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Situational awareness: People and businesses are taking to social media to support #BlackoutTuesday, a moment of solidarity where users post black photos, primarily to Instagram, in support of the Black Lives Matters movement. The effort was originally organized by workers in the music industry.
Coverage of George Floyd's death and the ensuing protests this weekend completely dwarfed coverage of the coronavirus, even as the death toll from the pandemic ticked beyond 100,000 in the U.S., Axios' Neal Rothschild, Bryan Walsh and I write.
Why it matters: For months, Americans struggled to understand the severity of the pandemic, as hospitals needed to stay closed to outside visitors, let alone journalists with cameras. Now, the opposite is unfolding, with stark images and videos going viral around the protests sweeping the country.
By the numbers: Across the board, coverage of the protests and demand for that content is skyrocketing, overtaking news about the pandemic.
The big picture: The media has the ability to shape the outcomes of both crises, depending on the way that it covers them.
Be smart: Ideally, the media should have no problem paying attention to both issues, but pressure to keep viewers glued to their screens will make it difficult to avoid the unique visual opportunity that the protests present.
One constant across both issues is that the press itself was intimately hit.
A journalist bleeding after police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker says it's currently investigating over 100 violations of press freedoms in the past 3 days, which is astonishing given the fact that it normally documents 100-150 press freedom violations in the U.S. per year.
Driving the news: Dozens of journalists across the country tweeted videos Saturday night of themselves and their crews getting arrested, being shot at by police with rubber bullets, targeted with tear gas by authorities or assaulted by protesters.
By the numbers: (Based off a list compiled by Nick Waters)
Be smart: Many of these incidents, because they target the press, were captured live on camera. The footage could help to verify unnecessary police action against journalists.
Why it matters: The incidents show how easy it can be for journalists to become entangled in the stories they cover, especially during a time of civil unrest.
What's next: The Committee to Protect Journalists says it's investigating over 100 reports of violence against journalists from past several days.
Go deeper: We've got a full breakdown here of what went down.
Twitter, Google, Nike and Netflix are among the dozens of brands over the past two days that have taken public stances in favor of Americans protesting racial inequality.
Why it matters: Data shows that brands have less to lose when speaking out on issues such as civil rights and gay rights than they would when speaking out against other hot-button issues, like abortion or guns.
Be smart: Brands that don't speak up face a grim reality, not just from their consumers, but also their employees.
The bottom line: Overall, according to new data from Morning Consult, brands that do not make an official statement are viewed less favorably than brands that do.
Five of the most popular police scanner apps are experiencing a combined record number of downloads, as thousands of protestors look to take to the streets across American cities, according to new data from Apptopia.
Details: The apps allow users to listen to live audio from fire and police scanners, weather radios, air traffic and marine radios, etc. in real-time around the world.
Grist
Grist, a twenty-year-old non-profit online magazine that focuses on climate and environmental coverage, has taking full ownership of all the assets of what's left of Pacific Standard, an award-winning magazine that closed in 2019.
Why it matters: Pacific Standard shut down in 2019 after its main backer, an academic publishing house, withdrew its funding, showcasing the risk that comes with quality journalism being funded without a reliable business model.
It's also a timely investment.
Details: "There is no cash component as a part of the deal fro Grist," says Walkinshaw. "We're not purchasing it. We agreed to take it on to keep 12 years of work in the pubic domain."
The big picture: Grist's takeover of Pacific Standard is a good example of how media companies of any size can help to support the great work of other outlets.
The Washington Post has signed all 30 of McClatchy's local news outlets to its Zeus Performance product, a software that gives sites better speed and ad view-ability and performance, executives tell Axios.
Why it matters: By adding more local news outlets, The Post can start to build a local news ecosystem within its tech stack.
Details: The partnership, in which McClatchy pays The Post a fee to license its software, will deliver a better ad experience to McClatchy sites.
The big picture: Many bigger media and tech giants see ample opportunity in local news and advertising.
Shamrock Capital, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, announced this morning that it's acquired Adweek, the advertising trade publication, from Beringer Capital. Deal terms weren't disclosed.
Why it matters: It's the second private equity firm to own Adweek in less than five years. The sale speaks to the uncertain value of trade magazine companies.
The big picture: There's been lots of talk amongst media bosses about which outlets, given the current economic climate, can be easily gobbled up for cheap.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
The conservative TV business is a hot commodity during the Trump era.
Why it matters: Network owners see it as an opportunity to get close to President Trump and to drive ratings. Fox News has consistently led the three major cable networks in ratings for well over a decade.
Driving the news: Bill O’Reilly's show, "No Spin News," which currently airs on his website and across YouTube, will be broadcast twice daily on The First, a conservative digital television network that runs on several platforms, including ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV.