Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Vice Media signs expanded deal with Snap, under which it will produce shows exclusively for Snapchat, including an eight-episode dating series — Snapchat continues to beef up its lineup of premium short-form shows: Snap Inc. and Vice Media have struck an expanded deal under which Vice will produce shows exclusively for Snapchat.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Adweek, Mediaite, eMarketer and Newsroom Posts and Fortune
Alex Spence / BuzzFeed:
Google refuses request from MPs to remove anti-Semitic video that talked of “white genocide”, as exec tells UK committee hate speech guidelines weren't violated — Google, Facebook and Twitter were accused of creating ‘platforms for racists’ in a bruising Westminster hearing today.
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Amar Toor / The Verge:
Germany's justice minister introduces draft law proposing fines of up to $53M on social media companies that fail to remove hate speech — Justice ministry says Facebook and Twitter are still failing to quickly remove illegal content reported by users — The German Justice Ministry …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Forbes, Financial Times and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
Andrew Kirell / The Daily Beast:
Fox Business Network sees ratings surge after abandoning straight business news for politics with a right-wing voice and becoming a Trump defender — It turns out Donald Trump never would have needed to launch his own cable-news outlet if he'd lost the election. He already has one: It's called the Fox Business Network.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, NPR, TVNewser, @andrewkirell, @andrewkirell, @henryjgomez, @perlberg, Talking Biz News and @andrewkirell
Hadas Gold / Politico:
Senator Jeanne Shaheen introduces bill to give DoJ additional authority to investigate RT America for possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is introducing a bill that would give the Justice Department additional authority …
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Sam Parr, founder of San Francisco-based The Hustle, a general-interest tech and business newsletter that has raised $1.3M+ in funding — “One guy put in a hundred grand.” — Launching a general-interest tech and business news site these days seems like kind of a dumb idea — there's way too much competition.
Discussion:
Talking Biz News
Ted Bridis / Associated Press:
AP analysis: Obama administration spent $36.2M on legal costs incurred by fighting FOIA requests, setting a record for outright denial of access to files — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration in its final year in office spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, @heidiprzybyla and @johnfund
Emily Bazelon / New York Times:
A profile of Lawfare, a national security blog read widely by the intel community which has gained a broader following in the Trump era — A little over a year ago, Benjamin Wittes, the editor in chief of the blog Lawfare, made the case that Donald Trump, as a Republican presidential candidate …
Discussion:
@k8brannen, @susan_hennessey and @lawfareblog
New York Times:
Sources: ex-Fox News CFO Mark Kranz among those subpoenaed for federal grand jury — The political drama around the federal courthouse in Manhattan did not end with the sudden, unexplained turnabout of President Trump in firing Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Discussion:
PEN America, @tomfitton, @tackettdc, Washington Post, ProPublica, Rewire, @dleonhardt, @gabrielsherman, Fortune, www.wnyc.org, New York Magazine, New York Magazine and Jezebel
New York Times:
Liberal TV ratings are surging in wake of Trump victory, with MSNBC's primetime audience in February up 55% from a year ago — There is a new safe space for liberals in the age of President Trump: the television set. — Left-leaning MSNBC, after flailing in the Obama years, has edged CNN in prime time.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Fox News, @katrinanation, @joanwalsh, @mtracey, @tvnewser, PEN America and Axios
Michael Schuman / Washington Post:
By disparaging media in US, Trump gives tacit permission for autocratic authorities around the world to dismiss press reports as false and to harass journalists — Foreign correspondents already have a risky job. Now that risk is being increased. — I received a text message …
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham to stand down; the broadcaster prematurely tweeted a statement about his resignation — Broadcaster accidentally reveals boss's resignation after seven years in tweet — David Abraham is to stand down as chief executive of Channel 4 after seven years.