Jay Penske at the London E-Prix of the 2024 FIA Formula E World Champsionship. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)
Jay Penske is quietly slimming down his Hollywood media empire. The billionaire scion’s Penske Media Corporation—owner of Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard, and the force behind events like the Golden Globes and SXSW—has begun selling off smaller titles from its portfolio.
On Monday evening, after Status first reported that PMC had sold TVLine to little-known Static Media, one of Penske’s own publications, Variety, belatedly confirmed the deal via a story of its own, which came only after we reached out to PMC’s front office for comment.
Tucked away inside Variety’s piece, however, was another revelation: PMC had also quietly…
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A funeral is held at Nasser Hospital in Gaza after five journalists were killed in an Israeli attack. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Agencies Demand Answers: The Associated Press and Reuters are demanding accountability from Israel following the double strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital that killed five journalists—including freelancers Mariam Dagga and Moaz Abu Taha, Reuters contractor Hussam al-Masri, and wounding photographer Hatem Khaled. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials, the top editors at the two agencies—Julie Pace and Alessandra Galloni—said they were “outraged” by the killings in a protected zone and called the IDF’s past internal investigations “rarely” transparent, raising concerns that live camera feeds may be deliberately targeted to suppress reporting. “We hope this probe will be quick, thorough and provide clear answers,” the wrote. “These deaths demand urgent and transparent accountability.”
► The Israeli military said its “initial inquiry” found that its troops were targeting a camera used by Hamas that it claimed had been used to monitor Israeli military activities. While the statement identified “several gaps” to be further examined, it did not explain why the IDF fired a second strike that killed journalists and medical workers who rushed to the scene.
A federal judge said Kari Lake was "verging on contempt of court" and ordered her to be deposed over the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle Voice of America. [NPR]
Cuts to public broadcasting have "hit rural areas” particularly hard, Megan Mineiro reported. [NYT]
👀 Activist investor Fivespan took a stake in The NYT, urging the Meredith Kopit Levien-led company to more aggressively embrace A.I., Crystal Tse reported. [Bloomberg]
It’s unclear how large the stake is and Fivespan didn’t respond to requests for comment. But it is worth noting that while The NYT has sued OpenAI, it is already leaning into A.I., most recently signing a deal with Amazon.
Some staffers at Vanity Fair "are fuming at the prospect of the first lady gracing its pages" under new editorial director Mark Guiducci, Jack Silvers reported. [Daily Beast]
Jeremy Barr profiled Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News' White House correspondent who "has shown a willingness to challenge Republican politicians and policies, sometimes drawing heat from internal and external critics for doing so." [WaPo]
Fox News' John Roberts said he "came down with a severe case of Malaria." Roberts posted on social media, "I can honestly say that I am the only person in the hospital with Malaria. In fact, one of my doctors said I’m the first case he has ever seen."
ABC News promoted Katie den Daas to senior vice president of global newsgathering. [The Wrap]
TIME promoted Alex Altman to executive editor. [TBN]
ProPublica hired Keri Blakinger and Raquel Rutledge as national reporters. [ProPublica]
FCC chair Brendan Carr. (Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
Carr-ying Fox's Water: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr isn’t just sparing Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation from the kind of sweeping—and absurd—investigations he’s launched into other broadcasters. He’s now…
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