Top News:
Bloomberg:
With ads hard to sell and VC funds hard to raise, sources say media startups like Defy Media and Uproxx consider following Mashable, selling to bigger companies — Defy Media, Uproxx also weigh sale as capital to grow dries up — Web publishers that made ‘pivot to video’ struggle to sell ads
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Nieman Lab, @dylanbyers, @film_girl, TheStreet, @gerryfsmith, @jarroddicker, @mathewi, @mgsiegler, @mitrakalita, @joshuatopolsky, @mmasnick, @ted_williams, @sapna, Ad Age, Recode and Wall Street Journal
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Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:
Sources: IAC is exploring selling The Daily Beast, but the company has no formal sales effort in place — Digital media is facing a reckoning. — The start-ups that were once the darlings of the industry are facing budget shortfalls and revenue declines as they struggle to survive …
Discussion:
CNNMoney, @dylanbyers, Business Insider, Guido Fawkes, Forbes and @jbenton
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Axios raises $20M to fund newsroom expansion, plans to increase staffing to 150 by the end of 2018 — The 10-month-old media startup plans to increase staffing to 150 by the end of 2018, develop new coverage areas, and expand its data analysis and product offerings
Discussion:
@jimvandehei, TechCrunch, Tubefilter, Variety, The Wrap, @maxslaterrobins, @jeffjarvis, @jayrosen_nyu, @mathewi, @jayrosen_nyu, Fast Company and @brianstelter
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Sources: Vice Media suspends Jason Mojica, head of documentary film unit, as part of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations — Jason Mojica has been head of Vice's documentary film unit since August 2016. — Vice Media has suspended Jason Mojica, head of its documentary film unit …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Page Six, The Awl, Hollywood Reporter, Tubefilter, @imyourkid, @imyourkid, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap and Waypoint
Tom Turula / Business Insider:
Spotify announces it has acquired Soundtrap, a collaborative online music recording startup, reportedly for at least $30M — Spotify is buying Swedish music tech startup Soundtrap for an undisclosed amount. — Soundtrap is a collaborative online recording studio that was valued at $25 million (SEK 207 million) last year.
Discussion:
Press, Music Industry Blog, Mashable, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, RAIN News and Axios, more at Techmeme »
Amanda Robb / Rolling Stone:
An investigation into the roots of Pizzagate: the real people behind some of the social accounts that later were amplified by bots — Inside the web of conspiracy theorists, Russian operatives, Trump campaigners and Twitter bots who manufactured the ‘news’ that Hillary Clinton ran a pizza-restaurant child-sex ring
Discussion:
@theitskeptic, @raphkoster, @starecheski, @senyorreporter, @lyssanthrope, @bbjonez and @charliespiering
Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline:
MoviePass launches a one-year subscription plan for $89.95 — For a limited time, MoviePass is offering a one-year subscription plan for a flat fee of $89.95, which translates to $7.50 a month (that price already includes a $6.55 processing fee). That price is under this year's 3Q average movie ticket …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, Gizmodo, @christoronyi, The A.V. Club, Business Insider, Engadget, The Verge and /Film, more at Techmeme »
The Daily Beast:
Freedom of the Press Foundation plans to stop routing funds to WikiLeaks after funneling $500K in donations over 5 years; Xeni Jardin left group in December — In the heat of the presidential election campaign last year, Xeni Jardin, a journalist and free speech advocate, developed a sickening feeling about WikiLeaks.
Discussion:
The Intercept, @neeratanden, @theintercept, emptywheel, @bungdan, @emptywheel, @attackerman, @exiledsurfer, @jswatz and @jswatz
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
YouTube takes down Toy Freaks, a kid-focused channel that had over 8.5M subscribers, as it tightens enforcement of child endangerment policies — Following consumer outrage over YouTube's handling of disturbing videos aimed at children on its network, the company has now banned …
Discussion:
Variety, The Outline and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Ryan Ori / Chicago Tribune:
Tronc says the Chicago Tribune will leave Tribune Tower in Q2 2018, leasing space in a building overlooking Millennium Park — Built in 1925, the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower was designed by New York architects Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells, who won a contest held by Tribune co-publishers …
Discussion:
@maryschmich, @alexisomyers, @byalisonbowen, @davidheinzmann and @richbird_editor
Sean Illing / Vox:
New study finds China uses “cheerleading”, or flooding the internet with positive news in order to eclipse bad news, as a method to manipulate its population — Now Russia is following China's blueprint. — The art of suppressing dissent has been perfected over the years by authoritarian governments.
Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian:
Records released Friday show congressman Greg Gianforte misled police in May after assault of reporter Ben Jacobs, claiming Jacobs initiated physical contact — US congressman Greg Gianforte misled police after his assault of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs in May, falsely stating that Jacobs …
Discussion:
@jmartnyt and @mattdpearce
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