Top News:
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Rupert Murdoch tweets that Tribune Publishing is about to be sold, with Los Angeles Times going to Eli Broad — Murdoch tweets that LA Times about to be bought — Newspaper owner and noted Twitter user Rupert Murdoch is hearing that the Los Angeles Times newspaper is about to change hands.
Discussion:
@rupertmurdoch, Politico, Mashable, The Wrap, @dainabethcita, Variety, FishbowlNY, Reuters and Fortune
Mathew Ingram / Fortune:
Analyst: ESPN's loss of 7M subscribers since 2013 means about $650M less in affiliate revenue and an estimated $250M less in ad revenue — When Will ESPN's Subscriber Numbers Finally Hit Bottom? — One of the strongest parts of Walt Disney Corp.—in addition to its powerful hold …
Glyn Moody / Ars Technica UK:
It is now illegal to make private copies of copyrighted media files in the UK after withdrawal of country's 2014 private copying exception regulations — Thanks to the music industry, it is illegal to make private copies of music—again — From now on, it's not just in Penzance that there are pirates.
Discussion:
The Next Web, Gizmodo UK, Yahoo! News, App Advice, Lifehacker UK, International Business Times, 9to5Mac and Geeky Gadgets
Jeremy Borden / Columbia Journalism Review:
How a little-known, Uber-driving freelancer brought the lawsuit that forced Chicago to release a police shooting video — It was the moment Brandon Smith and legions of media had been waiting for: the city of Chicago's release of a damning video that showed a white police officer shooting …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Poynter, @cjr, @thabitianyabwil, ThinkProgress, Chicago Reporter, New York Times, Hot Air, Robert Feder, abc7chicago.com, The Chicago Ambassador, @raydowns, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Re/code, Guardian, @muckrakery, @annaleighclark, @muckrakery, Slate, VICE, Rolling Stone, The Stranger …, NBC News and Mother Jones
Chris Buckley / New York Times:
China cuts journalist Gao Yu's sentence from seven to five years, allows her to serve sentence outside prison because of serious illness — China to Release Journalist Gao Yu From Prison Over Illness — BEIJING — Gao Yu, a well-known Chinese journalist serving a prison sentence on charges …
Li Yuan / Wall Street Journal:
If Alibaba buys the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong-based paper would be under Chinese rule, possibly limiting its press freedom and coverage ability — Alibaba Newspaper Deal Would Test Political Sensitivities — Acquisition would put Hong Kong's South China Morning Post under mainland control
Amanda Hess / Slate:
What it was like to be a Sony Pictures employee last year when hackers attacked — Inside the Sony Hack — What it was like to be a rank-and-file Sony employee as the unprecedented cyberattack tore the company apart. — Every morning, like so many of her colleagues …
Discussion:
@fascinated, @adayjchen and @lbennett
Suzan Fraser / Associated Press:
Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper editor-in-chief Can Dundar and reporter Erdem Gul jailed pending trial over their reports of government arms smuggling to Syria — 2 Turkish journalists jailed over Syria smuggling reports — 4 photos — ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — In new blow to media freedoms in Turkey …
Didi Tang / Associated Press:
China sentences activist Yang Maodong, known as Guo Feixiong, to six years in prison after his 2013 protests against censorship — Chinese activist sentenced to 6 years in jail — 1 photo — BEIJING (AP) — A court in southern China sentenced a leading activist who organized rallies …
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Deezer finally launches a music-streaming family plan: $16/month for 6 people, only in France for now — It may be a little late to the party, but Deezer has finally announced a family subscription plan for its music-streaming service. — Available only to Orange subscribers in France initially …
Discussion:
AllAccess.com, Music Week, RouteNote and TechCrunch
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
UK publisher Future cuts losses to £2.3M, will split operations into media and magazine divisions — Publisher Future slashes losses and raises £3.3m to invest in digital — Company, which has shed 460 staff over two years in bid to reverse losses of £35m, to split operations into media and magazine divisions
Discussion:
broadly.vice.com and Interactive Investor
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
BBC Trust confirms BBC3 TV channel will be switched off and moved online by end of February 2016 — BBC3 TV channel to be switched off by February, BBC Trust confirms — Corporation's governing body rubber-stamps decision to move youth-oriented channel online, but calls for more youth programming on BBC1 and BBC2
Discussion:
@boydhilton, Digital Spy, Broadband TV News, ITV, Chortle News RSS, BT.com, @scottygb, Telegraph, London Evening Standard, NME.COM, TechRadar.com, mirror, Wired UK, Engadget, Guardian, BBC Media Centre, The Independent, broadcastnow.co.uk, RadioTimes, About the BBC blog, Daily Mail, Metro.co.uk, BBC, Variety and The Next Web