Top News:
Saheli Roy Choudhury / CNBC:
Disney says there's no indication of a Disney+ security breach, in response to reports of thousands of users' accounts being hijacked and sold online for $3-$11 — - Thousands of Disney+ user accounts have been stolen by hackers and put up for sale on the dark web, according to multiple reports.
Discussion:
ZDNet, BBC, KIFI-TV, FOX31 Denver, @kaspersky and New York Post
Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
Facebook exec defends Breitbart on Facebook News, saying Breitbart is not being paid and balances out “far left” outlets, but it's unclear which ones she meant — Facebook recently announced that white supremacist propaganda site Breitbart would be considered a “high quality” …
Discussion:
@ranimolla, Vox, @teddyschleifer, @ericboehlert, @oliverdarcy, @bgrueskin and Memex 1.1
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
DOJ antitrust head Makan Delrahim says the DOJ will move to end the 1940s Paramount consent decrees, which limit major distributors' control over theater chains — The Justice Department will ask a federal court to eliminate the Paramount consent decrees, the 71-year-old restrictions …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google announces Your News Update, an Assistant-powered audio feature that chooses stories based on interests, location, and more, available first in the US — It plays from a variety of sources instead of just the few you hand-pick — Google is rolling out a new service for Google Assistant that it's calling “Your News Update.”
Discussion:
TechCrunch and Fortune, more at Techmeme »
John Ourand / The Business Journals:
Report: Trump is in negotiations with Fox to buy a Super Bowl ad; 30-second spots are reportedly selling for $5.6M — It appears likely that President Trump's re-election campaign will buy an ad during February's Super Bowl telecast, marking what would be the first time in recent memory …
Discussion:
@ourand_sbj, Awful Announcing, @ccadelago, @tim_bays and New York Post
CNN:
Current and former The Hill employees: owner Jimmy Finkelstein tells editors when Trump coverage too harsh, staff in “revolt” over handling of John Solomon saga — New York (CNN Business)James “Jimmy” Finkelstein, the owner of The Hill newspaper, is not a widely known media executive …
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, @oliverdarcy, @joshdata, @waldojaquith, @ckrewson, @dangillmor, @chicana74, @timobrien, @froomkin, @anthony, @oliverdarcy, @erikwemple, @oliverdarcy and Raw Story, Thanks:@beet_tv
RELATED:
Michael Calderone / Politico:
The Hill says it's reviewing, annotating, and when appropriate, correcting former columnist John Solomon's opinion pieces referenced in the impeachment inquiry
The Hill says it's reviewing, annotating, and when appropriate, correcting former columnist John Solomon's opinion pieces referenced in the impeachment inquiry
Discussion:
@erikwemple, Mediaite, KIFI-TV, Poynter, @zac_petkanas, @erikwemple, @jayrosen_nyu, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite
Max Willens / Digiday:
Reuters Connect, the B2B content marketplace for news publishers, adds seven national news agencies, including Australia's AAP and Argentina's LANA — With news publishers' video needs growing all the time, Reuters is hoping to build itself into a marketplace that can serve all of them.
Discussion:
Reuters
NBC News:
Emails show that Stephen Miller chose to have a 2015 article he fed Breitbart published under a Breitbart byline, disguising an opinion article as editorial — The emails offer a window into just how closely Miller coordinated with Breitbart, a publication that backed President Donald Trump early in his campaign.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify launches Your Daily Podcasts, a personalized podcast playlist, featuring trailers, older evergreen episodes, and more, available in the US and elsewhere — Spotify is taking the personalization technology that powers its music playlists, like Discover Weekly and Daily Mix, and turning it to podcasts.
Discussion:
The Verge, Spotify, Quartz and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Richard Vega / The Streamable:
Amazon unveils $34.99 Fire TV Blaster, a new infrared device that brings more TV voice commands for those with a Fire TV and Echo — The Streamable is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up with our links. — Amazon today announced their new Fire TV Blaster …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, GeekWire, CNBC and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Patreon says it has paid out $1B+ to creators since its 2013 launch, up from $500M in Q4 2018, has surpassed 4M members, and plans on expanding to Europe — Membership services startup Patreon has paid out over $1 billion to creators since its launch in 2013, the company announced Tuesday.
BBC:
Sweden drops investigation into a rape allegation made against Julian Assange in 2010, citing weakened evidence due to time elapsed since the events in question — Prosecutors in Sweden have dropped an investigation into a rape allegation made against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange in 2010.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Associated Press, Washington Post and New York Times