Oshry Sisters’ Show Cancelled After Anti-Muslim Remarks
Verizon Oath canceled Claudia and Jackie Oshry’s social media talk show The Morning Breath after their anti-muslim and racist tweets surfaced.
Their troubles erupted from a Daily Beast story revealing their mother is Pamela Geller, who is reportedly a right-wing activist also known for hate speech.
Posts were then found on the sisters Twitter accounts (which are now gone) including one from Claudia in 2014 that said: “I can’t but feel like I’m funding terrorism when I take a cab.”
In 2012, Jackie tweeted a New York Times story about President Obama’s potential visit to Israel with the comment, “No thanks! There are enough unwanted Muslims there already,” reported Variety.
Of course, the Oshry sisters apologized. They said their comments don’t reflect who they really are. They also said they don’t align with their mother’s ideologies, says People.
Question: If their tweets that attract negative publicity don’t reflect who they are, do their tweets that show decency reflect who they are?
I’m just asking how this works.
Gothamist, DCist and LAist To Reopen
Local news sites Gothamist, DCist and LAist have been resurrected by three public radio stations with funds primarily from two anonymous donors, CNN Money reported.
Gothamist will be run by WNYC in New York and DCist by the capitol’s WAMU. Both plan to relaunch in the spring.
KPCC in Southern California is hoping to successfully integrate LAist into its portfolio of services, according to Wired. But it’s not clear when it will relaunch.
If you missed it, Joe Ricketts, founder of online stock brokerage TD Ameritrade, shut down the sites in November, a week after the New York staff voted to unionize.
Facebook Spending $3 Million On Local News
The Facebook Journalism Project launched a $3 million, three-month Local News Subscriptions Accelerator to help metropolitan news organizations get more digital subscribers.
Publications that are participating include the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and Seattle Times, reported Adweek.
Little Things Shuts Down
LittleThings, a lifestyle website that published inspirational and how-to content for women, has shut down. The company blames Facebook’s algorithm change, says TechCrunch.
After Facebook started prioritizing posts from family and friends over content from publishers, Little Things’ web traffic fell 75%, said the company’s CEO.
That scared parties who were in talks to buy the company and put the website in a dire position with its debt.
Barnes & Noble Unveils “TurnAround” Plans
Last week I told you about Barnes & Noble’s massive job cuts.
This week, B&N’s CEO announced the company’s current stores are too big. Part of the turnaround plan includes opening five prototype stores that are about 12,000 sq. ft. smaller than the typical chain stores.
The small-format stores will focus on books and will have an assortment of nonbook items, but they will scale back on movies and DVDs. They’ll also have a cafe. The first prototype is scheduled to open in Hackensack, NJ this summer, reported Publisher’s Weekly.
Another part of the plan is allowing customers to buy a book online and pick it up at a local store within an hour.
So basically, B&N’s plan involves saving money on leases and labor. As far as the book ordering thing…I’m not quite sure why it’s a big deal to complete the transaction online if you have to go to the store anyway. But maybe I’m missing something. Does any of this make you more likely to shop at Barnes & Noble?
Newsweek Fires 2 More Editors
Newsweek fired Gersh Kuntzman. He’s the editor who grilled the magazine’s owners at a town hall meeting about the district attorney’s raid of Newsweek’s offices. The magazine also dropped national editor John Seeley.
Newsweek is currently battling allegations of ad fraud, IRS tax liens and publicity over shady dealings involving its ties to Olivet University, a California-based Bible college (You can catch up here).
Since the Manhattan DA’s raid on Jan. 18, at least five people have been fired and another 12 resigned. One insider said the bloodbath is not over, reported the New York Post.
Photographer Wins $89,000 in Lawsuit
Canadian Bride Emily Liao claims she was disappointed with her pre-wedding photos. So, she spent almost a year unleashing online attacks against freelance photographer Kitty Chan and her business Amara Wedding.
According to court documents Liao made her feelings known on English and Chinese social media platforms. And, she used terms such as “bait and switch scam”, “dirty tactics”, and “lying to consumers,” says BBC.
The crazy thing was Chan provided other services for Liao but still offered to refund a portion of Liao’s money and walk away from the outstanding balance.
Liao refused and sued. Chan counter-sued for the balance of the contract.
Liao’s case was thrown out. Chan gets $89,000. Unfortunately, due to the damage, she closed her shop in January 2017.
“Africa’s Mona Lisa” Tutu Fetches Record Price
Tutu, a portrait of the Nigerian Ife royal Princess Adetutu Ademiluyi, sold for about $1.68 million in a London auction. That’s four times what auctioneers were expecting.
The painting, composed by renowned Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu, was missing for over 20 years. It was found in an apartment last year in London, reported Quartz.
Continue reading Part 2 of the Weekly Wrap…
Originally published at knowgoodwords.com on March 2, 2018.
