Mediagazer: Sony again warns news media against using stolen emails, citing copyright and computer fraud laws (Michael Cieply/New York Times)

11:25 PM ET, April 17, 2015

Top News:

Sources: US Justice Department lawyers leaning against Comcast merger with Time Warner Cable, could submit recommendation next week — U.S. Antitrust Lawyers Said to Be Leaning Against Comcast Merger — Staff attorneys at the Justice Department's antitrust division are nearing a recommendation …

Discussion: New York Times, CNNMoney, Daily Mail, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Engadget, Ars Technica, SlashGear, Variety, USA Today, Deadline, The Hill, Quartz, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, @waltbtig, Free Press Blog, The Week, @mgsiegler, Consumerist, @brianstelter, The Verge, The Wrap and BGR

Bloomberg Business:

If Comcast-TWC deal collapsed, related Charter and Bright House deals would be affected — Comcast Deal Collapse Would Kill Other Mergers in Domino Effect — The potential collapse of Comcast Corp.'s merger with Time Warner Cable Inc. wouldn't just be a setback for those two companies.

Discussion: The Week

Sarah Jeong / Forbes:

New York Times gets fair-use rules wrong in story about cop-shooting video, and multiple outlets reblog without questioning premise — The News Media's Use of the Walter Scott Video Is - Surprise! - A Newsworthy Use — The New York Times reports that publicity and celebrity management …

Discussion: @alisternburg, @sarahjeong, @xor, @mccanner and @mmasnick

Frances Robles / New York Times:

PR agency claiming to represent owner of cop-shooting video now charging one-time fee of $10K, sending news organizations cease and desist letters — Fee to Be Charged for Video of South Carolina Shooting, Publicist Says — NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The video of a North Charleston police officer shooting …

David Kravets / Ars Technica:
News outlets can defend against copyright claims to cop shooting video using fair use, but the issue would need to go to court

Discussion: @jeffjohnroberts and @mmasnick

Caroline Davies / Guardian:

Operation Elveden: more journalists cleared of paying public officials — The Sun's Tom Wells, Neil Millard and Brandon Malinsky, and former Daily Mirror reporter Graham Brough not guilty of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office — More journalists have been cleared …

Discussion: Sky News, BBC, Bulletin Standard, BBC, BelfastTelegraph.co.uk, Telegraph, London Evening Standard, Telegraph, BBC and The Times

Joshua Rozenberg / Guardian:
Operation Elveden: Andy Coulson and eight other cases dropped by DPP

Discussion: BBC, Imedia Ethics, Telegraph, Guardian and Digital Spy

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Disney Says Verizon's Bundle-Breaking Pay TV Plan Breaks Its Rules — About that Verizon plan to break up the pay-TV bundle into smaller bundles? — Not so fast, says Disney's ESPN. Verizon's plan, which it's supposed to start marketing this weekend, violates agreements the programmer …

Discussion: @pkafka, @pkafka, 89.3 KPCC, Deadline and Consumerist

Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Verizon offering FiOS TV packages with mix-and-match channel packs that viewers can swap out each month; plans start at $54.99

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Light Reading, Home Media Magazine, AdAge, bizjournals, SlashGear, USA Today, Broadcasting & Cable, Media & Entertainment and @pkafka

James Cook / Business Insider:

Andy Chen, CEO of Jay Z's music streaming site, Tidal, exits company as 25 employees are “forced to leave” — The CEO of Jay Z's music streaming site Tidal has left the company — Andy Chen, CEO of Aspiro, the Swedish music streaming company acquired by rapper Jay Z for $56 million in March, has left the company.

Discussion: Media & Entertainment, Guardian, CNET, VentureBeat, Vulture, Jezebel and SlashGear

Mari Yamaguchi / Associated Press:

Japan's ruling party questions execs from two TV networks about programs containing “distorted materials”, raising questions about press intimidation — Summons of Japanese media raises complaints of interference — TOKYO (AP) — Japan's ruling party summoned executives …

Discussion: Guardian

David Uberti / Columbia Journalism Review:

Reuters' Baghdad bureau chief on why he fled Iraq — Once Ned Parker saw his face plastered across an Iraqi television channel, he knew he had to flee. On April 3, Reuters' Baghdad bureau chief helped chronicle in gruesome detail the lynching of ISIS captives by government and paramilitary forces.

Discussion: @daviduberti and NPR

Bill Trott / Reuters: Iraqi PM seeks more security for Reuters bureau in Baghdad

Stuart Dredge / Guardian:

YouTube competitor Vessel raises a $57.5M Series B round led by IVP, just weeks after launch — Vessel raises $57.5m funding to expand its ‘first window’ for YouTube creators — Silicon Valley heavyweight IVP joins US startup's investors, and predicts it could be as successful as Netflix and Twitter

Discussion: TechCrunch, Bloomberg Business, Variety, VideoNuze Analysis, Financial Times, VatorNews, @om, VideoInk, Hollywood Reporter, Tubefilter, CNNMoney, Re/code and Multichannel News

Michael Cieply / New York Times:

Sony again warns news media against using stolen emails, citing copyright and computer fraud laws — Sony Studio Renews Warning After WikiLeaks Posts Stolen Data — LOS ANGELES — David Boies, a lawyer for Sony Pictures Entertainment, began warning news media outlets on Friday …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg Business and Above the Law

Jim Romenesko:

Daily Mail slaps Motherboard writer's byline on story, apparently to avoid plagiarism charges … Merchant tells Romenesko readers what happened and why his byline disappeared: … * Brian Merchant's “The girl who would live forever” (motherboard.vice.com)

Discussion: Motherboard, Daily Mail, @bcmerchant, Mediaite and @dangillmor

Jordan Sargent / Gawker:

A New York Times front-page story on teen vaping used a false anecdote from a Twitter user who made up his name and other details — Twitter Guy Says He Hoaxed NYT In Teen Vape Article — Yesterday's New York Times features an A1 article written by science correspondent Sabrina Tavernise …

Discussion: @bjacobel, @weskrantz, @pbump, @kevinroose, @anthonyquintano, Imedia Ethics, New York Times, Gizmodo UK and The Week

Steven Perlberg / Wall Street Journal:

Netflix marketing shifts to focus more on original programs and international markets — How Netflix Is Shaking Up Its Marketing Strategy — Netflix is betting that consumers want to hear a little less about Netflix and a little more about “House of Cards.”