Top News:
Hollywood Reporter:
Weinstein Co. board of directors says in letter to bidders Maria Contreras-Sweet and Ron Burkle that they will pursue bankruptcy as talks for a sale break down — Maria Contreras-Sweet and Ron Burkle were part of a bid to buy the embattled company. — The Weinstein Co. board of directors …
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Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Deadline, CNNMoney, /Film, Deadline, The Wrap, CNBC, Mediaite, Variety, USA Today, Billboard, The Hill, ABC News, Newsweek, Washington Post, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, PAPERMAG, NPR, Press Association, Jezebel, 89.3 KPCC, Fortune, The A.V. Club and @sharonwaxman
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
NYT editorial-page editor James Bennet defends op-ed page controversy, saying it publishes a variety of voices; newsroom sources voice concern and embarrassment — A yoga-pants refusenik, a climate science skeptic, and a tech writer with a neo-Nazi pal, among other offenders, have put James Bennet in the crosshairs.
Discussion:
@tomscocca, @maxboot, @vanityfair, @jayrosen_nyu, @awinston, @corgizhukov, @jackshafer, @jackmirkinson, @onesarahjones, @jonathanchait, @davidklion, @rbryant2012, @willsommer, @sulliview and @joepompeo
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the probe into Newsweek from Manhattan's District Attorney office is also considering whether or not the company defrauded advertisers — A widening probe into possible fraud at Newsweek has sent the storied media brand into crisis — Two years ago, a loan application …
Discussion:
iMediaEthics
RELATED:
Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
A new book by Ryan Holiday alleges Peter Thiel considered bribery, theft, bugging, and hacking as part of his quest to destroy Gawker — Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel—who secretly schemed to annihilate Gawker Media, a goal he achieved in August 2016, and to force its founder …
Discussion:
Fast Company, @johnjcook, @jeffbercovici, @johnjcook, @jeffbercovici, @kevinroose, @maxwellstrachan, @williamturton, @ashleyfeinberg and @bendwalsh
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CBS is launching CBS Sports HQ, a free 24-hour streaming service dedicated to sports coverage — CBS is taking another swing at the streaming-video sector with the launch of a free 24-hour digital sports-news outlet known as CBS Sports HQ. — Executives said the service will feature live news …
Stewart Clarke / Variety:
Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, CNN's Jeff Zucker called on regulators to investigate Google and Facebook's duopoly on ad market — Jeff Zucker has called upon advertisers and tech firms to help find new way to monetize news content on mobile platforms …
Pete Brown / Columbia Journalism Review:
Analysis of Live videos posted by 17 brands reportedly paid by Facebook until March 2017 show number of posted videos fell 51% between April and December 2017 — Founder & CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook's F8 Developers Conference. (Photo by Brian Solis via Flickr)
Bloomberg:
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar says Facebook and Twitter should be fined if they don't remove automated bots or accounts trying to influence US public opinion — Klobuchar thinks social media must invest more on prevention — Democrat sponsoring bill requiring social media ad disclosure
Discussion:
@mathewi
Gregg Kilday / Hollywood Reporter:
Turner's FilmStruck to add classic Hollywood movies from Warner Bros. film library as Warner Archive to shutter its streaming service — Turner and Warner Bros. Digital Networks have struck a new pact that will bring classics like ‘Casablanca’ to the streaming service.
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Broadcasting & Cable, Variety, EW.com, Los Angeles Times, Deadline and Variety
Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
A number of Australian media companies, including News Corp Australia, are seeking to intervene in a damages case involving Hollywood star Rebel Wilson — News Corp Australia, Fairfax Media, Macquarie Media, the ABC and the Seven and Nine networks line up with publisher Bauer
Discussion:
AdNews, Hollywood.com, The New Daily and Reuters
Kieran Delamont / The Outline:
A look at the evolution of marijuana journalism as it moves away from activism and gimmicks toward the kind of lifestyle coverage reserved for food and wine — Surveying the past, present, and future of marijuana journalism. — “The caramel-chocolate flavored candy bar looked so innocent …
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Unwilling to attack grieving students, the NRA turns to Trump's playbook, attacking the news media with claim that media “love mass shootings” — One of the more outrageous assertions in a week overrun with them was Dana Loesch's outright lie that journalists relish massacres of children.
Discussion:
@joshtpm, @porter_anderson, @andrewgraham88, @30bike and @prrosado