Top News:
CNN:
In an open letter, 13 former White House press secretaries, foreign service and military officials call for the return of regular WH and other press briefings — The last White House press briefing was 301 days ago — In an open letter, a group of 13 former White House press secretaries …
Discussion:
@johnfkirby63, New York Times, @marston4ca42, @joelockhart, @weijia, @prsa, @acosta, @hblodget, @4lisaguerrero, @hblodget, @jonkarl, The Hill, @katierogers, @jayrosen_nyu, @robt_gibbs, @connieschultz, @elainaplott, @brianstelter, @reedfrich, @penamerica, The Wrap, HuffPost, Mediaite and The Guardian
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Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Stephanie Grisham can not be described as the worst ever White House press secretary, because she may hold the title, but she is not doing that job — Hearing Joe Lockhart talk about his old job as White House press secretary almost seems quaint. — The idealism: “Your main job is to advocate for the press within the government.”
Discussion:
@sulliview, @kimmasters, @eugene_scott, @karenyourish, @dangillmor, @jason_kint, @froomkin and @jkonfrst
Ranjan Roy / Margins:
Facebook's corporate comms have felt combative and sloppy since late 2018, and now even rank and file employees are facing public vilification — Ranjan here, writing about how Facebook's communication operations feel completely broken and wondering whether the company's rank and file are okay with becoming the villains.
Discussion:
@jasonabbruzzese, @moonalice, @katielpaul, @yoda, @can, @joshconstine, @slpng_giants, @glovink, @robaeprice, @dhh, @rmac18 and @cwarzel, more at Techmeme »
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Ryan Glasspiegel / The Big Lead:
In a letter to the union, G/O CEO says G/O plans to relaunch Deadspin in Chicago as an Onion property and is suspending negotiations over editorial independence — The entire staff of Deadspin walked away from the site in late October, and there have been no stories published there since November 4th.
Discussion:
@benmullin, @maxwelltani, Nieman Lab, @wgaeast, Adweek, @oneshotrpg, @domcosentino, @annamerlan, @annamerlan, @lemieuxlgm, @connorsouthard, @mattdpearce, @brianmfloyd, @jaywillis, @lindseyadler, @byjoelanderson, @whet, @davidbix, @mariabustillos, @albertburneko, @david_j_roth, @genefortexas, @gabrielsnyder, @bruce_arthur, @cd_hooks, @amandamull, @diamonde, @weishampel, @annamerlan, The Daily Beast, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, Mediaite and The Hill
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Trump's allies are trying to raise $250M for a bid for One America News Network, in an effort to shake up conservative media dominated by Fox News — Hicks Equity Partners, a family investment firm tied to Republican National Committee co-chair Thomas Hicks Jr., is pitching GOP donors on possible deal
Discussion:
@rebeccaballhaus, @brianstelter, Newser, The Wrap, @guypbenson, @levinejonathan, @rasmussen_poll, @rwpusa, @zigmanfreud, @ichotiner, @joshtpm, @davidnir, @sethcotlar, @johnzaremba, @rexhuppke, @rebeccaballhaus, @kenvogel, @svdate and @asharma
Damien Cave / New York Times:
Murdoch-owned Australian media outlets echo messages from social media bots and trolls and continue to say climate change policy would have no impact on fires — Critics see a concerted effort to shift blame, protect conservative leaders and divert attention from climate change.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, The Guardian, @julianburnside, @jmarrmarr, @swannyqld, @buckinghamjn, @iraflatow, @karaswisher, @mikeisaac, @balkissoon, @clarajeffery, @drvox, @chrisstoecker, @chriscarmody4, @nazgolg, @annpettifor, @peterjukes, Van Badham, Dan Rather, Undark Magazine, CleanTechnica, VICE and Mumbrella
Peter Kafka / Vox:
Sources: the Chernin Group is in advanced talks to sell a majority stake in Barstool Sports to casino operator Penn National Gaming — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy at a Harrah's casino event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 2019. Tom Briglia/ Getty Images
Isobel Cockerell / Coda Story:
IFJ: at least 15 Iranian journalists and media outlets report that Instagram has suspended their accounts; Instagram says it is complying with US sanctions — After a U.S. drone strike killed Iran's General Qassem Soleimani, Iranians flocked to one of their favorite platforms, Instagram.
Discussion:
CNN, @aaschapiro, Mashable, @david_quinones, @jilliancyork, @raniakhalek, @aaronworthing, @thatprincesong, @annikaskywalker, @antelava, @mollymckew, @aaschapiro, @bentaub91, Engadget, @cassandrarules, @isocockerell, @brooklynmarie, @kenroth, @jilliancyork, @jilliancyork, @isocockerell, @maasalan, Newsweek and IFJ, more at Techmeme »
Deanna Ting / Digiday:
Bloomberg News switched from WhatsApp to Telegram in December and now sends daily updates to 27K+ subscribers, following WhatsApp's ban on bulk messaging — On Telegram, the preferred messaging app for the privacy conscious, Bloomberg News is attempting to draw new subscribers and build …
Discussion:
@jonrussell and Talking Biz News
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
The antitrust exemption that would allow publishers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook will not produce the results publishers seek — Republicans and Democrats are (surprisingly!) teaming up to help news organizations negotiate with the tech giants.
Sara Rafsky / Columbia Journalism Review:
Interviews with journalism professionals reveal gaps in New York City's local news coverage for some neighborhoods, and in topic areas like health care and law — New York City is the base from which many journalists cover the rest of the country and the globe.
Discussion:
@lissaharris, @cjr, @cjr, @thecitywanderer, @piji_journalism, @columbiajourn and @jangelooff
John Koblin / New York Times:
FX research estimates 532 scripted shows were made in 2019, the first time the 500-show threshold has been crossed, a 7% rise YoY, 153% jump since 2009 — The number of original series continued to swell in 2019, with Apple and Disney adding to the glut. When will the bubble pop?
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, @bretisrael, Bloomberg, The Playlist and CNN