Top News:
Ken Doctor / Politico:
Sources: Apollo Global Management approached Tribune Publishing about a sale about a month ago, but Tribune has been “non-responsive” — Apollo seeks purchase of Tribune — and possible California sell-off — Is Rupert right? — Friday afternoon, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch tweeted …
Discussion:
@rupertmurdoch, Orange County Register, The Wrap, Poynter and CNNMoney
RELATED:
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:
Mashable, USA Today, Fortune, @dainabethcita, Los Angeles Business …, Reuters, @brianstelter, LA Observed, Variety, FishbowlNY, The Drum and The Wrap
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 …
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
Twitter removes share counts in sharing buttons, but publishers say data was important internally and as a signal to readers — Frustrated publishers to Twitter: Give us our share counts back — It seems like Twitter and other social platforms are always making changes to their platforms …
Discussion:
@newswhip, the Econsultancy blog, The Whip and Marketing Land
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, App Advice, Geeky Gadgets, Yahoo! News, Lifehacker UK, International Business Times and 9to5Mac
Tim Peterson / Ad Age:
Mashable Shop Is a Native Ad That's Also an Online Store — Visa Will Sponsor Shop to Promote Visa Checkout — BtoB marketing requires cutting-edge sophistication to reach clients in real time. — Digital publishers are looking for all kinds of alternatives to the traditional banner ad.
Discussion:
mUmBRELLA
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
Politico:
Interview with Dan Peres, outgoing editor in chief of Details on his 15 years with the magazine — The 60-second interview: Dan Peres, outgoing editor in chief of Details magazine — POLITICO: The news that Details was closing was announced on Wednesday, and you're one of several people …
Discussion:
Politico
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
Fusion announces distributed news team of 12 to work on platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Vine — Fusion has a 12-person distributed news team for platforms — If the future will be a distributed one, Fusion wants to make sure it's prepared. — The digital news site …
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 …
Montreal Gazette:
Jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi's sentence of 1K lashes suspended, pardon possible — Saudi blogger Raif Badawi to be pardoned: Swiss government — A jailed Saudi blogger is having his sentence of 1,000 lashings suspended, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs told newspaper La Liberté.
Discussion:
CBC News and The National
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