I was on Vox’s Today, Explained podcast to talk about why our feeds are just clips now — what we’re calling “the clippening” of content online. You’ve probably seen these videos of podcasts, musicians, TV shows, livestreams and more. Underneath it all is an economy of clipping companies pumping out mountains of paid content.
Some evidence collected by police in the killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO can’t be shown to a jury, a judge ruled on Monday — including a cellphone, a passport, a loaded magazine for a handgun, and a computer chip found during a search of Mangione at a McDonald’s.
But the ruling is a mixed bag: the judge overseeing the New York state case against Mangione also ruled that other items discovered — including a notebook and a gun — can be used as evidence.
Just kidding! But some news organizations are offering prediction market affiliate codes — and publishing thousands of stories pushing gambling deals. Popular Information reports that news orgs owned by Advance Local (including The Oregonian and The Cleveland Plain Dealer) are on track to run more than 14,000 pieces of “gambling slop” this year promoting deals for sportsbooks, casinos, and prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi.
[Popular Information]
Calbee, the Japanese snack company, is temporarily switching its packaging on some items to grayscale, citing “supply instability affecting certain raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.” CNN reports that it wasn’t clear what component was at risk — but it’s just the latest industry to feel the pinch as a result of the US and Israel attacking Iran in February.
Starting today, US users will be able to book hotels, tours, and ticketed experiences directly in the app. Travel content is a major category on the platform, so it makes sense for TikTok to want a hand in the actual booking process, not just discovery. Content creators will also be able to earn commissions from reservations made through their content.
The data mining company with extensive defense contracts is making merch to signal which side you’re on.
Earlier this week I wrote about the social media “clippers” that get paid to semi-covertly promote podcasts, TV shows, and other media through anonymous accounts. One of the clipping campaigns was for Perplexity AI — but nobody can tell me who, exactly, is responsible for the clips:
Reached via email, Perplexity distanced itself from clipping company Vyro, with spokesperson Jesse Dwyer saying Perplexity “has no knowledge” of the company and “takes any unauthorized use of the Perplexity name or logo very seriously.” When asked to confirm Perplexity had not run or authorized clipping campaigns, Dwyer initially stopped responding to The Verge. After publication, Dwyer told The Verge it was “not accurate” to say Perplexity launched the clipping campaign.
So who did?
