Top News:


HuffPost EIC Lydia Polgreen is stepping down and joining Gimlet Media as head of content “later this spring” — MOVING ON — HuffPost Editor in Chief Lydia Polgreen is leaving the news outlet to join podcasting company Gimlet Media as the head of content, The Daily Beast has confirmed.
Discussion:
@lpolgreen, The Wrap, New York Times, RAIN News, Variety, @_jackriley, @karaswisher, @katepalms, @s_m_i, @paigelav, @neha_mathews_, @howardfineman, @gerryfsmith, @davidfolkenflik, @aterkel, @jessbrammar, @bernstein, @jamesrbuk, @bellwak and @yashar


Hachette drops Woody Allen's memoir following a staff walkout on Thursday, says it will return all rights to the author — “At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly," the publishing company said in a statement.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Playlist, Mashable, The Guardian, New York Times and Business Insider
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Dozens of Hachette Book Group staffers stage a walkout over an imprint's plans to publish Woody Allen's memoir, in solidarity with Ronan and Dylan Farrow
Discussion:
Publishers Weekly, Page Six, Vanity Fair, NPR, @publisherswkly, @kieleraymond, @ceciliatan, @pronounced_ing, @dongwon, @maddiecalls, @levine_alison, @ponderosa121, @levine_alison, @kbeccaandrews, @clarajeffery, Publishers Weekly, @rereadsclosely, @mcsnugz, Vox, Vanity Fair, IndieWire, EW.com, Hollywood Reporter, Jezebel and Slate


Quibi will offer a free 90-day trial for users who sign up before it launches on April 6 with 50 shows and movies; Quibi will cost $4.99 with ads, $7.99 without — Longer than what Disney Plus current offers — Quibi is finally almost here, and in an effort to entice people …
Discussion:
Variety, CNET, @great_katzby and @great_katzby, more at Techmeme »
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Quibi partners with Canadian telecom Bell, which will promote the streamer and produce a daily news program and sports update — Upcoming short-form, mobile video service Quibi and Bell, Canada's largest telecommunications company, have inked a deal making Bell the streaming platform's …
Discussion:
Canadian Press

Sources: Gray Television makes an ~$8.5B bid for Tegna, including debt; Tegna has also attracted attention from Apollo Global Management; Tegna stock up 22%+ — (Reuters) - U.S. regional TV station operator Gray Television Inc (GTN.N) has made an offer to acquire larger peer Tegna Inc …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Broadcasting & Cable, Poynter, The Streamable, TV Technology, The Wrap and Deadline


Thrillist President Ocean MacAdams, who joined the company in 2017, is leaving; Chief Content Officer Meghan Kirsch will head the company — Ocean MacAdams has departed Group Nine Media's Thrillist, the lifestyle digital media brand covering food, drink, travel and entertainment, after two and half years, Variety has learned.


Study: 86K+ Facebook pages ran at least one political ad that was not properly disclosed, and ~20K ads had been purchased by “likely inauthentic communities” — The Facebook ad purchased by a page called “Angry Buckeyes” in December seemed ordinary at first …
Discussion:
@rowlsmanthorpe, @jason_kint, The Verge, @deborahblum, Politico, @tonyromm and @justinhendrix, more at Techmeme »


Sen. Wyden and Rep. Khanna introduce bill narrowing the scope of the Espionage Act so journalists can't be prosecuted for soliciting and publishing information — Almost a year after the Trump administration unsealed an indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange …
Discussion:
The Reporters Committee …


The News Leaders Association, formed by merging the American Society of News Editors and Associated Press Media Editors, postpones 2020 meeting to spring 2021 — The News Leaders Association — formed by the merger of two newspaper editors' associations — has canceled its 2020 annual conference …
Discussion:
@rickedmonds


Sources: Meredith is shutting down a studio behind an upcoming Apple+ show, laying off 10 staff; it will no longer produce or license shows to outside clients — A Meredith video production unit behind a new Apple+ show called “Home,” set to debut next month, is shutting down.


Twitter expands its rules around hateful conduct to include language that dehumanizes people on the basis of their age, disability, or disease — Last year, Twitter expanded its rules around hate speech to include dehumanizing speech against religious groups.
Discussion:
Twitter, One Man & His Blog, Breitbart, MediaNama, @digiphile, @bubola, @terrortola, @whatthebit, @_cingraham, Adweek, Mashable, The Verge, Boing Boing and Engadget, more at Techmeme »


Pex, a royalty attribution startup that scans social networks for rightsholders' content, buys Dubset, which IDs tracks on DJ sets so artists can get paid — Social networks are in for a rude copyright awakening. A new European Union law called Article 17 essentially eradicates safe harbor …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide, @larrysmiller and Music Week