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Michael Ferro sells stake in Chicago Tribune parent Tronc to McCormick Media for $208.6 million — Michael Ferro, who resigned last month as chairman of Chicago-based newspaper chain Tronc, has struck a deal to sell his entire stake in the company, according to a filing late Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Profile: new owner of Los Angeles Times, biotech mogul Patrick Soon-Shiong, who plans to move LAT to suburbs, and pursued Dean Baquet and Marty Baron for EIC — LOS ANGELES — As a son of Chinese immigrants growing up in apartheid South Africa, Patrick Soon-Shiong spent his afternoons racing through …


Tronc fires Lewis D'Vorkin, chief content officer of Tribune Interactive, and lays off several dozen others, including LA-based video and online content teams — Former Los Angeles Times Editor in Chief Lewis D'Vorkin was fired by Tronc Inc. on Thursday and several dozen other employees of the company were laid off.


Berkeleyside, a local news site in Berkeley, CA, completes its direct public offering and raises $1M, the first news site in the country to do so — Berkeleyside announced today that it has raised $1 million in capital from 355 of its readers, making it the first news site in the country to do a successful Direct Public Offering.
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@may_gun, @frannydink, @tktaylor and The Lenfest Institute …

Univision laid off another 150 people on Thursday across the company, including at Fusion Media Group — The cutting at Univision continues. The company laid off more than 150 people on Thursday, across the company, including at the beleaguered Fusion Media Group.
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Variety, New York Post and The Wrap


Apple staff memo says it caught 29 leakers, including staff, contractors, and suppliers, in 2017, 12 arrested; memo implies possible legal action for leaks — Company memo says it found 29 ‘leakers’ last year, 12 arrested — CEO Tim Cook pledged to ‘double down’ on secrecy in 2012


Sources: secure messaging app Telegram is being used to distribute pirated movies, TV, music, apps, and even stolen credentials for online services like Netflix — Law-abiding citizens: Please do NOT download. Thank you. — Since its launch in 2013, the instant messaging platform Telegram …
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Reuters, BBC, Associated Press, @refsrc, Business Insider, @caseyjohnston and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »


Sources: Snapchat redesign has led to metrics volatility for Discover publishers; Snap has invited publishers to daylong summits for discussion — When Snapchat first rolled out its redesigned app to a select group in January — users in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom — it was met with an immediate backlash.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal


Facebook removes pages linked to white nationalist Richard Spencer and The Nationalist Initiative's page; all pages are linked to “hate groups” by the SPLC — Two Facebook pages associated with white nationalist Richard Spencer have been kicked off the platform.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, The Daily Dot, Complex, The Root, @misstessowen, @thedemcoalition, Engadget, @lydiacowling95, @jason_koebler and New York Magazine


The EJC, with €1.7M funding from the News Integrity Initiative and Civil, to offer grants to emerging EU media organizations in October 2018 and February 2019 — It's time to get serious about new journalism models — The European Journalism Centre believes journalists have a key role …
Discussion:
Journalism.co.uk and Nieman Lab


Malaysia passes “fake news” law that imposes a $100K+ fine and up to six years in jail on publishers thereof but government could judge what counts as fake news — A month ahead of a general election, Malaysia's new fake-news law has gone into effect—and journalists and rights groups …
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SoyaCincau.com, Hawaii Public Radio's …, The Straits Times, NST Online, Free Malaysia Today and The Straits Times


At Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo's trial, prosecution witnesses give inconsistent testimony, admit journos didn't betray any secrets that weren't already in the news — YANGON, Myanmar — Once a week, the two Reuters reporters are shuffled out of their prison cells in Yangon, Myanmar …
Discussion:
Asian Correspondent, NASDAQ.com, Press Gazette and Reporters Without Borders


FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declines to investigate Sinclair after a dozen senators requested a probe under “news distortion” standard of the public interest test — Pai springs into action—and much faster than when Trump wanted to punish NBC. — Democratic lawmakers yesterday followed …
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