Mediagazer: Zero Hedge posted a scientist's personal info and claimed the scientist created the coronavirus as a weapon; its Twitter account has been permanently suspended (Ryan Broderick/BuzzFeed News)

8:45 AM ET, February 1, 2020

Top News:

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed News:

Zero Hedge posted a scientist's personal info and claimed the scientist created the coronavirus as a weapon; its Twitter account has been permanently suspended — A popular pro-Trump website has released the personal information of a scientist from Wuhan, China, falsely accusing them of creating …

Sahil Patel / Wall Street Journal:

Super Bowl ad prices: Fox charged up to $5.6M for 30 seconds of TV ad time during the game and, sources say, sought $300K-$400K for streaming-only ads — Fox's streaming-only ads for the Super Bowl were priced between $300,000 and $400,000 for 30 seconds of ad time

Discussion: Washington Post, Poynter, @sportstvratings and Digiday

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:

Roku says it has settled its carriage dispute with Fox to distribute Fox channels on the Roku platform ahead of the Super Bowl — At midnight tonight, it was expected that Roku would remove the FOX Now, FOX Sports, FOX News, FOX Business, FOX Nation, Big 10 Network, and FOX Soccer apps from the Roku Channel Store and existing devices.

Discussion: Ad Age, Cord Cutters News, @roku, Adweek, Engadget, MediaPost, Broadcasting & Cable, @jasonlynch, Hollywood Reporter and Awful Announcing, more at Techmeme »

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

MuckRock announces merger with Outlier Media, a text message-based housing news service in Detroit, to address freedom of information gaps across the US — Two nimble but powerful organizations are joining forces to continue reimagining journalism as a public service.

Discussion: Muckrock News, @jcstearns, @simoncarless, @niemanreports, Crain's Detroit Business, @nicktheandersen, @jbenton, @d_holli, @froomkin, @thetinavasquez, @jenniferpreston, @newsbyschmidt, @coreyhutchins, @charlierybak, @hdbacklund, @ylichterman, @whimsicalinds and @thensim0nsaid

Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:

In interview, Dean Baquet says NYT won't take sides in its reporting, favoring “sophisticated objectivity” over labeling lies: “let somebody else call it a lie” — While technically acknowledging that “on the one hand on the other hand” reporting is “not the best way” …

Discussion: New York Times, @froomkin, @froomkin, @transscribe and @spytalker

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

Carlos Maza is leaving Vox to focus on his YouTube channel full time, talking about topics like Fox News and the election and using Patreon to find supporters — Maza is leaving Vox to pursue being a full time YouTube creator — Last year, after setting off a firestorm around YouTube's harassment policies …

Discussion: YouTube, @gaywonk, @civicscience, @sheaserrano, @robynkanner, @chrislhayes, @gaywonk, @zackford, @kevinroose, @gaywonk, @timcast, @colemanlowndes, @kerrymflynn, @beccalew, @gaywonk, @gaywonk, @owillis, @snazzyq, @brianhines, @ambiej, @_waleedshahid, @brosandprose and @loudmouthjulia

Tim Baysinger / The Wrap:

Hulu CEO Randy Freer is leaving the streaming service as Disney continues the reorganization of its direct-to-consumer business — Hulu CEO Randy Freer will leave the streaming service amid a reorganization under Disney's direct-to-consumer chief Kevin Mayer.

Discussion: Business Insider, Variety, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Los Angeles Times, The Verge, Adweek, Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, Engadget, Axios, MediaPost and The Streamable, more at Techmeme »

Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:

AT&T's John Stankey says TNT and TBS will shift to more unscripted programming: “we all know that general entertainment is not performing as well” — AT&T COO John Stankey said programming at Turner's TNT and TBS will shift to more unscripted programming as general entertainment networks suffer in the ratings.

Discussion: Variety, @cnschedules and Broadcasting & Cable

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

CBS CEO Joe Ianniello is leaving ViacomCBS and will be replaced by NBCU's George Cheeks, effective March 23 — NBCUniversal alum George Cheeks is set to take the reins of CBS as longtime CBS corporate leader Joe Ianniello departs after 22 years with the company.

Discussion: Radio & Television …, Ad Age, MediaPost, Adweek, CNBC, Los Angeles Times and Fortune

Melynda Fuller / MediaPost:

Daily newsletter Morning Brew says it has grown revenue from $3M to $13M in 2019 and expects to hit 2M subscribers in the spring — Media email newsletter Morning Brew is reporting a surge in revenue, new subscribers and a slate of key new hires as it enters its fifth year.

Discussion: @buslnessbarista, @hcuccinello, @erikaalpern, @kerrymflynn, @neal_freyman, @iankar_, @whatthebit, @rafat, @austin_rief, @jschulweis and Talking Biz News

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Maryland's 165-year-old Montgomery Sentinel has shut down; circulation of the editions serving the state's two largest counties fell from 200K in the 90s to 5K — They're closing up the office now, with its musty odor of moldering newsprint and decrepit bound copies stacked neck-high.

Discussion: @donaldluzzatto, @domdifurio, @jrovner and @oliverdarcy

Tim Dams / Variety:

A look at the effects of Brexit on the UK film and TV industry's access to talent and funding; UK films and TV will count towards European content quotas — After more than three years of rancour and political infighting, the U.K. finally leaves the European Union at 11PM tonight …

Discussion: Press Gazette

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Anya Schiffrin / Columbia Journalism Review:
In Finland, France, Peru, and South Africa, journalists have used defamation laws against online harassers, though lawsuits can be costly and time consuming

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Kate Oh / @kathoh:
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Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Netflix's Ted Sarandos says the company aims to produce four to six animated movies a year, following the success of Klaus, its first venture into the medium

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Earlier Picks:

Brian X. Chen / New York Times:
Americans spent $170 on average on streaming TV services in 2019, a 30% increase since 2017, when they spent $130

Discussion: @dsilverman and @karlbode

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
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New York Times:
The government's prepublication review system, which is checking John Bolton's book, needs reform because it gives agencies unchecked power to suppress speech

Discussion: @jameeljaffer, @jameeljaffer, @karengreenberg3, @jameeljaffer, @jameeljaffer, @jameeljaffer, @jameeljaffer, @publisherslunch, Just Security, @nytopinion, @donmoyn, Washingtonian, @jameeljaffer, @jameeljaffer, @john_w_warren, @jameeljaffer and @jameeljaffer

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
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Mike Barnes / Hollywood Reporter:
Fred Silverman, the longtime TV programmer who was president of ABC Entertainment and NBC and also worked at CBS, has died at 82

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From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered making a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

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