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, @steevill, @rmac18, @samtlevin, @shortformernie, @sarahfrier, @tmclaughlin3, @tarletong, @bendwalsh, @dpfunke, BBC, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Snopes.com, 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 — Snopes, which recently rebuffed reports that its relationship with Facebook was strained, has stopped working for the program …
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The Atlantic, Snopes.com, @shiraovide, PCMag India, 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.
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Nick Statt / The Verge:
After backlash over stolen jokes, founder of the popular Instagram aggregator account Fuckjerry apologizes, pledges not to post content without permission — A shift the social media landscape's content-stealing culture — Elliot Tebele, founder of marketing firm Jerry Media and creator …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, @krangtnelson, @hellolanemoore, @nathanallebach, @mcjesse, @dtrinh, @elizaskinner and Gizmodo
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 …
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Washington Post, CNBC, @postbaron, Deadline, @maurajudkis, KTLA, @maurajudkis, @jason_kint, The A.V. Club, Adweek, Variety, Skift Table and The Week
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.
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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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.
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Bloomberg, @darrendcarroll, @timhanlon, @newsbyschmidt 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 …
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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
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.
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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
Twitter says it removed thousands of malicious accounts that originated in Iran, Russia, and Venezuela for spreading disinformation about the 2018 midterms
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Slate, @wiczipedia, New York Times, @justinhendrix, @josh_emerson, @yoyoel, @policy, Twitter, Blog Network, @wiczipedia, @dcherring, PCMag India, NBC News, Twitter, Adweek, Recode, Ad Age, Mashable, Reuters and The Week
Facebook:
Facebook says it removed 262 Pages, 356 accounts, three groups, and 162 Instagram accounts tied to Iran for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior
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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@matt_levine, Adweek, @donara_barojan, @donie, Al Jazeera, @jank0, @martyswant, @martyswant, CNN, SiliconANGLE, Mashable, Gizmodo, Fortune, Ad Age, DFRLab, The Guardian, VentureBeat, Engadget, The Verge, The Wrap, CyberScoop, The Hill, TechCrunch and Business Insider