Good Morning
The Kennedy Center laid off more staff Friday, with much of its programming department terminated or redirected toward venue rentals (Washington Post). Meanwhile the AP is offering buyouts as it formally pivots away from newspapers — which now account for just 10% of its revenue (NiemanLab).
The gatekeeping infrastructure keeps thinning. David Bell chronicles the slow death of the book review and what it takes with it (Liberties Journal), while the New York Review of Books asks why writers still bother with political satire when the political targets don’t read (NYRB). And into the vacuum: AI influencers now good enough to fool their audiences (The Atlantic).
A stolen Van Gogh, returned in an Ikea bag with a blood-stained pillow, has been restored to its former glory (Smithsonian). Art finds a way.
All of our stories below.
