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Important Items

Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned

Most abortions are now banned in 14 states following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Georgia also bans abortion at about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html

In Oklahoma, a woman was told to wait until she’s ‘crashing’ for abortion care

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171851775/oklahoma-woman-abortion-ban-study-shows-confusion-at-hospitals

Gun Violence Is Actually Worse in Red States. It’s Not Even Close.

America’s regions are poles apart when it comes to gun deaths and the cultural and ideological forces that drive them. The region NYC comprises most of is far and away the safest part of the U.S. mainland when it comes to gun violence, while the regions Florida and Texas belong to have per capita firearm death rates (homicides and suicides) three to four times higher than New York’s. On a regional basis it’s the southern swath of the country — in cities and rural areas alike — where the rate of deadly gun violence is most acute, regions where Republicans have dominated state governments for decades.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/23/surprising-geography-of-gun-violence-00092413

Fox News Poll: Voters favor gun limits over arming citizens to reduce gun violence

https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-voters-favor-gun-limits-arming-citizens-reduce-gun-violence

Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property

For nearly two years beginning in 2015, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sought a buyer for a 40-acre tract of property he co-owned in rural Granby, Colo. Nine days after he was confirmed by the Senate for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, the then-circuit court judge got one: The chief executive of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation’s biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/25/neil-gorsuch-colorado-property-sale-00093579

In Bipartisan Bill, Senators Urge Supreme Court to Adopt Ethics Code

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/us/politics/senate-bill-supreme-court-ethics.html

Texas Republican Pushing for Private Security in Schools Raises Questions

MT @SawyerHackett The Texas House just passed a bill to put armed officers at every school in the state—but state representative Tony Tinderholt inserted an amendment to allow contracts with private security, instead of police. Turns out Tinderholt is senior partner at a private security company.

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-republican-private-security-schools-1796738

The conservative campaign to rewrite child labor laws

RT @hannahdreier Why are half a dozen Republican-controlled states suddenly rolling back child labor laws? The legislation all goes back to the same source: A billionaire-backed Florida lobbying group.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/23/child-labor-lobbying-fga/

Texas Department of Agriculture imposes anti-trans “biological gender” dress code

HT @ErinInTheMorn While “Western apparel” is acceptable attire for women, “no excessive cleavage” can be shown and “skirts should be within four inches of the knees.” Grooming standards include “no unnatural neon or fluorescent hair colors,” and “no nose, lip, or other facial piercings.” Violators will be sent home to change; repeat offenders could face further sanction and termination.

https://www.salon.com/2023/04/27/texas-department-of-agriculture-imposes-anti-trans-biological-gender-dress-code_partner/

‘Arcturus’ COVID variant shows threat of new wave of death, warns WHO

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arcturus-covid-variant-warns-who-102626400.html

Brits urged to wear face masks again as new Arcturus Covid strain spreads across UK

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brits-urged-wear-face-masks-29836374

WHO Chief Says 1 in 10 Covid-19 Infections Resulted in Long Covid

“Tedros added that an estimated one in ten infections resulted in Long Covid, suggesting that hundreds of millions of people would need longer-term care.”

https://www.africanews.com/2023/04/26/who-chief-says-covid-19-deaths-down-but-warns-virus-is-still-on-the-move/

Studies Showing COVID Heart Damage — Even in Mild Cases

https://twitter.com/laurieallee/status/1516444050982727684

Chest CTs Reveal Abnormalities 2 Years After Severe COVID

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/103128

Maternal COVID-19 infection affects the fetal immune and nervous systems

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2052297523000549

Innovation

There’s an AI For That

People sharing #AI uses.

https://theresanaiforthat.com/

Auto-GPT May Be The Strong AI Tool That Surpasses ChatGPT

Auto-GPT is able to carry out more complex, multi-step procedures than existing LLM-powered applications by creating its own prompts and feeding them back to itself, creating a loop.#AI

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/04/24/auto-gpt-may-be-the-strong-ai-tool-that-surpasses-chatgpt/?sh=57c349a27640

AutoGPT Use Cases and Examples

Including product research, podcast research, market research, coding, and more. #AI

https://twitter.com/NathanLands/status/1646101184384573446

Adobe Brings AI Text-Based Editing to Video

You can now edit video based on automatic text transcription, and new AI-based automatic tone matching from different cameras including HDR content.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/adobe-brings-ai-text-based-editing-to-video

Technology

There is No A.I.

Jaron Lanier: There Is No A.I. There are ways of controlling the new technology—but first we have to stop mythologizing it. #AI

https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/there-is-no-ai

New ways to manage your data in ChatGPT

ICYMI You can now set OpenAI’s ChatGPT to not retain or train on your conversations #AI #dataprivacy

https://openai.com/blog/new-ways-to-manage-your-data-in-chatgpt

How will Language Modelers like ChatGPT Affect Occupations and Industries?

HT @Catherine_Price A recent paper looked at jobs at highest risk of being replaced/performed by AI. Teachers at top of list raises big questions about how we’re educating our children—and what we’re educating them *for* #AI

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4375268

Inside the secret list of websites that make AI like ChatGPT sound smart

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2023/ai-chatbot-learning/

Inside Barry Diller’s Plan to Stop ChatGPT From Destroying the News Business

Diller, chairman of IAC, says artificial intelligence could be an existential threat to publishers. He’s rallying the industry to fight back. #AI

https://www.barrons.com/articles/barry-diller-iac-chatgpt-ai-4d1c5e67

News/Media Alliance AI Principles

MT @aimeetwoee @newsalliance #AI Principles on IP: 1. Compensation agreements must account for harms GAI systems may cause… . 2. Copyright laws must protect, not harm, content creators. 3. There is an existing market for licensing publishers’ news content.

https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/ai-principles/

AI Drake just set an impossible legal trap for Google

YouTube pulled the AI track with a statement that it was removed due to a copyright notice from UMG. But, to issue a copyright takedown to YouTube, you need to have… a copyright on something. Since “Heart on my Sleeve” is an original song, UMG doesn’t own it — it’s not a copy of any song in the label’s catalog.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/19/23689879/ai-drake-song-google-youtube-fair-use

Publishers using generative AI to support SEO efforts

Embracing the technology, publishers are seeking their own AI-driven solutions to boost search performance

https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/publishers-using-generative-ai-to-support-seo-efforts/

2023 Digital media trends: Immersed and connected

Younger generations are weaving TV, gaming, and UGC into a tapestry of entertainment, community, and meaning.

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/insights/industry/technology/media-industry-trends-2023.html

Google soft launches new subscription tools for digital publishers

Google has quietly launched new tools enabling web publishers to monetize their web audiences via subscriptions and contributions.

https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/google-soft-launches-new-subscription-tools-for-publishers/

Twitter Backed A Bunch Of Underrepresented VCs. Under Elon Musk, It’s Trying To Dump Them.

MT @alexrkonrad Twitter committed about $20M to back Black, Latinx and women VC fund managers after the murder of George Floyd. Under Elon Musk, it’s now trying to quietly sell those stakes — while not wiring the leftover millions it promised.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2023/04/24/twitter-backed-a-bunch-of-underrepresented-vcs-under-elon-musk-its-trying-to-dump-them/

New York City Subway Ends Twitter Service Alerts After Musk Raises Price

New York City’s mass-transit system is ending its real-time service alerts on Twitter after Elon Musk’s company asked the MTA to pay $50,000 a month

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-27/new-york-mta-ends-twitter-service-alerts-after-musk-raises-price

Publishing & Media

Diversity Baseline Survey

MT @beth_phelan 📢 hey agents! @LEEandLOW is conducting another Diversity Baseline Survey to determine if there have been any changes to our data since DBS 2019! email dbs@leeandlow.com to confirm your participation. survey will be sent June 1.

https://twitter.com/beth_phelan/status/1650905574131875852

Calculator: When do I earn out?

A simple calculator for trad pub authors by @K_Hana_Lee, designed to calculate how many copies you must sell to earn out your advance. “Earning out” means that the amount you’ve “earned” in royalties from copies sold (across all formats) equals or exceeds your advance payment.

https://when-do-i-earn-out.web.app

The Benefits Of Crediting Illustrators For Their Work

MT @inkyelbows To those announcing launches for illustrated books, awards, cover reveals: please remember to CREDIT THE ILLUSTRATORS. Resources & more info for writers, publishers, educators, book lovers. Illus: @jabberworks

#PicturesMeanBusiness

http://www.picturesmeanbusiness.com

Why we need prizes for women and non-binary authors

In 2012, in the U.S. and Canada, female authors won a third of the literary prizes and received a third of the coverage for their books in magazines and newspapers. And although they publish roughly the same number of books as men, women earned 45 per cent less. Today only 17 women out of 119 winners have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Since 1918, female authors have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 31 out of 94 times and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 13 out of 41 times.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/article-why-we-need-prizes-for-women-and-non-binary-authors/

Margins Bookselling Month – Find a Bookstore

#MarginsBookstores is a celebration of bookstores owned and managed by and for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, and Neurodiverse communities.

https://findmarginsbookstores.thewordfordiversity.org

Starting Salaries at Big Publishers Grow

#teamPRH

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/92099-starting-salaries-at-big-publishers-grow.html

Barnes & Noble’s expansion plans

https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2023/04/25/exp-barnes–noble-james-daunt-intv-fst-042509aseg1-cnni-business.cnn

12 Books You Should Be Reading Right Now

https://www.nytimes.com/article/best-books.html

Neil Gaiman has an album coming out!

https://lithub.com/neil-gaiman-has-an-album-coming-out/

Time will be removing their digital paywall

MT @sarafischer 🚨After more than a decade of experimenting w various paywalls and digital subs, @TIME is officially getting rid of its digital paywall

https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/time-removes-digital-paywall

Florida school district bans dozens of books based on proposed bill

HT @LWShanley Schools in Clay County, Florida, are withholding dozens of books from students, citing legislation that has been proposed but not approved by the state legislature or signed into law.

A Far-Right Moms Group Is Terrorizing Schools in the Name of Protecting Kids

Moms for Liberty has targeted teachers, administrators, parents, and school board members, orchestrating harassment campaigns that have left people fearing for their safety—and in some cases, their lives.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy3gnq/what-is-moms-for-liberty

CBS’ book-banning segment irresponsibly whitewashed extremist “parental rights” group Moms for Liberty

This isn’t a “both sides” issue — this is an extreme group backed by powerful right-wing politicians, media figures, and think tanks waging a cruel crusade against public education.

https://www.mediamatters.org/moms-liberty/cbs-book-banning-segment-irresponsibly-whitewashed-extremist-parental-rights-group

The Next Generation: United Daughters of the Confederacy: Book Censorship News

https://bookriot.com/next-generation-united-daughters-of-the-confederacy/

Ten Ways You Can Help Your Local Public Library

HT @drashleyfarmer

https://www.librariesforthepeople.org/action

Brooklyn Public Library’s (BPL) Viral Books Unbanned Initiative Celebrates New Milestone During National Library Week; Teens In All 50 States Checked Out 100,000 Books from BPL’s Digital Collection Over Last Year

https://www.infodocket.com/2023/04/28/brooklyn-public-librarys-bpl-viral-books-unbanned-initiative-celebrates-new-milestone-during-national-library-week-teens-in-all-50-states-checked-out-100000-books-from-brooklyn-public-library/

Seattle Public Library: Books Unbanned

MT @SPLBuzz We’re proud to join @BKLYNlibrary in the fight against censorship & book banning. Our entire collection of e-books & audiobooks is now available to teens & young adults anywhere in the U.S. Read what you like, discover yourself & form your own opinions.

https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/teens/books-unbanned

Censorship Resources for Teachers, Librarians, and Communities

MT @PenguinClass The fight for the #RightToRead doesn’t end with #NationalLibraryWeek. Get active and stay active! Here are tips and resources for you to help combat #BannedBooks in your community. #FReadom #teamPRH

https://sites.prh.com/penguinbookchallengeresources

NYC Libraries Stave Off Weekend Closings in Adams’s New Budget Plan

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/nyregion/library-cuts-nyc.html

Resources & Opportunities

New Member Social with WMG Co-President Jennifer Perry

Did you join @WMG_NYC in 2023? Don’t miss this virtual, free, members-only New Member Social w Co-President Jennifer Perry 5/10 at 5:30pm ET!

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-5255548

An Indie Bookshop That Splits Their Profits w Queer Authors

A great resource for upcoming #PrideMonth – and beyond! ShopQueer is an independent bookshop that splits their profits with queer authors, doubling their income from the sale of a book. And they’re crowdfunding for a Rainbow Book Bus.

https://shopqueer.co

Free Children’s Books in the Bronx 5/6

RT @bronxisreading Happy #IndieBookstoreDay! 📚 It’s ☔️ boo, due to weather we’re rescheduling our FREE book drop at Fordham Plaza. Join us next Saturday, May 6th at Fordham Plaza to pick up your #freebook 😄 See you there!

https://twitter.com/bronxisreading/status/1652370623320948736

First Annual Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl

MT @PhillyBookCrawl NEWS IS OUT! In celebration of #IndieBookstoreDay, we are proud to announce PHILLY’S FIRST EVER BOOKSTORE CRAWL on Sat, August 26th! 📚✨ Over 20 indie bookstores participating in giveaways, special events (and guests) and more! Check out details ⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://www.phillybookstorecrawl.com/updates/welcome-to-the-philadelphia-bookstore-crawl

Criminal Minded: Countering Legal Attacks on the Free Press

MT @pressfreedom Join us for #WorldPressFreedomDay: Criminal Minded: Countering Legal Attacks on the Free Press — a panel on countering #lawfare as a weapon of repression against journalists worldwide Wednesday, May 3, 10 a.m. EDT New York City. Organized by CPJ.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaa0GSBgsUlvSjjPiScQJMuSLKgFhdsANi4xZGYP9do_qY3w/viewform?usp=send_form

Free Online Course on Solutions Journalism

https://journalismcourses.org/news/learn-how-to-elevate-your-reporting-with-solutions-journalism-sign-up-for-new-free-online-course/

HBCU/Black Press Cohort Application

MT @soljourno The HBCU/Black Press Academy & Fellowship is designed for members of the Black press who want to report on solutions in their community, and HBCU journalism faculty members interested in teaching SoJo or incorporating it into student newsrooms. Deadline: 5/1 at 5pm ET.

https://www.tfaforms.com/5053695

Black Women’s Wellness Retreat 2023

MT @nycaier The application and nomination form for the Black Women’s Wellness Retreat is officially open! This retreat is designed for Black women in #ArtsEducation and is FREE for up to 40 participants. The retreat will take place September 22-24.

https://nycaieroundtable.org/events/black-womens-wellness-retreat-2023/

Feminist Press is seeking a full-time Sales & Marketing Coordinator

MT @MargotAtwell Book people: @FeministPress is hiring a NYC-based Sales & Marketing Coordinator. Please check out the listing and apply or share. #bookjobs #publishingjobs #indiepress

https://www.feministpress.org/jobs

BXBF Volunteer Coordinator

MT @bronxisreading Don’t forget to apply for our Volunteer Coordinator position using the link below to work with TBIR at the 6th Annual Bronx Book Festival! 😄📚

https://airtable.com/shrddq2L7CnNLDkrM

Submissions Open for 4th Annual Mom Film Fest

MT @NYWIFT Submissions for the 4th annual @MOMFilmFest are now open! MOM Film Fest is a grassroots, volunteer-led nonprofit advocating for moms working in film & TV. Their festival amplifies content made by moms in order to help get #momsbackonset and back to work.

https://www.momfilmfest.org

WNDB’s Internship Grant Program Deadline Extended

MT @diversebooks · Apr 24 🚨The WNDB Internship Grant Application deadline’s been extended! 📌You: Diverse + looking to work in children’s OR adult publishing 📌Program: $3,000 grants, 12 for children’s-focused internships & 12 for adult internships 📌New Deadline: 5/7

https://diversebooks.org/internship-grants-application-process/

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