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Three Capitol Hill press orgs issue statements supporting CNN's Manu Raju after Sen. Martha McSally's “liberal hack” remark, calling it “inappropriate” — New York (CNN Business)The Capitol Hill press corps on Friday rallied behind Manu Raju, CNN's senior congressional correspondent …
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Senate impeachment trial press restrictions force reporters into pens and prevent them from the common practice of interviewing senators in the Senate basement — New York (CNN Business)Reporters on Capitol Hill are facing a security crackdown that limits their ability to question US Senators during …
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NPR, @aclu, @davidlauter, @aclu, Associated Press, The Reporters Committee …, @demandprogress, @steventdennis, @digiphile, @penamerica, Law & Crime, @jzaragoza1, @barbaraboxer, Roll Call, @crewcrew, @senbooker, @johnfpfaff, @digiphile, @jenhab, @mzanona, @gottalaff, @jimrutenberg, @rollcall, @penamerica, Kate Tillotson, @rcfp, @mzanona, Politico, @alextdaugherty, @alextdaugherty, @emma_dumain, Committee to Protect …, @mkraju, @jordainc and New York Times


Sources: Spotify in early talks to buy The Ringer, founded by former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons, which has a podcast network that made $15M+ in 2018 — The Ringer, founded in 2016 by former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons, has over 30 podcasts — Spotify Technology SA SPOT -2.31% …
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Vulture, The Wrap, Variety, Awful Announcing, @james_dasilva, Input, @tomgara, @mgsiegler, @goldman, @jacksondahl, @katienotopoulos, @pkafka, @alexweprin, @edmundlee, @kerrymflynn, @pkafka, @mskimberlychin, @dieter, @cwarzel, @cheriehu42, @cianaf, @pkafka, @webbarr, @pkafka, @jfberke, @byianthomas and @nwquah, more at Techmeme »


Disney drops the “Fox” brand for some units, with 20th Century Fox becoming 20th Century Studios and Fox Searchlight Pictures changed to Searchlight Pictures — The mouse has officially killed the fox. — In a move at once unsurprising and highly symbolic …
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In a Q&A, Joe Biden says Section 230 should be immediately revoked for Facebook and other platforms and that Zuckerberg should be submitted to civil liability — The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.
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The Verge, @kellymakena, @kevinroose, Politico, Kotaku, Press Watch, Vox, @caseynewton, @cwarzel, @caseynewton, Jezebel, Variety, @mmasnick, @jess_miers, Engadget, Gizmodo, @raju, @andymstone, Business Insider, @castrotech, @jess_miers, Techdirt, @blakereid, @jkosseff, @qjurecic, @jess_miers, @evanhamilton, @jess_miers, @ericowensdc, @coralproject, The Wrap, @tolles, Mashable, @fuzheado, The Hill, @cwarzel, @kthomasdc, Ars Technica, @techdirt, Reason, @walterisaacson, @davidafrench, Boing Boing, Mediaite and The Week, more at Techmeme »


Deborah Dugan, hired as Recording Academy CEO to address diversity issues, is placed on leave 10 days before the Grammys after a misconduct claim against her — Recording Academy head Deborah Dugan has been placed on administrative leave, ten days ahead of the Grammy Awards.
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Los Angeles Times, Variety, NBC News, Los Angeles Times, @sisario, @latimesent, @variety, @courtneyesmith, @nytimes, The Wrap and AllAccess.com
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Recording Academy's removal of its CEO came three weeks after she filed a memo about voting irregularities and financial mismanagement
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Oprah confirms Russell Simmons pressured her to drop support for a documentary about women who accused him of rape or assault — Ms. Winfrey acknowledged that Russell Simmons pushed her to abandon a documentary about his accusers, but said her own concerns led her to pull support.


Study finds the world's biggest brands, including Samsung and L'Oreal, are unwittingly running ads alongside climate misinformation videos on YouTube — Avaaz says firms are unaware commercials being played alongside misleading videos — Some of the biggest companies in the world …
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Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »


Exec at ICO, the UK's data protection regulator, says adtech companies are not complying with GDPR and must “prepare for the ICO to utilize its wider powers” — The UK's data protection regulator is braced to do battle with the country's £13bn online advertising industry …
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ico.org.uk, TechCrunch, @wolfiechristl, @jason_kint, @markscott82 and The Drum


Facebook Watch cancels two scripted series amid a shift to unscripted shows, following in YouTube's footsteps — EXCLUSIVE: Facebook Watch has opted not to renew its original series Sorry For Your Loss, starring Elizaeth Olsen, for a third season and Limetown, headlined by Jessica Biel, for a second.
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Variety, Vanity Fair, The Playlist, /Film, Engadget and Hollywood Reporter


In London, Microsoft pitched UK and EU publishers on its lengthy ties to news outlets and its new AI-powered tools that sift datasets, index videos, and more — While Facebook and Google are habitually denounced for their impact on the news industry, and Apple is regarded by publishers with suspicion …
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@thedrum, @davekane23 and @ndiakopoulos


A deep look at NYT's Opinion section, with changes coming in February that will streamline operations, blending the editorial board with the op-ed team — Even as controversies (Bret Stephens) explode like bombs, Opinion chief James Bennet, the second-most powerful journalist at the Times, pursues his cacophonous plans.
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