Mediagazer: Fox News hosts have quickly shifted their tone on the COVID-19 pandemic from media conspiracy to crisis, after Trump declared it a national emergency on Friday (Washington Post)

9:30 AM ET, March 17, 2020

Top News:

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:

Universal Pictures to make digital rentals of some new movies now in theaters available for $20 from March 20, and upcoming Trolls World Tour on its release day — In light of the movie theaters being brought to a standstill, Universal Pictures is changing the game.

Hollywood Reporter:

Movie theater chains, including Regal Cinemas, Landmark Theatres, and Alamo Drafthouse, are temporarily closing their cinemas across the US until further notice — The move follows a federal government recommendation for U.S. adults to avoid public gatherings of more than 10 people.

Discussion: @erik_hayden, @thr, @brianstelter, @carriecoon, @thr, @erik_hayden, Deadline, /Film, INSIDER, The Verge and WFLA-TV

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
North American box office plunged to around $55.3M this weekend, its worst weekend since sales of $54.5M from September 15 to 17 in 2000

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, Mumbrella, The Wrap, @ecareyo, @variety, @ewagmeister, @ecnalhanid, Fortune, /Film, The Guardian, CNN, The Playlist, MediaPost, Wired, Vanity Fair and KRON4

Washington Post:

Fox News hosts have quickly shifted their tone on the COVID-19 pandemic from media conspiracy to crisis, after Trump declared it a national emergency on Friday — For weeks, some of Fox News's most popular hosts downplayed the threat of the coronavirus, characterizing it as a conspiracy …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Gizmodo, @maggienyt, @mrbromwich, @timobrien, CNN, @charlesornstein, @juliettekayyem, Four Freedoms, @oliverdarcy, @id4ro, @slpng_giants, @tedlieu, @andyglockner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, FTVLive and The Inquisitr

Stefanie Murray / Nieman Lab:

A look at some of the collaborative efforts by independent newsrooms in states like Oregon, North Carolina, and New Jersey to cover the COVID-19 pandemic — Having access to accurate information can mean the difference between life and death during a crisis.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Oregonian, @thenewsan, @edercampuzano, @jtierney6, @niemanlab, @johnupton and @niemanfdn

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:

Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube say they're working with each other and healthcare agencies to tackle misinfo about COVID-19 — Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube put out joint statement promising to fight COVID-19 fraud and curb misinformation.

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

How reporters at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio are struggling with deep staff cuts while reporting on COVID-19's spread in the state — News organizations everywhere are under immense pressure as a pandemic sweeps the globe. — Reporters scurry to cover an eruption of breaking news …

Discussion: @jeremylittau, @davidfolkenflik, @benpershing, @alanmillernlp, @annabruchez, @sulliview, @kimmasters, @gchristcle, @mmlederman1 and @blmckean

Rachel Abrams / New York Times:

Inside The Seattle Times' COVID-19 coverage, as nearly all of its 58 reporters cover a pandemic affecting their neighbors and friends while trying to stay safe — “That's what local papers are meant to do”: The journalists at The Seattle Times have been aggressively covering the coronavirus as it affects their neighbors and friends.

Discussion: Poynter, @alizaslav, @blatchfordtr, @goldsteinstreet, @ctguild, @jamesgeary, @davidakaye, @mackenziemays, @mccanner, @ylichterman, @rachelabramsny, @rachelabramsny, @rachelabramsny, @oliverdarcy, @davechensky, @rachelabramsny, @bymikebaker and @brianmrosenthal

YouTube Creator Blog:

YouTube says it will be relying more on automated systems as content moderators stay home, and creators may see fewer strikes against videos but more removals — Today, as the unprecedented COVID-19 situation continues, Google outlined how it's reducing the need for people to come …

Discussion: The Keyword, The Verge, @susanwojcicki, @mhbergen, Adweek, @ytcreators, @youtubeinsider, Business Insider, Marketing Land, Variety, Engadget and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

Tmera Hepburn / Cord Cutters News:

Acorn TV, AMC's film and TV streaming service with a focus on British content, extends its free trial from 7 days to 30 days for a limited time — The streaming service Acorn TV is giving new members a 30-day free trial, up from its usual 7-day free trial so you can start binge-watching new shows while you're cooped up inside.

Discussion: ComingSoon.net

Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:

Tencent Q4: ~$1.03B in total online music revenue, of which $160M from music subscribers, up 60.1% YoY; paying music subscribers up 47.8% YoY to 39.9M — Tencent Music Entertainment, parent of China's biggest streaming music platforms, ended 2019 with 39.9m paying users worldwide.

Discussion: Tencent Music, Billboard, Reuters and Seeking Alpha

Jamie Lang / Variety:

European media firms are navigating the loss of live sports during COVID-19 lockdown with replays of old games, free content, reduced prices of sports packages — A continent mad about sports has gone mad without sports. This past weekend was the first in which nearly …

Pete Brown / Columbia Journalism Review:

Study of 13K+ stories on News Corp's Knewz between February 4 and March 2 shows that the news aggregator frequently defaults to Murdoch titles and Daily Mail — Knewz, News Corp.'s recently launched news aggregator—not to be confused with the polka band of the same name—debuted with a grand promise …

Discussion: @cjr, @dangillmor, @niemanlab, @jbenton and @cjr

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