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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New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, CNBC, Washington Post, Slate, Rolling Stone, New York Daily News, PAPERMAG, NPR, Jezebel, 89.3 KPCC, @sharonwaxman and The Wrap
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
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Will Oremus / Slate:
Current and former Newsweek staff on how an editorial strategy prioritizing clicks amid IBT Media's troubles led to firings and embarrassing editorial missteps — It stands accused of improper ties to a religious institution. Its newsroom has been gutted by firings and resignations.
Discussion:
@alexkotch, @willoremus, @davidsirota and @ericapishdadian
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 …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Radio & Television …, Fast Company and Adweek
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:
@johnjcook, Fast Company, @johnjcook, @jeffbercovici, @jeffbercovici, @maxwellstrachan, @ashleyfeinberg, @bendwalsh, @kevinroose and @williamturton
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
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
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon targeted in calls to drop NRA TV app, which is also on Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast
Amazon targeted in calls to drop NRA TV app, which is also on Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast
Discussion:
Business Insider, CNNMoney, @newday and Mediaite
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Time Inc UK - parent company of magazines like NME and Marie Claire - sold to private equity firm Epiris in deal thought to be worth ~£130M — Epiris expected to sell underperforming titles and cut 1,700-strong workforce … The UK publisher of titles including Marie Claire …
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
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 …
Julia Alexander / Polygon:
Due to vague YouTube guidelines and unpredictable demonetization actions some YouTube creators promote the Brave browser, where users can tip via Brave Payments — Cryptocurrency hits YouTube — It's a scary time for YouTubers: YouTube's community guidelines are changing seemingly on the fly …
Sahil Patel / Digiday:
NBC Sports and Refinery29 partner for a yearlong editorial and marketing Instagram project telling stories about women in sports called On Her Turf — NBC Sports and Refinery29 are embarking on a yearlong social editorial and marketing partnership focused on telling stories about female athletes and other women in sports.
Discussion:
@digiday