Top News:


On Thursday, major papers buried Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power as the NYT ran the story on A15, WaPo and WSJ on A4, and LAT on A6 — President Donald Trump yesterday refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power after the November election.

Wolfgang Blau, COO at Condé Nast and president of Condé Nast International, is stepping down after five years at the company — His is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the organization, which has been consolidating its U.S. and U.K. operations.
Discussion:
@wblau, Reuters Institute …, @risj_oxford, @wblau, @rasmus_kleis, @wblau, @arusbridger and New York Post


Los Angeles County DA declines to prosecute KPCC reporter Josie Huang, arrested and accused of interfering with an arrest the night two deputies were shot — A KPCC reporter who was slammed to the ground and accused of interfering with an arrest the night two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies …
Discussion:
@josie_huang, @a_mendelson, New York Times, LAist, The NewsGuild - CWA, @nppalawyer, @greg_doucette, @susaneseager, BuzzFeed News, @rcfp, @alexmce, @shelbygrad, @johnmdonnelly, @narrovictor, @hamasakilaw, @groundgamela, @pphericrussell, @christmasgonzo, @summerelopez, @jonweisman and ABC7


A judge dismissed a defamation suit against Fox News host Tucker Carlson by Karen McDougal, saying his program uses “exaggeration” and “nonliteral commentary” — Fox News won a legal victory on Thursday after a federal judge dismissed a defamation suit brought …
Discussion:
@dylanbyers, Business Insider, @gabrielmalor, @ndrew_lawrence, Mediaite, @danielsmith1022, Slate, @jayrosen_nyu, @jameshamblin, @marcacaputo, @corinhoggard, TVNewser, @johnwdean, @mehdirhasan, @rafaelshimunov, @mdudas, @nickatnews, @nycsouthpaw, @nickatnews, @nikkimcr, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Forbes and Deadline


Leaked email: Google informed its advertisers on Friday that it will block election ads referencing “the election, or its outcome” after polls close on Nov. 3 — Google informed its advertisers Friday that it will broadly block election ads after polls close Nov. 3, according to an email obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
Politico, Adweek, @oliverdarcy, CNBC, @slpng_giants, @mhbergen, @shannimcg, @jonrosenberg, CNN, NBC News, Engadget, The Verge, @jigolden, @sarafischer, @ambassadorrice and @davidgura, more at Techmeme »


Andrew Neil, who has been a BBC political interviewer and Sunday Times editor, says he is launching GB News, a TV news channel to rival BBC and Sky, next year — Andrew Neil is launching a 24-hour, TV channel to rival rolling news from the BBC and Sky. — The broadcaster will be the face …
Discussion:
Deadline, Financial Times, @janinegibson, @timburrows, @afneil, @afneil, @afneil and @afneil


State Department: Trump admin rescinded award it gave to a Finnish journalist after discovering she'd criticized Trump, then gave a false reason for its actions — The Trump administration rescinded an award recognizing the work of a journalist from Finland last year after discovering …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Foreign Policy, ABC News, @shauntandon, @adamserwer, @john_hudson, @john_hudson, The Root, @john_hudson, @mollyjongfast, @nahaltoosi, Law & Crime and @thewrap


Sources: Penske Media paid ~$225M for an 80% stake in PMRC, while MRC, publishers of the Hollywood Reporter will retain a ~20% stake — Wednesday's merger of the publishers behind two rival Hollywood magazines — The Hollywood Reporter and Variety — was billed as a joint venture.
Discussion:
Flashes & Flames, The Wrap and Adweek


Study: 19% of German population reads ePapers, digital replicas of print editions, of which 65.8% are under 50, and every eighth newspaper sold is an ePaper — Aa new report on the state of ePaper readership in Germany has been released by Die Zeitungen. German-speakers can find the full report here.


Interview with Wattpad Studios head Aron Levitz on using AI to understand the popularity of stories that the company adapts into movies, TV shows, and books — Wattpad Studios head Aron Levitz and his team comb through the contributions of more than 4 million writers from around the world on the platform.


The Future of Local News Commission Act, which would create a commission to examine effects of news deserts on US democracy, was introduced Thursday in Senate — Hoping to save local news outlets whose advertising revenues have plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic …
Discussion:
@brianstelter and Pulitzer Center


Arif Zahir, a YouTuber with 6M+ subscribers, moves from impersonating Cleveland Brown of Family Guy on YouTube to taking over the character's voice next season — Arif Zahir has gone from impersonating “Family Guy's” Cleveland Brown on YouTube... to being cast as the new voice of the character on the actual show.
Discussion:
Deadline, The Wrap, @sueobeidi, @erinasimon, Hollywood Reporter, Collider, New York Post and @franklinavenue