Top News:


Spotify says Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency, launching in 2020, will help subscription services by reducing payment friction and opening new markets — When Facebook officially announced its plans for a new cryptocurrency called Libra Tuesday, it also revealed that Spotify was part …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Nieman Lab, Facebook, New York Magazine, Variety, The Guardian, New York Times, @eringriffith, @lyman_brian, @reckless, Cybercultural, @super_crypto, @happicamp, @b_fung, Digital Trends, @scribandotcom, @matthewkeyslive, @max_read, @joshconstine and Spotify, more at Techmeme »


Marcus Epstein, a former contributor to VDare with other white nationalist ties, has been writing opinion pieces for WSJ, National Review, The Hill, and others — A former Republican operative notorious for his connections to white nationalists has established himself as an opinion contributor …
Discussion:
@tomgara, @rmac18, @bgrueskin, @katestarbird, @charliemagne, @craigsilverman, @brendannyhan, @bernstein, Boing Boing and @mrbrianhughes


Sources: CBS is preparing an offer for Viacom in the coming weeks, following last week's CBS board meeting; Viacom's Bob Bakish likely to lead combined company — Offer could come in coming weeks; hurdles include determining price of stock transaction and picking new leadership team
Discussion:
Multichannel News, @benmullin, @taralach and Adweek, more at Techmeme »


How The Washington Post, NBC News, and The Dallas Morning News are using TikTok to share news stories, or at least start participating in memes — “When I was a beat reporter, I used to look at national news and say: How can I localize this? I feel like this is the other way around …


Eight women accuse Max Landis, the “Bright” screenwriter and son of director John Landis, of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse — Eight accusers have come forward against the ‘Bright’ screenwriter and Hollywood scion alleging a pattern of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse that spans a decade.


After an Atlanta radio host spoke of gender discrimination, she was laid off; she filed a charge with the US EEOC, and now her old boss is out of the newsroom — One afternoon in June 2018, as Alison Tyler listened to the radio on her drive home from work, she realized a familiar voice had disappeared from Atlanta's airwaves.


Advertisers, agencies, and social platforms form the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition to develop methods for protecting brands and consumers — Google, Facebook team up with agencies and advertisers for the Global Alliance for Responsible Media
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, GroupM, @wsjcmo, @jeffjarvis, The Hill, TechCrunch, Reuters and AdExchanger


In mainland China, the Hong Kong protests are scrubbed from search engine results and social networks, while state media blames the movement on US interference — - Information about mass marches removed from Chinese internet — State media narrative blames protests on U.S. interference
Discussion:
Slate


Amazon's Twitch has acquired social networking platform Bebo, source says for $25M, to bolster its esports business — While Facebook makes a bold move into cryptocurrency to capitalise on its multi-billion user base, a social network that was once a credible competitor to it has quietly been snapped up by a subsidiary of Amazon.
Discussion:
The Drum, @sirslaw_, @mathewi, GeekWire, The Guardian and Fortune, more at Techmeme »


Wixen sues Pandora for alleged copyright infringement, claims it displayed lyrics without authorization; Spotify settled a $1.6B suit brought by Wixen last year — Music publisher Wixen says Pandora is “willful and deliberate” in using unlicensed song lyrics on the platform.
Discussion:
The Verge and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »


TV station owners CBS, Cox, Scripps, Fox, and Tegna settle Justice Department antitrust charges that they illegally coordinated on sales of local ad spots — CBS, Cox and others agree to stop sharing competitively sensitive information for seven years — A group of five television station owners …
Discussion:
Reuters, U.S. Department of Justice and Broadcasting & Cable


Comcast adds eye control as an accessibility feature to its web-based remote control, says it supports all popular eye gaze hardware and software — Comcast is introducing eye control to its X1 cable platform, a new effort that the company says will improve the experience of watching TV …
Discussion:
Fast Company, VentureBeat, @fastcompany, @fastcompany, Comcast, TechCrunch, Multichannel News, Media Star, UPI and Light Reading