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:
New York Times, @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, PR Newswire, Adweek, @bportseasoning, @thecitywanderer, @joepompeo, @anthony, @djacobs, @willsommer and @willsommer
Emily Steel / New York Times:
Sources: 21st Century Fox reaches $2.5M+ settlement with former Fox News contributor who alleged she was sexually assaulted by a Fox News Latino exec in 2015 — Last summer, as it wrapped up multiple settlements after the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal, Fox News and its parent company …
Discussion:
@shannonpareil and @emilysteel
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Snapchat renews Peter Hamby's national political news show, “Good Luck America,” available now in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia — Snapchat is launching the second season of “Good Luck America,” its political news show hosted by former CNN reporter Peter Hamby …
Discussion:
New York Times, @jonfavs, Fortune and Paste
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, Android Police, Adweek, The Next Web, The Drum and VentureBeat
Christopher Williams / Telegraph:
21st Century Fox replies to UK culture secretary concerns over Sky takeover offer, says Fox's record of infringements of UK broadcast rules is irrelevant — The Murdoch family's US media giant 21st Century Fox has said that concerns over its record of compliance with UK broadcasting standards are …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Financial Times and Variety
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 …
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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
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, @shansquared, @slynnsnyder, @andyknny, @dnvrite, @sarahanne_news, @ckrewson, @jbenton and @jimbrady
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:
TheBlaze, @davisusan, @mlcalderone, @jesselagreca, @ajchavar, @jerweber, @jmart181, @hadas_gold and @jillgeisler
Annie Karni / Politico:
White House 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, @pattymo, @grynbaum, The Week, @nycjim, @yashar, @sopandeb, @jackshafer, @timobrien, @keitholbermann and @kattykaybbc
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai pledges to senators that he'll operate independently of White House — Ajit Pai met with Trump Monday but won't say what they discussed. — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today pledged to US senators that he will operate independently of the White House.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Fast Company, Techdirt, Free Press, The Verge, Multichannel News and Deadline
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:
The Daily Caller, Variety, Mediaite, @kbandersen, @amygallop66, Adweek, @keithboykin, The Week, @joemande, @theferocity, @bfriedmandc, LAist, Fortune and The Wrap