Top News:
John Scott-Railton / The Citizen Lab:
Inside Endless Mayfly, an Iran-aligned network of websites and online personas used to spread false information targeting Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel — Endless Mayfly1 is an Iran-aligned network of inauthentic websites and online personas used to spread false and divisive information …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @theatlantic, @gabriellelim and The Atlantic
Sarah Whitten / CNBC:
Lionsgate shares soar ~15% after report that CBS interim CEO made an offer of around $5B to acquire Starz; Lionsgate said to have rejected offer — KEY POINTS — Rumors that CBS had made an informal offer to buy Starz from the media company sent the stock soaring.
Discussion:
The Information, @sherman4949, Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, Variety, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters and Cord Cutters News
RELATED:
Reuters:
Sources: Lionsgate offered to sell Starz to CBS for $5.5B after CBS made an informal $5B bid for the network — (Reuters) - Lions Gates Entertainment offered to sell cable channel Starz to CBS Corp for $5.5 billion after rebuffing a lower offer, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Discussion:
@matthewkeyslive
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
RTDNA/Hofstra University survey shows number of people working in local TV news is nearly 28K, half of stations are focusing on investigations, 55% have a drone — While local TV is by no means perfect — see overblown crime coverage and the faux Momo challenge — it's one of the most trusted sources of news in the United States.
Discussion:
RTDNA Recent Articles and @aliwatkins
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Techdirt settles suit by Shiva Ayyadurai, who claimed to invent email; no money exchanges hands; Techdirt to link to an Ayyadurai statement on related articles — It's possible that some of you saw the news earlier this week that the legal dispute, in which Shiva Ayyadurai sued us for defamation …
Discussion:
@sfmnemonic, @gaberivera, PR Newswire, @scot_blog, @normative, @adamsteinbaugh, @scottgreenfield, NBC News and Boing Boing
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Research shows HBO Now users are twice as likely as customers of other streaming services to cancel subscriptions when a specific show ends — Fan reaction to Game of Thrones' final season may be mixed, but the show has been undeniably good for HBO's network — and for its over-the-top streaming service, HBO NOW.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, The Stranger and Washington Post
Shaya Tayefe Mohajer / Columbia Journalism Review:
Profile: The Liberator, a black newspaper published from 1900-1914 that sold the California dream to freed slaves while pushing for equality and voting rights — Standing on Slauson Avenue last month, Arianne Edmonds joined Angelenos who gathered along the 25-mile route of rapper Nipsey Hussle's funeral procession.
Kevin Poulsen / The Daily Beast:
Four former employees of OANN recall their unsettling experiences of working at the far right network popular for conspiracy theories and Kremlin propaganda — Conspiracy theories, racist outbursts, and a whole lot of Putin love. Working for the far-right One America News Network was a deeply weird experience, former employees say.
Discussion:
@adamweinstein, @kurtschlichter and @noahshachtman
Emily Stewart / Vox:
Q&A with Sen. Ron Wyden on writing early legislation that shaped the internet, technology consolidation, and protecting publishers without requiring neutrality — “Section 230 is not about neutrality. Period. Full stop." — Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is one of the co-authors …
Discussion:
@emilystewartm
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Vice has more than 60 TV series in development worldwide, including unscripted series and some based on Vice articles — LOS ANGELES — Danny Gabai was used to being ignored. For years, he ran what may have been Vice Media's most uncool business — the production of feature films, made to be shown in theaters.
David Von Drehle / Washington Post:
The battle for readers' attention translates to pandering to biases and flattening information, so trivial and significant stories get equal standing — Could it be a civic duty to tune out the news? Journalist Oliver Burkeman floats this provocative idea in a recent essay published in the Guardian newspaper.
Discussion:
@michaelkruse and @maggiemfox
Selina Wang / Bloomberg:
A look at Twitter in Japan, its second-largest market, raking in $136M in Q1 revenue, where the service has mass appeal and many users have multiple accounts — Rising ad dollars from Japan has bolstered the company's total revenue — When Yu Sasamoto joined Twitter Inc. as head of Japan in 2014 …
Discussion:
@freialobo, @hamburger, @luca and @selinawangtv
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