Top News:
ProPublica:
ProPublica retracts reporting saying Gina Haspel oversaw a “black site” while al-Qaida suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded and that she mocked his suffering — On Feb. 22, 2017, ProPublica published a story that inaccurately described Gina Haspel's role in the treatment of Abu Zubaydah …
Wall Street Journal:
Preview of AT&T-Time Warner lawsuit: antitrust unit says merger would raise prices, and its chief swears AT&T CEO asked whether a CNN sale would get deal OK'ed — Next week, a federal judge will begin trying an antitrust case that has broad ramifications for media …
Discussion:
Reuters, @shalini, New York Times, @davidmwessel and @hadas_gold
Bart Barnes / Washington Post:
Michael Getler, a Washington Post foreign correspondent, editor and ombudsman, as well as an ombudsman for PBS, dies at 82 — Michael Getler, a Washington Post foreign correspondent and editor who later led the Paris-based International Herald Tribune and served as an incisive in-house media critic …
Felix Salmon / Recode:
As Reuters receives $10B over 30 years and retains editorial independence in Blackstone M&A deal, it should expand internationally and acquire digital news orgs — Reuters News just won the lottery. What will it do with all that money? — It's the biggest assignment in journalism …
Discussion:
@felixsalmon, @lucas_jackson_, @edmundlee and Reuters
Robert Feder:
Layoffs hit Tronc's Chicago Tribune, the second round in five months; memo lists other changes, including content management system, redesign, and planned move — Chicago Tribune staffers bid farewell to more of their colleagues as another wave of layoffs hit the newsroom today.
James Andrew Miller / Hollywood Reporter:
Interview with former ESPN President John Skipper, who resigned in December citing substance addiction; he says someone tried to extort him for buying cocaine — The former network chief goes public in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the real reason behind his abrupt departure …
Discussion:
New York Times, @kevinmdraper, FierceCable, The Wrap, @claytravis, @rjinvegas, USA Today, KTLA, ProFootballTalk, Business Insider, @richarddeitsch, TV Tattle, Variety, The New York Observer, The Big Lead, @frankpallotta, @kbandersen, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Multichannel News, Recode, The Wrap, TVNewser, TVWeek.com, Mediaite, @scottnover, @deftlyinane, @alexmsilverman, @jdubs88, @editorialiste, @hotlinejosh, @amyargetsinger, @sportspronick and TMZ.com
Daniel D'Addario / TIME:
Fox's Shep Smith on separating news and opinion programming, quitting if the show changes to accommodate viewers, concerns about who would replace him, and more — In a Manhattan Fox News studio on a recent Tuesday in February, Shepard Smith sits ready to begin taping his 3 p.m. newscast.
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, Mediaite, @jtreece406, @oliverdarcy, @daviduberti, @wmtwsteve, @k_barua, @jayrosen_nyu and TVNewser
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Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The latest Denver Post cuts, an apparent “harvesting strategy” by Alden Global Capital, parent of Digital First Media, shock and sadden remaining journalists — Jesse Aaron Paul could hardly believe his good fortune when he started his internship at the Denver Post in 2014 not long after he graduated from Colorado College.
Discussion:
@alecmacgillis, @sulliview, @joshjonsmith, @coreyhutchins, @sduncovered, @bylindsayhjones, @dianasugg, @alexreimer1, @macsmith413, @davidzahniser, @candiceruud, @_toddstone, @kenwardjr, @nickcastele, @bostonjonas, @ginamizell, @andysternberg, @postbaron, @rbakerny, @dangillmor, @megkinnardap, @scmitchp, @noelle_phillips, @jfdulac, @nbminor and @michalskilaura
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Facebook apologizes and says it is investigating why its search box autocomplete suggested sexual videos, child abuse content, and other strange results — Searches starting ‘video of’ returned autocomplete suggestions of sexual videos and child abuse content
Discussion:
The Verge, Newsweek, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, USA Today, Motherboard and Mashable, more at Techmeme »
CNN:
Trump administration announces new Russia sanctions on 5 entities, including IRA, and 19 individuals, in response to US election interference and cyberattacks — Putin's ‘chef,’ the man behind the troll factory — Washington (CNN)The Trump administration announced Thursday it is enacting …
Miroslava Germanova / New York Times:
Slovakia's prime minister resigns after demonstrations following murder of journalist Jan Kuciak — BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The prime minister of Slovakia resigned on Thursday following mass demonstrations over the murder of a journalist who was uncovering government corruption.
Discussion:
@alfonslopeztena, @nytimesworld, @mitchprothero, The Guardian, VICE News, Committee to Protect …, BBC and CNN
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
BuzzFeed tests specific release times, or “universal windows”, for its episodic shows across platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Hulu, and Roku — BuzzFeed is experimenting with a new windowing strategy to get people to tune into its distributed series.