Top News:
Ryan Glasspiegel / The Big Lead:
Deadspin's interim editor-in-chief, Barry Petchesky, who has worked for the publication for 10 years, says he has been fired for “not sticking to sports” — It was a solid bet when The Daily Beast reported that G/O Media management issued an edict to Deadspin to stick to sports …
Discussion:
@barry, @gmgunion, The Outline, The Wrap, Fox News, @kerrymflynn, The Guardian, @dansolomon, @gmgunion, Awful Announcing, @dansolomon, @megreenwell, Washington Post, @ryanlcooper, @stephentotilo, @libbycwatson, @bruce_arthur, @mlcalderone, @sportsrapport, @catmsilverman, @brianpshea, @dceiver, @maxwelltani, @jonbolds, @kentremendous, @sdkstl, @weareyourfek, @taylorcocke and @natalieweiner
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Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
G/O Media Editorial Director Paul Maidment calls Deadspin's focus an “incredibly broad mandate”: “We are sorry that some on the Deadspin staff don't agree” — “We are sorry that some on the Deadspin staff don't agree with that editorial direction, and refuse to work within that incredibly broad mandate."
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Sports Media Guy, Business Insider, HuffPost, @shortformernie and @kantrowitz
Kelsey Mckinney / @mckinneykelsey:
Deadspin writer says G/O Media management removed a letter to the readers from Deadspin staff that criticised the recent addition of autoplay videos to the site
Deadspin writer says G/O Media management removed a letter to the readers from Deadspin staff that criticised the recent addition of autoplay videos to the site
Discussion:
@gmgunion, CNN, @chronotope, VICE, @sueonthetown, Awful Announcing, @barry, @williamfleitch, @katiedrumm, @mckinneykelsey, @ashleyfeinberg, Gizmodo and The Daily Beast
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Sources: over 250 Facebook employees have signed a letter visible on an internal forum that says letting politicians lie in ads is “a threat” to the company — In an open letter, the social network's employees said letting politicians post false claims in ads was “a threat” to the company.
Discussion:
@mikeisaac, CNN, USA Today, New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, @cnbc, @sarahfrier, @nickconfessore, Fortune, @profcarroll, @rmac18, @aoc, @wiczipedia, The Hill, Breitbart, @bariawilliams, @peterwsinger, @mattlech, @davmicrot, The A.V. Club, @thegrugq, Mercury News, @senblumenthal, VICE, @mikeisaac, KTLA, Politico, @donttrythis, @donie, The Independent, @wiczipedia, MediaPost, Business Insider, @benioff, @ewarren, The Next Web, @brianstelter, @oneunderscore__, The Verge, Ad Age, RAPPLER, Beyond Search, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Memex 1.1, The Wrap, The Week, Gizmodo, Mashable and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
WarnerMedia says HBO Max will launch in May 2020; CEO John Stankey says that by 2025, the company believes it can reach 75M-90M subscribers — WarnerMedia revealed that HBO Max will debut in May 2020 in the U.S., marketed heavily through parent company AT&T's existing customer base.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Crain's New York Business, The Streamable, /Film, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Axios, @xpangler and Tubefilter
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Wall Street Journal:
AT&T reaches a truce with activist investor Elliott Management, agrees to regular share buybacks, new directors, no more major M&A, and more in three year plan
AT&T reaches a truce with activist investor Elliott Management, agrees to regular share buybacks, new directors, no more major M&A, and more in three year plan
Discussion:
New York Times, @ptolemy_3, @shalini, Variety, @lucas_shaw, @xpangler, Variety, Reuters, Fox Business, CityAM, CNBC, Ars Technica, Bloomberg, The Verge, Deadline and New York Times
Ben Terris / Washington Post:
James Bennet may be a candidate for NYT EIC; he has wrestled with family allegiances, like to brother Michael, but has recused himself from coverage in the past — Michael Bennet is running for president. His sibling James is a big shot at the New York Times.
Discussion:
@drvox, @lam_barrett, @drewharwell, @mlcalderone, @mlcalderone and @ashleyfeinberg
John Sands / Knight Foundation:
Local news survey: 45% of Americans trust it “quite a lot” or more; 53% of Americans view it as balanced though 50% of Democrats trust it vs. 27% of Republicans — When it comes to trust, local news media continue to outperform their national counterparts.
Discussion:
Knight Foundation, Nieman Lab, @maryellenklas, The Rural Blog, @newsalliance, @newsbyschmidt, @niemanlab, @brizzyc, @dangillmor and Fast Company
Will Cathcart / Washington Post:
WhatsApp sues NSO Group after investigating an attack that sent malware to 1,400 devices, targeting 100+ journalists and human rights defenders — Will Cathcart is head of WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook. — In May, WhatsApp announced that we had detected and blocked a new kind …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: NBC News Digital is expanding its staff by 20% over the next year, amounting to ~70 new jobs, and shutting down its digital video studio NBC Left Field — NBC News Digital is expanding its staff by 20% over the next year, an addition of roughly 70 jobs across multiple departments …
Discussion:
Variety, @sarafischer and @oliverdarcy
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Sony says it will shut down its PlayStation Vue live TV subscription service on January 30 — The Streamable is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up with our links. — This is breaking news, the story will be updated. — After much speculation …
Discussion:
Variety, /Film and Awful Announcing, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
National Amusements has voted to approve the CBS-Viacom merger, which is now expected to close by early December; the merged company will be called ViacomCBS — National Amusements, the company controlled by the Redstone family, has voted to approve the merger.
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Deadline and TVWeek.com
Michael Calderone / Politico:
The RedState reporter who published the Katie Hill photo has since promoted GOP candidates for her seat, a blurring of roles unacceptable in mainstream outlets — Shortly after Rep. Katie Hill announced her resignation from Congress on Sunday night, the RedState reporter …
Discussion:
Mediaite, @moorehn, @jenvanlaar, @politico, @stellinitweets, @mattdpearce, @joshuahol, @mlcalderone, VICE, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, Vox, New York Post, Breitbart and Talking Points Memo
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
The Recount, John Heilemann and John Battelle's short-form video political news outlet, has raised ~$10M seed from investors including Jay-Z and Kevin Durant — A-List investors (Fred Wilson, Jay-Z, Robert Wolf, Kevin Durant) are pouring millions into the journalist's new business.
Discussion:
@davepell, @clarajeffery, @johnbattelle, @therecount, @jheil, @thisfamilymeal, @joepompeo and Politico