Mediagazer: In a tweet, Michael Barbaro apologized for actions around Caliphate, saying he shouldn't have DMed and blocked critics; he didn't address Andy Mills concerns (Kali Hays/WWD)

11:40 PM ET, January 16, 2021

Top News:

Without naming Fox, James Murdoch blasts media owners who enabled “toxic politics” and says their lies have unleashed “insidious and uncontrollable” forces — Comments from Rupert's son are his strongest rebuke of industry practices since leaving the family business

The Daily Beast:
Sources: Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are “disenchanted” with Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace; total viewership is down 15% YoY since Dec. 28

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, Forbes, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, @bruno_j_navarro, CNN, @brianstelter, @kim, @chunks_mommy, @justinbaragona, @janemayernyer, @patrickmcgee_, @ericbolling, @noahshachtman, @benyt, @benyt, Mediaite and Daily Truth Report

Kali Hays / WWD:

In a tweet, Michael Barbaro apologized for actions around Caliphate, saying he shouldn't have DMed and blocked critics; he didn't address Andy Mills concerns — Michael Barbaro is seen to have pressured some reporters and radio stations over coverage of issues with another NYT podcast, produced by his fiancée.

William Turvill / Press Gazette:
Q&A with Pranay Prabhat, senior director of digital ad tech at NYT, about its new first-party data ad program, losing third-party cookie revenue, and more

Discussion: @mrdylancollins

Paul Bennun / KCRW:
California public radio station KCRW drops The Daily, over concerns about NYT's handling of issues surrounding Caliphate

Discussion: @kcrw, @thedailybeast, The Independent, Vulture, @awalkerinla, @kausmickey, @mollydacious, @sorayanelson, @akmcglinchy, @thebenbergman and @nwquah

Berny Belvedere / Arc Digital:

Politico staffers were upset about Shapiro guest-curating Playbook not because he is a conservative but because he is the apotheosis of culture war excess — Berny Belvedere DISSOLVES THE FLESH of Ben Shapiro's takes through a REVERSE OSMOSIS OF PAIN — Politico invited Ben Shapiro to guest-curate its Playbook newsletter.

Discussion: The Rundown, @mattwelch, @trumwill, @tomzellerjr, @sladesr, @ngrossman81, @sheltondesigner, @brooks_bonny, @ldburnett, @jimswiftdc, @edbott and @jennarmathias

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

Politico announces new members of its Playbook team, expanding from two writers to four: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, and Tara Palmeri — Facing stiffer competition, a new crew of writers—Ben Shapiro not included—is promising more scoops and scene as the O.G. political tip sheet reboots …

Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:

Some Politico staffers raised concerns internally about the decision to allow Ben Shapiro to guest-write Playbook; editor Matt Kaminski defended the move — Several staffers expressed dismay over handing the keys to the outlet's influential newsletter product to a pundit with a “long history of bigoted and incendiary commentary.”

Discussion: @erikwemple, @maxwelltani, @erikwemple, @erikwemple, @brucebartlett, @mattnegrin, @lifesafeast, @willmcavoyacn, @benyt, @sirajahashmi, @surabees, @paulkrugman, @jeff_jacoby, @maxwelltani, PRESS RUN, @juddlegum, @jayrosen_nyu, @benshapiro, @sabrinasiddiqui, @abdallah_fayyad, The Media Nut, @glcarlstrom, @piersmorgan, @dfriedman33, @jayrosen_nyu, @benyt, @caitleg, @jrubinblogger, @elaheizadi, @marlownyc, @alexkotch, @erikwemple, @samthielman, @arifleischer, @maxkennerly, @wexler, @nycweboy, @tonydleonardi, @andizeisler, @wajahatali, @davidsirota, @sorayamcdonald, @futterish, @corb_the_lesser, @jeremypgordon, @elienyc, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, @megynkelly, @jbouie, @pwthornton, @soledadobrien, @holmesjosh, @willmcavoyacn, @danpfeiffer, @eugene_scott, @katiehill4ca, @imleor, @clarajeffery, @maxwelltani, @bernybelvedere, @gina_goldberg, @adotsad, @lollardfish, @lollardfish, @justin_higgins2, @zac_petkanas, @senhorraposa, @jamisonfoser, @karlitaliliana, @gabby_hoffman, @sarahw, @nberlat, @jon_allsop, @emorwee, @tpcarney, @casmudde, @maxwelltani, Poynter, @grace_segers, @susanbordson, @onlxn, @russcanread, @alqabadai, @blackamazon, @wagatwe, @kimcrayton1, @elienyc, @sethfriederman, @espiers and @libbycwatson

Washington Post:

Analytics firm Zignal Labs: online misinformation about election fraud dropped 73% in the week after several social media sites suspended Trump and key allies — Zignal Labs charts 73 percent decline on Twitter and beyond following historic action against the president

Columbia Journalism Review:

On Wikipedia's 20th anniversary, the need for nuance in reporting about the project is crucial as sites like Breitbart and Russian media try to discredit it — Last year, as the election approached, we heard that the founder of 8chan had become an active Wikipedia editor.

Alex Pasternack / Fast Company:

A look at the raging debate inside Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, on what to call the attack on the Capitol — ‘Storming’? ‘Insurrection’? ‘Riot’? ‘Attempted coup’? On Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, volunteers are still searching for the words.

Discussion: The Guardian, @martinsfp, @chrisalbon, @krmaher, @luis_in_brief, @ariannahuff, @bkeegan, @fuzheado, @harrymccracken, @pasternack, @thewikipedian and The Ringer, more at Techmeme »

BuzzFeed News:

Facebook says it is temporarily banning ads for gun accessories and military gear through next week's inauguration “out of an abundance of caution” — Following complaints from Senators and employees, Facebook on Saturday said it was temporarily halting ads for gun accessories …

Discussion: Business Insider, @senduckworth, New York Times, Engadget, @williamturton, @craigsilverman, @monteiro, @slpng_giants, @jesselehrich, The Verge and CNN, more at Techmeme »

Janko Roettgers / Protocol:

Remote controls of new TVs show how streaming services and tech giants are vying for users' attention through branded buttons and voice assistants — Don't touch that dial: As TV manufacturers are unveiling their 2021 models at this year's virtual CES, they're also giving us a first look …

Discussion: @timhanlon, @jank0, @protocol and @digitalshields

Eva Mathews / Reuters:

Tencent Music acquires China-based Lazy Audio, which provides audiobooks, podcasts, and radio shows, for $417M — (Reuters) - China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group said on Friday it acquired audiobook platform Lazy Audio, owned by Shenzhen Lanren Online Technology Co, for 2.7 billion yuan ($417 million).

Discussion: PR Newswire, more at Techmeme »

The Information:

Sources: Apple is discussing launching a new subscription service that would charge people to listen to podcasts — Apple—long considered the sleeping giant in the podcast space—is waking up. The company, which runs the most widely used podcasting app in the industry …

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More News:

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
A look at early support for Trump from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and how that changed in 2017, as Scarborough now sees that support as a mistake

Discussion: @erikwemple and @postopinions

Ted Johnson / Deadline:
DOJ announces it won't move to end or modify the 80-year-old consent decrees governing ASCAP, BMI music licensing, citing lack of consensus among stakeholders

Discussion: Variety, AppleInsider, Los Angeles Times and Radio & Television …

Amaris Castillo / Poynter:
Journalists in Washington, DC, share how they're preparing to cover the inauguration of Biden amid safety concerns, limited access, and heavy security

Discussion: @marissa_jae, @itsren, @amariscastillo, Forbes and Politico

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
BBC's next chairman Richard Sharp says he is not in favor of decriminalization of UK's license fee, describing it as the “least worst” option to fund the BBC

Discussion: @pressgazette and @nogoodgods

Earlier Picks:

Nathan Bomey / USA Today:
Gannett CEO says the company, which passed 1M paid digital subscriptions in Q3 2020, is aiming for 10M subscribers within five years

Discussion: @raju and @niemanlab

Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
As Snapchat starts competing with TikTok via its Spotlight program, some creators begin earning small fortunes and look for ways to expand

Jim VandeHei / Axios:
Axios publishes a new Bill of Rights: no opinion section ever, most content free for all people, staff pledge to not take public political positions, more

Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
NBCUniversal launches NBCU Academy, a journalism training program that's set to partner with 17 academic institutions across the US with $6.5M in funding

From Techmeme:

Joe Rivano Barros / Mission Local:
Waymo says it temporarily suspended its ride-hailing service in San Francisco during a citywide blackout, as downed traffic lights appeared to halt its vehicles

John Sakellariadis / Politico:
Sources: DHS is investigating whether 6 staffers misled CISA's acting director into taking a polygraph that he failed, compounding instability at the agency

Sri Muppidi / The Information:
Source: OpenAI's share of revenue after the cost of running AI models for paying users has jumped to ~70% in October, up from ~52% at the end of 2024

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