Top News:


A top Dominion Voting Systems staffer, who went into hiding after becoming the subject of conspiracies, is suing Newsmax, OANN, and others, alleging defamation — A top employee of Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, Eric Coomer, has sued the campaign of President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
NPR, Business Insider, @kylegriffin1, @thor_benson, Mediaite, Reuters, Associated Press and The Colorado Sun


Brian Calle, CEO of LA Weekly owner Street Media, has acquired The Village Voice, plans to restart its website in January, and also plans quarterly print issues — The owner of LA Weekly, another independent publication, plans to restart The Voice next month.
Discussion:
@rosiegray, @jenn_swann, @mcastimovies, @raju, @conroyforreal, @minkowitz, @awolfeful, @stevekandell, @spbphd, @elinashatkin, @passionweiss, @sowmyak, @marcissist, @passionweiss, @allegraehobbs, @krisvire, @jayrosen_nyu, @ibogost, @mattdpearce, @media_evan, @jesshopp, @matthewwells, @david_j_roth, @scott_tobias, @willow_catelyn, @zzzzaaaacccchhh, @jsmooth995, Mediaite and Wall Street Journal


Two bills Congress OK'ed would limit powers of USAGM's Michael Pack; Pack announced new heads at Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Network on Tuesday — Two bills approved by Congress awaiting President Donald Trump's signature would limit the powers of Michael Pack …
Discussion:
@w7voa, @schwartzbcnbc, @yatesdcia, @simonmarksfsn, @simonmarksfsn, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik and USAGM


Sources: Israeli content recommendation company Taboola is in talks to merge with ION group's SPAC that raised $259M in October — 'There's no company with revenues of $100 million that's not considering going public,' source says after massive deal falls apart three months ago
Discussion:
Sifted


Sen. Thom Tillis unveils a draft bill to revise the DMCA, requiring “service providers” to ensure that infringing material stays removed and does not reappear — Sen. Thom Tillis on Tuesday unveiled an overhaul of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which is intended to make it easier to stamp out pirated content online.


A look at current ideas for federal journalism funding, including a revival of the New Deal Federal Writers' Project to hire journalists to capture this moment — In 1937, Sterling A. Brown, a poet and literature professor at Howard University, published a forthright essay charting the history …

Explaining its content moderation policy, Substack says it will “resist public pressure to suppress voices that loud objectors deem unacceptable” — As Substack grows, there is increasing interest in the stance we take on content moderation. It's a complicated issue …
Discussion:
@jaycaruso, @kerrymflynn, @wexler, @nickconfessore, @timmarchman, @hotlinejosh, @codytfenwick, @melissamcewen, @jessesingal, @jessesingal, @mantzarlis, @timmarchman, @peterbale, @mantzarlis, @anildash, @jayrosen_nyu, @nayafia, @sonnybunch, @allegraehobbs, @sonnybunch, @kantrowitz, @taylorlorenz, @nic__carter, @sethbannon, @jessesingal, @peterbale, @cathyreisenwitz, @carnage4life, @jessesingal, @scottnover, @scottnover, @wesleylowery, @timmarchman, @johnghendy, @justin_hart, @substackinc, @rwabigwi, @codytfenwick, @ericnewcomer, The Verge and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

NYT has withdrawn its 2019 entry in international reporting for Caliphate, and the Pulitzer Prize Board rescinded the entry's designation as a Pulitzer finalist — New York, NY (Dec. 22, 2020) — The New York Times has withdrawn its 2019 entry in International Reporting.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @doctoryasmin, New York Times and Fox News


Blumhouse won a bidding war and will team up with NYT for a film or series based on a story about a Mexican mother who tracked down her daughter's killers — Rodriguez — who went on to become a prominent human rights activist, helping to imprison 10 members of the local cartel in San Fernando …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, @marclacey, @jason_blum, @lucas_shaw, @sethabramovitch, Deadline and Context is King


Turkey sentences Can Dündar, exiled ex-EIC of the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet and a vocal critic of Erdoğan, to 27+ years in jail on terrorism-related charges — Ex-Cumhuriyet newspaper editor given verdict in absentia on charges described as politically motivated
Discussion:
@newspaperworld, @kamalchomani and @michaelno2war


An explainer on digital advertising's header bids, third-party brand safety vendors, and “evercookies”, illustrated by a ubiquitous pajama onesie ad — If you're reading this, you might have read the juicy piece that Elle dropped this weekend chronicling how a former Bloomberg reporter torched …
Discussion:
Business Insider, @andrewcouts, @jakeofthefuture, @adland, @conroyforreal, @jakeswearingen, @bryson_m, @catthekin, @bigmeaninternet, @justinhendrix, @lollardfish, @techwontsaveus, @jathansadowski, @clairelizzie, @dancow, @swodinsky, @neilretail, @goldman, @biaus, @lollardfish, @nandoodles, @lorenaoneil, @thezedwards, @stephcliff, @kate_h_taylor, Newser, @liamstack and @tomgara, more at Techmeme »


Ofcom fines Indian TV channel Republic Bharat £20K for hate speech against Pakistani people in a program hosted by EIC Arnab Goswami and broadcast last year — New Delhi: British TV regulatory authority Ofcom has imposed a £20,000 fine on Republic Bharat, Republic TV's Hindi channel …
Discussion:
The Economic Times, Times of India, @svaradarajan, @bombaywallah and The Hindu