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Departed White House staffers, including John Kelly and Rex Tillerson, validate stories about the Trump administration, despite Trump's claims of “fake news” — The Trump White House isn't big on sharing information or answering questions asked on behalf of the public.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @saletan, @dabeard, @sarahlellison and Mediaite


In her new book “Merchants of Truth”, former NYT Executive Editor Jill Abramson says the paper has become “unmistakably anti-Trump” under Dean Baquet — President Trump appears content to ride out partial government shutdown stalemate over border security funding
Discussion:
@howardkurtz, @peterdaou, @wxdam, @jorjadavis, @politicalshort, @oliverdarcy, @daviduberti, @byronyork, @carol_cardwell, @realjameswoods, The Hill, @howardkurtz, @greta, @petehegseth, @sulliview, @parkermolloy, @cjr, @piersmorgan, @khanoisseur, @leba_miller, @martinsfp, The Wrap and Mediaite


A carriage dispute forces 33 Tribune Media stations off the air, affecting about 6M Charter cable customers, including 1.5M around Los Angeles — Nearly three dozen Tribune Media television stations, including KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles, went dark Wednesday afternoon …
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, Deadline and @techjournalist
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The rise of cord-cutting is hurting profit margins at cable and satellite providers, leading to programming blackouts and niche channels being dropped — Cable and satellite companies are struggling to reach deals with TV channels over how much they should have to pay for the content those channels provide.
Discussion:
@alexweprin and @hunterwalk


Gray TV completes acquisition of Raycom Media and now holds stations in 91 US markets; nine stations and Raycom's community newspaper unit, CNHI, were spun off — For the last time, we present to you the Raycom Media logo. That's because Raycom no longer exists — it has been officially swallowed …
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Broadcasting & Cable and The Herald


Netflix has removed an episode of “Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” in Saudi Arabia after the country complained about MBS criticism over Khashoggi murder in show — In an episode of “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,” the host criticizes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Yemen war.
Discussion:
NPR, @hasanminhaj, The Guardian, @anujchopra, CNN, New York Times, CNBC, @sarahleah1, @nesgritton, @pronounced_ing, @dmiliband, @satchelldrakes, @dabeard, @karenattiah, @karenattiah, @mehdirhasan, @johnrobb, The A.V. Club, Variety, @teymoornabili, @ahmed, IndieWire, Techdirt, @zenjournalist, @dennisperkins5, @lailalalami, @martina, @stephenjmcmanus, @cmclymer, @jamesaalongman, @rulajebreal, @aligulpir, @hawthornrants, @soniasaraiya, @sethamandel, @poniewozik, @bencnn, @penamerican, @bungdan, @borzou, @amiraminimd, @jonrosenberg, @bartongellman, @john_hudson, @dangillmor, @kimmasters, @iyad_elbaghdadi, @hashashintag, @karenattiah, @bintabuahmed_, @djrothkopf, @pranavdixit and @theseantcollins


Netflix confirms it has hired Spencer Neumann as new CFO; source says Activision Blizzard fired Neumann because he was pursuing another job — - Netflix has hired Spencer Neumann as chief financial officer. He was the former CFO at Activision Blizzard. — Activision Blizzard fired Neuman …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Engadget and MediaPost, more at Techmeme »


In 1976, FBI investigated The Village Voice and Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press for espionage after magazine published a secret report on the CIA — WikiLeaks wasn't the first organization investigated for espionage over publishing classified information
Discussion:
@aaschapiro


News executives from Tampa Bay Times CEO Paul Tash to San Diego Union-Tribune EIC Jeff Light discuss challenges, priorities, opportunities, and goals for 2019 — When Dictionary.com announced its 2018 Word of the Year was misinformation, I'm sure many of us in the news industry were not surprised.


Roku Channel adds premium subscriptions, with networks including Showtime, Starz, and Epix available on Roku devices and apps, Samsung smart TVs, and more — Pay for everything on one bill with your Roku account — The Roku Channel, which offers free-to-watch, ad-supported movies …
Discussion:
Mashable, more at Techmeme »


Ex-Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen, who was ousted amid allegations of sexual misconduct, joins Sinclair as an investigative reporter in DC — “Proud to start the New Year by joining @WeAreSinclair as an investigative reporter," James Rosen says in a tweet
Discussion:
@howardkurtz, @david_bossie, @levinejonathan, @mollyjongfast, @tomborelli and TVNewser


How deepfakes, AI-generated videos that graft a person's face onto another's body, have been weaponized to harass and humiliate their subjects, mostly women — ‘Deepfake’ creators are making disturbingly realistic, computer-generated videos with photos taken from the Web, and ordinary women are suffering the damage