Top News:
Voice of America:
Paul Manafort and WikiLeaks both deny that Manafort met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; Manafort threatens legal action against The Guardian — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is denying a Guardian newspaper report that he met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange three times …
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Beast, @wikileaks, @emptywheel, Vanity Fair, @tribelaw, New York Times, @joepompeo, The Week, Fortune and The Guardian
RELATED:
The Guardian:
Sources: Paul Manafort had multiple meetings with WikiLeaks, including one meeting in 2016, just months before WikiLeaks released DNC dossier — Trump ally met WikiLeaks founder months before emails hacked by Russia were published — Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks …
Discussion:
@woodruffbets, CNN, New York Times, The Intercept, Wired, Fast Company, @tierney_megan, Slate, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, The Week, FOX News Radio, Washington Post, Fortune, @marcushjohnson, Vanity Fair, Vox, The Gateway Pundit, @k_jeanpierre, @mollyjongfast, @joycewhitevance, Boing Boing, @benjaminwittes, @emptywheel, @natashabertrand, @drdenagrayson, @tribelaw, @davidcorndc, @ggreenwald, @ggreenwald, Renato Mariotti, @kylegriffin1, @rschooley, @armandodkos, @kenbensinger, VICE News, @repadamschiff, The Daily Caller, @tribelaw, NPR, @shadowingtrump, @kylegriffin1, @brianklaas, @sethabramson, @delavegalaw, @kylegriffin1, KTLA, The Verge, Observer, Hit & Run, ABC News and France 24
Amanda Bennett / Washington Post:
Trump recently suggested the US needs a state-controlled “Worldwide Network” as he again criticized media; it already exists as the independent Voice of America — Amanda Bennett is director of Voice of America. — “Something has to be done,” President Trump tweeted Monday.
Discussion:
@realdonaldtrump, @27khv, @bearsaremean, Ars Technica, @insidevoa, @kaedotcom, @w7voa, @w7voa, @w7voa, @greta and The Hill
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Condé Nast's Chief Executive Bob Sauerberg is stepping down, with the company to combine its US and international operations under a new global CEO — Publisher says Condé Nast and Condé Nast International will combine — Condé Nast said Chief Executive Bob Sauerberg …
Discussion:
Variety, AdExchanger, @ennisnyt, @david_marcelis, @oliverdarcy, The Daily Beast, @edmundlee, The Wrap, CNN and Ad Age
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Source: YouTube is expected to scale back scripted shows in 2020; multiple sources say it will focus on YouTube's ad-supported business, with all originals free — YouTube has concluded that its investments in original programming are better placed on the free, ad-supported side — not behind a paywall.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, @shiraovide, Engadget, @xpangler, @modestproposal1, Adweek, @dylanbyers, /Film and The Wrap
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Fox & Friends let former EPA chief Scott Pruitt choose topics he would discuss on the show, sent questions in advance, and gave his team approval over script — The president's favorite cable-news show shared its interview scripts and its oh-so-hard-hitting questions in advance with an embattled Trump official.
Discussion:
Mediaite, @davidfolkenflik, Washington Post, @bubbaprog, @brendannyhan, Slate, @joycewhitevance, @brucebartlett, @jeffjarvis, @igorvolsky, @no_little_plans, @brianstelter, @andylassner, @ericgeller, @ike_saul, @swin24, @thedailybeast, Contemptor, @samstein, @asteadwesley, @tanzinavega, @ericboehlert, @kt_so_it_goes, @rockshrimp, @maxboot, @petergleick, @propublica, HuffPost, @melissajpeltier, @drvox, @jeremymbarr, @rosiegray, @jonesnews, @timothy_cama, @jessewente, @ericwolfson, @defensebaron, @joshgreenman, Media Matters for America, The Week and TVNewser
Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:
Facebook says alleged “entities” pulling billions of Facebook data points per day in 2014 were legitimate API calls from Pinterest with no connection to Russia — Facebook claimed engineers later “found no evidence of specific Russian activity”.
Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News:
The DOJ indicts eight men on charges related to a global ad fraud scheme discovered with the help of about 15 tech companies, including Google and White Ops — In August 2017, the FBI organized a secret meeting of digital advertising and cybersecurity experts in a secure room in a Manhattan federal building.
Kara Swisher / Recode:
The Emerson Collective, the social impact firm run by Laurene Powell Jobs, buys Pop-Up Magazine Productions, which also publishes California Sunday Magazine — The social impact firm makes another media acquisition, this time of the publisher of California Sunday Magazine and Pop-Up Magazine events.
Discussion:
New York Times, @smartsandcrafts, @mathewi, @ev_rat, @clarajeffery, @chasnote, @karaswisher and @karaswisher
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Spotify has signed deals with major Indian music labels, clearing a path to enter the major market as soon as Q1 2019 — - Streaming service is said to launch as soon as first quarter — Swedish company seeks faster Asian growth to placate investors
Discussion:
Engadget, The Verge, Music Business Worldwide, MediaNama and RAIN News, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney is moving all of its brands to Google Ad Manager and will drop Comcast's FreeWheel from use by ESPN and ABC Television Group; deal does not include Hulu — The Walt Disney Co. is moving all of its digital brands and properties worldwide — including Disney, ABC, ESPN, Freeform …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Deadline, Adweek, 9to5Google, Broadcasting & Cable, Ad Age, MediaPost and The Keyword
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
A look at Fox Nation, Fox News' streaming service, as it launches with a range of programming from cooking shows to a weekly broadcast with Diamond & Silk — If you have ever wondered about the culinary skills of a “Fox & Friends” co-host, wonder no longer.
Discussion:
@nytpolitics, TVNewser, The Week, Los Angeles Times, Outkick the Coverage and CNN
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
A look at how ABC News is investing in local news, from the launch of a new initiative called Localish to hiring reporters based in the community — “The reality is we do not have folks who are embedded in the communities they serve who actually are responsible for telling these stories."