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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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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

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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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

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


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


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


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 »


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


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.

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


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