Australia’s news outlets have seen their advertising models collapse, and regulators propose charging social media platforms when they carry news stories. “In its submission to the watchdog, Facebook said it rejected many of the ACCC’s potential ideas, and said there was a “healthy rivalry” between itself and news organisations.” – The Guardian
Tag: 06.15.20
European Cities Experience Life Without Tourists. And They Start Wondering…
“We want to make sure the [tourism] industry has a more positive impact on a broader group of locals, not just a few big companies, to improve environmentally friendly mobility and consumption and long-term economic investment. We want a sustainable visitor economy that doesn’t harm the liveability of our city.” – Huffington Post
Jon Stewart Has Been Awfully Quiet These Past Few Years. What Does He Think About All This?
“The police are a reflection of a society. They’re not a rogue alien organization that came down to torment the black community. … [They] are, in some respects, a border patrol, and they patrol the border between the two Americas. … The root of this problem is the society that we’ve created that contains this schism, and we don’t deal with it, because we’ve outsourced our accountability to the police.” – The New York Times Magazine
UNESCO Gets Started On Project To Restore War-Ravaged Mosul
“Restoration work funded by Germany has begun on the Al-Aghawat mosque, houses are being refurbished with the aid of the European Union, and the rehabilitation of the Dominican Al-Saa’a church is under way with funding from the United Arab Emirates. Brendan Cassar, the head of UNECSO’s culture unit in Iraq, says the projects grouped under its ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ initiative are ‘modest attempts’ to rehabilitate the devastated city, whose full reconstruction would cost hundreds of billions of dollars.” – The Art Newspaper
Now That Confederate Statues Are Coming Down, Why Do We Need Statues To Famous People Anyway?
It’s worth thinking anew about the value of living memorials, and why so little of our mad fetish for public memorialization has been devoted to them. Could we rethink not just the whom and what we seek to venerate, but also evolve beyond the need for traditional memorials and monuments altogether? – Washington Post
Inside The Meltdown Of The National Book Critics Circle Board
More than half of the NBCC’s board of directors have resigned since last Thursday, when now-ex-member Hope Wanuke posted on Twitter part of an email discussion among the board about an anti-racism statement Wanuke had drafted. Some of those who quit did so because of objectionable comments by board member Carlin Romano in the exchange Wanuke leaked; others quit because Wanuke had made public what were supposed to be frank, and therefore confidential, deliberations. Reporter John Maher recounts how it all went down(hill). – Publishers Weekly
Survey: Artists Are The Most Non-Essential Workers
Many on Twitter and Instagram voiced surprise at—but also saw the funny side of—the results of a 1,000-person survey published in the Singaporean newspaper the Straits Times. The publication listed the top five essential jobs, with doctors and nurses coming out top, and the top five non-essential jobs with artist pipping telemarketer to the top position. Cold calls are seemingly more essential than art, in the eyes of those surveyed. In the poll, 71% of people listed artist as a non-essential job, while 86% listed doctor or nurse as an essential job. – The Art Newspaper
In Postponing The Oscars, The Academy Blew A Golden Opportunity — To Not Change Any Dates At All
Bilge Ebiri thinks there have been enough Oscar-worthy films released already this year to fill out a nomination roster. “Most are the kinds of movies that would have had a hard time standing out in the high-stakes cacophony of a traditional Oscars race — not because they don’t rate, but because they don’t come from capital-A auteurs and/or aren’t backed by big studio spending sprees. The Academy’s decision seems, in some ways, like a slap in the face to those films, as if the Oscars were saying to them that even though they’re technically eligible, they should sit back and wait for the big boys to come out and grab their trophies.” – Vulture
National Gallery In DC Will Begin Partial Reopening This Weekend
“The National Gallery of Art will open its six-acre Sculpture Garden to visitors on Saturday, marking the first step of a multiphase comeback from the museum’s coronavirus closure. The second phase, with a date still undetermined, will include the opening of the ground floor of the West Building. The East Building will remain closed for several months to prepare for a major renovation.” – The Washington Post
Book Critics Circle Board Members Resign Over Statement
Laurie Hertzel, who had served as president since 2019, announced over the weekend she was leaving the 24-member board. Her departure came two days after another board member, Ugandan-American writer Hope Wabuke, posted redacted screenshots on Twitter of an email exchange that included correspondence from Hertzel and board member Carlin Romano. The NBCC had been crafting a response to the worldwide protests against police racism and violence. – Baltimore Sun (AP)