Top News:
New York Times:
Text messages show how former CBS CEO Les Moonves tried to bury an old sex assault claim amid a probe that could decide whether he collects a $120M exit package — A trove of text messages details a plan by Mr. Moonves and a faded Hollywood manager to bury a sexual assault allegation.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Broadcasting & Cable, @amychozick, @4lisaguerrero, TV Tattle, Page Six, Vanity Fair, @lizdday, @mattdrange, The Wrap, Deadline, @lam_barrett, @rachelabramsny, @davidenrich, Variety, @jimrutenberg, @jodikantor, @nprscottsimon, @kimmasters, @claythinks, @flitteronfraud, @jfleming2870, @davepell, Mediaite and TMZ.com
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Ronan Farrow / New Yorker:
Six women who had business dealings with Les Moonves in the 1980s to late 2000s say he sexually harassed or intimidated them; others detail a toxic CBS culture — Six women accuse the C.E.O. of harassment and intimidation, and dozens more describe abuse at his company.
Discussion:
@newyorker
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Sources: Mic.com is in talks to sell at least part of the company to Bustle, after Facebook ended a deal that could have earned Mic around $5M over 12 months — Sale talks started after Facebook ended a video deal with Mic. — Mic.com, a digital publisher with a millennial focus …
Discussion:
Adweek, @zzzzaaaacccchhh, @alexisohanian, @lukeoneil47, @shaig, @mikeisaac, @tribranchvo, @raju, @rafat, @kelseymsutton, @maxwellstrachan, @jamesfdennin, @emilybell, @saschasegan, @rafat, @ingridostby, @joshsternberg, @kifleswing and @kylepope
Ben Strauss / Washington Post:
ESPN's Darren Rovell moves to the Action Network, a media startup about sports gambling created last year by the Chernin Group: “They're buying me as a brand” — If sports gambling is going to sweep the country, Darren Rovell wants a piece of it.
Discussion:
@dcsportsbog, @richarddeitsch, @steverubel, @jbflint, @phkeane, @benjstrauss, @nickbromberg, @markjburns88 and Awful Announcing
AllAccess.com:
Leon Neyfakh, a Slate reporter and host of the Slow Burn podcast, says he's leaving to launch a podcast on past political scandals in the first half of 2019 — SLATE reporter and “SLOW BURN” podcast host LEON NEYFAKH announced via TWITTER this morning that he is leaving SLATE and the podcast to launch a new podcast.
Discussion:
@leoncrawl, @leoncrawl, @leoncrawl, @leoncrawl, @leoncrawl, @gabrielroth and @leoncrawl
Matthew Singer / Willamette Week:
Thrillist article on Portland restaurant Stanich's, which launched a debate about food criticism, left out important context about the owner's legal troubles — The personal life of the owner had been spiraling into chaos long before his restaurant landed on the national radar.
Discussion:
@megreenwell, @mekosoff, @kimseverson, @pixelmetal, @brosandprose, @badcoverversion, @jamilsmith, @rwhittall, @bruce_arthur, @_grendan, @mpsinger, @gitagovinda, @pete_wells, @samthielman, Eater, @glennf, @natesilver538, @richarddeitsch, @mattdpearce, @elizashapiro, Pacific Standard and @mimapamundi
Media Matters for America:
Sinclair is forcing its ~100 news stations to air a segment featuring Boris Epshteyn defending the tear-gassing of migrants at the border, including children — The Trump administration has again unleashed particular cruelty and violence on Central American immigrants …
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange threatens The Guardian with legal action over “fabricated” story alleging he met Paul Manafort three times — Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange is threatening legal action over a Guardian story claiming he met former Donald Trump campaign chairman …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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The Guardian:
Sources: Paul Manafort had multiple meetings with WikiLeaks, including one meeting in 2016, just months before WikiLeaks released DNC dossier
Discussion:
New York Times, @woodruffbets, Politico, The Week, Fox News, Slate, Crikey, Variety, CNBC, @ggreenwald, @tribelaw, VICE News, Vanity Fair, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, Mediaite, NPR, Fox News Insider, @rising_serpent, The Daily Caller, The Daily Beast, @natashabertrand, @ggreenwald, @ggreenwald, @emptywheel, @benjaminwittes, NBC4 Washington, Washington Post, @drdenagrayson, @rschooley, @delavegalaw, @tribelaw, @kenbensinger, @k_jeanpierre, @tribelaw, @repadamschiff, @shadowingtrump, @kylegriffin1, @joycewhitevance, @sethabramson, @mollyjongfast, @marcushjohnson, @davidcorndc, @armandodkos, @kylegriffin1, @brianklaas, @kylegriffin1, CNN, The Intercept, FOX News Radio and Boing Boing
Voice of America:
Paul Manafort and WikiLeaks both deny that Manafort met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; Manafort threatens legal action against The Guardian
Discussion:
New York Times, Fortune, VICE News, @joepompeo, @emptywheel, @wikileaks, Talking Points Memo, @the_unsilent_, The Daily Beast, The Guardian and Vanity Fair
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook is launching its “Today In” local news digest in 400 US cities, after beginning testing it in January — Facebook has a new area of its app it will have to police for fake news and biased sensationalism. Facebook is launching “Today In”, its local news aggregator …
Discussion:
Facebook, @mattnavarra, @joshconstine, Business Insider, @mattnavarra, KTLA and The Hill, more at Techmeme »
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
The White House press pool was left behind without explanation after the National Christmas Tree lighting as Trump returned to the White House — President Trump on Wednesday departed the National Christmas Tree lighting event without White House staff notifying a pool of reporters assigned …
Discussion:
@w7voa, Mediaite, New York Times, @oknox, @anitakumar01, @anitakumar01, @justinsink, @zekejmiller, ABC News, @w7voa, @w7voa and @justinsink
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Dish's Sling TV has added nine Discovery networks, but the streaming service still lacks Univision and HBO due to contract disputes — Sling TV, Dish Network's internet TV service, has added nine Discovery networks on its national and Spanish-language services, along with several thousand VOD titles.
Discussion:
FierceVideo and Radio & Television …
Tim Molloy / The Wrap:
NPR fires film critic David Edelstein after he made a joke which alluded to a rape scene in Bernardo Bertolucci's"Last Tango in Paris" — NPR has fired film critic David Edelstein because of a joke he made after Bernardo Bertolucci's death that alluded to a much-discussed rape scene in the director's film “Last Tango in Paris.”
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
New York-based weekly magazine City & State is launching a daily newsletter covering the intersection of tech and government regulation on January 6 — The political storm over Amazon's pending arrival with HQ2 in Long Island City has seemingly inspired one publishing entrepreneur …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Whitney Houston's ex-husband is suing Showtime Networks, the BBC, and the producers of a documentary about the singer for $2M over footage used — Misappropriation of publicity rights is alleged in the $2 million complaint as well as breach of an agreement not to use footage from the Bravo reality series, “Being Bobby Brown”
Discussion:
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