Top News:
Brendan O'Connor / Jezebel:
Gothamist deleted critical stories about its new owner, Joe Ricketts, from its sites; co-founder Jake Dobkin says the decision did not come from Ricketts — DNAinfo, the local-news organization owned by right-wing billionaire Joe Ricketts, announced today that it has purchased Gothamist LLC …
Discussion:
@sdkstl, @bgrueskin, @carlzimmer, @anthony and @dangillmor
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Joe Pompeo / Politico:
DNAinfo, owned by Republican mega-donor and Trump backer Joe Ricketts, has acquired the Gothamist network of sites; deal believed to be in low seven figures — DNAinfo, a local news company owned by the Republican mega-donor and Trump backer Joe Ricketts, will announce Wednesday morning …
Discussion:
Gothamist, Observer, Adweek, @bportseasoning, @thecitywanderer, @joepompeo, @anthony, @djacobs, @willsommer, @willsommer and PR Newswire
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Facebook launches Facebook 360, a hub for 360-degree photos and videos available only on Samsung Gear VR — Facebook has devoted major resources and billions of dollars to virtual reality, but there has been a pretty clear line between what happens in the main Facebook app and what happens on the Oculus Rift and Gear VR.
Discussion:
Facebook, Adweek, VentureBeat, The Drum and The Next Web
Annie Karni / Politico:
WH official Boris Epshteyn upset staff and pundits at TV networks by making racially insensitive and borderline homophobic comments before appearances — Boris Epshteyn, who pushes Trump's message out on the airwaves, has offended network bookers and contributors across Washington.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @nicktimiraos, @bennyjohnson, @politico, @nycjim, @yashar, @sopandeb, @pattymo, @jackshafer, @grynbaum, @timobrien, @keitholbermann, @kattykaybbc and The Week
Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
The company behind Jim Brady's Billy Penn, Spirited Media, is merging with news startup Denverite; Brady will lead the new company, also called Spirited Media — After combining with Denverite, the company behind Billy Penn and The Incline hopes to prove its events-heavy model can work in a dozen or more cities.
Discussion:
Denverite, @jcstearns, @ckrewson, @dnvrite, @jbenton, @sarahanne_news, @slynnsnyder, @jimbrady, @andyknny and @shansquared
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Sources: TMZ founder Harvey Levin met with Trump last Wednesday at the White House and asked about the possibility of another interview for his new show on Fox — Since Inauguration Day, President Trump has spent his time meeting with heads of state, titans of industry, economic advisers and public health specialists.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Variety, @kbandersen, @amygallop66, Adweek, @joemande, @keithboykin, @theferocity, @bfriedmandc, The Week, LAist, Fortune and The Wrap
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Vimeo adds support for 360-degree videos, which are seen as a precursor to VR, allowing creators to sell videos in the format directly to consumers — Vimeo creators will now be able to sell the immsersive videos directly to consumers. — Vimeo is adding support for 360-degree videos …
Discussion:
Vimeo, Engadget, International Business Times, CNET, GeekWire, TechCrunch, MacRumors, VentureBeat, Mashable and The Verge
Kelsey Sutton / Politico:
CNN hires ex-White House Communications Director Jason Miller as a contributor — Jason Miller, a former top aide to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and his transition team, is joining CNN as a paid contributor, effective today, POLITICO confirmed. — Business Insider's Oliver Darcy …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @brianstelter, Mediaite, Business Insider, TVNewser, Hollywood Reporter, @kt_so_it_goes and @submarine_guy
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Beatrice Britneff / iPolitics:
CBC announces structural changes, will divide news into three areas, Daily News, Depth and Context, and Investigative, hints at new plans for The National — Steve Ladurantaye named managing editor of flagship TV news program The National — The news division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation …
Discussion:
j-source.ca, @davidakin, @brodiefenlon and @mathewi
Morning Consult:
Morning Consult/Politico poll: 50% of Americans think it's inappropriate for reporters to cite anonymous sources, yet 41% of government employees disagree — Half of Americans think it is inappropriate for journalists to cite anonymous sources in their reporting, and many think reporters are simply making up those sources.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, @davisusan, @mlcalderone, @jesselagreca, @ajchavar, @jerweber, @jmart181, @hadas_gold, @jillgeisler and TheBlaze
Shelley Hepworth / Columbia Journalism Review:
In a talk at Columbia J-School, The New Yorker's chief fact-checker, Peter Canby, discussed how the magazine's processes have changed in the ‘post-truth’ era — This past year, the Oxford Dictionaries chose “post-truth” as its word of the year in a nod to the idea that objective facts …
Discussion:
@rachaelbrown, @cjr, @shelleymiranda and @jamcnn
The Guardian:
UK govt's fake news inquiry considering legislation forcing social networks to improve complaints procedures, following BBC report on images found on Facebook — MPs will examine whether new offences should be created after Facebook's failure to remove sexualised images of children
Discussion:
Mediaite, @hashtaggriswold, The Guardian and BBC
James Vincent / The Verge:
Google launches first original podcast City Soundtracks, a guide to the musical highlights of different cities, available on Play Music and iTunes — Google Play Music has today launched its first original podcast, City Soundtracks. Available on Google's streaming service (and on iTunes! …
Discussion:
TechCrunch and The Next Web
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
In open letter, ACLU, EFF, Writers Guild of America, West, and over 160 other organizations urge FCC and Congress to preserve net neutrality — The future of net neutrality is in jeopardy again, so advocates are getting back to the fight. In a letter sent today to FCC chairman Ajit Pai …
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Techdirt, Common Dreams and Engadget
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