Katie Robertson

The major online platforms are breaking up with news. Some executives of the largest tech companies, like Adam Mosseri at Instagram, have said in no uncertain terms that hosting news on their sites can often be more trouble than it is worth because it generates polarized debates. Others, like Elon Musk, the owner of X, have expressed disdain for the mainstream press. Publishers seem resigned to the idea that traffic from the big tech companies will not return to what it once was.

McClatchy, the publisher that operates The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and other newspapers, filed for bankruptcy protection, another sign of a collapsing local news industry. In a Chapter 11 filing in New York, the company, one of the largest news publishers in the US, said it planned to restructure its pension obligations and the more than $700 million in debt it has struggled with for years as it tried to strengthen its digital business.

Although T-Mobile and Sprint still have one last hurdle to clear (the California Public Utilities Commission, which is still reviewing the merger), the companies will try to close the deal as early as April 1, creating a supersize carrier (called, wait for it, T-Mobile) with more than 100 million customers. When (or if) the deal closes, T-Mobile customers will remain with the service. It is unclear what, if anything, will change for them. For Sprint customers, it’s a little more complicated. The majority will transfer to T-Mobile plans as the brand is absorbed.