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Facebook is funding a free 45-minute online Reuters course for journalists on spotting and handling manipulated media, now in English, French, Spanish, Arabic — Facebook is spending six figures to fund a course on manipulated media and deepfakes for newsrooms, executives tell Axios.
Discussion:
Adweek, Talking Biz News, @oneunderscore__, @jbenton, @emilybell, @reuterspr and @drewharwell, more at Techmeme »


Media holding company Attention Capital buys Sophia Amoruso's Girlboss, which was valued at $13M in 2018; Amoruso will remain CEO — It's the first acquisition for recently founded Attention and the start of a new phase for Girlboss. — Girlboss founder and ceo Sophia Amoruso at the 2018 Girlboss Rally.
Discussion:
Ad Age, Variety, Fast Company, TechCrunch, @sophiaamoruso and Axios


The American Society of Journalists and Authors, representing nonfiction writers, sues California to stop AB5, a law effective Jan. 1 that impacts freelancers — American Society of Journalists and Authors, Inc. — LOS ANGELES — The rights of independent journalists are under attack.
Discussion:
@ms_andiloveall, @llaingwriter, @asjahq, @themichelewojo, @maressasylvie, @augstmclaughlin and Hollywood Reporter
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Vox Media to end contracts of hundreds of freelancers to comply with CA's new AB5 law, which will forbid non-employees from submitting over 35 articles a year — - Hundreds of Vox Media freelancers will lose their jobs in the coming months. — Vox Media is preparing for a California law …
Discussion:
New York Times, SBNation.com, American Press Institute, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, @laurawags, Hot Pod News, Thinknum Media, Washington Free Beacon, @leojtravis10, @byjenamiller, @notwokieleaks, @lonestarball, Reason, @ag_conservative, @ericboehlert, @markos, @nowyousieme, @matthewkeyslive, @jenniferleechan, @nbj914, @cjmcginnis, @geekgirldiva, @nowyousieme, @gilesferrell, @joemullinax, @pellybottoms_up, @joshuakusnick, bookforum.com, Golden State Of Mind, Awful Announcing, Mavs Moneyball and The Wrap


Bustle Digital Group launches Input, a consumer tech news site, with no advertisers and a custom CMS that it says will be used across its brands by June 2020 — Why BDG thinks its new CMS will draw readers and entice advertisers — Bustle Digital Group has a reputation of swooping …
Discussion:
WWD, @joshsternberg, @jasonwagenheim, @adweek, @joshsternberg, @ryanvailbrown, @snazzyq, Boing Boing and Input


Audible announces founder Dan Katz will step down from CEO role on January 2, to be replaced by former Dun & Bradstreet executive Bob Carrigan — Audible, the Amazon-owned seller and producer of audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment, hired media and publishing veteran Bob Carrigan as CEO.
Discussion:
RAIN News and Publishers Weekly


Reporters Without Borders: 49 journalists killed in 2019, the lowest death toll since 2003; ~389 imprisoned, up 12% YoY; and 57 are being held hostage — Belfast residents pass a mural featuring murdered journalist Lyra McKee, whose death sparked a new round of political talks chaired by the British and Irish Governments, in May 2019


BBC presenter Huw Edwards says critics are wrong to think its errors are partisan choices or that BBC echoes views of any one individual, like some newspapers — This is my 35th year in the BBC. I have covered every general election since 1987 and have presented countless election results programmes since then.
Discussion:
@megan_stanley_, CNN, National Union of Journalists, London Evening Standard, Press Gazette and The Guardian


Luminary now lets Alexa users subscribe to its podcast service or start a free trial via simple voice commands and pay using Alexa payments — Premium podcast service Luminary has started to enlist Amazon's Alexa to facilitate subscription sales: Owners of Amazon's Echo smart speakers …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »


European Parliament approves proposal to create a prize for European investigative journalists in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia — The European Parliament is to launch a prize for investigative journalism in memory of murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.


Maria Butina, who was convicted of being a foreign agent in the US and deported to Moscow, has been hired by RT to host an online show — MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian woman jailed in the United States for working as a foreign agent and deported to Moscow has been hired by Russia's state-funded RT television …


Stuart Emmrich, who spent ~17 years as The New York Times' Styles editor, named editor of Vogue.com, a newly created role that reports to Anna Wintour — He will oversee digital content and report directly to Anna Wintour — Condé Nast said today it has named Stuart Emmrich as Vogue.com's first editor.
Discussion:
@stuartemmrich, The Cut, Fashionista and WWD


Netflix shares detailed overseas subscriber numbers for the first time in a filing, and says 90% of total subscriber growth came from outside the US since 2017 — Streaming service is disclosing detailed subscriber information by region for operations outside of the U.S. for the first time
Discussion:
Deadline, Engadget, @wsj, @xpangler, Variety, The Wrap, Reuters, CNET, MarketWatch, Los Angeles Business Journal, The Wrap, The Streamable, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Bloomberg and Financial Times, more at Techmeme »