Mediagazer: William Branigin recalls Joe Alex Morris Jr, the LA Times Middle East correspondent, who was killed in the Iranian Revolution 40 years ago (William Branigin/Washington Post)

7:55 AM ET, February 11, 2019

Top News:

Jill Abramson continues to defend her book against plagiarism charges, says she gave Vice early excerpts of the book and invited the company's response — New York (CNN Business)Jill Abramson continues to claim that passages from her new book, “Merchants of Truth,” weren't plagiarized, but instead were improperly credited.

Tom Scocca / Hmm Daily:

Journalists defending Jill Abramson's plagiarism show that public figures above a certain level are somewhat immune to any real career consequences — The Worst Thing We Read Yesterday™ — Last night, Michael C. Moynihan of Vice tweeted a series of examples of Jill Abramson …

Discussion: @ckrewson, @whet, @danielgerling, @feedkastcharles, @edroso, @erinmcunningham, @ckrewson, @tomscocca, @sarahkogod, @ericgeller, @penenberg, @joelberkowitz, @hofrench, @georgeselgin, @voxdotcom and @amyalkon

Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:

AMI sources: Lauren Sanchez's brother provided her texts with Bezos to National Enquirer; Bezos' security consultant says probe into who provided texts is over — Multiples sources tell The Daily Beast that Michael Sanchez, a Trumpworld associate and brother to Bezos' lover, gave the couple's texts to The National Enquirer.

Benjamin Goggin / Business Insider:

Sources: GateHouse Media has quietly cut 60+ employees after buying a group of newspapers from Schurz Communications for $30M in late January — - GateHouse Media, owned by local newspaper giant New Media Investment Group, is quietly laying off journalists across the country.

William Branigin / Washington Post:

William Branigin recalls Joe Alex Morris Jr, the LA Times Middle East correspondent, who was killed in the Iranian Revolution 40 years ago — Forty years ago, L.A. Times correspondent Joe Alex Morris Jr. and I headed into Tehran's chaos as the shah's regime teetered.

Kevin McElwee / Columbia Journalism Review:

Analysis of six years of Who Pays Writers? data: freelancers typically made $200 per article, 73% had to wait 4+ weeks to be paid, and print articles paid more — The website Who Pays Writers? was founded in 2012 as a public, anonymous forum for freelancers to share their experiences working for publications.

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:

Despite recent cost-cutting measures at digital media companies, major Hollywood media conglomerates remain confident in them as long-term strategic investments — As BuzzFeed and Vice cut hundreds of jobs, Comcast or Disney could look at takeover bids, but “why would they want to double …

The Outline:

An argument against the fixed-price subscription model, which isn't affordable for all, in light of free journalism experiments by The Correspondent and others — Imploring readers to support outlets through subscriptions misdiagnoses the problem. — Unconventional Wisdom

Discussion: @milespherbert, @thadeusgreenson, @moorehn, @deggans, @jayrosen_nyu, @andrewhaeg, @alexem, @mattdpearce, @timherrera, @amlwhere, @terryparrisjr, @jessicahuseman and @sarahcnyt

Martyn Herman / Reuters:

Following NFL, NBA, and Spain's La Liga, major UK Premier League teams to adopt Intel's True View tech, which provides immersive 360-degree replays — Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City are set to watch this season's Premier League title race from “inside the game” …

Jill Martin Wrenn / Financial Times:

More journalists starting their careers seek funding outside corporate media orgs, via philanthropy, non-profits, subscriber support, and crowdsourced ventures — Breaking into journalism has always taken talent, tenacity and entrepreneurialism. Now young would-be reporters and editors …

Discussion: @elenacresci, @jayrosen_nyu, @hazelsheffield and @charliebeckett

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

MGM's pay TV channel Epix launches Epix Now, a $5.99/month streaming service, available on iOS, Apple TV and Android, says it is coming to Roku and Fire TV soon — Epix is joining the subscription streaming marketplace with the launch of Epix Now as a stand-alone option for $5.99 a month.

Discussion: The Wrap, The Verge, CNET, Hollywood Reporter, Adweek and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

Peter Rubin / Wired:

How chains like Cinemark and AMC are testing high-end, immersive multiplayer VR experiences in select movie theaters — ONCE UPON A time, the company with the biggest screens in the world made a big bet on virtual reality. Imax opened seven VR centers in movie theaters around the globe …

Discussion: @wired and @provenself, more at Techmeme »

Arwa Mahdawi / The Guardian:

Goop's upcoming Netflix show could be another opportunity for the company to spread medical misinformation and pseudoscience, now to a wider audience — The brand that championed coffee colonics and jade vagina eggs is coming to our TV screens. Is there no escaping Gwyneth Paltrow's woo?