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, The Guardian, TechCrunch, GOV.UK, @jimwaterson, @jimwaterson, @jimwaterson, The Verge, @nikos_17 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.
Discussion:
@marksweney and @benedictevans
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:
Poynter, @bykenarmstrong, @jmart181, @kelciegrega, @annehelen, @doristruong, @izzihughes_, @chatfieldkate, @mpanewspapers, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @brianmanzullo, @jesspish, @allisonlcarter, @_toddstone, @katiepark, @dabeard, @keribla, @jason_a_w, @kristenhare and @spj_tweets
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK's Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News agree to merge under a charitable trust to keep both titles running amid financial challenges — The Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News have agreed to merge into one news operation in a bid to keep both titles running amid financial challenges.
Tim Peterson / Digiday:
Quibi says it plans to spend $400M-$500M on marketing this year, which some media execs say differentiates it from failed short-form services like Go90, Vessel — This article is part of the Digiday Video Briefing, which features must-reads, confessionals and key market stats.
Discussion:
@sizpatel, @whatthebit and @kerrymflynn
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Profile of Makan Delrahim, the DOJ antitrust chief and former movie producer who is shaping the content industry's future, critics say guided by politics — As Hollywood scales up to battle big tech, Makan Delrahim, the nation's top antitrust regulator (and a former movie producer) …
Discussion:
@thrmattbelloni, @larryschweikart, @alexweprin, @alexweprin and @eriqgardner, more at Techmeme »
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
YouTube continues to mirror Twitch, testing a new clap feature that lets fans donate to creators with animated applause for $2, of which YouTube takes a 30% cut — Clapping costs $2 on YouTube now — YouTube is trying to figure out how to help creators earn more revenue through alternative …
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Bonnier, which publishes magazines like Popular Science, is exploring options including sale of the unit that holds most of its magazines — Publisher of such magazines as Field & Stream, Saveur and Yachting, has been meeting with bankers to explore its options
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
BBC's chairman warns that replacing the license fee with a Netflix-style subscription service would result in big cuts to its children's output and local TV — Subscription service would lead to ‘big cuts’ to children's and local TV, says David Clementi — The BBC's chairman will warn …
Discussion:
@markdistef
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, Adweek, @schandur, @harrymccracken, @markham, Digital Trends, The Verge, Engadget and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »
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, @rasmus_kleis and @rasmus_kleis
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.
Discussion:
Reuters, Variety and @joshconstine, more at Techmeme »