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ESI Media confirms Independent on Sunday to cease printing and Independent to go digital-only in late March; Johnston Press buys i for £24M — Independent newspapers closed, but will continue online, after i sale to Johnston Press — The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers are to close, it has been confirmed.
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i to expand into Northern Ireland, launch a new website, and hire more than 30 staff — Johnston Press to expand i newspaper into Northern Ireland — Hiring spree by regional publisher for newly acquired national title expected to pick up staff from Independent and Independent on Sunday


Sources: Apple is backing Vital Signs, a six-episode scripted television series starring Dr. Dre, likely to be distributed via Apple Music — Dr. Dre Filming Apple's First Scripted Television Series (Exclusive) — ‘Vital Signs,’ the technology giant's inaugural original …
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TechCrunch, USA Today, VentureBeat, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, GeekWire, bet.com, Quartz, Fortune, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Variety, BGR, The Source, Rap-Up, HotNewHipHop.com, AppleInsider, Vanity Fair, Tech Insider, Complex, Gizmodo, Engadget, exclaim.ca, The Next Web, Pitchfork, @mims, 9to5Mac, Shadow and Act, SlashGear, MacRumors, The Verge, Business Insider Australia, @jyarow, @shiraovide, The FADER, Consequence of Sound, App Advice and FACT Magazine


Sources: as early as May, Snapchat will let you subscribe to Discover publishers, ensuring their content always appears on your Stories page — Snapchat Wants to Let Users Subscribe to Their Favorite ‘Discover’ Publishers — Snapchat is working on new plans to boost traffic to the publishers that use its “Discover” platform.
Discussion:
Business Insider, @sarahcuda and @pkafka
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Snapchat uses a team of about six journalists to add context to live stories of the presidential campaign — Snapchat Bets Big on Quick-Fire Approach to Campaign Coverage — BEDFORD, N.H. — Standing toward the back of the room at a Jeb Bush campaign rally here last week, Peter Hamby …
Discussion:
@smithbm12 and @macloo


The New York Times collaborates with This American Life on a special investigative report — Last August, a college student named Alan Pean was Tasered and shot in the chest by two security guards shortly after seeking treatment for a psychotic episode at a Houston hospital.
Discussion:
New York Times and This American Life Updates


SoundCloud files financial results showing $44.27M loss in 2014 with revenue of $19.7M; board forecasts it will need more capital investment in 2016 — SoundCloud financial results show €39.1m loss in 2014 — SoundCloud's revenues rose 54% to €17.4m in 2014 …
Discussion:
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China's Baidu Receives $2.8 Billion Offer for Online Video Giant iQIYI — Baidu, China's leading search engine operator, says that it has received a non-binding offer to buy iQIYI, a majority-owned subsidiary which is one of the Middle Kingdom's leading streaming video platforms.
Discussion:
Forbes, New York Times, Tubefilter and Hollywood Reporter

YouTube buys BandPage to boost direct-to-fan features — “We are very excited to announce that BandPage is joining YouTube, a move which dramatically accelerates our shared goal of helping musicians everywhere thrive,” announced BandPage in a blog post. — “BandPage is dedicated …
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The BandPage Blog, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, RAIN News, hypebot, Tubefilter, AllAccess.com, Engadget, 9to5Google, @bandpage, The Verge, Variety, The Next Web, Music Business Worldwide and Concurrent Media


Guardian Australia reporter Paul Farrell's police record contains more than 200 heavily redacted pages documenting federal police investigation of his sources — The AFP and me: how one of my asylum stories sparked a 200-page police investigation — When Guardian Australia reporter Paul Farrell put …
Discussion:
Guardian, @sandihlogan, @moorehn, Australia Network News, @kathviner and Crikey


How news organizations like National Geographic, Mashable, New York Times, and Vox are experimenting with vertical video for mobile phones — Vertical video is becoming more popular, but there's no consensus on the best way to make it — Hiking through the hills above Otta, Norway …


How the presidential campaign looks through the eyes of a foreign journalist — WEST DES MOINES — Marco Rubio is talking about the decline of the American military. Mattias Kolb can hardly believe what he's hearing. — Standing at the back of a packed and overheated sports bar, Kolb …