Top News:


FCC closes the investigations into sponsored-data offerings by T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, new agency Chairman Ajit Pai confirms — Under recently departed chief Tom Wheeler, the FCC opened inquiries into how companies might be using free data programs, which allow customers …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Fast Company, Multichannel News, @ajitpaifcc, Variety, @dangillmor, @onejarednewman, @chillmage, Fast Company, Fortune, The Wrap and @tomgara


New Yorker and Vanity Fair pull out of WHCD parties on April 29, underscoring the awkward nature of throwing a splashy dinner for a media-hostile president — The White House Correspondents' Dinner has gone from a hoary ritual to the apex of Washington's social calendar, replete with Hollywood A-listers …
Discussion:
@resnikoff, Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, Washington Post, Fortune, @dangillmor, Variety, @perezhilton, @weinbergersa, The Daily Caller, @katherinemiller, AOL, Mediaite, @alexanderchee, @tarapalmeri, @mrdanzak, @delwilliams, @palafo, @jakebeckman, @silviakillings, @qhardy, @mlcalderone, @grynbaum, @daveweigel, Mother Jones, Axios, Mashable, @jeremyneely, @aaronzitner, @nycjim, @mekosoff, @hadas_gold, @jeffjarvis and The Wrap


CEO of Russia's XBT, which owns Webzilla and invested in Prisma app, sues BuzzFeed and Ben Smith for posting Trump dossier; BuzzFeed has now redacted his name — A Russian technology executive has sued BuzzFeed and its editor Ben Smith for publishing the unverified Trump dossier, calling it …
Discussion:
McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Daily Caller, @raju, Politico, @liamstack, @pkafka, @pkafka, Recode and iMediaEthics


After 818 advertisers pledge to pull ads from Breitbart, one consumer group says it will target ad agencies and Amazon and Google next — Hundreds of advertisers are pulling away from ultra-conservative news website Breitbart, and campaigners are confident the backlash is snowballing.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, @rjonesx, CNET and Occupy Democrats


Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press finds that Gorsuch's decisions in libel and invasion of privacy cases reflect solid First Amendment principles — On January 31, President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to fill …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, @rcfp, @courtneyr, @wordsmithwyle, @lwalsh, @csmcdaniel, @carolrosenberg, @rcfp and @digiphile


Steven Mnuchin, nominee for US treasury secretary, faces a fraud claim in lawsuit related to Relativity Media financing — Steve Mnuchin may be headed for U.S. Senate approval as America's next treasury secretary, but he's getting a big thumbs down from a film lending company that alleges …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @coco_wms, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap and Wall Street Journal


Amazon's IMDB announces it will close discussion boards on February 19 and turn off the ability for users to message each other privately — Good riddance to one of the worst places to socialize on the internet. Amazon-owned IMDb announced today it will be closing down its discussion board later …
Discussion:
@thefilmstage, @agentbigfoot, Variety, @aceuklondon and @kentarcher


The majority of MTV News digital staffers have opted to unionize, selecting the Writers Guild of America, East, as their representative — Staffers opted to join the Writers Guild of America, East. — The majority of digital staff of MTV News has opted to unionize, leaders of the organizing drive …


Ev Williams: our goal is to launch Medium consumer subscription product this quarter — Medium CEO Ev Williams announced today at Upfront Summit that his company will launch a consumer subscription product, with the first version coming this quarter. This could help develop an additional revenue stream apart from advertisements.
Discussion:
@ballmatthew, Mashable, Engadget, @techportalntw, @techcrunch and The Tech Portal


The Wall Street Journal is exploring an ad-free digital offering, charging on a per-article basis, and more, according to an online reader survey — The Wall Street Journal is exploring new ways to drum up revenue from readers, including an ad-free version of its digital platforms …

New York Times launches new program that will allow subscribers and others to sponsor Times subscriptions for students in public schools — The New York Times today announced the launch of a new program that will allow its subscribers and others who are interested to help support Times journalism …
Discussion:
New York Times, Cision and New York Times


The New York Times will temporarily relocate roughly 400 staffers to the Time-Life Building as it overhauls its headquarters on Eighth Avenue — Newspaper signs short-term sublease at Rockefeller Group's 1271 AoA as it reconfigures HQ — The paper of record has inked a lease for a temporary home on Sixth Avenue.
Discussion:
@byrichbockmann and @trdny