Top News:
Tina Nguyen / Vanity Fair:
Profile of Sean Spicer, who was known among the DC press corps as an amicable if sharp-tongued PR pro before he became White House press secretary — Once a well-liked figure among the D.C. press, Sean Spicer's new role as Trump's attack dog has people scratching their heads.
Discussion:
Washingtonian, TIME, Washington Post, The Guardian, Quartz, New York Times, The Week, Politico, Associated Press, Vox, Fusion, Mediaite and TheBlaze
Duncan Campbell / The Register:
Proposed changes to draft UK Espionage Act, replacing Official Secrets Act, could mean jail time of up to 14 years for journalists who handled leaked gov't docs — Hasty and botched consultation revealed by El Reg — Exclusive Proposals for a swingeing new Espionage Act that could jail journalists …
Discussion:
Telegraph, @vivian, The Guardian, @peston, @helens_nha, @zackwhittaker, @arusbridger, The Guardian, @rj_gallagher, @jamesrbuk, @nkingofdc, The Guardian, @abiwilks and Business Insider
Gabriel Snyder / Wired:
Inside NYT's digital transformation: luring subscribers via Beta Group's vertical apps, a Facebook chatbot, live video, VR, and more on top of strong journalism — Arthur Gregg Sulzberger doesn't remember the first time he visited the family business. He was young, he says, no older than 6 …
Discussion:
LA Observed, @grossdm, @ckummer, @mikeisaac, @ssmallwd, @dkthomp, @_alastair, @rkearney, @dbfarber, @gabrielsnyder, @namcphedran, @ow, @fromcarl, @mathewi and @kpfinnerty, Thanks:@ravichandrans25
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Rupert Murdoch's ties to Trump family, including Ivanka's former role as trustee for a Murdoch trust, raise questions about how he will guide his media empire — The ties that bind the most powerful media mogul in the world to the leader of the free world just keep getting stronger.
Discussion:
@raju, @scottnover, @ghoshworld, @httpstatus402 and Media Matters for America
RELATED:
Eric Peckham:
Lessons from Rupert Murdoch's approach to business, which grew News Corp into an empire that shapes policy and popular opinion — How to do business the News Corp way. — Given my focus on venture investing, media, and politics, it is perhaps no surprise that I find Rupert Murdoch …
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Conservative news organizations like Newsmax, Breitbart are now getting more access to the White House at press briefings and with presidential interviews — John Gizzi has been around the block more than a few times at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. A veteran presidential reporter …
Discussion:
New York Times, @jakesherman, @johnjharwood, Vanity Fair, Mediaite and The Week
New York Times:
Sub-Saharan African nations like Cameroon, Gambia, and the Republic of Congo increasingly use internet blackouts to stem protests — DAKAR, Senegal — Julius Ikena's trade business is at a standstill because he cannot make electronic payments to his partners.
Discussion:
@kenroth, @greatfirechina, @rcoreyb, @smith_jeffreyt and @aaronross6
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Prince's Warner Music catalog returning Sunday to subscription-streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Napster, and iHeartRadio — Songs of late music legend Prince will again be available on multiple streaming-music services on Sunday, in releases timed for the 59th Grammy Awards.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Forbes, VentureBeat, NPR, Fortune, BBC, Pitchfork, Ars Technica, The Next Web, Billboard, EW.com, Bloomberg, FACT Magazine, RAIN News, Rolling Stone, CNNMoney, The Wrap, TechCrunch, Engadget and Highsnobiety
Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic:
How Megyn Kelly softened her stridently conservative views to land a job at NBC, where she won't be allowed to stir up outrage as she did on Fox — fox news was founded in 1996, when the entertainment impresario and conservative political consultant Roger Ailes acted on a pair of insights …
Discussion:
@wesleylowery, @rjcc, National Review, Mediaite and Journalism News
Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Alex Skatell, founder of the Independent Journal Review, on the importance of community for news organizations and the site's future — “We're still quite a ways off from that being a majority of our revenue, but for publishers in general, the ones that thrive I believe …
Shelley Hepworth / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at The New York Times' push into Australia, a media market recently entered by foreign news orgs including BuzzFeed, The Guardian, and The Daily Mail — Kings Canyon, Australia (Ueli Fahrni / Wikipedia) — After posting a link to the news last month that he will be heading …
Discussion:
New York Times
Allister Heath / Telegraph:
Tim Cook says fake news is “killing people's minds”, calls for a PSA campaign, school education, and new tools from tech companies to battle it — Tim Cook, the boss of Apple, is calling for governments to launch a public information campaign to fight the scourge of fake news, which is “killing people's minds”.