Top News:
Washington Post:
Jill Abramson responds to plagiarism allegations, says some citations don't match with the right pages and some language is too close to sources, promises fixes — Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson responded Thursday to allegations that she plagiarized portions of her new book …
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Tamar Auber / Mediaite:
Vice News correspondent says former NYT executive editor Jill Abramson included plagiarized passages in chapters about Vice in her book, Merchants of Truth — Vice News Tonight correspondent Michael Moynihan is calling out former executive editor of The New York Times Jill Abramson out for what he says are …
Discussion:
@mcmoynihan, @ianfrisch, On my Om, @jillabramson, Poynter, The Wrap, Washington Post, @ajwimsatt, @jillabramson, NPR, CNN, @normative, CNN, NB Blog, @mcmoynihan, Vox, @surooshalvi, @bcmerchant, Associated Press, @benmullin, @jrubinblogger, @bcmerchant, @adrs, @annehelen, Newser, @jakemalooley, @bobruggiero2, @hshaban, @cjsprigman, @cjsprigman, @bruce_arthur, @originalspin, @sgtjanedoe, @brianstelter, @davidfolkenflik, @marissarmoss, TVNewser, @radleybalko, @tressiemcphd, @samthielman, @kennethn, @ianfrisch, @ianfrisch, @citizenmurphy, @amylittlefield, @pareene, @pareene, @mmasnick, @onekade, @coreyrobin, @mlcalderone, @nycsouthpaw, @sir__ian, @robertwrighter, @passantino, @brianstelter, @jodyavirgan, @dangillmor, @brianstelter, Wall Street Journal, Contemptor, Variety, The Daily Caller and New York Post
Manish Singh / VentureBeat:
News aggregator Nuzzel sold to Scroll, which is building a news subscription service; Nuzzel founder Jonathan Abrams and COO Kent Lindstrom to leave the company — News aggregator Nuzzel has found a new home and leadership and is undergoing some product changes.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @arctictony, Scroll Blog, @mattmcgee, TechCrunch and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Jeff Bezos:
Jeff Bezos publishes letters from AMI that he says show threats to publish his nude photos unless he backs off from criticizing AMI's coverage — Something unusual happened to me yesterday. Actually, for me it wasn't just unusual—it was a first. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse.
Discussion:
Business Insider, @danbarker, @jerrydunleavy, @eisingerj, The Verge, Boing Boing, GeekWire, @sonnybunch and Hollywood Life, more at Techmeme »
Brendan Nyhan / Medium:
Research comparing 2016 and 2018 suggests Facebook's efforts to limit the reach of fake news are working, but the platform's scale remains an alluring target — After the shock of the 2016 presidential election, many Americans found psychological refuge in a simple explanation for why Donald Trump won: “fake news.”
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
For Spotify to succeed as a podcast app, it needs to clearly separate podcasts from music, help users discover podcasts better, and allow creators to monetize — Some suggestions for improvement — Spotify announced today that the company plans to spend up to $500 million on podcast-related acquisitions.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, @awrd, Talking Biz News, Fortune, Engadget, RAIN News and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »
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Peter Kafka / Recode:
Spotify buys podcast producer Gimlet Media, sources say for ~$230M, and Anchor, a startup which makes it easier for users to record and distribute podcasts
Discussion:
@spotifynews, Poynter, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Nieman Lab, Spotify, CNBC, @anchor, @mayafish, @mignano, MediaPost, hypebot, Digital TV Europe, Fortune, The Week, Fast Company, Music Industry Blog, Anchor, Variety, @cfishman, Slate, @dcseifert, CNN, @stalman, @caseynewton, @juiceboxca, @kfcbarstool, @arlanwashere, @mikerugnetta, @jonfortt, @tomgara, @markcwebster, @schmooey, @satyap, @caseyneistat, @borthwick, @tetisheri, @martinsfp, @jennyrwall, @austindarbo, @msquinn, @markdistef, @c_crampton, @sarafischer, @cheriehu42, @renayrich, @thestalwart, @somospostpc, @indianidle, @lucas_shaw, @eldsjal, @niemanlab, Mobile Marketer, New York Times, The Verge, Mashable, RAIN News, Marketing Land, Adweek and Android Police, more at Techmeme »
Sahil Patel / Digiday:
Insider Inc says it achieved profitability in 2018 with revenue up 20% YoY and exceeded $100M in revenue for the first time — Times may be tough in digital publishing right now, but Business Insider parent company Insider Inc. says it just had its best revenue year ever.
Discussion:
@seangriffey, @bmorrissey, @gaberivera and @rafat
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Woody Allen sues Amazon for $68M, claiming Amazon breached a four-picture deal and refused to release A Rainy Day in New York — Woody Allen filed a $68 million suit against Amazon Studios Thursday, alleging that the streamer has backed out of a multi-picture film deal due to “a 25-year old, baseless allegation.”
Max Willens / Digiday:
IAC's Dotdash, which owns Investopedia and the remnants of About.com, posts $131M in revenue in 2018, up 44% YoY, and expects 21% revenue growth YoY for 2019 — In a year where publishers scrambled to diversify their revenues and their business models, Dotdash posted breakout growth stemming from a course it charted a long time ago.
Discussion:
@pkafka
Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google experiment finds 45% traffic decline to news sites with search results without snippets, in a moderate version of what is proposed in EU's Article 11 — In the next few days, European legislators meet to decide on a final text of the European Copyright Directive.
Discussion:
Julia Reda, The Next Web, ZDNet, Search Engine Land and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »
Foreign Policy:
Former Fox News reporter and US Navy veteran Lea Gabrielle is named to lead the State Department agency that counters foreign propaganda and disinformation — Former Fox News correspondent and Navy veteran Lea Gabrielle to head long-troubled Global Engagement Center.
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite, @dancohen3000 and @statedept
New York Times Company:
In Q4, The New York Times added 265K digital subscriptions, bringing total number of digital subs to 3.4M but profit decreased to $74.7M from $90.5M a year ago — NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)— The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced today fourth-quarter 2018 diluted earnings per share …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @oliverdarcy, @dkiesow, @bydanielvictor, CNBC, New York Times, Poynter, @jeremylittau, @adamgoldmannyt, @peterbakernyt, @niemanlab, @snorthfield45, @tribunekevin, @rosental, @sulliview, @mattyglesias, @morningmoneyben, @jswatz, @michaelluo, @reformedbroker, @hblodget, @bdentonphoto, @brianstelter, @emilybell, @adamgoldmannyt, @ericliptonnyt, @jeffjarvis, @brianstelter, @gerryfsmith and Fortune
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Cara Lombardo / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Digital First Media, which owns ~7.5% of Gannett's stock and was rejected in a takeover attempt, has launched a proxy fight to remake Gannett's board — Digital First Media, the hedge-fund-backed newspaper chain whose takeover bid for Gannett was rejected, is preparing for a proxy fight to remake Gannett's board.
Discussion:
@cararlombardo
The Wrap:
Netflix finalizes a deal to acquire rights to Knock Down the House, a documentary about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other women who ran for office — Netflix announced on Thursday that it has finalized a deal to acquire worldwide distribution rights to the award-winning documentary …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Lucia Moses / Business Insider:
NYT to start testing raising prices for its digital subscriptions soon; it hasn't raised these prices in seven and a half years — - The New York Times will test higher prices for digital subscriptions as it aims for a goal of 10 million subscribers by 2025.
Accounting Specialist Editor, Remote US — 
Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — 
Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
Senior Social Media Specialist, NC — 
Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — 
Assistant Editor - Digital, NC — 
Video Producer - YouTube, NY — 
Senior Managing Ed. - Daily Desk — 
Multimedia Journalist, CA — 
Content Managing Editor — 
Editor, MA — 
Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — 
Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — 
Associate Editor, Remote — 
Retail Reporter, MN — 
Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — 
News Editor - UK, Remote — 
News Reporter, MA — 
Multimedia Journalist, PA — 
Service Journalism Editor, CA — 
Content Director, Remote — 
Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — 
Reporter - Middle East — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
Senior Media Editor — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Lexington County Reporter, SC — 
Reporter - Offshore Wind — 
General Assignment Reporter, FL — 
Staff Reporter, CA — 
Data Editor, NY — 
