Top News:
Patricia Murphy / The Daily Beast:
WH Press Sec Sean Spicer made repeated, vague references to an Islamist terrorist attack in Atlanta that didn't happen, echoing Conway's Bowling Green statement — Kellyanne Conway's “Bowling Green massacre” isn't the only case of a White House aide pointing to a terror attack that didn't happen …
Discussion:
CNN, TVSpy, New York Times, Mediaite, Jezebel, Washington Post, @kylegriffin1, @emma_mmmm, @noahshachtman, @gilmeansjoy, @melissarabb1, @jonrosenberg, @gideonresnick, @joyannreid, @slade, @fuzzlaw, @muskrat_john, @1unknowncritic, Fortune, Gothamist, @xzyliac, Occupy Democrats, The Week, IJR, The Daily Dot, The Times of Israel, Mashable and Mother Jones
RELATED:
Brian Flood / The Wrap:
During an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said she did not believe the network was “fake news”, contradicting Trump — Donald Trump's ongoing feud with CNN took an interesting turn on Tuesday when senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway admitted …
Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:
The New York Times partners with Spotify, giving readers who buy one-year digital subscriptions unlimited access to the music service's premium tier — Joint online news and music subscription costs $5 per week — Publisher seeking to maintain momentum after subscriber surge
Joe Pompeo / Politico:
WSJ editor Gerard Baker to host town hall on Feb. 13 where he will address concerns about Trump coverage, amidst growing disquiet and anger in the newsroom — Amid growing newsroom discontent over his perceived resistance to critical coverage of Donald Trump, Wall Street Journal editor …
Discussion:
@mhess4, Adweek, The New York Times Company, @timothynoah1, @lheron and Axios
Jasper Jackson / The Guardian:
In an unusual move, Wikipedia editors vote to ban The Daily Mail as a source after finding it “generally unreliable” — Online encyclopaedia editors rule out publisher as a reference citing ‘reputation poor fact checking and sensationalism’ — Wikipedia editors have voted …
Discussion:
Adweek, Mediaite, Mashable, @chris_coltrane and @edyong209
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
HBO Now, HBO's standalone digital streaming service, has surpassed 2M subscribers, Time Warner Chief Jeff Bewkes told investors on Wednesday — HBO's stand-alone digital streaming service has surpassed 2 million domestic subscribers, Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes told investors Wednesday.
Discussion:
Fast Company, The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, Tubefilter, Fortune, The Verge, Engadget, VideoNuze Analysis, Broadcasting & Cable and TechCrunch
RELATED:
Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:
Sources: White House Correspondents Dinner has yet to find a comedian headliner, with many celebrities choosing to avoid the event — “I see it as a huge opportunity for a comedian to do something interesting," says Larry Wilmore, who headlined 2016's dinner, as the host gig goes unfilled …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair and @thrmattbelloni
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Flipboard debuts personalized Smart Magazines, which aggregate stories on various topics, available today — Flipboard is releasing a big update today, which introduces “Smart Magazines” — a new way for people to find news stories and other content tied to their interests.
Discussion:
Forbes, VentureBeat, Fortune, Fast Company, Engadget and Adweek
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Netflix is hiring an executive to oversee an expansion into branded merchandise, including the licensing of shows for books, comics, and more — Streaming giant to hire executive to oversee product division — Hot Topic selling T-shirts, mugs tied to hit ‘Stranger Things’
Discussion:
Business Insider, CNNMoney, Engadget, Mashable, Vanity Fair, Tubefilter and Refinery29
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple hires Timothy Twerdahl, director of Amazon's Fire TV business and previously exec at Roku and Netflix, as VP for Apple TV product marketing — Former Amazon executive also held roles at Netflix and Roku — The hire lets company to beef up team seeking content deals
Discussion:
USA Today, Variety, BGR, Axios, Fast Company, Fortune, VentureBeat, Ars Technica, GeekWire, Daring Fireball, @tapbot_paul, @markgurman, Engadget, Business Insider, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and The Verge
Alberto Nardelli / BuzzFeed:
Laura Boldrini, President of the Italian Parliament's lower house, is launching a campaign to raise awareness about online misinformation and its consequences — In an exclusive interview, Laura Boldrini, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, told BuzzFeed News why she is fighting back against disinformation and violent abuse.
Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:
Sources: Condé Nast has been in talks to purchase The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard for a number of months though it is unclear whether a deal will happen — The Hollywood Reporter is considering a sale, and Condé Nast is a suitor. — Several months ago …
Discussion:
LA Observed