Top News:
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
Sources: both David Pecker and chief content officer Dylan Howard were granted immunity so they would describe Trump's role in payments to Daniels and McDougal — David Pecker and Dylan Howard corroborated Michael Cohen's account implicating the president in a federal crime.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BuzzFeed News, The Guardian, Variety, Associated Press, Mediaite, The Wrap, Adweek, Common Dreams, emptywheel, @chrisgeidner, @evanasmith, The A.V. Club, The Week, Law & Crime, HuffPost, CNN, Slate, @jackshafer, KTLA, Mindy Fischer, Writer, @jeffreytoobin, @kylegriffin1, Axios, @jackshafer and @rgoodlaw
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CNBC:
Report: American Media Inc. Chairman David Pecker was granted immunity by prosecutors as part of investigation into Michael Cohen — - AMI chairman David Pecker gave prosecutors information about President Donald Trump's knowledge of payments his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen made to women alleging affairs with Trump.
Discussion:
Law & Crime, The Guardian, The Wrap, @thomasaroberts, Boing Boing and The Daily Caller
Washington Post:
How National Enquirer essentially became a research arm of the Trump campaign and bought the silence of women, based on Cohen case documents — In August 2015, David Pecker and Michael Cohen hatched a plan to help a mutual friend in need. — Donald Trump had launched his improbable presidential campaign just two months earlier.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Marshall Project, New Republic, Slate, @mateagold, @sarahlellison, @robertmaguire_, @rachaelmbade, New York Times, @juddlegum, The Wrap, @whitehouserogue, @rabbijill, @bidenzhairplugz, @clarajeffery, @normornstein, @amy_siskind, @kylegriffin1, @therickwilson, @rickhasen, electionlawblog.org, @rstockmanlaw, @rebeccaballhaus, @bethreinhard and @juddlegum
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Floyd Abrams on American Media: “If Mr. Pecker and his company acted as is alleged, there should and very likely would be no viable First Amendment defense”
Floyd Abrams on American Media: “If Mr. Pecker and his company acted as is alleged, there should and very likely would be no viable First Amendment defense”
Discussion:
Washington Post, @tedlieu, @gabrielsherman, Slate, @rebeccaballhaus, @tummler10, @newsweek, @rebeccaballhaus, @juddlegum, @knownforms, @maddowblog and Talking Points Memo
Motherboard:
Leaked docs and sources describe Facebook's content moderation apparatus and the logistics of trying to moderate billions of posts a week in 100+ languages — Moderating billions of posts a week in more than a hundred languages has become Facebook's biggest challenge.
Laura Wagner / Deadspin:
Sources: The Athletic is struggling to hire reporters for its new D.C. operation, with seven journalists at WaPo's sports desk rejecting offers to move — The Athletic, the venture capital-backed digital sports media venture that's plundering sportswriters from news organizations …
Discussion:
@dcsportsbog and @ngreenberg
New York Times:
NYT Exec Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn say bylines have not appeared above stories in paper's app or mobile UI for some time — Our executive editor, Dean Baquet, and managing editor, Joe Kahn, explain our thinking regarding bylines on our home page.
Discussion:
MediaPost, @shelbygrad, @ericacbarnett, @mattblaze, @hannaingber, @brianjameswalsh, @gregorydjohnsen and @lfung
RELATED:
Rob Beschizza / Boing Boing:
Readers object after The New York Times drops bylines from stories on its homepage as part of a redesign
Readers object after The New York Times drops bylines from stories on its homepage as part of a redesign
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Poynter, @jonathanvswan, @jbenton, Editor & Publisher, @craigmod, @mlcalderone, @pamelacolloff, @indira_l, @campbellronaldw, @kairyssdal, @morningmoneyben, @jim_brunner, @edlavacnn, @umnewsie, @jdawsey1, @exumam, @harrymccracken, @drewharwell, @jonahnro, @bethanyshondark, @mhanham, @asher_elbein, @laurabrounstein, @jricole, @ericliptonnyt, @donaldrwinslow, @michaelroston and @vivian
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
The Lenfest Institute has created the Lenfest Local Lab, a team of news technologists tasked with testing and building products to aid local news — In the local news space, what's missing? (Don't say money.) — What about rigorous — maybe even fun — product development and testing?
Discussion:
The Lenfest Institute … and @burtherman
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Google says it removed 39 YouTube channels, 6 Blogger blogs, and 13 Google+ users, with help from FireEye, tied to Iranian state media misinformation campaign — Google has uncovered a misinformation attack across several of its properties that it has connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Keyword, @profcarroll, @evacide, @shanehuntley and @google_comms, more at Techmeme »
CNN:
Ex-NSA contractor Reality Winner has accepted a plea deal and been sentenced to five years in prison for leaking information to The Intercept — (CNN)A former government contractor accused of leaking confidential information to the media has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Discussion:
Engadget, NPR, The Intercept, emptywheel, @marygauthier_, @will_bunch and @sebastianmurdoc
Issie Lapowsky / Wired:
A look at SurfSafe, a browser plug-in that cross-references images with 100 trusted news sites and fact-checking organizations to determine if images are fake — WHEN MICHAEL BENNETT played for the Seattle Seahawks, he celebrated wins with a victory dance in the team locker room.
Discussion:
The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:
CNN suspends contributor Paris Dennard following a WaPo story that said he was fired from Arizona State University after sexual harassment allegations — “We are suspending Paris, effective immediately, while we look into the allegations," a CNN spokesperson said.
Discussion:
TVWeek.com, Variety, Washington Post, @repcohen, @umairh, @charlesmblow, @iamgmjohnson, @mehdirhasan, @breznican, @goldietaylor, @brianstelter, @tgreene319, @trancewithme, The Daily Beast, @byaaroncdavis, Mediaite, Contemptor, @talkingnewmedia, @yamiche, @yashar, @jeremymbarr, @bluechoochoo and Mediaite
Soutik Biswas / BBC:
To combat fake news on WhatsApp, the South Indian state of Kerala is running 40-minute classes in 150 schools to educate kids in spotting viral hoaxes — Mobs have lynched at least 25 people across India after reading false rumours spread on WhatsApp. Now the authorities in one Indian state …