Top News:
Dylan Byers / NBC News:
EIC Ben Smith is leaving BuzzFeed in early March to join NYT to write the Media Equation column made famous by David Carr — Smith will serve as the writer of the publication's “Media Equation” column, which became a must-read for media industry insiders under the David Carr, who died in 2015.
Discussion:
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Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Ben Smith turned BuzzFeed News, once seen as a clickbait factory, into an outlet that was twice a Pulitzer finalist and a winner of the George Polk Award — His name is so closely associated with BuzzFeed News that his Twitter handle is BuzzFeedBen. — But Ben Smith — who turned …
Peter Kafka / Vox:
Jonah Peretti says he expects BuzzFeed to turn a profit this year, but BuzzFeed News would still be operating in the red: “We don't need news to be profitable” — What Ben Smith's move to the paper of record says about digital media in 2020. — Ben Smith spent eight years …
Discussion:
@mattmittenthal and @pkafka
Mary Louise Kelly / New York Times:
Journalists don't interview senior government officials to score political points, but rather to share the answers to tough questions when the stakes are high — Journalists are supposed to ask tough questions, then share the answers — or lack thereof — with the world.
Discussion:
@nprextra, @nprkelly, @caseyriankelly, @nytopinion, @johnlansing, @ailsachang, Axios, @kylegriffin1, @attorneynora, @cirincione and The Hill
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Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Trump praises Pompeo for his behavior with NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly: “That was very impressive....I think you did a good job on her, actually.” — At a White House ceremony with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump noted the presence of Pompeo and said, “That was very impressive.
Discussion:
@thekatiecoop, @atrupar, @anniekarni, New York Times, @evanmcmurry, The Hill, @sdkstl, @npr, @donmoyn, @delavegalaw, @mallory_yu, @mollyjongfast, @juliettekayyem, @mm_schill, @marmel, @nancycbarnes, @csymrl, @johnlansing, Vanity Fair and NBC News
Bill Chappell / NPR:
NPR's CEO announces the outlet is asking the State Department to explain why it denied credentials for an NPR reporter to travel with Mike Pompeo to Europe — NPR is asking the State Department to explain its decision to deny an NPR reporter press credentials to travel with Secretary …
Discussion:
@jeremylittau, The Hill, @npr, Washington Post and @rcmcbride
Brian Stelter / CNN:
NPR's Michele Kelemen has been removed from Mike Pompeo's press pool for a trip to UK and Ukraine, a few days after Pompeo responded angrily to an NPR interview
Discussion:
@jakesnyt, @nickschifrin, Vox, @mitchellreports, @jameeljaffer, @whca, @spj_tweets, @joaquincastrotx, @javierblas, @amyreports, Breitbart, @brianstelter, The Week, The Hill, @davidmihm, @samseaborn and @joyannreid
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
WaPo reinstates reporter Felicia Sonmez after her suspension following her tweets about a rape allegation against Kobe Bryant and her response to backlash — The Washington Post said it has reinstated political reporter Felicia Sonmez, who was suspended for a series of tweets about Kobe Bryant …
Discussion:
@feliciasonmez, @postguild, New York Times, Variety, Washington Post, Newser, @mlcalderone, Washington Post, @dabeard, @feliciasonmez, @wesleylowery, @jeffyoung, @dcampoamor, @jamisonfoser, @pkafka, @davidgura, The Daily Caller, @lollardfish, @ashleyfeinberg, @maxwelltani, @dhberman, @feliciasonmez, @ron_fournier, The Wrap, @tball, @thewrap, @maxwelltani, @blackamazon, @zachdcarter, @allisongeroi, @jasoncherkis, @rhodes_dawn, @oliverdarcy, @paul_bowers, @feliciasonmez, Mediaite, @mlcalderone, @ericmgarcia, @philoso_foster, The Hill, Axios, @macloo, @aricohn, Adweek, CNN, The Hill and iMediaEthics
Peter Kafka / Vox:
Casino operator Penn National Gaming buying 36% stake in Barstool Sports; deal values Barstool at $450M and lets Penn National buy a controlling stake later — Barstool Sports co-founder Dave Portnoy in 2018 | Penn National Gaming is buying the online publisher — which can thank sports betting, and the Supreme Court for the deal.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, @pkafka, @tomkrazit, @m_sunderland and @pkafka
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
Xana Antunes, a top editor at Quartz and former editor at NY Post, Fortune/CNN Money, Crain's New York Business, and CNBC, has died at 55 after cancer battle — Former New York Post chief Xana Antunes, who was an executive editor at Quartz for the past six years, passed away on Monday following a battle with pancreatic career.
Discussion:
Quartz, CNBC, @mflamm_reporter, @jandersonqz, @fvogelstein, @lisagibbs954, @zseward, @lattif, @bencasselman, @adamlashinsky, @jimzarroli and @ostaley
Hollywood Reporter:
Sources: Netflix is expected to lay off 15+ people from its marketing department this week, a small portion of its overall employee count of around 6,900 — Sources say at least 15 people are expected to exit this week as the company moves to better advertise the service rather than its individual shows.
Discussion:
Variety, @theericgoldman, @jbflint, The Wrap, @blakemccoydc, @jlbarrow, @alexweprin and @kimmasters
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Chair of US House climate committee sends Sundar Pichai letter requesting a plan by February 7 to address climate misinformation, specifically on YouTube — - Climate Committee Chair Kathy Castor penned a letter to Google, requesting the company take action against disinformation related to climate change.
Discussion:
@baekdal
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Bloomberg and Steyer have spent overwhelmingly on TV ads, while the rest of the candidates have collectively spent $75M on TV ads and ~$80M on digital ads — While some of the lower-spending 2020 Democrats are investing most of their dollars in digital ads, the biggest spenders …
Geoffrey Fowler / Washington Post:
Facebook says its Off-Facebook Activity tool, which lets users clear all the data passed onto Facebook by other apps and sites, is now available globally — The new ‘Off-Facebook Activity’ tool reminds us we're living in a reality TV program where the cameras are always on.
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