Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Media companies shutter niche cable channels with low viewership, but cable-TV prices aren't set to drop — But don't expect your bill to decrease as networks go away — The engorged cable-TV bundle is being forced to slim down. — For decades, the number of TV channels on the cable dial has kept rising.
Washington Post:
Interview with German reporter, Kristina Dunz, who asked Trump about decrying fake news while spreading false accusations, during press event with Angela Merkel — BERLIN — President Trump's first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have resembled the comedic awkwardness of a Sacha Baron Cohen movie.
Discussion:
@slamchampion, @mjgarciakcmo, @rickgladstone, @blakehounshell, @cori__paige, @anniekarni, @alanamayjohnson, @digiphile, @waltrautdunz and @jayrosen_nyu
Rob Evans / The Guardian:
Source: London's Metropolitan police and Indian police used hackers to read emails of journalists and press photographers — Exclusive: Secretive Met unit worked with Indian police to obtain campaigners' passwords, anonymous letter alleges — The police watchdog is investigating allegations …
Discussion:
Engadget, Press Gazette, @vidyut, @greenjennyjones, @matthew1butcher, @greenjennyjones, The Next Web, @snowden, Ars Technica UK and Featured Articles
Ashley Cullins / Hollywood Reporter:
Trump's lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to teen behind cat website, which allows users to scratch photos of the President with virtual cat paws — “I really just want people to be aware that this is a president who's clearly more concerned about what people think of him than doing things of substance …
Discussion:
Consequence of Sound and Observer
Elle Hunt / The Guardian:
Facebook starts flagging potential fake news stories as “disputed by multiple, independent fact-checkers” — Feature - which flags content as ‘disputed’ - trialled on story that falsely claimed thousands of Irish people were brought to the US as slaves
Discussion:
The Drum, @slatukip, @markmackinnon and @robjamesberry
Brian Morrissey / Digiday:
Gizmodo Media Group receives 25% of revenue from commerce, says CEO Raju Narisetti, and recently hit 96M unique visitors across its network of sites — Gizmodo Media Group, now operating under Univision, has eight media brands, with six comprising the former Gawker Media properties left after that company's bankruptcy and sale.
Discussion:
@bmorrissey
Jane Lytvynenko / BuzzFeed:
Fortune mag fell for a fake 1973 telegram attributed to McDonald's founder Ray Kroc telling President Nixon to “retire bitch”, didn't add correction for hours — It took a few hours for Fortune to put up a correction — McDonald's made a splash last week when its Twitter …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Kids' digital media startup Pocketwatch, led by former Maker Studios executive Chris M. Williams, raises $6M from investors including CBS' Leslie Moonves — Startup's team includes ex-Maker/Disney exec Chris M. Williams, former Nickelodeon head Albie Hecht
Discussion:
Fortune
Ad Age:
Advertising Age magazine names Digiday Executive Editor Brian Braiker as its new editor; in statement, he says the mag will now “broaden its scope” — Advertising Age has named Brian Braiker its next editor, succeeding Ken Wheaton, who left at the end of December.
Discussion:
@dominicru
Kurt Wagner / Recode:
LinkedIn introduces trending topics section curated by human editors, rolling out Wednesday to US users on mobile and desktop — LinkedIn pulls a Facebook. — LinkedIn is known for helping people find their next job, but now it wants to help people find their news, too.
James Warren / Poynter:
Inside the Pulitzer Center, a 10-year-old nonprofit with 571 publication partners that has supported 715 projects and facilitated a total of 6,168 stories — Iona Craig, a prototypical high-wire journalist without much of a safety net, recently found herself in a broken-down car with no phone reception by a riverbed in war-torn Yemen.
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
9th Circuit appeals court rejects FilmOn's bid for license to stream broadcast works without consent of copyright holders, reversing federal decision from 2015 — The 9th Circuit has reversed a federal judge who concluded otherwise. — On Tuesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed …
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, MediaPost, Variety, Los Angeles Business …, Law360 and Deadline