Top News:
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Medium refines strategy, emphasizing network value over Total Time Read, considers tying contributor bonuses to metrics like follows and recommendations — What's Going On At Medium? — The publisher/publishing platform is rejiggering itself as a social network for readers and writers …
Discussion:
Fortune, @cwarzel, @greylockvc, Medium, @jacksmithiv, @rafat, @trevoragilbert, @jacksmithiv, @cm, @maura, @digiphile, @myurow and @disalmanacarian
Kerry A. Dolan / Forbes:
Charges Dropped In Defamation Trial Against Angolan Journalist Rafael Marques — In a surprise development, the defamation charges against journalist Rafael Marques de Morais were dropped Thursday by the Angolan military generals who had brought them. — Marques had been charged …
Discussion:
VICE News, Guardian, Associated Press and Index on Censorship
Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:
FCC Chairman Reached Out to Time Warner Cable, Charter CEOs — FCC's Tom Wheeler indicated agency not opposed to any and all potential cable deals — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has a message for cable chiefs: just because regulators leaned against the Comcast Corp. …
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Sources: Samsung's media unit, responsible for Milk Music, Milk Video, and Milk VR, lays off up to 15% of staff — Samsung's Content Unit Hit by Layoffs, Exec Departure (Exclusive) — Samsung's Media Solutions Center America, which is responsible for the company's Milk Music and Milk Video services …
Eric Blattberg / Digiday:
Mic's video series gets 33M views on Facebook in two months; the same series received under a million aggregate views on YouTube — Mic's hit video series on Facebook has gotten 33 million views in two months — Fast-growing millennial publisher Mic has the luxury of starting from scratch with its six-month-old video strategy.
Discussion:
@julianneross, @digiday, @brianne_garcia and @slade
Mathew Ingram / Fortune:
Founder of Diapers.com, Vinit Bharara, talks about why he launched a media startup called Some Spider to run a network of sites: the Mid, Scary Mommy, and Cafe — With the help of NYT execs, Some Spider wants to spin a web of media properties — Two of the top digital executives …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
DirecTV Launches Kids TV App for Apple Mobile Devices — DirecTV, the No. 1 U.S. satellite TV broadcaster, debuted a dedicated mobile-video app designed for children 5 to 10 available to subscribers for no additional charge. — The new DirecTV Kids app includes a selection of “kid-friendly” …
Discussion:
Multichannel News
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
Trinity Mirror more than doubles phone-hacking payout fund to £28m — Saily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People publisher is still facing claims from more than 100 high-profile figures — Trinity Mirror has more than doubled its phone hacking payout fund to £28m …
Discussion:
@marksweney
RELATED:
Josh Halliday / Guardian:
Daily Mirror owners must pay £1.2m to celebrity phone-hacking victims
Daily Mirror owners must pay £1.2m to celebrity phone-hacking victims
Discussion:
BBC, Guardian, The Independent, UK - The Huffington Post, City A.M., Guardian, Guardian, Reuters, Guardian, The Drum, The Drum, Financial Times, Guardian, International Business Times, Bloomberg Business, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Sky News, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Irish Times, Press Gazette and @marksweney
Josh Halliday / Guardian:
Mirror's phone hacking made ‘News of the World look like cottage industry’
Mirror's phone hacking made ‘News of the World look like cottage industry’
Discussion:
@marksweney, Guardian, @obligateme, Featured Articles, @martin_hickman, @dogsbarker and @dansabbagh
Brent Lang / Variety:
New York Times Changes Film Review Policy, Can't Guarantee Coverage (Updated) — New York Times Changes Film Review Policy, Can't Guarantee Coverage — The New York Times is changing its film review policies, with the paper telling distributors this week that it can no longer guarantee …
Discussion:
@loulumenick, @dave_kehr, The Wrap, The Wrap and @alisonwillmore
Brian Crecente / Polygon:
Rockstar parent company sues BBC over upcoming GTA drama — Take-Two Interactive today filed a lawsuit against the BBC over the broadcaster's upcoming unauthorized television show about the birth, growth and controversies of Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games. — The suit was filed in London Thursday morning.
Discussion:
IGN, The Independent, CNET, Guardian and The Verge
Shannon Bond / Financial Times:
Univision buys African-American news site The Root — Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, has bought The Root, an African-American focused news and culture website, as the company looks to build a digital network catering to multicultural millennial consumers.
Discussion:
The Root and New York Post
Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:
Tribune Publishing completes deal for U-T San Diego, changes name back to San Diego Union-Tribune — Tribune Publishing restores San Diego Union-Tribune's old name — Tribune Publishing just closed the deal on the newspaper formerly known as U-T San Diego. One of the first orders of business: restoring the paper's old name.
Discussion:
UT San Diego, Los Angeles Times, Business Wire and @utsportseditor
John Plunkett / Guardian:
Digital radio hits nearly 40% of all listening — BBC Radio 4 Extra overtakes 6 Music as digital-only commercial stations such as Absolute 80s and Planet Rock attract record audiences — Nearly 40% of radio listening is now on digital with record audiences for digital-only commercial stations including Absolute 80s and Planet Rock.
Discussion:
RAIN News