“Layoffs imperil Sports Illustrated as owner, publisher battle over money” 📰 (Updated)
From Washington Post reporter Ben Strauss: “Much of the staff of Sports Illustrated, and possibly all remaining writers and editors, received layoff notices Friday, which essentially could spell the end of a publication that for decades was the gold standard of sports journalism.” Hear more from Ben on a new NPR interview here.
Writers Guild also makes statement on X about “mass layoffs.”
Double Header Features Two Michiganders!
⚾ On Wed July 12, 2023, City Administrator Dohoney sent an email stating: ”I am setting up an offsite meeting at a location that will be identified shortly. SI (Sports Illustrated) is moving around the country identifying cities where they can develop 4/5 star sports themed hotels. In some cities they are including convention meeting space. They are curious about what is possible in Ann Arbor. They prefer a downtown site or if that can’t work, and site near the Big House. SI has contracted with Cobblestone Development, a firm out of Texas. I have a professional and personal relationship with the CEO of Cobblestone. It is through discussions with him that this meeting came about.” ⚾
What is BotGate?!
😳 Well... Sports Illustrated recently found itself in a “bot” of trouble when it was “revealed that the magazine was using AI-generated authors and content for their articles,” by Maggie Harrison at Futurism.
Why? “To pump out AI-generated buying guides that are monetized by affiliate links to products that provide a financial kickback when readers click them.” 🤖 📖