Top News:
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Journalists at the New York Daily News have formed a union under the NewsGuild of New York, asking for voluntary recognition from Tribune — The organizing effort at the century-old tabloid comes roughly 25 years after its editorial union was effectively broken.
Discussion:
@nydnunion, @awinston, @royalpratt, @saragregory, @grace_2e, @marcatracy, The NewsGuild - CWA and nyguild.org
Tim Cross / VideoWeek:
Ad tech company Magnite, formerly Rubicon Project, to acquire SpotX, a platform for connected TV and video advertising, from RTL Group for $1.17B — Supply-side platform Magnite announced this morning it has agreed a deal to acquire sell-side video platform SpotX from European media group RTL …
Discussion:
@magnite, Magnite, Variety, Adweek, AdExchanger, Beet.TV, FierceVideo, CNBC, Digital TV Europe, @davemorgannyc, @anthonykatsur, @mediamath and LUMA Partners, more at Techmeme »
The Daily Beast:
Sources: NYT's Rukmini Callimachi has been re-assigned to cover higher education following the Caliphate scandal — The Pulitzer finalist who came to fame via her Middle East coverage is moving to a vastly different beat following the scandal over her largely debunked podcast.
Discussion:
@wajahatali, @johnriordangee and @cquintanadc
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Snap says its TikTok competitor Spotlight had 100M MAUs in January, two months after its launch, and receives an average of 175K video submissions per day — A surprisingly successful debut — Snap says its TikTok competitor, Spotlight, had 100 million users in January 2021, just two months after it launched.
Discussion:
CNN, @karissabe, CNBC, Marketing Dive, contextisking.com, @verge, @megancgraham, @mattrosoff, Investor's Business Daily, Business Wire and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Snap beats with Q4 revenue of $911M, up 62% YoY, vs $857.4M est., DAUs were up 22% YoY to 265M; stock down 7%+ after hours on weak Q1 forecast
Discussion:
The Wrap, @ashkan, @tgpharding, @charliebilello, @ashleyrcarman, Fast Company, Ad Age, Financial Times, Axios and Variety, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
Election tech company Smartmatic files $2.7B defamation lawsuit against the Fox Corporation, Fox News, and hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro — Smartmatic accused Rupert Murdoch's network of promoting a false narrative about the 2020 election that damaged the company.
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, Variety, NPR, Raw Story, Vox, MediaPost, Wall Street Journal, @darickr, @markszaidesq, @noahpinion, The American Independent, @jonathanwpeters, @jamessurowiecki, @hassankanu, National Review, @alanhuntermtv, @zoetillman, @richsignorelli, @markruffalo, @frankpallotta, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, Media Matters for America, The Verge, TVNewsCheck, Bloomberg, Axios, Mediaite, The Wrap, Insider, CNBC and Boing Boing
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Editor & Publisher gave permission to Internet Archive to digitize its full archives, making them easily searchable, a step that other newspapers should take — My two intellectual loves are history and journalism — alternately, history and its first draft — and I'm always happy to see the two overlap.
Discussion:
@internetarchive, @jbenton and @media2070
Kate Beddoe / The Keyword:
Google rolls out an initial version of Google News Showcase in Australia, with participation by and financial support for The Canberra Times, Crikey, and others — With the news moving faster than ever, it's clear that journalism is an essential way to keep people informed.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty names Jamie Fly as president and CEO, who will resume leadership after being dismissed by Michael Pack in June — WASHINGTON — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Board of Directors has named Jamie Fly as the company's President and CEO, effective February 16, 2021.
Discussion:
@davidfolkenflik, @karenkornbluh, @john_hudson, @christopherjm and @jamiemfly
Brad Reed / Raw Story:
OANN is airing a three-hour “election fraud” film by MyPillow CEO with a disclaimer that it doesn't endorse any statements made about Dominion or Smartmatic — Trump-loving One America News is airing a special the touts conspiracy theories being peddled by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Insider, The Hill, @poniewozik, The Week, @davidfolkenflik, @existentialfish, @mattgertz and @mattgertz
Emily Birnbaum / Protocol:
Democratic senators' SAFE TECH Act will strip Section 230 immunity for any ads and posts violating civil rights, antitrust, cyberstalking, human rights laws — Three top Democratic senators added to the stack of proposed Section 230 reforms Friday, introducing their own bill …
Discussion:
Reuters, Engadget, @hodgesmr, @issielapowsky, @glassbottommeg, @dandotlewis and @issielapowsky, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The bylines of Defense News and New York Post reporters were attached to disinformation as a means of making it appear legitimate — Bad actors are hijacking journalist names, photos and bylines to help give credibility to fake storylines or hoaxes on the internet.
Discussion:
@newsalliance and @sarafischer
Chris Stokel-Walker / WIRED UK:
TikTok's launch on Android TVs in France, Germany, and the UK yesterday is part of its push to diversify its audience and bring its stars into the mainstream — The app's arrival on smart TVs is part of a plan to diversify its audience - and bring its stars further into the mainstream
Discussion:
@stokel, @psythor, @brendangahan and @evafogdk, more at Techmeme »
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