Top News:
Taylor Lorenz / The Atlantic:
Instagram, which has largely escaped scrutiny, is teeming with conspiracy theories, misinformation, and extremist memes, boosted by its recommendation algorithm — When Alex, now a high-school senior, saw an Instagram account he followed post about something called QAnon back in 2017 …
Discussion:
CNN, @taylorlorenz, Engadget, @cwarzel, @jameshamblin, @qhrizpolley and @elizabethethorp, more at Techmeme »
Richard Lawler / Engadget:
Comcast's Xfinity Flex, a $5/month service for its broadband customers, comes with a 4K set-top box and access to paid and free, ad-supported streaming services — Comcast's latest bundle isn't a cable TV service, exactly, since it's aimed at the increasing number of subscribers who only have internet.
Discussion:
Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline, Multichannel News, Ad Age, CNBC, Bloomberg, @gerryfsmith, @pkafka, @shiraovide, @pkafka, @pkafka and @pkafka, more at Techmeme »
David Sharman / HoldtheFrontPage:
Google DNI grants €500K to publishers Reach and JPIMedia for a local audio news platform and €398K to Newsquest for a community news sharing tool — Two regional publishers have won half a million Euros worth of funding for a joint project aimed at improving their audio output.
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Press Gazette and The Keyword
Facebook:
The NZ shooting video was harder to block on Facebook than official terrorist propaganda videos because the latter aren't rebroadcast or reshared widely — We continue to keep the people, families and communities affected by the tragedy in New Zealand in our hearts.
Discussion:
@markdistef, TechCrunch, BuzzFeed News, Associated Press, @mmasnick, The Atlantic, @klonick, The Register, Business Insider, KTLA, @hshaban, @dbyman, VentureBeat, @hshaban, @grimmelm, CNET, The Guardian, @raju, @peterwsinger, Engadget, Mother Jones, MediaNama, @harikunzru and @hadas_gold, more at Techmeme »
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Former Recode EIC Dan Frommer launches The New Consumer, covering e-commerce and direct-to-consumer brands with a twice-a-week newsletter, for $200/year — Dan Frommer has worked at some of the best-known publications in tech and business journalism — he was editor in chief of Recode …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, The New Consumer, @rafat, @fromedome and @fromedome
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Sources: Apple's new TV service to be unveiled Monday will be a storefront for other streaming services, where Apple will set and offer its own bundles — Apple's TV plans, explained. (Spoiler: Apple isn't taking on Netflix yet.) — After years of circling the TV business …
Discussion:
@pkafka, @pkafka, The Information, Bloomberg, @mollywood, @waltmossberg, @pierce, Engadget, 9to5Mac, @benbajarin, The Verge, MacRumors, @nytimesbusiness, BGR, @pkafka, @pkafka, Gizmodo, @pkafka, @lucas_shaw, @pkafka and @mikeisaac, more at Techmeme »
Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
Bustle names Dan Peres as editor in chief of Gawker.com; Peres was editor in chief of Condé Nast's men's fashion magazine Details for 15 years — Gawker's parent company, Bustle Digital Group, has named the journalist Dan Peres as the editor in chief of Gawker.com …
Discussion:
@allegraehobbs, @scottbix, @jpmanga, @jamesfdennin, @mlcalderone, @jeremymbarr, @johannabarr and @yoda
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times:
Sources: expected layoffs begin after the close of the Disney-Fox deal, with about two dozen senior-level executives at 20th Century Fox affected so far — Anticipated layoffs have begun at Fox, following the storied studio's sale to Walt Disney Co. earlier this week.
Discussion:
Variety, Variety, /Film, Deadline and Hollywood Reporter
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Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Analysts say ripple effects of the Disney-21st Century Fox deal may not be clear for years: predictions include 3,000+ layoffs and more competition in streaming
Discussion:
Fox News, Variety, @tonkohouse, @thr, Fox News, Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood Reporter, FierceVideo, Multichannel News, Business Insider, Vanity Fair, MacRumors, The Week and Variety
James Vincent / The Verge:
Four European Wikipedia sites are blocking access and directing users to contact their EU representatives on March 21 to protest the copyright directive — Sites including Reddit, Twitch, and PornHub are also encouraging users in the EU to contact local politicians
Discussion:
Upvoted, Wikimedia Foundation, Slate, Common Dreams, Business Insider, @wikipedia, The Next Web and Global Voices, more at Techmeme »
Paige Leskin / Business Insider:
YouTube shut down Fantastic Adventures, a channel with 800K subscribers, as creator gets arrested for allegedly mistreating her kids who performed in the shows — - YouTube creator Machelle Hackney, behind the popular channel “Fantastic Adventures,” has been arrested in connection …
Discussion:
NBC News, The Wrap, BuzzFeed News, Washington Post, @broderick, @brionykidd, @ambiej, The A.V. Club and The Daily Caller
Emily Bell / Columbia Journalism Review:
After the events in New Zealand, journalists and tech companies should once again reflect on their roles in how extremist material enters the public square — Journalism has a panopticon problem. Just like the watchman in the center of Jeremy Bentham's theoretical circular prison …
Discussion:
@jbenton and @columbiajourn
Spencer Soper / Bloomberg:
Sources: Amazon is beta testing video ads on its shopping app on iOS with plans for a similar product for Android later in 2019 — - Online retailer pushing video ad space in its smartphone apps — Product-related video content can keep shoppers from defecting
Discussion:
Search Engine Land and @rasmus_kleis, more at Techmeme »
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Report: for the first time, music streaming accounted for more than half, at 54%, of UK record label income in the UK in 2018 as it hit £468M, up 35% YoY — Revenue from Spotify, Amazon and Apple rises as CD sales continue to fall — Music streaming services generated more than half …
Andrew Liptak / The Verge:
MPAA: streaming video subscriptions surpassed those for cable TV for the first time in 2018 globally, rising 131.2M or 27% YoY to 613.3M, as cable fell to 556M — But cable TV still rakes in more money — The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) reported today …
James Walker / Press Gazette:
At a UN Human Rights Council session, about 60 media groups support a draft document on the safety and independence of journalists — International media groups have supported calls for the United Nations to adopt a convention on the safety of journalists following a rise in the number killed last year as a result of their work.
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