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Confirmed: Twitter Appoints Longtime American Express Executive Leslie Berland as CMO — Here's some positive executive news coming out of Twitter: It has found its new chief marketing officer. — Twitter has appointed longtime American Express executive Leslie Berland to CMO …
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@jack, TechCrunch, Ad Age, SocialTimes, Adweek, VentureBeat, The Wrap, VatorNews, USA Today, Forbes, Variety, Business Insider, The Drum, @gvitt and @willstick
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Twitter's Nathan Hubbard Will Take Over Interim Media Job Amid Executive Changes — We're still sifting through the rubble of yesterday's mass exodus from Twitter in which a number of high-ranking executives announced they were leaving, but a few new roles are already starting to take shape.
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Bloomberg Business, The Verge, @vivian, Slate, TIME, New York Times, @mims, @bfly, @raju, Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Variety, @pkafka, Adweek, SocialTimes, Media Wire Daily, PRNewser and PCMag UK


Interactive Advertising Bureau CEO calls Adblock Plus an “extortion racket” after denying company a spot at annual conference — IAB Chief Blasts Adblock Plus as an ‘Immoral, Mendacious Coven of Techie Wannabes’ — When Adblock Plus said it had been “disinvited” …
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IAB, Ad Age, MediaPost, Business Insider, @johnbattelle, @xor, @simoncrosby, @r2rothenberg, @om, @zseward, @dangillmor, @whatthebit, Ad Age and Ad Age


Mizzou professor Melissa Click, who called for “some muscle” to block student reporter covering protest, charged with third degree assault — Mizzou Media Professor Melissa Click Charged With Siccing ‘Muscle’ On Reporter — The University of Missouri media professor who drew scorn for siccing …
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Local News, Kansas City Star, New York Times, CNNMoney, Hot Air, The TickerThe Ticker, TVNewser, @deborahblum, @byrontau, The Daily Caller, @sacbee_joed, @jayrosen_nyu, Columbia Missourian, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, Reason, TIME, TheBlaze.com, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Free Beacon and New York Daily News


Amanda Cox Named Editor of NY Times' Upshot — The New York Times has named Amanda Cox editor of its data-centric site The Upshot. — Cox was most recently the Times' graphics editor. She joined the company in 2004. — “Amanda Cox has a singular reputation among her colleagues …
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@dleonhardt, @jeremybowers, @derekwillis, @nate_cohn, @derekwillis, @gabrieldance and @dleonhardt


Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles joins board of Snapchat — Joanna Coles Joins Board of Snapchat — Joanna Coles is upping her tech cred. — The editor in chief of Cosmopolitan, who also serves as editorial director of Seventeen, joined the board of directors of Snapchat in early December.
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FishbowlNY, @pkafka and @mikeisaac


Behind the launch of the new journalism school at Morgan State University — This is what it's like to launch a journalism school from scratch — If you had the chance to launch your own journalism school, how would you do it? If your mind starts to run wild, tack on some limitations …
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@niemanlab and @niemanlab

Philly's Billy Penn to be the first local independent publisher using Facebook Instant Articles, launching early February, also plans to use Google AMP — Could Facebook Instant Articles help hyperlocal news? — Community engagement and exposure isn't just about attracting traffic to your website.
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The Huffington Post, @eric_analytics, @newswhip, @ckrewson, @eric_analytics and Forbes


Interview with Nonny de la Peña, one of the pioneers of virtual reality journalism — Virtual reality pioneer Nonny de la Peña charts the future of VR journalism — Nonny de la Peña was the first person to bring modern virtual reality to Sundance, when she debuted Hunger in Los Angeles in 2012.


200 Wikipedia editors call for removal of new foundation trustee, Arnnon Geshuri, due to his connection to anti-poaching case involving tech firms — Wikipedia editors revolt, vote “no confidence” in newest board member — As a Google HR exec, Arnnon Geshuri fired a recruiter who dared to call Apple.
Discussion:
@thewikipedian and Fortune


EasyJet deputy chairman Charles Gurassa appointed as Channel 4 chairman, replacing Lord Burns — EasyJet's Charles Gurassa appointed as Channel 4 chairman — Broadcaster's incoming chair, who replaces Lord Burns, will have to deal with government review, which could result in privatisation
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Telegraph, Hollywood Reporter, Financial Times, Advanced Television and Express & Star


Instagram is showing a lot more ads: one ad network served 50M in August, 670M in December — Instagram Is Showing You a Lot More Ads Than It Used To — You haven't been imagining it — Instagram is showing you more ads. A lot more ads, actually. — Instagram cryptically announced …
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Digiday, App Advice, @mvellank, @adamostrow, @dannysullivan, @shiraovide, Fortune, App Advice and SocialTimes