Top News:
Motherboard:
Facebook says it will ban white nationalist and white separatist content, pointing users to nonprofits, after initially only banning white supremacist content — After a civil rights backlash, Facebook will now treat white nationalism and separatism the same as white supremacy …
Discussion:
Facebook, Variety, The Wrap, @bcmerchant, Gizmodo, MediaPost, Adweek, Multichannel News, The Verge, Vox, TechCrunch, NPR, New York Times, USA Today, @sheeraf, Washington Post, @chick_in_kiev, Mashable, CNET, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Quartz, @sulomeanderson, Fortune, @brianstelter, @noahshachtman, @micahsingleton, @mbueckert, @jonbernhardt, Engadget, @monteiro, @crawf33, @jason_koebler, @curiousquail, @bearpigman, @bmakuch, @slimihendrix, @natemcdermott, @rachel_pick, @johnastoehr, @drivenbyboredom, @willsommer, @vestscanada, @antihateca, The Week, Boing Boing and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
A look back at the intense Trump-Russia beat as some critics call media overzealous: the best reporters fix errors and check biases, and the story's not over — There I was, getting a flat tire replaced, when my cellphone rang. — It was Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer …
Discussion:
@michaelkruse, @politicomag, @ej_goldberg, @politicomag, @ccadelago, @dsamuelsohn, @politicomag and @politicomag
RELATED:
The Daily Beast:
Mueller was a ratings booster for MSNBC but in the wake of the Barr report, Rachel Maddow's show was down near 500K viewers since the previous week
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Atlantic, Business Insider, Esquire, @willsommer, @aaronjmate, @sayssimonson, @ositanwanevu, @lionelmedia, @tomgara, SPLICETODAY.com, @hoosyourdaddy99, @bostonjerry and Politico
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Judge dismisses lawsuit against BuzzFeed from Michael Leidig of Central European News, saying Leidig failed to show anything in an article about him was false — BuzzFeed won a long-running legal battle on Wednesday against Michael Leidig, whom the news site had described in a 2015 story the “King of Bullsh- News.”
Max Willens / Digiday:
While some think Apple News+ offers publishers a bad deal, companies including Vox, theSkimm, and New York Media are using it to test new products or strategies — Media observers have already decided that Apple News+ is a terrible deal for legacy publishers.
Discussion:
The Verge, The Wrap, Nieman Lab and Digiday
Charles Bethea / New Yorker:
Since James Bruggers left his job at the Courier-Journal, Kentucky's coal country has been left without a newspaper reporter on the environment beat full-time — A year ago, the last Kentucky newspaper staffer dedicated to the environmental beat full-time left his job. He was not replaced.
Discussion:
@howardfineman, @jacobhryan, @amandapetrusich, @nfudc, @rylandky, @kodacohen, @jmartnyt, @danielgilliam, @carlzimmer, @charlesornstein, @michaelluo, @cynthiabarnett, @kemc, @michaelluo, @tomlasseter, @charlesbethea, @gwenda, @eekshecried, @jasonmargolis, @rohded, @cybingham, @moorestrib and The Rural Blog
Ben Strauss / Washington Post:
Adnan Virk discusses his firing from ESPN and his new role at streaming service DAZN, whose North American operation is headed by John Skipper — NEW YORK — On the afternoon of Feb. 1, Adnan Virk drove home from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn. It was a familiar trip.
Discussion:
Poynter, @benjstrauss, @sean_brace, @shandershow, @benjstrauss, @richarddeitsch, @haleaziz, @dahancw, @timbolen, @roofthatpeach, @timbrando, @richarddeitsch, Awful Announcing and New York Post
Casey Newton / The Verge:
The EU's Copyright Directive has the potential to further fracture the open web based on location and may lead to the closure of Google News in Europe — How the Copyright Directive reshapes the open web — It's strange to think about now, but until the 1920s, you didn't generally need a passport to travel.
Discussion:
@openoms, @fkarlitschek, @maxniederhofer, @oliverdarcy, @johnjcook, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
James Vincent / The Verge:
European Parliament approves the Copyright Directive, a controversial law including Article 11, dubbed the “link tax” and Article 13, dubbed the “upload filter”
Discussion:
New York Times, Tubefilter, @profgalloway, @kingoflighting, FOSS Patents, Inquirer, The Week, Boing Boing, @marietjeschaake, @fabiochiusi, Hollywood Reporter, MediaNama, Financial Times, BBC, Emanuel Karlsten, @dangillmor, Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check, @glynmoody, @rrhoover, @petermurrayrust, @stevie_sg, @tomwarren, @martinsfp, @ow, @mrgmyt, @emilykrumlinde, Electronic Frontier Foundation, TechCrunch, Engadget, Motherboard, Deadline, The Next Web, Business Insider and Music Ally, more at Techmeme »
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Spotify says it will begin to personalize some of its human-curated playlists — Spotify is starting to algorithmically personalize some of its curated playlists, making a major change to how people discover music on the streaming service. — Spotify is already known for having …
Discussion:
RAIN News, @jprmercado, @jacobschulman, CNET and artists.spotify.com, more at Techmeme »
James Walker / Press Gazette:
Website goes offline for women's magazine The Pool almost two months after staffers were told it would close; the company has yet to file for administration — The Pool website has gone offline almost two months after staff were told the women's lifestyle publication would go into administration.
James Walker / Press Gazette:
eMarketer: Google and Facebook will increase their share of the UK digital ad market to 63.3% in 2019 from 62.7% in 2018, increasing to 65% by 2021 — Google and Facebook will increase their share of the UK digital advertising market again this year, according to a new forecast.
Discussion:
eMarketer
Wall Street Journal:
Internal memo: AT&T's WarnerMedia is offering buyouts to US employees of Turner who are at least 55 with 10 or more years of service by the end of 2019 — AT&T's WarnerMedia took steps to reduce headcount at its Turner unit, which was essentially dissolved as a result of a wide-ranging restructuring announced earlier this month.
Discussion:
The Wrap and Dallas Business Journal
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Google is launching the Local Experiments Project to fund dozens of new local news sites in the US, partners with McClatchy for three operations in three years — Google is launching the Local Experiments Project, an effort to fund dozens of new local news websites around the country and eventually around the world.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, Pew Research Center, Media Nation, The Keyword, @bgrueskin, @sarafischer, @emilybell, @ananny, @b52malmet, @mattlanza, Fast Company, @marceldirsus, @ayoonhendricks, TVWeek.com, @thensim0nsaid, @ludkmr, Nieman Lab, @dkiesow, @hawleymo, @xlprofessor, @melaniesill, @businessofnews, @mathewi, CNN, @nathanblawrence, @aaronmehta, @alexkotch, @melaniesill, @seandkennedy, @nicholasvinocur, @lam_barrett, @mathewi, @trochee, @jayrosen_nyu, @laurengustus, @matthewstoller, @mathewi, @emilybell, @andreas212nyc, @emilybell, @pergam, Adweek, Engadget, 9to5Google, Fortune and Beyond Search
Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:
Downtown Music Holdings, parent of Downtown Music Publishing and Songtrust, is buying AVL Digital Group, parent of CD Baby; sources estimate the deal at ~$200M — The fierce battle to dominate the independent music distribution sector just got a new major player.
Discussion:
Variety, Billboard and Crain's New York Business
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