Top News:
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
FCC's Ajit Pai has “serious concerns” about Sinclair Broadcast Group's acquisition of Tribune Media, worried Sinclair has kept control of “divested” TV stations — Ajit Pai said he is concerned about so-called “side-car deals” that would allow Sinclair Broadcast Group …
Discussion:
Politico, @cnbcnow, @aclu, Fortune, @davidfolkenflik and @lucas_shaw
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
With “Who Is America?”, Sacha Baron Cohen pits bad faith against bad faith political actors of the Trump era that traditional outlets have struggled to cover — Sacha Baron Cohen — a consummate troll himself — is a perfect foil to the current political climate of grift and trolling.
Kim Chandler / Associated Press:
The estate of John B. McLemore, subject of the podcast S-Town, files lawsuit against creator Brian Reed and others, claiming they exploited him — The estate of the man at the center of the popular “S-Town” podcast is suing the show's creators, saying they exploited details of his private life for financial gain.
Discussion:
Vulture, Jezebel, al.com and @gerryfsmith
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
The Washington Post is launching a channel on Amazon-owned livestreaming site Twitch, broadcasting two shows initially — The Washington Post is looking to Twitch's livestreaming gamers of all places to reach new video audiences, with a new channel starting this week. — The channel will kick off with two shows.
Discussion:
@jordanuhl, MediaPost, @smorgasboredom and @mattkmoore
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Hearst Inc reached a $50M settlement of a lawsuit claiming it violated Michigan privacy law by selling its magazine subscribers' personal info — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hearst Communications Inc on Thursday reached a $50 million settlement of a lawsuit claiming it violated Michigan privacy law …
Discussion:
@travelfish
Christine Emba / Washington Post:
The removal of Daniella Greenbaum's article from Business Insider doesn't mean mobs are threatening free speech; cultural sensitivity is just common courtesy — Which beleaguered free-speech champion is being silenced today? — As it happens, it's writer Daniella Greenbaum, a former columnist for the website Business Insider.
Discussion:
@eriksherman, @hiattf and @jonathanchait
RELATED:
Instapaper:
Pinterest to transfer ownership of Instapaper to Instant Paper, Inc., a new company owned and operated by the developers who have run Instapaper since 2013 — Today, we're announcing that Pinterest has entered into an agreement to transfer ownership of Instapaper to Instant Paper, Inc. …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, MacStories and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Sam Forsdick / Press Gazette:
Finland's largest daily newspaper erected ~300 billboards along Trump and Putin's route to Helsinki summit highlighting importance of free press — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were greeted with almost 300 billboards and posters that bring attention to their “turbulent relations with the press” …
Discussion:
Adweek, Talking Points Memo, Observer, Fast Company, The Wrap, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Fortune, Contemptor, @pourmecoffee, @garethharding and Fox News Insider
NBC News:
Apple removed QDrops, an app that sent alerts about Qanon conspiracy theory, after months at the top of the App Store; app still available at Google Play Store — One of the App Store's top entertainment apps pushed a conspiracy theory about a child sex ring and a Trump secret police force.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
Sources: HBO employees were not alarmed by AT&T CEO John Stankey's comments, with many agreeing that the network needs to scale — Within HBO, many view the reaction to new overlord John Stankey's occasionally ham-fisted comments as overblown. “They need this to work,” says one producer …
Marlee Baldridge / Nieman Lab:
How a small Alabama paper grew its digital ad revenue in 2017 from $56k to $104k with mobile video reporting and by filming sports on Facebook Live — A bet on live video, a busy news year, and maximizing staff talents let the Alexander City Outlook increase its digital ad revenue 80 percent in a year's time.
Discussion:
@liziarbogast
Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:
UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom said tweets and questions read out on ex-Scottish FM Alex Salmond's show on RT were from people connected to the program — One of the “tweets” was a question posed by a “friend of the cameraman”, who only tweeted the question once he saw it got to air.
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