BuzzFeed drops 'all the news too lit for print' slogan after New York Times lawyers step in
Apparently, BuzzFeed needs to cool it down.
The New York Times' lawyers reached out last week to BuzzFeed with legal concerns over the choice of slogan for the digital media company's new Twitter Live show AM to DM. In response, BuzzFeed removed it Wednesday.
For those who may not have picked up a print version of The New York Times in awhile, its slogan is "All the News That's Fit to Print" and appears on the masthead. The paper's motto was created by its former owner Adolph S. Ochs and adopted in Oct. 25, 1896.
BuzzFeed pitched its show, which runs weekday mornings, as "All the news too lit for print." That slogan was previously a part of the show's graphics. As of Wednesday, not anymore.
“We can confirm that The Times did reach out about AM to DM’s slogan. We’re glad they are following along with our new show, like the rest of our robust audience over the last few weeks," Matt Mittenthal, a spokesman for BuzzFeed News, wrote in an email.
The New York Times declined to comment.
At launch, BuzzFeed's slogan had received mixed reactions:
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Twitter marketing approved, at least.
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BuzzFeed's production and editorial teams had noted the similarities in a post prior to the launch last month.
"We’re extending to the show a slogan coined by our old friend Steve Kandell: 'All the news too lit for print' (with apologies to the Gray Lady)," BuzzFeed's head of U.S. news Shani Hilton wrote. Kandell is a former editor at BuzzFeed.
Well, that apology wasn't good enough for the Gray Lady.
BuzzFeed's lawyers apparently advised removing the language. As of Wednesday, AM to DM's slogan is no longer "too lit for print."
Topics Social Media X/Twitter
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
