jason hirschhorn's @MediaREDEF: 09/06/2018 - David Remnick, Reid Hoffman On Theranos, Bezos Unbound, Local News, High-Roller Suite, Slater's Surf Pool...

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
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Hannah Gadsby's Netflix special, "Nanette," tackles abuse in a unique comedic fashion that's become a sensation. She's funny and unafraid.
(Netflix)
Thursday - September 06, 2018 Thu - 09/06/18
rantnrave:// Journalists and writers are curious. They do curious for a living. We look to them to be our proxies. To investigate. To ask questions. To tell stories. I do curious for a living, but I'm not smart or talented enough to be a great journalist. I'm a professional appreciator and occasionally I like to s*** on airlines that ruined my day. Not the same thing. Not the same skill. DAVID REMNICK is the editor of THE NEW YORKER. Unlike me, he is that smart. He is that good a writer. He is an excellent journalist. I've had dinner with him a few times over the past 10 years or so at my friend STRAUSS ZELNICK's house. He probably wouldn't remember. But I remember how good he was during fireside chats with influentials. It was a treat. And I learned something. Always. I'm new to politics. And while it's been interesting. I'd rather swallow thumbtacks during this administration. But if you have to read about it, THE NEW YORKER and Remnick's work on this President alone is "journalistic excellence" as one friend of mine put it. But this week, many fans of both were disappointed that he booked an interview with STEVE BANNON at the prestigious THE NEW YORKER FESTIVAL. Missed it? Explainer here. Bannon said he "would be facing one of the most fearless journalists of his generation." And if you have to interview a lying, hating, angry, steamrolling subject like Bannon, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone as good as Remnick to do it. But that wasn't the point to many. Why? Because Bannon is a known quantity. We can't learn much more. His hate is well documented. His stance on loyalty over duty is too. His "let AMERICA burn and rebuild it" philosophy is on the books. His racism disguised as national pride is on lock. And when people didn't want to listen to his crap anymore. He tried to infect EUROPE and their elections. Because Bannon doesn't really care if you interview him or not. If you do, he'll try to bully you. Talk over you. Sort of like TRUMP. He's a steamroller. The only difference is Trump is a moron. Steve Bannon is not. So he assumes he'll win and get his point across. Remnick reacted to pressure from the public, from festival attendees, and guests on the roster. They weren't going if Bannon was in. So David pulled him. Some think that plays into Bannon's hand. Yes, it does. That was preordained. But that wasn't the mistake. It was the initial booking. I can see how it happened. The guy does curious for a living. And he was going to do the proper kind of adversarial interview. But again, nothing to be gained for anyone other than Bannon. Why give him a mic after all he's said and done? The journalistic sense kicked in. But the overall impact and meaning were lost. And in the eyes of some smart people, he messed up big time. I was disappointed too. It happens. He's human. I'm sure that Remnick doesn't feel great about what went down in retrospect. But ultimately, he did the right thing by not allowing a pulpit for evil. That's my take. When you think of the importance of journalism now more than ever. When you think that mere humans fill a role we depend on that is almost superhuman. There are few people on the planet as good or better than DAVID REMNICK. This is a blip. Nothing more. And for those of us that want to learn new things and understand the truth. We'll still be reading him and THE NEW YORKER... I'll be joining THE WRAP's SHARON WAXMAN at this year's GRILL CONFERENCE at the SLS HOTEL in LOS ANGELES on OCTOBER 1st and 2nd, talking about the big shifts in media and entertainment. Maybe you've noticed a few? It's always a pretty stellar lineup of thought leaders and the top business strategists, a place to schmooze it up - and you get punished by having to hear directly from me. Some of this year's guests include producer WILL PACKER, AMC NETWORKS CEO JOSH SAPAN, FTI valuation guru ROY SALTER, DOLBY Chief Scientist POPPY CRUM (great f***ing name), SNAP Head of Content SEAN MILLS and CEO of MOVIEPASS-owner HELIOS & MATHESON, TED FARNSWORTH. Because no one should ever pay full price to see me do anything, Sharon has offered REDEF subscribers a serious discount. Thank her, not me. Go to: thegrill.thewrap.com. Discount code: REDEF -- 30% off of standard ticket price of $1,795. Offer ends SEPTEMBER 7th at 12 am... Special Happy Birthday shoutout to one of my closest pals, MIKE MARQUEZ. He's 63 today.
- Jason Hirschhorn, curator
we need the middle
LinkedIn
Theranos: Blitzscaling, Blitzfailing, or Blitzfrauding?
by ​Reid Hoffman
Blitzscaling -- pursuing rapid growth by prioritizing speed over efficiency in the face of uncertainty -- is the primary way to turn startups into world-changing companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Blitzscaling is risky because it involves committing massive resources while the outcome is far from certain.
Narrow Path
The Narrow Path for Local News
by Austin Smith
Local news organizations must seek economies of scale and attract audience support in order to thrive in a post-attention internet economy.
Forbes
Bezos Unbound: Exclusive Interview With The Amazon Founder On What He Plans To Conquer Next
by Randall Lane
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, has built the most innovative and feared juggernaut of the 21st century-and every industry is now fair game.
The Atlantic
The Plan to Save India From Disinformation
by Timothy McLaughlin
The spread of hoaxes and doctored photos during the massive floods in Kerala showed, yet again, how easily disinformation can spread on messaging platforms like WhatsApp-and how deadly it can be.
Bloomberg
Ten Things I Never Knew About Las Vegas Until I Ran A High-Roller Suite
by Brandon Presser
A stint managing premier client relations at the Cosmopolitan revealed secrets that probably should stay in Vegas. Oh well.
Engadget
Who controls your data?
by Chris Ip
Three months into the GDPR, has the world's most comprehensive privacy law changed anything?
The Verge
How autocratic governments use Facebook against their own citizens
by Casey Newton
New reports about Libya and the Philippines highlight a different kind of influence campaign.
Medium
A glimpse into the dark underbelly of cryptocurrency markets
by Nic Carter
In this post I'll investigate the key drivers of the unrelenting cryptocurrency/cryptoasset markets, and explain why they aren't likely to go away soon. In particular, I will focus on the incentives which cause rankings sites to uncritically include junk exchange volume in their data.
Wired
Kelly Slater's Artificial Surf Pool Is Really Making Waves at the World Surf League Competition
by Lauren Goode
The world's premier surfer has joined forces with wave science geeks to create an artificial wave in the middle of the California desert. Will it revolutionize the sport or destroy the soul of surfing? Yes.
The Information
Inside the World of Eddy Cue, Apple's Services Chief
by Aaron Tilley
It is easy for Apple employees to tell when they have lost the attention of Eddy Cue, the leader of the company's sprawling internet initiatives-from its music and video businesses to its maps service.
now more than ever, the middle
The Daily Beast
They Were Indie Rockers With a Bad Reputation. Then Their Alleged Victims Spoke Out.
by Libby Torres
The Orwells were known for raucous, sometimes vulgar live performances. But an avalanche of shocking sexual-abuse allegations have now led to the demise of indie's brattiest band.
Music Business Worldwide
Vine and Musical.ly transformed the music industry -- then they disappeared. Will history repeat itself?
by Cherie Hu
What does the death of innovative (and beneficial) digital music platforms mean for the future of the business?
Aeon Magazine
The big squeeze
by Ola Olsson
Sicily's mafia sprang from the growing global market for lemons -- a tale with sour parallels for consumers today.
Columbia Journalism Review
The mystery of Tucker Carlson
by Lyz Lenz
Tucker Carlson is shouting when he tells me he isn't shouting. The barrage of his voice has been relentless throughout the interview. "I don't want to be John McLaughlin yelling at people. Why would I want to do that? I don't need to do that," he insists.
SB Nation
How a nation fell in love, and then out of love, with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa
by Grant Brisbee
Nobody cared that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were using, right up until they did.
The Outline
The keto diet is a recipe for disaster
by Yvette d'Entremont
The latest low-carb diet trend is merely a rehash of fad diets past.
Hypebeast
How TV Became the New Radio for Emerging Artists
by Emmanuel Maduakolam
Why musicians are going where the audience are now.
The Ringer
Judging by the Cover: How the Magazine Industry's Identity Crisis Is Playing Out on Its Front Page
by Alyssa Bereznak
Print may be dying, but the magazine cover still plays an essential role in defining--and sustaining--a media brand. Can the cover outlive the magazine?
New York Post
The Twitter trolls attacking my work are all wrong
by Salena Zito
"Dad, it's not true," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady through tears. My 81-year-old father had just seen a Huffington Post headline - " Take Salena Zito Neither Seriously Nor Literally On Trump Voters " - with a picture of me next to it.
The Guardian
'Everybody fits in': inside the Canadian cities where minorities are the majority
by Sadiya Ansari
In 'majority-minority' cities such as Markham and Brampton, diversity isn't aspirational; it's a fact. But how does integration work?
The New York Times
Steve Perry Walked Away From Journey. A Promise Finally Ended His Silence.
by Alex Pappademas
He was the singer in the enormously popular band until he burned out. Finding and losing the love of his life led him back to music after two decades.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Temperamental"
Everything But The Girl
"REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'"
@JasonHirschhorn


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