Top News:


Amid a crisis in local news, eight journalists who left newsrooms in 2019 reflect on the stories left in their notebooks — Amid a crisis in local news, eight journalists who left newsrooms in 2019 reflect on the stories left in their notebooks. Photographers who also lost their jobs captured them on their former beats.
Discussion:
Nuzzel, Media Nation, @kenwardjr, @alecmacgillis, @kellymeyerhofer, @llyssewylle, @lelindstrom, @haileybranson, @nytnational, @ericalg, @philiptkingston, @davetarrantnews, @sarahesmith23, @cassandrajar, @smervosh, @joeklinefoto, @marykellipalka, @merylkornfield, @lukemorris, @marclacey, @elamin88, @dansaltzstein, @newsbysamuels, @marybschneider, @jason_winders, @dankennedy_nu, MediaPost and Dan Kennedy


Facebook and Twitter shut down a network of fake accounts using AI-generated faces to “masquerade” as Americans; Facebook links the network to Epoch Media Group — Researchers said the profiles, linked to the Epoch Media Group, used photos generated by artificial intelligence in a preview of an …
Discussion:
@robertcaruso, @razhael, @deeptracelabs, @k_sec, @novairt, @dabeard, @maddowblog, Snopes.com, @apolyakova, @pr_johnson, @ericfish85, Mashable, @carolecadwalla, @snopes, @snopes, @jeffstone500, @dfrlab, @oneunderscore__, @debunker, @mattnavarra, @ndiakopoulos, @olivia_gazis, @cristianafarias, @karankanishk, @amy_siskind, @mczub, @heathercampbell, @nytimes, @poppy_haze, About Facebook, @kevinroose, @tonyromm, CNET, The Verge, FOX31 Denver, Wired, Twitter, Engadget, Fast Company, The Daily Beast and CNN, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:

CBS says it will end its SEC football contract after 2023; sources: ESPN/ABC in final talks to take over, paying over 6x the $55M/year that CBS currently pays — CBS will walk away from the SEC when its contract ends after the 2023 football season, and all indications are that the package will move to ESPN/ABC.
Discussion:
@ourand_sbj, @smittysbj, The Daily Caller, @ourand_sbj, @valleyshook, @jimdunaway, @clemsontom, @raycoletv, @futbolvisionary, @ralphdrussoap, Broadcasting & Cable, @mattscalici, @mikeconti929, @walsha, @richlightshed, @jbenton, @alex_kirshner, @claytravis, @petesampson_, @dolphinstalk, @wildcatnews, @crupicrupicrupi, Axios, @johnfischesser, @twesq and Awful Announcing


NYT and WSJ alumni to launch DealPro, a Boston-based weekly magazine focused on in-depth and investigative stories about China's economic rise, in mid-February — DealPro, a new weekly magazine co-founded by a group of former New York Times and Wall Street Journal writers and editors, is planning to launch soon.


Survey: Americans likelier to understand national issues than local ones; 42% of those paying for news understand important issues vs. 31% of those not paying — The vast majority of Americans value their right, as well as that of the press, to question authority figures.
Discussion:
@kevinloker, @ampress and @tglaisyer


Sources: Bytedance is considering setting up a global headquarters for TikTok outside of China, as part of its effort to shake off its Chinese image — Singapore, London and Dublin are among cities being considered; no U.S. city made shortlist — Bytedance Inc. is considering setting …
Discussion:
@somospostpc, more at Techmeme »


2020 predictions: more journalists will ask people to help with reporting through letters, meetups, and more as community engagement spreads in newsrooms — Beena Raghavendran is an engagement reporter for ProPublica's Local Reporting Network. — 2019 marked a great year for the state …
Discussion:
@fraucsu, @digidave, @nyssakruse, @edunbarmpr, @mayatmiller, @ashleyalvarado, @niemanlab, @jayrosen_nyu, @kenwardjr, One Man & His Blog and ProPublica


2020 prediction: with racism on the ballot in 2020, race and gender will drive political news, even if women still get covered as a special interest group — Errin Haines is the Associated Press' national writer on race and ethnicity. — For many of my peers in political journalism …


YouTube creators have started openly discussing feeling burned out; YouTube says it doesn't take upload frequency into account when recommending new videos — New York (CNN Business)For eight years, Kati Morton, a mental health expert, has used YouTube to discuss sensitive issues ranging from eating disorders to anxiety.
Discussion:
@coolmark482, @nickthebullsfan, @scottpytlik, @mayhersays and FOX31 Denver


As more women move into leadership roles at news organizations, it feels like broader changes and fairer treatment of women in journalism may finally arrive — “Should we be cautious in describing our experience, careful not to alienate the men in the room or offend the funders who have so generously invested in our organizations?
Discussion:
@azirulnick, @inkaman, @niemanlab, @monikabauerlein, @lainnafader, @digidave, @emilybell, @mtfarnsworth, @sarahnemerson and @mcdanieljustine


Saudi Arabia sentences five people to death and convicts three others to 24 years in prison for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi — The dissident journalist was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death and convicted six others for the murder …
Discussion:
Variety, The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, The Daily Caller, Fortune, @kenroth, @margheritamvs, The Week, BBC, New York Times, CNN and @cdeloire


Analysis of behavior of about 7K subscribers for one outlet, though limited, finds that subscribers who use ad-blockers are likelier to keep their subscriptions — Research on ‘Advertising Disengagement’ Suggests News Websites May Need to Change Ad Strategy to Keep Readers Paying
Discussion:
@niemanreports and @michellemanafy