Top News:
USAGM:
VOA Director Robert Reilly and Deputy Director Elizabeth Robbins are out; recently demoted exec Yolanda Lopez has been named acting VOA director — United States Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack resigned yesterday after being informed by the Biden Administration that he would be removed.
Discussion:
@davidfolkenflik, @farhip, @farhip, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik and Government Accountability …
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Jessica Jerreat / Voice of America:
Kelu Chao named acting CEO of USAGM; Chao has worked for VOA for 20 years+ and testified last year in a lawsuit over editorial interference by Pack — WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media stepped down Wednesday afternoon at the request of President Joe Biden shortly after Biden took office.
Dan De Luce / NBC News:
Michael Pack, the head of USAGM who oversaw VOA and the Open Technology Fund, has resigned at the request of the Biden administration
Discussion:
@davidfolkenflik, Vox, @alexwardvox, Washington Post, Forbes, NPR, Government Accountability …, @raju, @farhip, @anneapplebaum, @muhammadlila, @waltshaub, @govacctproj, @wiczipedia, @zaccunningham, @npr, @kaedotcom, @kaedotcom, @davidfolkenflik, @b52malmet, @camjourno, @markos, @tonyfratto, @newsprof1, @etbrooking, @dfriedman33, @jonathanwpeters, @fridaghitis, @grahamdavida, @junaidmuhammadd, @kimmasters, @albertomiguelf5, @w7voa, @davidfolkenflik, @jackshafer, @vivian, @dburbach, @grahambrookie, Associated Press, Slate, @markszaidesq, AllAccess.com, Axios, Washington Post and @marcrod97, more at Techmeme »
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Google signs an agreement with French media creating a framework for payment for publisher content and has reached agreements with three major newspapers — Google has reached an agreement with an association of French publishers over how it will be pay for reuse of snippets of their content.
Discussion:
Reuters, @glenngabe, CNBC, Bloomberg, @jason_kint, Engadget, @mathewi, @zachdcarter and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »
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Brad Bender / The Keyword:
Google announces a global deal with Reuters for News Showcase, which pays publishers for content highlighted in panels in News, Discover, and search results — The events of this past year have proven that providing access to diverse, high-quality news sources is more important than ever.
Discussion:
@googlenews, @googlenews, @rasmus_kleis and @stephenjadler
The NewsGuild of New York:
New Yorker Union announces 24-hour strike over management's response to pay negotiations; the union asked for $65K/year starting salaries and annual increases — Today, the New Yorker Union is undertaking a twenty-four-hour work stoppage. Between 6 A.M. on Thursday, January 21st …
Discussion:
@newyorkerunion, New York Times, Business Insider, WWD, MediaPost, New York Post, @lbyock, @jennyvrentas, @schwartzesque, @jason_koebler, @ellievhall, @mcwm, @alexjamesfitz, @sara_bee, @timmarchman, @jessicaschulb, @cassandrajar, @satchelprice, @alicesperi, @brendengallager, @scoutstout, @dphiffer, @iamjadejackson, @berniesanders, @27khv, @fahima_haque, @crystalbell, @bethoniebutler, @techinsider, @mattdpearce, @andrewfeinberg, @s_m_i, @nickconfessore and @ggreenwald
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Biden addressed divisions sown by media when he spoke about “lies told...for profit” and distrust of those who “don't get their news from the same sources you do” — President Joe Biden invoked what he called seven “common objects we, as Americans, love” in Wednesday's inaugural address.
Discussion:
Poynter, Media Matters for America, The Daily Poster, Washington Post, CNN, Vox, New York Times, @npr, The Week, @mariabustillos, @jayrosen_nyu, Fox News, Slate and Associated Press
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The media should hold power to account and resist the adversarial-seeming approach to politics it took pre-Trump, like when it focused on Obama's tan suit — White House press secretary Jen Psaki was prepared. She was professional. She was noncombative.
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New York Times:
In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki vowed to bring “truth and transparency back to the briefing room”
Discussion:
Business Insider, @abc, @themaxburns, @connieschultz, CNN, @beschlossdc, @perlberg, @wesleylowery, @caroloffcbc, @ron_fournier, @jenny8lee, @jelani9, @nysenatorrivera, @barnabychuck, @julibriskman, @britnygottalent, @mpatrickshea, @wiloceraptor, @katierogers, @joshsternberg, @annamerlan, @donlemon, @rickwins, @nidhiprakash, @themaxburns, @kellyo, @libbycwatson, @themaxburns, @grubreport, Associated Press, @fpwellman, @froomkin, @jackshafer, @froomkin, The Guardian, Fox News, BuzzFeed News, Axios, The Independent, Fox News and Press Watch
Variety:
Bonnie Fuller, founder of entertainment outlet Hollywoodlife.com, has bought out Penske Media's stake in the company, assuming full ownership — Penske Media Corporation (PMC) announced today that after a decade of partnership and co-ownership of Hollywood Life, founder Bonnie Fuller …
Discussion:
Showbiz411
Hannah Ellis-Petersen / The Guardian:
Indian political drama on Amazon Prime was forced to edit out scenes, the first time that a streaming platform has been subjected to censorship in the country — Director of Tandav agrees to remove scenes deemed to insult Hindu gods and office of Indian prime minister
Discussion:
News18, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, @sarahemclaugh, @suhasinih, @humanists_uk, @indexcensorship, @abusulayman, Tribuneindia News Service, DNA India and MediaNama
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
ViacomCBS to launch Pluto TV in France on February 8, making it the first free ad-supported streaming service in the country — Offering 40 curated and original channels, it will become the first advertising-supported streamer in the country. — ViacomCBS will launch advertising-supported …
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, C21Media, Broadband TV News and Variety
Robert Booth / The Guardian:
UK broadcaster Sky pledges that one in five staff members will be from a minority ethnic background by 2025 and that 5% will be Black — UK broadcaster aims to reshape its workforce, partly in response to Black Lives Matter movement — Sky has pledged that one in five of its staff …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, @bitc and Kidscreen
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Towns and counties around the US are suing Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, seeking to regulate them like cable TV and make them pay cable fees — A Georgia lawsuit is pushing to expand TV franchising rules — Streaming services are slowly turning into cable TV …
Discussion:
@labuzamovies and Atlanta Business Journal
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