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Belarus revoked accreditation of 17 journalists working for international media, including BBC and Reuters, and blocked several local independent news sites — MOSCOW — Belarusian authorities Saturday launched a crackdown on international and local media, stripping accreditation from journalists …
Discussion:
@nat_vasilyeva, @brianmitchellmp, @tadeuszgiczan, The Hill, East Bay Times, Associated Press, The Independent, @nycsouthpaw, Al Jazeera, Politico and The Guardian


California sets rules for slowly opening indoor movie theaters with limited capacity based on coronavirus prevalence and positive test rates in counties — Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced strict guidelines for indoor movie theaters in California to reopen in the coming months.
Discussion:
@gavinnewsom, @billfoxla, @robertgarcialb, @thewrap, New York Post, Deadline, /Film, The Wrap and Orange County Register
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As movie theaters slowly reopen across the US, studio research suggests most Americans aren't ready to return to cinemas despite new safety procedures — Big-budget films are being released for the first time since March, but the willingness of people to sit inside a closed room with strangers for several hours is still uncertain.
Discussion:
@bridgetkbennett and Variety


Student journalists have been covering college reopenings with unique insight and strong editorials as they wrestle with the personal toll of the pandemic — Toggle more options — On the morning of Friday, Aug. 14, The Daily Tar Heel newsroom got a tip: The University of North Carolina …
Discussion:
@alacranita, @meganmmenchaca, @adouglasnews, The Verge, @emilylhernandez, @carolinabolado, @annkirschner, @allilindy, @maevefilbin, @elissanadworny and @npr


Nielsen: ~23.8M viewers watched Trump's speech for the Republican National Convention across 13 networks, versus 24.6M who watched Biden's speech on 12 networks — New York (CNN Business)President Trump's Thursday night convention speech making the case for his reelection was lower-rated …
Discussion:
Morning Consult, @brianstelter, The Wrap, @realdonaldtrump, Wall Street Journal, @realdonaldtrump, Mediaite, The Jackal, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Hill, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, @rebeccaballhaus, @neverdotard, @ajkatztv, @benmullin, @alexcsinger16, @scottjenningsky, @twitterdata, @twitterdata, @twitterdata, @twitterdata, @grynbaum, New York Times, Associated Press, Forbes, MediaPost, Washington Post, Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Beast, The Wrap and Insights - Nielsen


Sources: AT&T is again exploring a DirecTV sale and is in talks with PE firms for a deal that could value it below $20B; AT&T bought DirecTV for $49B in 2015 — Telephone giant in discussions with private-equity bidders for satellite-TV business wounded by shift to streaming services

CPJ and 397 journalists, press freedom advocates, and civil society members call for release of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, imprisoned in India since 2018 — The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined together with 397 writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates …
Discussion:
@rsf_en, @pressfreedom, @pressfreedom, @kathykiely and The Citizen

Facebook has quietly removed “multicultural affinity” ad targeting option that allowed targeting by race, after years of charges of illegal discrimination — Earlier this month, Facebook quietly removed the ability of advertisers to target users by race.
Discussion:
@themarkup, @juliaangwin and @asankin, more at Techmeme »


Ofcom awarded a broadcast license to GB News, which is planning a Fox News-style TV station in UK; there is a similar effort being planned by the Murdochs — Groups pitching to perceived desire for alternative output as trust in BBC falls — Rival efforts are under way to launch …
Discussion:
@iandunt, @bbcnickrobinson, @sashworthhayes, @jimwaterson, @jamin2g, @jonathanwatts, @davidlammy, @docrussjackson and @jimwaterson


A deep dive into “movement journalism”, its origins in the US South, its focus on communities affected by injustice, and questioning journalistic objectivity — A movement journalist examines what it means to engage with communities and challenge the status quo
Discussion:
Source, Local News Lab, The Objective and loneful


NYT will stop publishing its daily TV listings in NYC print edition after this weekend, ending a run of 81 years; the national edition hasn't had them for years — The Times will no longer include the programming lineup in its print edition, ending an eight-decade run.
Discussion:
@nytimesarts, @feitclub, @ent3c, @mattsinger, @lisatozzi, @samsifton, @dansaltzstein, @surlybassey, @aoscott, @npralltech and @walthickey


Citizen Lab: between January and May 2020, China censored over 2,000 terms related to coronavirus on WeChat to control the narrative about China and the disease — In China, the messaging platform blocked thousands of keywords related to the virus, a new report reveals.
Discussion:
@lmatsakis, @abramowitz and @lmatsakis


Roku, approaching ~40% of broadband household penetration in the US, now often holds an upper hand in negotiations with streamers like HBO Max and Peacock — In virtual deal talks over the past several months, Roku execs have delivered a basic message — in not so many words …
Discussion:
@trengriffin, @sarthakgh, @knieriemen, @ericjhonsa, @lanceulanoff, @richlightshed, @scottporch and Gizmodo
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