Top News:
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
The persistent questioning by CNN's Jake Tapper of Mike Pence should be the rule on TV news, not the exception, as false assertions and deflections grow — Too often television news, especially on cable, serves as a megaphone for politicians who use it to forward lies and propaganda …
Discussion:
New York Times, @penamerican, @owillis, @senatorshoshana, @ktumulty, @blakehounshell, @philiprucker, @senatorshoshana, @jsteinbeck1939 and @pkafka
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Trump tweets another attack on the press on Monday, criticizes NBC Nightly News; it may have been in response to segment about Russian interference in election — President-elect Donald Trump saw someone say something about him on TV that he didn't approve of, so naturally, he's making sure everyone on Twitter knows about it.
Discussion:
@realdonaldtrump, Broadcasting & Cable, The Wrap, New York Post, Vox, Law News, CNET, Fortune and TheBlaze
Peter Sterne / Politico:
Experts: expansion of prosecutions using Espionage Act, started under Obama, could be a larger threat to media during Trump's presidency than libel law changes — Worry about the Espionage Act, not libel laws. — Anyone who doubts that Donald Trump could use the levers of the presidency …
Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Sources: Politico's Chief Political Correspondent Glenn Thrush is joining the NYT to cover the White House; Thrush's roots are in tabloid journalism — The political journalist wil be reunited with former Politico stars Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @rosiegray, @leahmcelrath, @davidfolkenflik, @morningmoneyben, @demfromct, @thefix, @buzzfeedben and @mlcalderone
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
In a letter sent Monday, National Amusements instructs Viacom and CBS to scrap merger talks, saying there is renewed confidence in Viacom under CEO Bob Bakish — In a letter sent Monday, National Amusements instructs Viacom and CBS to scrap merger talks
Discussion:
The Wrap, Adweek, Globe and Mail, Broadcasting & Cable and Fortune
Aja Romano / Vox:
Twitter reinstates and re-verifies white nationalist Richard Spencer 's personal account, says his accounts were banned for violating multiple accounts rule — Twitter banned Richard Spencer because he had too many accounts — not because those accounts promoted racism.
Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:
The Craig Newmark Foundation, charity founded by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, donates $1M to Poynter to fund faculty chair in journalism ethics position — Some exciting news on the homefront: The Craig Newmark Foundation, the charitable organization established by Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark …
Discussion:
Politico
Ken Kurson / Observer:
Bloomberg poaches business writer Joe Nocera from The New York Times to write magazine stories and columns — Mike Bloomberg personally intervenes to hire biz legend who'd been exiled to sports — Even billionaires covet that which they cannot possess. The Observer has learned that former …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @joepompeo, @bookgirl96 and @nycjamescobb
Jake Romm / The Forward:
Deconstructing the color, pose, and chair in Time's Trump photo, a layered field of references that place the image among the magazine's greatest covers — Time Magazine's annual “Person of the Year” announcement is, year after year, grossly misunderstood.
Discussion:
@shashitharoor, @laurahelmuth, @alisonloat, @metasynthie, @timharford, @jdforward and @caitlin__kelly
Tara Palmeri / Politico:
Under a US government bill, the bipartisan board overseeing Voice of America will be disbanded, replaced by a CEO, sparking fears VOA will become “Trump TV” — A provision tucked into the defense bill guts the Voice of America board, stoking fears that Trump could wield a powerful propaganda arm.
Discussion:
@gregghoush, @jilldlawrence, @michikokakutani, @anthony, @rvawonk and @politico
Kerry Flynn / Mashable:
Facebook is hiring a Head of News Partnerships, seeking a news executive with 20+ years experience, as it struggles with the fallout from the fake news scandal — Facebook may be cleaning up its image with journalism. — The company is looking to hire an “experienced news executive” …
Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:
News outlets have simultaneously lost cultural power and the public's trust, which represents both a cause and an effect of the fake-news problem — For a term that is suddenly everywhere, “fake news” is fairly slippery. — Is “fake news” a reference to government propaganda designed to look like independent journalism?
Discussion:
@adriennelaf and @niemanlab