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To fight fake news, Facebook tests easier hoax reporting, uses third-party fact checkers to flag stories, punishes stories shared less after being read, more — For weeks, Facebook has faced questions about its role in spreading fake news. The intense scrutiny has caused internal divisions …
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Washington Post, The Wrap, Columbia Journalism Review, Business Insider, Medium, The Verge, Washington Post, Quartz, Recode, Breitbart, WIRED UK, World News Publishing Focus …, @jwherrman, Forbes, RT, New Urban Legends, NPR, The Hill, Mark Zuckerberg, Slate, The Daily Caller, New York Times, The FADER, Facebook, Politicus USA, BGR, The Outline, @emilybell, Droid Life, The Drum, The Guardian, New York Magazine, CNBC, Backchannel, Infowars, FishbowlDC, The Stranger …, Mother Jones, Marketing Land, bookforum.com, BetaNews, SocialTimes, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Engadget, The Daily Signal, CBS Miami, Consumerist, Techdirt, Ad Age, @mims, Fortune, TheBlaze, @pogue, @kevinctofel, @prisonplanet, Fortune, The Huffington Post, Lifehacker, GeekWire, Los Angeles Times, The Week, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check, NewsWhip, @pkafka, @oliverdarcy, BuzzFeed, @emptywheel, @braddjaffy, @elanazak, @mattdpearce, @glennkesslerwp, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac and Variety
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The Associated Press will label stories dispelling false news as “AP Fact Check”, touts its code for accuracy and ethics amid Facebook partnership — As part of its broader fact-checking efforts, The Associated Press announced Thursday that it will work with Facebook to help identify …
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Business Insider, @heminator, @evansiegfried, Recode, @rkylesmith, @kfoleyfl, @boldandworthy, @tomfitton, @ericcarvin, @fpmarconi, @mmfa, @laureneastonap and Forbes


Slate builds Chrome extension, “This Is Fake”, that puts warning label on fake news stories and sites and lets users flag suspicious Facebook posts — “This is Fake,” a project that emerged from a post-election hack day at Slate, defines “fake” news as “something intentionally misleading, intentionally false.”
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, Press Gazette, CNNMoney, Mashable and BuzzFeed


Prominent conservatives express alarm at Facebook's move against fake news, worrying their voices will be suppressed and fact checking won't be applied evenly
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, @motherjones, @urbanophile and @hadas_gold


The NYT defends its decision to cover hacked Democratic emails, even if it helped Russia, because the emails had news value independent of the hackers' motives — Managing editor Joseph Kahn says they primarily judge the news value of documents in the public sphere “independent of the motive of the leakers.”


Miles Socha is named the new editor in chief of Women's Wear Daily; he succeeds Edward Nardoza, who is retiring after 25 years — Penske Media Corporation has named Miles Socha editor in chief of WWD. Socha most recently served as executive editor of WWD Europe.
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WWD, Media Wire Daily, Fashionista, @alexsteigrad, @fashionista_com, @danicalo and @fishbowlny


Facebook underreported iPhone traffic to Instant Articles tracked by comScore from Sept. 30 to Nov. 30; report says some publishers' numbers affected by 10-20% — Facebook announced on Friday that it had made another measurement error, this time affecting publishers that use its Instant Articles content platform.
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Wall Street Journal, Facebook, Marketing Land, @sivavaid, @daozers, @miriamgottfried, @fmanjoo, @matthewknell, @chrisolenik, @mekosoff, @taylorlorenz, @jackmarshall, @niemanlab and ClickZ


Lawmakers and legal experts oppose government intervention, agree internal policies to improve social platforms are the best way to curb fake news — Regulating Facebook would invite Constitutional challenges, legal experts say, while lawmakers call for better internal policies to curb misinformation.
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@newscannon, @lauraelizdavis, Nieman Lab and First Draft News


In a Q&A, MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski defend themselves against accusations that they have become too cozy with Donald Trump — The Morning Joe hosts talk access to Donald Trump, ratings, and their critics. — Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were all spooled …
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TVNewser, Mediaite, @vanityfair, @aabramson, @dylanbyers, @kia_mak, @emilyjanefox and @jonathanwald


Interview with CNN Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter, who believes that media reporters have a duty to cover threats against journalism — Practicing journalism in the Age of Trump can be a risky business. — For instance, Brian Stelter, CNN's lead media correspondent and the host …
Discussion:
Mediaite and @jamiestelter


NJ publishers say Christie's bill to end print legal ads could cause revenue at newspapers across the state to fall by 15%, resulting in the loss of 300 jobs — TRENTON — Debate in the statehouse veered from philosophical discussions over the role of a free press to dark assertions …
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@giambusso


30+ companies including news sources NPR, NBC, HuffPo, WSJ, and CNBC add Google Home support — More than 30 startups and companies like Domino's Pizza, Food Network, and Product Hunt launched new actions for Google Home today. — Actions, like Amazon Alexa skills, give a user control and command of Google Assistant.
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TechCrunch, The Verge, Droid Life, Droid Life, CNET, 9to5Google and The Verge


The departure of FCC chairman Tom Wheeler likely signals the end of net neutrality, as Donald Trump has publicly opposed the rules — The FCC will now have a Republican majority. — U.S. Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler announced this morning that he will leave …
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Broadcasting & Cable, The Next Web, FishbowlDC, @dangillmor, Bloomberg, Radio & Television … and TechCrunch
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NC Policy Watch reporter Joe Killian arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave gallery being cleared of protesters amid legislature's debate — A reporter for the group N.C. Policy Watch was arrested Wednesday when police closed the House chamber's public gallery during a debate.
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Slate, @joekillianpw, @coreyhutchins, The Progressive Pulse, The New Civil Rights Movement, @raleighreporter, @naralnc, Blog on the Run, @raleighreporter, @alexkotch, @raleighreporter, @triciacotham, @joekillianpw, @liz_crampton, @anneblythe1, @mel_bough, @stevecollinssj, @atbarnhill, @rob_schofield, @joekillianpw, @johnnewsomnr, @joekillianpw and @billy_k_ball