MTV and Comedy Central.

Over at BuzzFeed, two political editors have taken voluntary buyouts amid the site’s plans to downsize.

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Maria Perez is director of web operations at Cision. In her spare time, she enjoys gaming, watching too much TV, and chasing squirrels with her dog Molly.