Snapchat Prepares a Dedicated News Channel Ahead of 2020 Debates

Snapchat is rolling out a dedicated news channel ahead of the 2020 debates, according to a report from Axios.

The channel is set to launch Thursday as the top-polling Democrats meet in Houston, Texas, for the third debate of the primary season, per Axios. As of this week, they all have a presence on the video- and photo-sharing application and are using its features to promote their campaigns.

Also Read: How the Washington Post Became a Must-Follow on Teen App TikTok

Snapchat has gotten into the business of the news before. In 2015, it announced its new Discover channel that allowed high-profile media companies like CNN to program their own channels. Snapchat’s own news program, “Good Luck America,” is hosted by former CNN-er Peter Hamby.

In September 2018, Snapchat gave 20-plus well-known media partners — such as CNN and NowThis — the ability to curate Our Stories covering areas of editorial expertise using public posts. This move allows them to aggregate public posts into the mix while monetizing the content, the company announced.

Also Read: Snap Raises $1 Billion in Debt for General Costs and Potential Acquisitions

According to Axios, the curated Democratic Primary Debate Channel will be will live on the “Discover” page, and will be live on Sept. 12 during the debate, as well as the following morning. All of this, the report says, is happening as Snapchat readies for a bigger push into news.

A representative for Snapchat did not immediately return a request for comment.

Dani Mathers' Snapchat Scandal and 7 Other Playboy Playmate Controversies (Photos)

Dani Mathers -- the 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year who's currently under criminal investigation after photographing a nude woman at her gym and posting it on Snapchat -- is the latest Playmate to make shocking headlines, but she's hardly the first.

Read on for TheWrap's history of Playmate controversies.
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After serving as Playboy's 1968 Playmate of the Year using the name Angela Dorian, Victoria Vetri went on to appear in movies such as "Rosemary's Baby" and "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth." Later, she would go on to receive a nine-year sentence for attempted voluntary manslaughter for shooting and wounding her husband during an argument.
Tanya Beyer was Playboy's Miss February 1992. She took a much less glamorous picture for her mug shot years later, after being arrested for trafficking in oxycodone.
The entire public life of Anna Nicole Smith (Playboy's 1993 Playmate of the Year) seemed to be one long controversy, from the battle over her billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall's fortune to her death in 2007 at age 39.
Sibling models Kristina and Karissa Shannon shared Playmate honors in Playboy's combined 2009 "summer issue." However, the two Playmates almost became inmates when they were charged with felony aggravated assault stemming from a fight at a house party. Luckily for them they received probation.
Perhaps not so much a controversy as a tragedy, Playboy's 1980 Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten was murdered that same year, at age 20, by her estranged manager/husband Paul Snider. Her story inspired two movies, "Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story" and "Star 80."
Playboy's 50th anniversary Playmate Colleen Shannon loved her boyfriend so much that she smuggled him into the U.S. from Canada. She was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty.
After scoring Playmate of the Month honors in December 2009, Crystal Hefner (nee Harris) became engaged to Playboy boss Hugh Hefner in 2010. Apparently those wedding bells began to hit some bum notes, and she broke off the engagement in 2011, just days before they were to be wed. The abrupt about-face prompted Playboy to slap stickers reading "Runaway Bride" on the July issue of Playboy, which featured her on the cover. The good news? The pair reunited and married for real in 2012.
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From human smuggling to attempted manslaughter, a history of misdeeds committed by women who’ve appeared in Hugh Hefner’s skin mag

Dani Mathers -- the 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year who's currently under criminal investigation after photographing a nude woman at her gym and posting it on Snapchat -- is the latest Playmate to make shocking headlines, but she's hardly the first.

Read on for TheWrap's history of Playmate controversies.

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