Mediagazer: Samsung and Spotify partner to build Spotify's services into smartphones, Bixby, and other Samsung devices (Chaim Gartenberg/The Verge)

2:55 PM ET, August 9, 2018

Top News:

Kara Swisher / New York Times:

Twitter needs a code of values requiring it to make tough calls on high-profile and malevolent figures like Alex Jones — The platform won't ban the dangerous liar Alex Jones because he “hasn't violated our rules.” Then what's the point of these rules? — This week, Alex Jones …

Discussion: Beyond Search, Marketing Land, Contemptor, Fast Company, infowars.com and Vox, more at Techmeme »

Axios:

Sources: Jack Dorsey to continue media tour with interviews with NBC's Lester Holt next week and CNN's Brian Stelter next Sunday to discuss Alex Jones — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will be making more stops on his media tour amid the Alex Jones controversy and is planning to speak …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Hill

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey calls in to Fox News host Sean Hannity's radio show to defend his company, says Twitter does not shadow ban users based on politics

Charles Riley / CNNMoney:

Tribune calls off its $3.9B merger with Sinclair, sues Sinclair for breach of contract, seeking $1B in damages — Trump angry with FCC chair over Sinclair deal — The Sinclair Broadcast Group acquisition of Tribune Media is dead. — Tribune said in a statement Thursday that it has terminated …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Adweek, Broadcasting & Cable, The Wrap, Washington Post, TVNewser, Mediaite, MediaPost, TVSpy, Media Matters for America, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Rantt, @hadas_gold, @alexweprin, The Daily Beast, CNBC and Variety

Tribune Media Investor Relations:

Tribune Q2 results: revenue rose 4% YoY to $489.4M, net income rose to $84.4M, up from a net loss of $30.4M in Q2 2017 — Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) (the “Company") today announced that it has terminated its merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement") with Sinclair Broadcast Group …

Discussion: Gothamist, TechCrunch, New York Times, Fortune, Associated Press and NPR

BuzzFeed News:

Apple says Infowars podcast violated company's hate speech guidelines, but implies its app doesn't violate App Store guidelines — Apple will continue to allow the Infowars mobile application in its App Store, the company confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Wednesday, just days …

Discussion: New York Times, Fast Company, @lizwahl, Business Insider, infowars.com, TechCrunch, Fortune, New York Times, The Verge, 9to5Mac and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Alan Feuer / New York Times:
In a defamation lawsuit against Alex Jones, four law professors who specialize in free speech argue how his false speech is not protected by the First Amendment

Discussion: Nieman Lab, Techdirt, The Conversation and FOX News Radio, more at Techmeme »

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:

Samsung and Spotify partner to build Spotify's services into smartphones, Bixby, and other Samsung devices — Samsung has announced that it's entering a long-term partnership with Spotify, including support for the just-announced Galaxy Home smart speaker.

Discussion: newsroom.spotify.com, Variety, TechCrunch, Music Business Worldwide, CNBC and @spotify, more at Techmeme »

Richard Allan / Facebook:

VP of policy details Facebook's limits to free speech: physically or financially endangering people, intimidating via hateful words, tricking people for profit — Hard Questions is a series from Facebook that addresses the impact of our products on society.

Discussion: New York Times, @sharonwaxman and @cwarzel

Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:

Interview with Karin Pettersson, Schibsted's director of public policy, on her new role and the publication's relationship with Google and Facebook — “We can't say that Facebook is destroying democracy, but then have our newspapers collaborate with them very, very closely …

Lincoln Pigman / New York Times:

Authorities in Belarus detained at least 18 journalists, accusing them of illegally obtaining information from a state news agency; six have been released — MOSCOW — The authorities in Belarus have detained at least 18 journalists, accusing them of unlawfully obtaining information …

Discussion: Washington Post, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Reuters, The Irish Times, Associated Press, Politico and Committee to Protect …

Casey Newton / The Verge:

CEO says Pandora plans to launch its podcast genome project, a personalization feature announced in January and similar to its music recommendations, this year — Why the streaming music pioneer is focusing on podcasts — Breaking down music into its component parts helped Pandora build …

Discussion: Engadget, more at Techmeme »

Tom Lasseter / Reuters:

How Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Myanmar landed in jail and what it signals for Myanmar's press freedom — (Reuters) YANGON, Myanmar - Late in the afternoon of Dec. 12 last year, Wa Lone's cell phone rang. It was a man named Naing Lin, a lance corporal in Myanmar's 8th Security Police Battalion.

Ken Bensinger / BuzzFeed News:

Shareholders sue Televisa, alleging the media giant used a subsidiary to pay FIFA bribes to win broadcast rights to the World Cup in 2018, 2022, 2026, and 2030 — Mexican media giant Televisa has been sued by shareholders for allegedly participating in a corruption scheme to win broadcast rights …

Discussion: @kenbensinger

Janko Roettgers / Variety:

Roku beats estimates in Q2 with revenues of $156.8M, up from $99.6M in Q2 2017, and net loss of $100K, as platform revenues grow 96% YoY to $90.3M; stock up ~9% — Ad-supported streaming continues to lift Roku's results: The company solidly beat market expectations with its Q2 2018 earnings …

Discussion: MediaPost, AdExchanger, Digiday, Roku and Business Wire, more at Techmeme »

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Roku brings The Roku Channel, its free ad-supported streaming video offering, to the web and updates navigation on devices to add Featured Free section

Discussion: Mashable, NASDAQ.com, Tubefilter, Engadget and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 2:55 PM ET, August 9, 2018.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

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More News:

Arjun Panchadar / Reuters:
Viacom Q3 earnings: revenue fell 4% YoY from $3.36B to $3.24B, net income fell 25% YoY to $511M, media network revenue decreased 2% YoY to $2.5B

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, Billboard and Press Release

Jon Levine / The Wrap:
Adam Weinstein resigns as acting EIC of military-focused site Task & Purpose after a clash about a headline on a VA story, says he was told to be less liberal

Discussion: @zachiscol, New York Daily News, @peterlucier, @dedwardbeck, @alexandermccoy4, Washington Post, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein, @adamweinstein, @derekgannoncm6 and Slate

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
WH Communications Director Bill Shine has settled a suit that claimed he leaked information to “sock puppet” media outlets to out a show's host as homosexual

Discussion: The Hill and @eriqgardner

Brent Lang / Variety:
21st Century Fox beats Q4 estimates with $7.94B in revenue, says it does not expect to host earnings call next quarter, hinting Disney merger may close by then

Discussion: FierceVideo, @edmundlee, Ad Age, MediaPost, The Wrap, 21st Century Fox, Hollywood Reporter and CNBC

Earlier Picks:

Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
Sources: Tronc is weighing at least one private equity offer to buy its newspaper holdings, with a bid between $19 to $20 per share on the table

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNNMoney, @crepeau, @dangillmor, @katchicago and @heidistevens13

Todd Spangler / Variety:
CBS Senior Producer Nancy Han has joined NowThis as executive producer of its yet-to-be launched daily show for Facebook Watch, coming September

Jason Guerrasio / Business Insider:
The Oscars reduces annual four-hour telecast to three to make it more “globally accessible” and introduces category for “popular” films, in bid to boost ratings

Discussion: Variety, Vanity Fair, Slate, @aherman2006, @thr and @thrmattbelloni

CBS News:
CBS board takes over investigation into news division that was to conclude this month, folding it into two other inquiries, including Moonves one

Discussion: NBC News, Business Insider, Fortune, @amyjbrittain, TVWeek.com and @cbseveningnews, more at Techmeme »

From Techmeme:

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Timothy B. Lee / Ars Technica:
Exploring the scaling challenges of transformer-based LLMs in efficiently processing large amounts of text, as well as potential solutions, such as RAG systems

Reuters:
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November

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