Top News:
Maxwell Tani / Business Insider:
Infowars was reportedly granted temporary White House press credentials, which are easier to receive than a permanent pass — Far-right website InfoWars was granted temporary White House press credentials on Monday. — Jerome Corsi, the Washington, DC bureau chief for the site that's known …
Discussion:
@jerome_corsi, @treyyingst, Infowars, @erikwemple, @michaelrwarren, Media Matters for America, Mashable, @chrismurphyct, @colinkahl, @swin24, @joshgreenman, Mediaite, @ddale8, The Hill and @jakebeckman
Joseph Otterson / Variety:
MSNBC Reaches Number One For First Time in Weekly Primetime Ratings, Fox News Drops to Third — For the first time in its history, MSNBC ranked number one in both total viewers and the key adults 25-54 demographic during primetime for a full week among the big three cable news networks.
Monika Bickert / The Guardian:
In response to leak of its content moderation guidelines, Facebook tries to explain “how and where we draw the line” — Our reviewing of difficult posts and images is complex and challenging. We appreciate the Guardian revealing how tough it is to get the balance right
Discussion:
Business Insider, @karaswisher, @dseetharaman, Mashable and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Luke Mullins / Washingtonian:
Profile of Matt Boyle, Washington editor of Breitbart News, who says he is still in regular communication with Steve Bannon — The very unlikely rise of a media phenomenon in Trump's Washington. — Matt Boyle went from an outsider ridiculed for his awkward mien and his activist tendencies …
Discussion:
@mckaycoppins
Ben Munson / Fierce Cable:
Viacom CEO Bob Bakish says the company is in talks with at least one MVPD about an entertainment-only channel bundle priced at $10-$20 — Viacom CEO says $10-$20 entertainment channel bundle coming this year — Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said an entertainment-only, nonsports TV channel bundle …
Discussion:
Variety, Engadget and Stop the Cap!
Trevor Timm / Columbia Journalism Review:
The prospect of Joe Lieberman as FBI director does not bode well for press freedom — Former Senator Joe Lieberman is reportedly President Trump's leading choice to replace the recently-fired James Comey as FBI director. If you're a person who values free speech and press freedom rights …
Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:
Layoffs hit the Sacramento Bee, the latest in a series of staff reductions executed by its parent company McClatchy — The Sacramento Bee on Monday enacted a round of layoffs, the latest in a series of staff reductions executed by its corporate parent, The McClatchy Company.
Discussion:
@nickmiller510 and @poynter
Kurt Wagner / Recode:
Twitter has hired Todd Swidler, former senior vice president of video and partnerships at Bloomberg, to run its live video business — Todd Swidler is joining to run all of Twitter's live video partnerships. — Twitter has hired a former media executive to run its growing live video business …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Variety, Mediawire and @recode
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Dish integrates with Amazon Alexa for hands-free TV, the first TV provider to do so, a move Dish likely hopes will stem the cord-cutting trend — TV provider Dish Network is today rolling out new technology that will make watching television a hands-free experience, via a new integration with Amazon Alexa.
Discussion:
Press Release, Ad Age, BGR, Fortune and Amazon Developer Services, more at Techmeme »
Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:
Six months in, The New York Times is expanding The Wirecutter to babies, personal finance, and pet gear — The Wirecutter made a name for itself by serving up great deals to tech obsessives hungry for the latest gadgets. But the best deal it ever offered might've been its sale to The New York Times in October for $30 million.
Discussion:
@dangillmor, @drake_baer and @benmullin
David Lieberman / Deadline:
CBS extends Les Moonves' contract to 2021 and has him serving as senior advisor for 5 more years — CBS just announced that it has extended CEO Les Moonves' contract by two years to June 30, 2021 — with terms that guarantee he'll continue to be one of the nation's highest paid executives.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, TheStreet, Financial Times, Seeking Alpha and @pkafka
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
As part of its outreach to news publishers, Facebook is testing three new products which aim to connect users with local news — As part of its ongoing push to build relationships with local publishers, Facebook is testing products that can help people better connect with local news.
Discussion:
INMA and @kristenhare