Top News:
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
UK proposes plans to put media regulator Ofcom in charge of regulating social media, with a focus on removing illegal content and minimizing “harmful” content — Ministers unveil plans to block harmful content, while guaranteeing free speech — Ofcom will be put in charge …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, TechCrunch, The Guardian, @nikos_17, The Verge and @uk_domain_names, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Ofcom:
Ofcom appoints senior civil servant Melanie Dawes as chief executive, who will take up her new position in early March — The Ofcom Board has today announced the appointment of Dame Melanie Dawes as Chief Executive. — Dame Melanie has been Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since 2015.
Keri Blakinger / The Marshall Project:
Faced with questions about the lasting impact of online mugshot galleries, media outlets including the Houston Chronicle are increasingly doing away with them — Some are red-eyed from crying, others visibly drunk. Some sport black eyes or jarring face tattoos. Occasionally, one offers an addled grin.
Discussion:
@bykenarmstrong, @keribla, @kristenhare, @jmart181, @keribla, @brianmanzullo, @jesspish, @kelciegrega, @allisonlcarter, @keribla, @izzihughes_, @chatfieldkate, @_toddstone, @katiepark, @keribla, @dabeard, @keribla, @keribla, @annehelen, @mpanewspapers, @doristruong, @jason_a_w and @spj_tweets
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Source: Spotify is paying close to $200M upfront for the Ringer, to be followed by more than $50M later — - Streamer has spent more than $600 million on podcast deals — Sports columnist Bill Simmons founded the Ringer in 2016 — Spotify Technology SA is paying close …
Discussion:
MediaPost, @jbenton, @nbashaw, @bbgmedia, @sarthakgh, @jaycodon, @stocktwits, @lindaholmes, @ajs, Music Business Worldwide and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Andrew Morse / CNET:
Flipboard launches Flipboard TV, an in-app feature that offers professional short-form video, for $2.99/mo; will be a Galaxy S20 exclusive for first 3 months — Flipboard , the popular news aggregator app, is introducing a new subscription video service. Called Flipboard TV …
Discussion:
Wired, Digital Trends, @harrymccracken, @markham, The Verge, Engadget and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »
Freddy Mayhew / Reuters:
Reuters has created a virtual sports journalist prototype that reads out game summaries and reports using AI and footage of a human presenter — Reuters has created a virtual sports journalist using artificial intelligence technology and video footage of a human presenter.
Discussion:
@themurdochtimes, @rossdawson and @gregianjohnson
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism:
Google News Initiative and Oxford University agree to extend the grant for the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, for three years from 2021 to 2023 — The current grant will be extended for three years. The financial value of the agreement is £4.77m
Discussion:
The Keyword
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Reuters launches a new Reuters Fact Check business unit and blog and partners with Facebook to review news headlines, deepfakes, and user generated content — Eye-witness photos and videos distributed by news wire Reuters already go through an exhaustive media verification process.
Marty Johnson / The Hill:
Twitter launches new tool to combat misinformation on the US Census; a prompt will point users searching for Census-related keywords to the official Census site — Twitter on Tuesday unveiled its plan aimed at minimizing the spread of misinformation about the 2020 census.
Discussion:
Adweek and Twitter, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
As part of Apple News' 2020 election coverage, Apple says Siri can now answer election-related questions, including sharing live election results from AP — Apple's built-in voice assistant won't help you figure out who to vote for, but it will be able to update you on different races around …
Discussion:
SpokeDaily, @redletterdave, @danielpmcdermot and iMore, more at Techmeme »
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Sirius XM invests $75M in SoundCloud in exchange for a minority stake and two seats on the board — The audio entertainment giant puts money into the open audio platform. — Audio entertainment giant SiriusXM Holdings said Tuesday it has invested $75 million in open audio platform SoundCloud …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide, TechCrunch, @dalenorth, @nandu_anilal, @pkafka, @ldignan, @pkafka, SoundCloud press releases, CNET and Wall Street Journal
BreAnna Bell / Variety:
Drake signs multiyear partnership with live streaming platform Caffeine to produce a series of rap battles and other live content — Live streaming service Caffeine.TV has announced an exclusive multiyear partnership with Drake. Infamous for his own rap feuds, the Canadian artist …
Discussion:
Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Fast Company