Top News:


Analysis of FCC net neutrality comments finds over 1M pro-repeal were likely faked and 99% of organic comments were in favor of keeping rules — I used natural language processing techniques to analyze net neutrality comments submitted to the FCC from April-October 2017, and the results were disturbing.


Putin signs law that allows government to designate media outlets as “foreign agents”, imposing content labeling and detailed financial-reporting requirements — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation that empowers the government to designate media outlets receiving funding …
Discussion:
Quartz, CNN, Axios, The Hill, @susan_hennessey, Associated Press, RT, RAPPLER, Reuters, euronews and @mollymckew


Charlie Rose's journalism awards rescinded by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and University of Kansas journalism school — Two journalism schools on Friday rescinded honors they had previously awarded to the news broadcaster Charlie Rose after allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against him.
Discussion:
cronkite.asu.edu, Arizona Republic, @alyssanewcomb, @amyjbrittain, @cronkite_asu, TVNewser, Code Words, Mediaite, Mediaite and New York Post


Six sites, including Slate, Refinery29, Mic, end paid promotion partnerships with George Takei to share their content on Takei's Facebook page — Cracks are beginning to appear in George Takei's lucrative social media influencing platform as publishers distance themselves from the former Star Trek star …
Discussion:
@sunny_hundal, @elongreen, @pjvogt, @daviduberti, @ckrewson, @clarajeffery, @brandonorselli, @rafat and The Guardian


How government owned Zimbabwe Herald is adjusting to newly found freedom to publish uncensored stories after the downfall of Robert Mugabe — Reporters and editors plan the daily coverage of the Zimbabwe Herald. The state-owned newspaper was forced this month to cover the downfall of Robert Mugabe, whose rule it had long applauded.


Dish and CBS reach deal after Thanksgiving NFL blackout — Terms were undisclosed — For some satellite subscribers, a standoff between Dish and CBS over a carriage agreement meant no traditional NFL on Thanksgiving, an unforgivable slight to some. But both companies have now reached …
Discussion:
Deadline, CNBC, Digital Trends, CNNMoney and Fast Company


Yandex, Russia's main search engine, now mostly uses state licensed sources for news after law made big news aggregators responsible for content they link to — Google said it would demote Russia Today and Sputnik, but the Russian government has tried to control what news appears on Yandex for years.
Discussion:
@wi1lwright, more at Techmeme »


Schibsted report: European millennials are concerned about how their online info is used but will give personal info for better targeted products and services — 'Tis the season for trend reports. — The Scandinavian media giant Schibsted's annual trends report — part predictions …


UK ex-minister urges CMA to reject Sky takeover citing Murdoch's excessive political influence and how News Int'l CEO Brooks spoke of “partnership” with Cameron — Former minister suggests deal involved appointment by prime minister David Cameron of Andy Coulson, former News of the World editor, to position at No 10
Discussion:
@ian_fraser, timesandstar.co.uk, iNews, The Guardian, Financial Times and Press Gazette


Snapchat debuts new ad formats allowing advertisers to post Promoted Stories in Stories tab and AR Trial Ads for placing interactive objects in a camera view — Snap Inc's stock tanked after missing revenue expectations by $30 million last quarter, so Snapchat is looking to win over businesses with immersive new ads formats.
Discussion:
Digital Trends, 9to5Mac, campaignlive.co.uk, Metro.co.uk, Marketing Land, The Drum, Recode, Variety, Business Insider and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »


Profile of NOWCastSA, a news and information project at San Antonio's library that trains interns, teaches digital media literacy, and covers hyperlocal news — It begins with fun: Playing with the green screen, experimenting with microphones and cameras. Then the San Antonio teenagers move …


AJ+ looks to serialized content on YouTube to increase retention; average video view duration has increased by about 3 minutes in the last three months — Al Jazeera's AJ+ was one of the first distributed media brands to quickly build an audience off the back of Facebook with short …