Mediagazer: How the $71.3B Disney-Fox merger, which is expected to result in 4,000 layoffs, could affect Fox employees and the iconic movie studio 20th Century Fox (Hollywood Reporter)

9:55 AM ET, February 10, 2019

Top News:

Ex-AMI investigators tell how AMI has used “blackmail” tactics like those revealed by Bezos; company lawyers have pressured other reporters to stop probing AMI — Threatening to reveal Jeff Bezos' “dick p*ck” was just the latest strong-arm tactic.

Discussion: @noahshachtman, @bluechoochoo, @swin24, @thedailybeast, @thegrugq, @mbaram, @swin24, @jbenton, USA Today, Associated Press, The Hill and Newser

Bloomberg:

Sources: SDNY received information about key exchanges concerning Bezos and AMI and is reviewing it for possible immunity agreement violations — - Authorities were given publisher's missives to Amazon founder — Potential jeopardy for AMI's previous deal with prosecutors

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, The Hill, USA Today, @eisingerj, Business Insider, Bloomberg and Slate

Jeff Bezos:
Jeff Bezos publishes letters from National Enquirer owner AMI that he says show threats to publish his nude photos unless he stops probing AMI's reporting

Discussion: New York Times, New York Post, Newser, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Business Insider, @ronanfarrow, @jeffbezos, @kimzetter, CBS News, New Yorker, The Big Lead, Lefsetz Letter, Fortune, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, CNN, @ndrew_lawrence, Bloomberg, Splinter, Politico, USA Today, The Guardian, The Week, @timobrien, @waltmossberg, The Wrap, YouTube, @hypatiadotca, @maxwellstrachan, @gregpmiller, @felixsalmon, @maggienyt, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Associated Press, Columbia Journalism Review, @pkafka, @nxthompson, Observer, CNBC, @nxthompson, Mashable, Slate, @yashar, Poynter, The Hill, Miami New Times, Mediaite, @noahshachtman, Vanity Fair, @dkahanerules, @nycjim, @hypatiadotca, @elisewho, @brianstelter, Adweek, Melville House Books, The Daily Beast, @ronanfarrow, @johncarreyrou, @mariashriver, @profgalloway, @sonnybunch, @maxwellstrachan, @michaelsteele, @xeni, @heerjeet, @dmgshuey, Fast Company, @jamilsmith, @washingtonpost, @popehat, @tbridis, Variety, @karaswisher, @tjl, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, @yashar, @yashar, @popehat, emptywheel, @mmasnick, @billkristol, @kevinmkruse, @po8crg, @popehat, @popehat, @maxwellstrachan, @maggienyt, @mrbromwich, @michaelavenatti, The Verge, @normative, @waltshaub, @mrtsmith81, @moorehn, @fritinancy, @renato_mariotti, @renato_mariotti, @renato_mariotti, @renato_mariotti, @renato_mariotti, @renato_mariotti, @donie, @noahshachtman, @jeffjarvis, Contemptor, Vox, @samstein, @maxwellstrachan, @erikwemple, @nycsouthpaw, @jenniferjjacobs, @gaberivera, @sdkstl, @nycsouthpaw, @kfile, @marklittlenews, @benjaminwittes, TechCrunch, @heidilifeldman, @gbrockell, @yashar, @kbiegel, @shiratarlo, @anildash, @donnarapado, @ksadjadpour, @mkarolian, @borzou, @rachelwalexande, @harryh, @danbarker, @jerrydunleavy, @eisingerj, Recode, @sulliview, TVNewser, The Intercept, American Press Institute, Bloomberg, Editor & Publisher, Washington Post and Boing Boing

Vlad Savov / The Verge:
Twitter served as the spark and initial validator for the Bezos blog post on Medium, once again showing how instrumental Twitter is for news

Discussion: @klasfeldreports, @nycsouthpaw, @sims, @bborrman, @bluechoochoo, @bluechoochoo, @vladsavov, @steverubel, Washington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, The Guardian, The Wrap and The Week

Washington Post:
AMI says it believes it acted lawfully in its Bezos reporting and characterizes its actions as “good faith negotiations” but will investigate the claims

Discussion: @tomfriedman, The Guardian, New York Times, @jediofgallifrey, Bloomberg, @oliverdarcy, @amandamarcotte, Variety, Slate, Variety, Vanity Fair, Business Insider, CNET and CNBC

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
National Enquirer's work is not any kind of journalism, not even tabloidism; it is threat of publication as a bludgeon, with a clear political agenda

Discussion: @lpolgreen, @bgrueskin, @abeaujon, @jamieson, @shelbygrad, @evleaks, @robingivhan, New York Times, @kitlovelace, @ninabernstein1, @will_bunch, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times and Slate

Matthew Ball / REDEF:

Fortnite's longevity will hinge on its ability to evolve and be a social network, which could allow Epic to build a Metaverse rivaling big internet platforms — If Fortnite is to play an important role in Epic's future (let alone that of media overall), it's important to address …

Discussion: @dwallacewells, @mathewi and @bakergavin

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:

Spotify's bet on Gimlet and Anchor gives it a foothold into podcasting to apply its listener monetization skills without worrying about sending money to labels — Credit Spotify CEO Daniel Ek with honesty; in a blog post announcing a major move into the podcast space, Ek wrote:

Discussion: @mdudas, Billboard and Ad Age, more at Techmeme »

Recode:
Gimlet's Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber on weighing remaining independent and being acquired, the days before the deal, and reach, data, and discoverability

Discussion: @alansmurray, @sachinrekhi, @dada_drummer, @teddyschleifer, @nwquah, @spotifynews, Techdirt, RAIN News, @mignano, TechCrunch and @heyfeifer, more at Techmeme »

Hunter Walk:
Interview with Adam Davidson, co-founder and longtime co-host of Planet Money, on audio talent, various kinds of podcasts, and how podcasting is maturing now

Discussion: @hunterwalk, @adamdavidson, @arishapiro, @timslloyd, @hunterwalk and @hunterwalk

Hollywood Reporter:

How the $71.3B Disney-Fox merger, which is expected to result in 4,000 layoffs, could affect Fox employees and the iconic movie studio 20th Century Fox — With the $71.3 billion merger of two studios about to close, fears are mounting on the storied Fox lot as colleagues prepare to become rivals …

Brian Feldman / New York Magazine:

The rise on Instagram of “meme accounts” like @fuckjerry, which steal jokes, videos, and other content, is a platform failure Instagram refuses to acknowledge — The past few weeks have been rough for Elliot Tebele. Tebele is the morally compromised founder of Jerry Media …

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy recommendations for journalism: be transparent, gain philanthropic support, improve tech use, diversify staff — Radical transparency, committed philanthropy, disinformation-debunking technology, organizational diversity — and a year of service …

Alison Herman / The Ringer:

NYT Cooking's comment section is helpful and civil because comments are focused on improving recipes, moderated by humans to keep them relevant — The subscription-based service offers hundreds of recipes—and even more suggestions—from helpful, well-meaning users. Who knew that such a thing was possible?

Blair Rhodes / CBC News:

The Canadian Press to cut six editorial staff, mostly in its Atlantic bureau in Halifax, citing declining subscription and ad revenues — The Canadian Press is cutting six editorial positions, in a move the company said is prompted by a decline in its subscription revenue.

Discussion: @larochecbc

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Netflix says Roma has had theatrical releases in 41 countries and 1,100 screens, of which 250 were in the US; it's been viewed by 50% of accounts in Mexico — LOS ANGELES — For weeks, “Roma,” the Netflix movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón, has occupied an odd position in Hollywood: both omnipresent and mysterious.

Recode:

Q&A with Fortune CEO Alan Murray about selling Fortune, its push into other businesses like live events, and how WSJ changed after News Corp bought it in 2007 — Murray recently sold the Fortune Media Group to Chatchaval Jiaravanon, a Thai billionaire you've probably never heard of.

Discussion: @pkafka

New York Times:

Les Moonves's new company Moon Rise Unlimited, which focuses on “entertainment services”, operates in office space paid for by CBS as part of his exit agreement — Just months after being fired by CBS, Leslie Moonves is running a new company. — And though Mr. Moonves …