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Vocativ lays off editorial staff and says in a statement it will focus exclusively on video distributed via social media and other platforms — “RIP fake deep web data reporting.” — That was one reaction Wednesday morning after Vocativ announced it was cutting its entire newsroom focused …
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@adrjeffries, Vocativ, @ryanbeckler, Talking New Media, @lemirejoe, @zenalbatross, Fast Company, @parkermolloy, Adweek, @benmullin, @poynter, @clarajeffery, @erik_hayden, @jbenton, @rafat, @s_m_i, @emilybell, Folio, @rafat, @johnjcook, @jonlemire, @meena_thiru, @mathewi and @caleweissman


Fox News has dropped the marketing slogan “Fair & Balanced”, invented by Roger Ailes in 1996, to be replaced by “Most Watched. Most Trusted.” — As Fox News moves further into the post-Roger Ailes era, the network is shedding one of its most iconic elements.
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Mashable, TVNewser, Talking New Media, @jbflint, Politicus USA, Business Insider, Fortune and The Week


US Office of Government Ethics calls retroactive, unsigned ethics waiver that applies to Steve Bannon “problematic”, in reply to Democratic senators — The Office of Government Ethics said in a letter to Democratic senators this week that the Trump administration's blanket ethics …
Discussion:
United States Office …, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, @bystevereilly and The Week


HuffPost layoffs affecting 39 people include one winner of a Pulitzer as DC bureau is hit hard by cuts — HuffPost laid off over three-dozen employees Wednesday, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, as part of broader corporate cutbacks. — The creation of a new Verizon digital …
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CNBC, @bendwalsh, The Wrap, @mlcalderone, @mlcalderone, Adweek, USA Today, @xokasia, CNNMoney, @ethanklapper, Deadline, @jessicaschulb, @caitlin__kelly, @screenslaver, @sfiegerman, @mlcalderone, @edgeofsports, @timothynoah1, @tomzellerjr, @samsteinhp, @gsparks94, @tomkludt, @dceiver, @christinawilkie, @juliacraven, @alexkotch, AdExchanger, Softpedia News and BuzzFeed


The Intercept is conducting an internal review after the publication of an NSA doc may have led to the government contractor who leaked it being identified — The investigative news site the Intercept has launched an internal investigation into the publication of a classified NSA document, the site's co-founders said Tuesday.
Discussion:
@jeremyscahill, @micahflee, @auerbachkeller, @ggreenwald, @markamesexiled and @jackmurphyrgr


As JPMorgan becomes one of the latest brands to pull ads from news shows or events, questions arise about whether sponsors are becoming too involved in content — A production of Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” in Central Park featuring a look-alike of President Trump as Caesar.
Discussion:
@profcarroll, @davidsable, @nytimesbusiness, Digiday, Boing Boing, Washington Post and The Guardian
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Source: NBC needs controversies like the Alex Jones scandal to shake up Sunday night ratings; they hired Megyn Kelly to create such buzz
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, @jjohnsonlaw, @ericboehlert, @owillis, @marksimoneny and The Week

Multiple brands suspend ads from Megyn Kelly's new show, Sunday Night, due to Alex Jones interview, but NBC News chairman Andy Lack says they'll return
Discussion:
Forbes, The Wrap, Variety, The Drum, BBC, @asharma, Media Matters for America, @trentlmoore, @katierosman and @reignofapril


The NYT is overhauling its digital publishing system as it pivots from a platform-based approach to a reader-centric strategy in order to entice subscribers — With its business model squarely built around reader revenue, getting users logged in is a critical step toward payment.
Discussion:
@wonderboymusic, @cliffordlevy, MediaShift and Poynter, more at Techmeme »


Facebook begins testing a tool for reviewing where on- and off-platform ads run, with option to opt-out of some publishers, rolling out over the year — Facebook made several overtures to openness on Wednesday with tools designed to give advertisers more control over where and how their ads …
Discussion:
Ad Age, The Times & The Sunday Times, Adweek and The Drum, more at Techmeme »


Profile of Shiva Ayyadurai, who says he invented email and is running as a Republican in 2018 senatorial election, amid his libel lawsuit against Techdirt — “I defined e-mail! And you guys have got to give me that credit.” — History is not fixed; like memory itself, it is an act of reconstruction.
Discussion:
@timfernholz, @thorsprovoni, @krelnik, @cfarivar, @vranieri and @dangillmor


UK judge rules News Corp unit must disclose invoices and let laptops used by James Murdoch be searched ahead of October phone hacking trial — Judge orders News Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, to disclose documents relating to private investigators
Discussion:
Ad Age


IJR asks all staffers to sign noncompete clause barring work at any news organization for six months after leaving — Executives at the Independent Journal Review, the conservative millennial-focused news website, have asked employees to sign a new noncompete agreement as the upstart website continues …
Discussion:
@cernovich, @rolandsmartin, @mckaycoppins, @mlcalderone, @oliverdarcy and @pbump


Report: political campaigns could manipulate elections by spending just $400K on fake news and propaganda, while discrediting a journalist costs just $55K — Fake News Machine research comes amid increasing concern about hacking elections and the ways that fake news on social media has manipulated voters