Top News:
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Vice to lay off 10% of staff, or ~250 people, across the company as part of restructuring effort; weekly “Vice” show on HBO also ending — The cuts, which will impact around 250 people, are part of new CEO Nancy Dubuc's strategic plan to tighten spending and achieve profitability.
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Daniel Funke / Poynter:
Snopes pulls out of Facebook partnership, says Facebook's closed, manual fact-checking entry system is too labor intensive and fails to benefit the whole web — Snopes is no longer debunking misinformation in partnership with Facebook. In a statement published Friday …
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@kimlacapria, @samtlevin, @dpfunke, @steevill, @shortformernie, @bendwalsh, BBC, @rmac18, @tarletong, @tmclaughlin3, @samtlevin, @sarahfrier, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Adweek, Engadget, The Verge, Boing Boing, CNBC and Mashable, more at Techmeme »
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Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
AP says it is “not currently doing fact-checking work for Facebook”, after Snopes said it also stopped; both leave possiblity for future collaboration open — Two of Facebook's four fact-checking partners in the U.S. are no longer working for the program: Snopes …
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The Atlantic, Snopes.com, PCMag India, @shiraovide, Snopes.com, Mediaite and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Source: Spotify in advanced talks to acquire popular podcast producer Gimlet for $200M+; Gimlet would be Spotify's first purchase of an original content maker — Spotify wants to break out of the music streaming business. Gimlet, the company behind shows like Crimetown and Reply All, can help.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, 9to5Mac, Business Insider, Fast Company, @evoterra, @nicktheandersen, @andrewchen, @dcseifert, @blakeir, @khoi, @nicktheandersen, @nicktheandersen, @mathowie, @nicktheandersen, The Verge, Variety, Engadget, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
In interview with Trump, NYT journalists and publisher try explaining the global effect of “fake news” claims but his focus shifted to his personal grievances — President Trump takes credit for popularizing the term “fake news.” — But the consequences? Not his concern.
Maura Judkis / Washington Post:
The Washington Post is airing a 60-second ad during the Super Bowl's fourth quarter on Sunday, with Tom Hanks describing journalism's importance to society — The Washington Post will debut its first Super Bowl commercial — a message underscoring the importance of newsgathering …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNBC, @postbaron, KTLA, Adweek, @maurajudkis, @maurajudkis, @jason_kint, Variety, Skift Table and The Week
Chuck Strouse / Miami New Times:
Memo: McClatchy is offering a voluntary early retirement program to about 450 employees, says it will be a one-time opportunity — This morning, Craig Forman, CEO of McClatchy Company, emailed all staff to say about 10 percent of the newspaper chain's employees would be offered voluntary buyouts.
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The Hill, @lindseywasson, @cliomiso, @hannahallam, @karlbode, @parkermolloy, @sulliview, @stevejanoski, @jeffdomingues, @romenesko and @charlesapple
Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:
For M&A possibilities among legacy newspaper companies and even digital startups, the next recession looms large and everything is on the table — In an industry where expense reduction is the prime strategy, much more consolidation is likely on the way. Little regulation prevents it, and the financials all favor it.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, @darrendcarroll, @newsbyschmidt, @timhanlon and New York Post
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
Starz CEO Chris Albrecht will leave the company in March; COO Jeffrey Hirsch will manage the company along with Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer — Chris Albrecht, chief executive of the premium cable channel and streaming service Starz, is stepping down from the company he has managed for the last decade.
Discussion:
Deadline, Broadcasting & Cable and Variety
Brian Fung / Washington Post:
In day one of arguments, the FCC faced tough questions from a three-judge panel on its definition of broadband and potential issues for public safety agencies — The Federal Communications Commission faced sharp questioning from a trio of appellate court judges Friday as the agency sought …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, The Verge, Gizmodo, Free Press, Ars Technica, The Verge and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Amazon's “other” revenue, which is mostly composed of its advertising services, hit $3.4B in Q4, up 95% YoY and reaching $10.1B for all of 2018 — Amazon's advertising business is showing no signs of letting up. — Amazon reports record profits of $3B, crushes Wall Street expectations for holiday quarter
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
The Pentagon hasn't done an on-camera press briefing since May; formerly daily State Department briefings averaged six per month in last three months of 2018 — With President Trump sending more troops to the southern border, pulling some out of Syria and causing uncertainty among allies in NATO …
Discussion:
@missy_ryan and @glennkesslerwp
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Facebook says it was able to uncover the Iranian network thanks to information from Twitter and that the two have been sharing notes sooner than previously — Facebook and Twitter have removed thousands of fake accounts originating from Iran, some dating back as far as 2010, after collaborating to combat disinformation.
Discussion:
Engadget
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Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Twitter says it removed thousands of malicious accounts that originated in Iran, Russia, and Venezuela for spreading disinformation about the 2018 midterms
Discussion:
Slate, New York Times, @wiczipedia, @justinhendrix, @josh_emerson, Twitter, @yoyoel, @policy, Blog Network, @wiczipedia, @dcherring, PCMag India, NBC News, Twitter, Adweek, Recode, Ad Age, Mashable, Reuters and The Week, more at Techmeme »
Facebook:
Facebook says it removed 262 Pages, 356 accounts, three groups, and 162 Instagram accounts tied to Iran for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior
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