Top News:


Sources: Google is in talks with publishers, mostly outside the US, about paying a licensing fee for content that would be in a news product — The search giant is in talks with some publishers about paying a fee for content that would be part of a premium news product
Discussion:
Financial Times, Deadline, MediaPost, CNET, @frasermatthew, @rafat, @rafat, @elanazak, @noahchestnut, @whatthebit, @joshsternberg, @davewiner, @davewiner, @davewiner, @dylanbyers, @jeffjarvis, @jason_kint, @buzzfeedben, @thekenyeung, @benmullin, @pkafka, The Verge, Fast Company and Engadget


Facebook to allow influencers to produce sponsored content for US politicians and political campaigns, if the posts are clearly identified as paid partnerships — Bloomberg's bad memes might just be the beginning — Facebook will allow influencers to produce sponsored content …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, @broderick, @broderick, @oneunderscore__, @kateaurthur, @brandyzadrozny, @emilybell, @gauravlaroia, @billr, @josh_emerson, The Stranger, @digiphile, @broderick, @evelyndouek, @michaelsayman, @ap, @ownyourdatanow, @ewarren, @hshaban, @ws, @joshsternberg, @backlon, @kellymakena, @kellymakena and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »


HQ Trivia, the company behind the once popular live mobile trivia game, is shutting down — New York (CNN Business)It's over for HQ Trivia. — The company behind the once-popular live mobile trivia game is shutting down, CNN Business has learned. HQ will part ways with 25 full-time employees.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, @kerrymflynn, iMore, @kurtwagner8, @geoffkeighley, @jimpethokoukis, @thatswattsup, @kerrymflynn, 9to5Mac, @shortformernie, @sree, @awallenstein, Gizmodo, @iiiitsandrea, @chrismessina, @paulrieckhoff, @lukeplunkett, @lppny, @chafkin, @jamieeast, @yashar, @frankpallotta, CNET, The Wrap, Business Insider, Variety, New York Post, The Verge, Polygon and Mashable, more at Techmeme »


Text messages, recordings, and interviews show a climate of bullying at Washington Examiner; managing editor Toby Harnden left the conservative outlet on Monday — New York (CNN Business)The shock announcement came on Monday. — Hugo Gurdon, the editor in chief of the Washington Examiner …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @matthewkeyslive, @kyle_feldscher, @nw_horadam, @jimswiftdc, @jimswiftdc, @scottmgreer, @scottmgreer, @oliverdarcy, @oliverdarcy, @oliverdarcy and @oliverdarcy


Sources: Univision in exclusive sale talks at a ~$10B valuation with a bidding group that includes former Viacom CFO Wade Davis and Searchlight Capital Partners — The Spanish-language broadcaster has been running a sales process for months — Univision Communications Inc. is in exclusive sale talks …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, @longdrivesouth, @latimesent, @benmullin, Awful Announcing, Hollywood Reporter and Variety


A group of podcast publishers including Spotify, NPR, and Wondery form Podcast Academy to promote podcasting, sets its first Golden Mics annual awards for 2021 — The burgeoning podcast biz is looking for its own version of the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. — On Friday, a group …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, @lucas_shaw, AllAccess.com, @hernanlopez, @niemanlab, @davewiner, @discover_pods, @xpangler, @xpangler, Hollywood Reporter and The Verge


At the Munich Security Conference, Zuckerberg says harmful content should be regulated with a system somewhere between existing frameworks for telcos and media — MUNICH (Reuters) - Online content should be regulated with a system somewhere between the existing rules used for the telecoms …


Analysis finds the average number of channels received by US Nielsen households fell 6.5% YoY to 179.5 in 2019, possibly due to declining cable subscriptions — For only the second time since Nielsen has been reporting data illustrating the effect of TV channel fragmentation …
Discussion:
@tedataca and Multichannel News

CJR and The Delacorte Review launch series of weekly articles on four US towns coping with the loss or reduction of their local newspapers in an election year — This series is copublished with The Delacorte Review, the literary nonfiction journal of the Columbia Journalism School.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @delacortereview and @sulliview


UK's The House of Lords launches an inquiry seeking information on how journalists can adapt to changing news media landscape and how media can be more trusted — Peers have launched a new inquiry on the future of journalism in the UK. — The House of Lords Committee on Communications …
Discussion:
UK Parliament, @hkanji, @peterbale, @pollycurtis and @charliebeckett


Pakistan approves new rules for regulating social media; CPJ says the rules hurt journalists' ability to report and communicate with sources — Pakistan's government has approved new rules for regulating social-media content that critics say would give the authorities unflinching powers to stifle dissent and free speech.
Discussion:
@rferl, Digital Rights Monitor, Digital Rights Foundation and Committee to Protect …


Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin, two prominent video bloggers chronicling the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, have disappeared — Two video bloggers whose dispatches from the heart of the outbreak showed fear, grief and dissatisfaction with the government have gone silent.
Discussion:
@dabeard, @theresaafallon, @inteldotwav, @bradmillscan, @jessefelder, @laurettaland, @quicktake and The Desk