Top News:
Jonathan Handel / Hollywood Reporter:
NPR staffers weigh a possible strike vote as early as Friday night, while management takes a hard line in contract talks — Management says talks are “productive,” but the union decries an “odious” contract on offer. — Hollywood avoided potential strikes this year by writers and talent, but NPR may not be so lucky.
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Joseph Bernstein / BuzzFeed:
Leaked documents suggest that Robert Mercer and his family funded Milo Yiannopoulos following his resignation from Breitbart News — The Mercer family helped Donald Trump become President — and they appear to be funding the controversial Yiannopoulos. — Secretive hedge fund billionaire …
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Sara Fischer / Axios:
BBC's partnership with CBS ends its deal with ABC, as CBS ends its deal with Sky — BBC News is ending its decades-long editorial partnership with ABC news to team up with rival CBS. In a statement released Thursday, network executives celebrated the impact the partnership …
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Maureen Farrell / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Roku has hired IPO underwriters, and one source says it may file confidentially in the next few weeks, seeking a valuation of ~$1B — Streaming media player maker said to be seeking a valuation of roughly $1 billion — Roku Inc., which makes streaming media devices and software …
Discussion:
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Alexandra Ellerbeck / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Recent US Senate report on leaks and national security used unscientific methodology, created false paradigm between national security and press freedom, more — Last week, Republicans on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a report on leaks to the media.
Discussion:
@pressfreedom
Tony Romm / Recode:
FanDuel and DraftKings drop their merger, following FTC's vote to challenge it last month — The decision to terminate the deal comes after the U.S. government voted to challenge it. — FanDuel and DraftKings have decided to scrap their merger rather than fight the U.S. government …
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BuzzFeed:
In a familiar pattern, right-wing personalities and media spread false claims about a Russian lawyer who met with Trump Jr., with one claim amplified by Trump — Pro-Trump media figures have gone as far as to falsely suggest that the Russian attorney may have planted a listening device for the Obama administration.
Discussion:
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Jon Seidel / Chicago Sun Times:
Shareholder sues to stop Tribune Media-Sinclair deal, accusing Tribune of misleading stockholders and withholding information — Tribune Media Company is facing a stockholder lawsuit seeking class-action status aimed at halting its pending $3.9 billion purchase by Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.
Sami Main / Adweek:
Kevin Hart's LOL comedy network to launch streaming service Aug. 3; free app will offer a show per week with ads, $2.99 version will offer full seasons, no ads — Lyft is a partner for one of the series — Starting next month, fans of Kevin Hart can stream his specials plus hand-selected and produced content from Hart himself.
Lauren Johnson / Adweek:
Pinterest hires Jon Alferness and Meredith Guerriero, senior execs at Google and Facebook, to develop new ad formats and targeting — Jon Alferness and Meredith Guerriero bring search and programmatic expertise — Pinterest is after Google's talent. The San Francisco-based company …
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Julia Boorstin / CNBC:
At Sun Valley, CBS CEO Les Moonves says the company isn't looking for deals but would consider CNN if it were available — - CBS CEO Les Moonves said the company isn't looking for deals now, but would consider CNN if it became available: “CNN is a very worthy news organization.”
Discussion:
@alexweprin, @bluechoochoo and @mattrosoff
Slate:
A census of 2,515 Washington journalists reveals that most political reporters haven't adopted secure tools for communicating with sources — When journalists don't step up, leakers are forced to use riskier modes of communication to initiate contact. — In the months since Donald Trump took office …
Discussion:
@jackshafer, @scottnover, @brfreed, @scottnover, @nikkiusher and @mathewi