Mediagazer: Automattic, parent company of WordPress.com, invests in podcast company RadioPublic, joining earlier investors including the NYT, Bose, McClatchy, and PRX (Jake Shapiro/RadioPublic)

5:20 PM ET, August 14, 2018

Top News:

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

Axios hires Felix Salmon and CNBC's Courtenay Brown and plans to expand coverage of markets and finance, adding a newsletter, Axios Edge — Axios is hiring Felix Salmon and Courtenay Brown to spearhead its foray into coverage of the public markets.

Discussion: @felixsalmon, Talking Biz News, @mcwm and @courtenay_brown

Cory Bergman / Factal Blog:

Team behind the Breaking News site and app launch a new startup, Factal, an enterprise service providing critical info during crises like natural disasters — When BreakingNews.com and the Breaking News app were shut down at the end of 2016, we were inundated with email urging us to bring it back as a new company.

Discussion: GeekWire, BuzzFeed News, Nieman Lab, @corybe, @rafat, @journodave, @jillianstampher, @w7voa and @sclary

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

Trump campaign files for arbitration against Omarosa Manigault-Newman, claims she broke 2016 NDA by disparaging Trump in book and sharing recorded private talks — President Trump's campaign organization Tuesday filed charges against friend-turned-enemy Omarosa Manigault Newman …

CBS News:

Recording: Trump campaign officials discussed how to “spin” Apprentice outtake tapes showing Trump using the N-word if they were released — President Trump says former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman lied when she called him a racist who has said the N-word on tape.

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, Variety, Chicago Sun-Times, Mediaite, The Week, The Daily Beast, Slate, Vox, Hit & Run, BloombergQuint and The Guardian

Jake Shapiro / RadioPublic:

Automattic, parent company of WordPress.com, invests in podcast company RadioPublic, joining earlier investors including the NYT, Bose, McClatchy, and PRX — We are thrilled to announce that Automattic—parent company of WordPress.com—is making an investment to deepen its partnership with RadioPublic …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, RAIN News, @rrhoover, @radiopublic, @kinseywilson, @jakeshapiro and AllAccess.com

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

Sources: New York Media, parent company of New York Magazine and several sites, is exploring strategic options including a possible sale — The publisher of New York magazine, Vulture and The Cut is reviewing strategic options including a possible sale, the latest media outlet to consider consolidation in a tough marketplace.

Discussion: CNBC, @rafat, @benmullin and @evanasmith

Graeme Mcmillan / The Verge:

Comcast's Xfinity X1 partnership with Netflix and Amazon presages a future of streaming bundles, which would be similar to the cable TV subscription model — As Xfinity's distribution deals expand, disruptors are taking up the same models as past cable companies

Discussion: @umanoid and @thinkhero

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

US State Department says it believes missing journalist Austin Tice is still alive; Tice's mother Debra says they have spoken directly with Trump about the case — WASHINGTON — Six years after journalist Austin Tice disappeared in war-torn Syria, the State Department says it believes …

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Facebook acquires the seven-person team and tech from startup Vidpresso to make its video more interactive — Zombie-like passive consumption of static video is both unhealthy for viewers and undifferentiated for the tech giants that power it. That's set Facebook on a mission to make video interactive …

Discussion: MediaPost, Adweek, Vidpresso, Business Insider, FierceVideo, MSPoweruser, The Economic Times, Engadget, VentureBeat, Variety and AListDaily

AAJA Voices:

An overview of seven pay studies from unions at US media organizations: on average, men and white people make significantly more than women and people of color — The tumult would spread to every newspaper in the industry, but it began with whispers within the confined spaces of the women's bathrooms …

Discussion: @jonathanngbos, @ronlin, @rzgreenfield, @juliaccarpenter, @perreaux, @philmarcelo, @slulay2, @kristenrgo, @ronlin, @amyluft, @laura_nelson, @rowanwalrath and @djnyc1

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:

Instagram Stories are as good, if not better, than Snapchat's, but that may present a short-term problem for Facebook as users spend less time on News Feeds — This is hardly the first Stratechery article about Facebook to start with Snapchat. The “camera company” née social network …

Discussion: @libertyrpf and @sorenravn86

Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:

White House counsel Don McGahn granted new communications chief Bill Shine an ethics waiver to meet with former colleagues at Fox News — It is “in the public interest” for the White House's top communicator to be excused from federal ethics laws so he can meet with Fox News, according to President Donald Trump's top lawyer.

Discussion: @lachlan, @timobrien, @mollyjongfast, @pleasesaveour, @bobclendenin, @swin24, @djrothkopf, @badhorseoc, @goldengateblond, Blog Network, Mediaite and Media Matters for America

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:

Profile of Josh Russell, an amateur troll hunter who has helped journalists and social networks identify Russian disinformation online — Bloomington, Indiana (CNN)When it comes to hobbies, Josh Russell concedes he gets a little obsessive. No matter his interest, be it videogames …

Discussion: @jmalt87, @janelytv, @cillizzacnn, @cjcmichel, @oneunderscore__ and @ilvestoomas

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