Raid of Small Kansas Newspaper Raises Free Press Concerns
The searches of the Marion County Record in Kansas, conducted on Friday, appeared to be linked to an investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to the local newspaper — and whether the restaurant owner’s privacy was violated in the process. The editor of the newspaper said the raids may have had more to do with tensions between the paper and officials in Marion, a town of about 2,000 north of Wichita, over prior coverage.
The co-owner of local newspaper the Marion County Record has died after being ‘traumatized’ by the police home raid that was green-lighted to seize information on a story that hadn’t even been published.
Joan Meyer, 98, collapsed and died following the intense stress and grief she felt when her home was raided by the entirety of the Marion Police Department in Kansas.
The elderly woman, who co-owned the newspaper with her son Eric, was subjected to the raid by five officers and two sheriff’s deputies on Friday – which caused her to be ‘stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by hours of shock and grief.’ [NY Times; Daily Mail]
Lyft to Expand Its Ad Business as New CEO Eyes a Turnaround
Lyft users check the app an average of nearly nine times per ride, creating many opportunities for them to notice the new ads, according to Lyft Chief Business Officer Zach Greenberger. That fact, combined with the pool of first-party data Lyft collects from its users, will help attract advertisers, he said.
The data points initially available to target ads include users’ payment methods, ride histories and so-called lifestyle segments, Greenberger said. All data will be anonymized and aggregated, he said.
Users will have the option to opt out of data sharing, but not the ads themselves, he added.
Beyond the app, Lyft will begin replacing static ad displays at its bike-share stations with digital screens and increase its drivers’ in-car tablets and car-top digital displays, both of which also carry ads, Greenberger said. [The Wall Street Journal]
Mark Zuckerberg says it’s ‘time to move on’ from the Elon Musk fight
While X owner Elon Musk has told followers he’s been lifting weights in preparation for fighting Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO is tired of the back and forth. Musk has teased the public about a grand spectacle, perhaps in the Roman Coliseum. But the Tesla CEO hasn’t locked down a date for the bout. On Sunday, he shared private messages with Zuckerberg, offering a practice fight in the Facebook founder’s backyard octagon.
