Top News:


Harvey Weinstein used threats, perks and a complicit web of agents, execs, and journalists at American Media and elsewhere as sexual harassment accusations grew — HARVEY WEINSTEIN BUILT his complicity machine out of the witting, the unwitting and those in between.
Discussion:
@jodikantor, @amandahess, @brianstelter, @sarahjeong, The Guardian, Fortune, @reformedbroker, @jeremymbarr, UPROXX, @otpor17, Variety, @mikeelk, @katierogers, @lizmeriwether, @rezaaslan, @lizmeriwether, @joepompeo, @jonathanalter, IndieWire, The Wrap, Deadline, @adamnagourney, @brianstelter, The Daily Caller, AOL, @aodespair, @countermoonbat, Mediaite, Mashable, @kzaleski, @bklynbckstretch, @moira, @moorehn, @clarajeffery, @clarajeffery, @mega2e, @jbflint, @saletan, @jorcru, @paulkingsley7, @brianstelter, @nazgul, @anthony, Axios and @w7voa


12 American Media ex-employees share details of complaints about Dylan Howard's behavior and an ensuing probe, after which he left before returning a year later — NEW YORK (AP) — The top editor for the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and other major gossip publications openly described …
Discussion:
@jodikantor, Mediaite, @debrabirnbaum, @russfischer, @tripgabriel, The Wrap, @nytnickc, @bluechoochoo, @jodikantor, @ursulav, @steventdennis, @jamestaranto, @yashar, @annelamott, Deadline, VICE, Washington Post, Jezebel, @mlcalderone, @lizcrokin, @moorehn, @kbandersen, The Daily Caller, @elise_holman, @erikwemple, AOL, @hollykmichels, @drogon_dracarys, The Week and Mediawire


Sources: James Murdoch has been suggested as a potential successor to Disney CEO Bob Iger, due to retire in 2019, if Disney acquires 21st Century Fox assets — Matthew Garrahan in London, Arash Massoudi in London and James Fontanella-Khan in New York — James Murdoch has been suggested …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Ad Age, Mediawire, New York Times, Variety, Business Insider, Deadline, The Guardian and Multichannel News
RELATED:

Sources: 21st Century Fox is close to a deal with Walt Disney Co to sell its studio and TV production assets and it could come as early as next week
Discussion:
Variety, Reuters, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, Ubergizmo, Multichannel News, The Wrap, Business Insider, The Hill, @ericjackson, Bloomberg, @michaeldavsmith, @corkgaines, @frankthetank111, @mayornhl, @jourdayen, Forbes, @broximar, Adweek and @jbflint


LA Weekly's new owners met with backlash after laying off staff and seeking unpaid contributors; former writers call for boycott as some advertisers step back — Since LA Weekly laid off most of its journalists last week and its new owners revealed their identities Friday, backlash has been swift and fierce.
Discussion:
Amoeblog, OC Weekly, @raablauren, @langloislane, @mdseely, @8bitrabbits, @1236, The Wrap, Melville House Books, SPIN, OC Weekly and UPROXX


YouTube says it's pulling support for Amazon Echo Show today, will cut access to YouTube on Amazon FireTV starting Jan. 1; Amazon stops selling new Nest devices — New Nest devices have mysteriously disappeared from Amazon — Three months ago, YouTube pulled its programming …
Discussion:
Variety, The Guardian, CNET, Pocket-lint, Engadget, gHacks Technology News, Ubergizmo, The Next Web, @tonyromm, @pwayboy, @jank0, @acuconservative, @stevekovach, @annemariebridy, @thechrisferrell, @koush, Fast Company, Multichannel News, GeekWire, FierceCable, @joan_e, Business Insider, @jeffersongraham, @craigsilverman, Tubefilter, @backlon, Gizmodo, ZDNet and Axios, more at Techmeme »


Gannett chief content officer and USA Today editor-in-chief Joanne Lipman is stepping down at the end of the year to focus on her upcoming book about gender gap — Joanne Lipman, who helped Gannett through its rebranding as the USA TODAY NETWORK, is stepping down as Chief Content Officer …
Discussion:
@aidspol, @ombudsman and @daviduberti


Sources: Ziff Davis bought Mashable for less than $50M; source: about 50 people will likely be laid off and founder Pete Cashmore will stay at the company — Founder Pete Cashmore is staying. — Mashable, once a fast-growing digital publisher with big ambitions, has been sold at a fire sale price.


Cinemark, third-largest theater chain in US, announces $9/month subscription service offering one ticket/month plus a 20% food discount, to respond to MoviePass — The subscription service, which aims to boost theater attendance, gives customers discounts on tickets and concessions.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Business Wire, Gizmodo, IndieWire, The Verge, Home Media Magazine and Deadline


Contributing writers to publications including Mashable, Inc, Business Insider, and Fast Co say they accepted payments in exchange for promoting companies — An Outline investigation found that contributors to prominent publications have taken payments in exchange for positive coverage.
Discussion:
@jumonsmapes, Melville House Books, @weinbergrrrrr, @joelindsey, @pecunium, @beejoli, @schwindter, @terryglavin, @atbwebb, @dannysullivan, @joshtpm, @danaditomaso, @kemc, @cebsilver, @xmasape, @erinbiba, @fmanjoo, @benjihyam, @joshuatopolsky, @evaholland, @starfire2258, @brianbeutler, @davidfolkenflik, @alexlaughs, @adrjeffries, @hels and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »


Magna: digital ad spend surpassed TV worldwide in 2017 for the first time, with digital taking $209B, 41% of the market, and TV taking $178B, 35% of the market — You knew it was coming. — We've been headed here for a while. But this was the year it actually happened: Advertisers spent more on digital than traditional TV.


Q&A with Leon Neyfakh on Slate's new podcast Slow Burn on revisiting Watergate, covering scandal's lesser-known figures, and Nixon and Trump admin similarities — At the height of her fame, Martha Mitchell was one of the most popular women in America. Today, she's largely forgotten.


Sources: 60 Minutes EP took over writing the show's anniversary book after objecting to original author's research into treatment of women in the workplace — Jeff Fager, the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” took over the writing of a book on the CBS show's 50-year history after objecting …
Discussion:
@jimrutenberg, Splinter, The Wrap and TVNewser


Former Charlie Rose producer and black journalist Rebecca Carroll remembers the show's work environment in the late 1990s as toxic and degrading — As one powerful man after another faces allegations of sexual misconduct, we're still not talking about the ramifications for black women.
Discussion:
@lynellgeorge, www.wnyc.org, @ka_marketplace, The Wrap, @bencasselman, @tylercoates, @monaeltahawy, @schemaly, @kmcdonovgh, @stephherold, @rebeccakkatz, @gbahadur, @deggans and @itsmeadria