Mediagazer: Disney beats estimates with Q1 net income of $2.79B on revenue of $15.3B vs. $15.14B expected; media networks revenue increased 7% YoY to $5.9B (Anjali Robins/CNBC)

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, @amlwhere, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, @ap_corpcomm, @fpmarconi and @sigalsamuel, Thanks:@steverubel

Anjali Robins / CNBC:

Disney beats estimates with Q1 net income of $2.79B on revenue of $15.3B vs. $15.14B expected; media networks revenue increased 7% YoY to $5.9B — - Investors and analysts are looking for new details on the company's direct-to-consumer plans and an update on its pending $71.3 billion acquisition …

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, The Wrap, Awful Announcing, Ad Age, The Verge, Yahoo! Finance, @stevekovach and The Walt Disney Company, more at Techmeme »

Amanda Darrach / Columbia Journalism Review:

Amid buyouts and possible layoffs, McClatchy's board increased CEO Craig Forman's monthly stipend for travel, housing, and security from $5,000 to $35,000 — BuzzFeed, HuffPo, Gannett, Vice. This has already been a ruthless year for layoffs in digital journalism.

Discussion: @byrosenberg, Miami New Times, @levinecarrie, @scottleadingham, @moorehn, @moorehn and @byrosenberg

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 …

Discussion: New York Times, @alexstamos, @clairlemon, @joshelman, @jerylbier, @sivavaid, @dwallacewells, @mozilla, @karaswisher, @ezraklein, @mikeisaac, @moskov, @chadfelixg, @chuck_gopal, The Verge and Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check, more at Techmeme »

Owen S. Good / Polygon:

Machinima is now officially closed, two weeks after it went offline, with layoffs of 81 people but a “select number” remaining to work at AT&T's Otter Media — Parent company confirms shutdown two weeks after everything went offline — Machinima is officially no more.

Discussion: Deadline, MediaPost, @robgabel, @matthewmercer, @utxjgthedon and @xpangler

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

Kim Severson / New York Times:

The Los Angeles Times is resuming a print section dedicated to food in April, to be delivered on Thursdays, with new staff members to fill its pages — New hires are part of a rebuilding effort at a newspaper that has experienced hard times. — The Los Angeles Times said Tuesday …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, @rozrbentley, @mattdpearce, @gustavoarellano, @beejoli, @maxwelltani, @pfmpfmpfm and @latguild

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

Greg Dool / Folio:

American Media, publisher of National Enquirer, US Weekly, and Men's Journal, has acquired TEN: Publishing's 14 brands in its Adventure Sports Network — The National Enquirer publisher adds 14 more media brands to its portfolio in its fourth acquisition since 2017.

Discussion: MediaPost

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, USA Today, Bloomberg, @latoyafornola, The Week, The Federalist, @skooks, @shermichael_, @davidwkenny, Fortune, CNN, Vox, Ad Age, Mediaite, Newser, Vanity Fair, ProFootballTalk, Mashable and New Orleans Times-Picayune

Casey Newton / The Verge:

Facebook bans 22 more Alex Jones-linked Pages as it implements a new policy update, after finding admins repurposing old Pages with content from banned Pages — The company says it's cracking down on people gaming the system — Facebook today removed 22 pages associated …

Discussion: Recode, CNN, The Hill, The Daily Caller, @oliverdarcy and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

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