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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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@samtlevin, The Verge, The Guardian, @dpfunke, @shortformernie, @bendwalsh, BBC, @rmac18, @tarletong, @tmclaughlin3, @samtlevin, Boing Boing, Adweek, @sarahfrier, Engadget, 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 …
Discussion:
Snopes.com, The Atlantic, Snopes.com, PCMag India, @shiraovide, Mediaite and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
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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Wall Street Journal, Nieman Lab, Digiday, Press Gazette, MediaPost, @levinejonathan, Business Insider, TechCrunch, CNN, @zachdcarter, @grimkim, @rafat, @leonlazaroff, @hshaban, @hshaban, @melissagira, Mumbrella, Broadcasting & Cable, Fortune, Top Digital Journal News, The Daily Caller, Splinter, Tubefilter, Adweek and Variety
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.
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, Adweek, @maurajudkis, @maurajudkis, 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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The Hill, @lindseywasson, @cliomiso, @hannahallam, @karlbode, @parkermolloy, @sulliview, @stevejanoski, @jeffdomingues, @romenesko and @charlesapple
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, 9to5Mac, Ars Technica and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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, Variety and Broadcasting & Cable
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
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
Amy Gesenhues / Marketing Land:
MediaRadar: YouTube 2018 ad revenue rose 11% YoY, as media and entertainment companies brought in 30%+ of ad revenue and Geico and Samsung accounted for 11.5% — YouTube ad revenues increased 11 percent year-over-year in 2018, according to MediaRadar. — YouTube saw a 51 percent ad renewal …
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, Adweek, @donara_barojan, @donie, @wiczipedia, @justinhendrix, @josh_emerson, Blog Network, @yoyoel, @policy, Al Jazeera, @wiczipedia, @dcherring, @jank0, New York Times, Twitter, Recode, Twitter, Reuters, The Week and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
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