Top News:
Vox:
15 influencers, including Jonah Peretti, Ro Khanna, Brooke Binkowski, Malcolm Gladwell, Mark Warner, and Kara Swisher, weigh in on Facebook on its 15th birthday — 15 influencers weigh in on the company's 15th birthday. — When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg returned to Harvard in 2017 …
Jaclyn Peiser / New York Times:
Around one-third of the content published by Bloomberg News uses some form of automated technology, with more news outlets beginning to rely on AI — As reporters and editors find themselves the victims of layoffs at digital publishers and traditional newspaper chains alike, journalism generated by machine is on the rise.
Discussion:
@lisagibbs954 and @fpmarconi, Thanks:@steverubel
Kevin Draper / New York Times:
CBS says 98.2M people watched the Super Bowl, the smallest television audience for the event since 2008, while 2.6M viewed via streaming — It was the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, a universally agreed upon snoozefest. The halftime show was forgettable. The commercials were tame.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, The Federalist, Bloomberg, CNN, Vox, @shermichael_, @latoyafornola, The Week, @skooks, @davidwkenny, Fortune, Mashable, Ad Age, Mediaite, Newser, Vanity Fair, ProFootballTalk and New Orleans Times-Picayune
Alex Thompson / Politico:
Montana Democrats introduce a “Protect The Free Press Act”, which would increase fine for assaulting a journalist from $500 to $5000, with up to a year in jail — HELENA, Mont. — Democrats in the Montana state legislature put forward a bill Monday that would increase the penalty …
Discussion:
@mtdems
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Researchers at Medill Local News Initiative analyzed 13TB of subscriber data from local papers, found high correlation between regular reading and sub retention — Hey, local newspapers: Want to try to predict which of your subscribers are going to stick with you — and keep paying — no matter what?
Discussion:
Local News Initiative
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Viacom's Q1 revenue rose 1% to $3.09B, falling below analysts' expectations, with ad revenue at its media networks dropping 6% YoY — Revenue for the company, led by CEO Bob Bakish, fell short of Wall Street expectations as advertising revenue dropped, but affiliate revenue increased.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The New York Times is offering free online subscriptions to 3M+ students, made possible by 30,000 contributions from readers — The New York Times will announce today that more than 3 million U.S. students now receive free access to nytimes.com, thanks to more than 30,000 contributions from its readers.
Discussion:
@tjdoyle and @sarafischer
Sanjana Karanth / HuffPost:
The Washington Post's spend on its Super Bowl ad, reportedly $5.2M, has provoked anger in some quarters, including the Washington-Baltimore News Guild — Many are having issues with how much it cost, saying that money could go toward paying journalists. — The Washington Post aired …
Discussion:
@washingtonpost, @jeffbezos, @sarahkaplan48, @tim_cook, The Wrap, @levinejonathan, @laura_nelson, @slate, @chick_in_kiev, @sarahkaplan48, @tanvi_madan, @heroinebook, @christophelston, Ad Age, @ahauslohner, @michaelavenatti, @davidrutz, @jessespector, Broadcasting & Cable, @mkramer, Fortune, @lam_barrett, @dabeard, @sarahmccammon, @the_ruhoff, @kris_sacrebleu, @deirdrelatour, @mitchellreports, @markhertling, @mcfaul, @amy_siskind, American Press Institute, @baekdal, MediaFile, Washington Post, @brianstelter, @postbaron, MediaPost and John Kasich
The New York Times Company:
Michelle Agins, the second black female photographer to be hired at the NYT, has been awarded the National Press Photographers Association's highest honor — We are thrilled to announce that three members of the Photo department have been honored by the National Press Photographers Association.
BuzzFeed News:
The US-arm of China's English-language state TV broadcaster, CGTN, has registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) — “It's already hard describing who we work for,” one CGTN source said. “This makes it even more complicated and uncomfortable when talking to anyone on the outside.”
Discussion:
@miriamelder and @buzzfeedben
Washington Post:
The Washington Post adds International Women's Media Foundation and James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to Press Freedom Partnership — The Washington Post today announced the addition of the International Women's Media Foundation and James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to its Press Freedom Partnership.
Washington Post:
Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke told police that a Washington Post reporter caused a fracas outside his house but there was no reporter there — A newly released police report by U.S. Park Police, a division of Interior, fingers a mysterious reporter driving a Mercedes Benz SUV.
Discussion:
@thadeusgreenson, @vermontgmg and @eilperin