Mediagazer: First Draft launches Local News Fellowship to place at least five paid local news fellows in US communities expected to see disinformation in the 2020 election (Clea Skopeliti/First Draft)

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Elaine Low / Variety:

Sources: Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios George Cheeks has stepped down, to succeed Joe Ianniello as the head of CBS within ViacomCBS — George Cheeks, vice chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios, has stepped down after nearly eight years with the company and is poised …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Deadline, @jbflint, MediaPost, @kimmasters, @marcellacomedy and The Wrap

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Nexstar to launch News Nation, a three-hour primetime nightly national newscast, broadcast from Chicago on the WGN America cable channel, in mid-summer — Nexstar Media Group, the nation's largest owner of TV stations, plans to overhaul the primetime lineup of the WGN America cable channel …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, TVSpy, TVNewser, Broadcasting & Cable, @asharma, @alexweprin, @marcusleshock, @adamhoge, @phil_rosenthal, @benbradleytv, @austinkellerman and @paschutz

James Vincent / The Verge:

In a Q&A, Jack Dorsey discusses Twitter's thinking around an edit button and says “we'll probably never do it” — You've got to live with your mistakes, which include joining Twitter — Twitter users have been asking for the option to edit tweets ever since the service launched in 2006 …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, YouTube, The Wrap, @harrymccracken, CNET, Fortune, Business Insider, @chuckwendig, @nxthompson, @clarajeffery and Mashable, more at Techmeme »

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

Fortune to go behind a paywall next month as part of a major overhaul that will see its print magazine cut back to 10 times a year and a redesign of its site — Fortune is going to go behind a paywall next month as part of a sweeping redesign of the magazine and website.

Discussion: Talking Biz News, The Wrap and @editorialiste

BBC:

In New Year's speech to staff, Tony Hall says BBC will move more of its news operations out of London, focus on big themes like climate change and AI, and more — Introduction — A very happy new year and welcome to Central Square - our new home right in the heart of Cardiff city centre.

Discussion: Press Gazette, @colingeorgebbc, @fchowdhury_1, @bbcnorthpr, @rasmus_kleis, @ninathescoop and @hadas_gold

Dana Goldstein / New York Times:

Some publishers issue multiple versions of textbooks with different narratives of US history in CA and TX, partly due to political pressure from the states — TWO STATES. EIGHT TEXTBOOKS. TWO AMERICAN STORIES. — American history textbooks can differ across the country, in ways that are shaded by partisan politics.

Discussion: @anandwrites, The Rural Blog, @deetwocents and The Curtain

Clea Skopeliti / First Draft:

First Draft launches Local News Fellowship to place at least five paid local news fellows in US communities expected to see disinformation in the 2020 election — The project will build capacity and encourage collaboration in local news ecosystems where disinformation is likely to flourish.

Discussion: @cward1e and @gteresa

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

The Guardian closed its Cities section after grant money from the Rockefeller Foundation, which funded its coverage over six years, came to an end last month — The Guardian has closed its Cities section after grant money funding the newsdesk's coverage over six years came to an end last month.

Discussion: @usmanahmad_iam, @amandakhurley, @ariellacohen and The Guardian

Thomas K. Arnold / Variety:

Report: subscription streaming spending rose to $15.9B in the US in 2019, up 23.7% YoY and accounting for 63% of home entertainment market which rose to $25.2B — Consumer spending on home entertainment rose 8.4% to a record $25.2 billion in 2019, spurred by the at-home sector's biggest growth engine …

Discussion: The Wrap, @springer, @zakiscorner and The Streamable

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:

The Atlantic, which once routinely published fiction from writers including Charles Dickens and Eudora Welty, recommits to regularly publishing short fiction — Editor's Note: Read Lauren Groff's new short story, “Birdie,” and an interview with Groff about her writing process.

Discussion: The Atlantic, @katiebowill, @biblioracle, @remolino, @asymptotejrnl, @stephygrossman, @ecosondu, @bristolprize, @penamerica and MediaPost

Sara Fischer / Axios:

States Newsroom, a nonprofit supporting 14 newsrooms covering state capitals, plans to expand to 20+ new states in 12-18 months; sites have no paywalls or ads — In the next 12 to 18 months, States Newsroom, a nonprofit company that supports a group of state capital-based, independent newsrooms …

Discussion: @buxmontnews, @jesseholcomb, @newsbyschmidt, @joncampbellgan, @niemanlab and @sarafischer

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Reach, publisher of the UK's Mirror, Express, and Star, expands its hyperlocal news aggregator In Your Area into new regions, creating ten editorial jobs — Reach is expanding its online hyperlocal news aggregator In Your Area into new regions, creating ten editorial roles.

Brian Stelter / @brianstelter:

[Thread] HBO to air a documentary in March on “fake news” and the impact of disinformation, directed by Andrew Rossi and executive produced by Brian Stelter — HBO just announced something I've been working on for a couple of years: A documentary titled “AFTER TRUTH: DISINFORMATION AND THE COST OF FAKE NEWS.” The film will premiere on TV and online this March. Directed by @a_rossi!

Discussion: @a_rossi, @adrianbono, @byronyork, Pressroom, @brianstelter and @brianstelter