I think if the government wants to weigh in and impose sanctions on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for having a leader that kills American journalists, I'm down with that. Until then, I think for-profit companies need to be thoughtful about how they compete. There's something to the notion that Western media has been the greatest 24 by 7 running commercial to espouse American values. So I do think there is a strategic interest in having American media and influence in these regions. They can't even put a flag on the enemy's planes that Tom Cruise is fighting against because they don't want to offend the Chinese.
Kara and Scott are back to discuss the demise of a journalism antitrust bill, as well as a potential deal between Vice and a Saudi media giant. Also, Twitter says payments to a whistleblower shouldn't affect its deal with Elon Musk. Then, Friend of Pivot Mark Bergen chats about his new book, “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination.” Plus, Scott was on Bill Maher!
You can read the statement we mentioned from Little People of America here.
Mark Bergen is on Twitter at @mhbergen.
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