Mediagazer: Reporters Committee will launch its Local Legal Initiative in CO, OK, OR, PA, and TN to provide pro bono legal support to local journalists and news outlets (Amelia Nitz/The Reporters Committee …)

3:55 PM ET, January 21, 2020

Top News:

Ernesto Londoño / New York Times:

Federal prosecutors in Brazil charge Glenn Greenwald with cybercrimes, alleging he was part of a “criminal organization” hacking phones of public officials — Mr. Greenwald is accused of being part of a “criminal investigation” that hacked into the cellphones of prosecutors and public officials.

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:

Glenn Greenwald calls Brazil's allegations an attack on journalism: “I did nothing more than do my job as a journalist—ethically and within the law” — The charges are “an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about …

Discussion: BBC, @russforus2020, @ashahshahani and The Week

Sara Fischer / Axios:

The Athletic raises $50M Series D sources say at a ~$500M valuation; cofounder says it will soon hit 1M subscribers and expects it to be profitable in 2020 — The Athletic, a subscription-based digital sports media company, has raised $50 million in a Series D funding round, executives tell Axios.

Discussion: MediaPost, Awful Announcing, @johndiesattheen, @williamsbob75, @dangercart, @marklittlenews, @theathletic, @kerrymflynn, @nandodifino, @ckrewson and bookforum.com

Amelia Nitz / The Reporters Committee …:

Reporters Committee will launch its Local Legal Initiative in CO, OK, OR, PA, and TN to provide pro bono legal support to local journalists and news outlets — Lawyers will provide local news organizations in Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee with pro bono legal support

Discussion: Nieman Lab, The Philadelphia Inquirer, @dgambacorta, @evanwyloge, @billy_penn, @knightfdn, @cofoic, @spjoregon, @davidlauter, @leszaitz, @racheldissell and @rcfp

Financial Times:

Tony Hall will be regarded for keeping a steady ship amid several crises, but will leave his successor challenges on multiple fronts, including a hostile PM — Tony Hall's successor as director-general will be the BBC's 17th and, perhaps, one of the most important ever appointed to run …

Discussion: @emilybell, The Guardian, The Guardian, @financialtimes, @jayrosen_nyu, @emilybell, @jayrosen_nyu, @emilybell, @emilybell, @hughhewitt, @emilybell and New Statesman

BBC:
Tony Hall to step down as Director General of the BBC in the summer, after seven years in the role

Discussion: Nieman Lab, RAIN News, Press Gazette, @markdistef, @ninanannaritv, @rupertg, @rupertg, @bethrigby, @danwhite1972, @pressgazette, @davidschneider, @victorialive, @robmanuel, @damiancollins, @markdistef, Press Gazette, CNN and Hollywood Reporter

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Sources: Business Insider, Vox Media, The Information, Axios, and Politico all turned profits in 2019, in several cases for the first time ever — Digital publishing is doing something it hasn't done en masse since the dawn of the Internet: make money. — Why it matters: Business Insider …

Discussion: @jtemple, @rafat, @skidder, @bkblick, @media_evan and @cnyari, more at Techmeme »

Allison Schiff / AdExchanger:

AppsFlyer, a mobile ad attribution platform, raises $210M Series D led by General Atlantic at a $1.6B valuation — AppsFlyer said Tuesday it closed a $210 million Series D round, bringing the app measurement firm's total funding to more than $293 million since 2014. It had previously raised a $56 million Series C in 2017.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Forbes and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »

Joe Mandese / MediaPost:

GARM, an ad agency and digital media platform alliance, shares plan for creating brand-safe environments with tools for categorizing harmful content and more — As the world turns its eyes to Davos, Switzerland this week, a group of advertisers and agency executives are pushing to leverage …

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Roku expands to Brazil by way of a partnership with AOC to launch the AOC Roku TV in two models, which will feature local streaming service Globoplay — Roku announced this morning it's expanding into Brazil, a sizable market that could have a notable impact on the streaming device maker's advertising business.

Discussion: The Streamable

BBC:

Disney+ to launch on 24 March in the UK and other parts of Europe, a week earlier than originally planned, for £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year — The new streaming service Disney+ is to launch on 24 March in the UK, a week earlier than originally planned.

Discussion: Business Insider, Fast Company, Reuters, @martinsfp, The Next Web, The Verge and Variety, more at Techmeme »

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Gary Marx and David Jackson, Chicago Tribune reporters who wrote the anti-Alden NYT op-ed, say they are reaching out to potential buyers of the paper — New York (CNN Business)Reporters at the Chicago Tribune are trying to find a new owner for their newspaper.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Axios, Poynter, @royalpratt, @jayrosen_nyu and Mediaite

New York Times:
Journalists at the Chicago Tribune say they are worried that Alden Global Capital will impose draconian cuts, as it has elsewhere, hurting local journalism

Jem Aswad / Variety:

Interim Grammy chief says that ousted president and CEO Deborah Dugan sought millions to step down and withdraw accusations she had made against the Academy — As the war of words between the Recording Academy and ousted president/CEO Deborah Dugan continues to escalate …

Discussion: Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, @billboard, @billboardbiz, @bwerde, @jemaswad, Vulture, Page Six, The Wrap and Showbiz411

Kim Masters / Hollywood Reporter:

Source: Josh Goldstine, who was ousted as Universal Pictures' marketing chief amid a misconduct probe, won a judgment against the studio reportedly worth ~$20M — The studio's former marketing chief, ousted in March 2018 amid a misconduct investigation, has won an arbitration award in the ballpark of $20 million.

Discussion: @thrmattbelloni and The Wrap

Sam Byford / The Verge:

Netflix will carry all 21 films from Studio Ghibli, the makers of Spirited Away, in all countries outside the US, Canada, and Japan; first batch coming Feb. 1 — Netflix has acquired the rights to 21 feature films from the beloved Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli for all regions outside the US, Canada, and Japan.