Top News:
The Daily Beast:
NYT Opinion editor says it was her decision to spike a Bret Stephens column criticizing Baquet's reasons for firing McNeil, not Sulzberger's as Stephens claims — A top New York Times columnist claims the paper's publisher shelved his opinion column defending Donald McNeil …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @dylanbyers, @nytimespr, CNN, @meredithshiner, Mediaite, Washington Post, @marcatracy, @wesleylowery, @dylanbyers, @wesleylowery, @oliverdarcy, @armystrang, @scottshanenyt, @lisang, @davekarpf, New York Post, @dgisserious, @wesleylowery, @maxwelltani, @jackmurphyrgr, @jacobrubashkin, @jaynordlinger, @zaidjilani, @jbenton, @jolentag, @dylanbyers, @marlownyc, @davekarpf, @ggreeneva, @zaidjilani, @530bruceross, @weareyourfek, @ranjona and @niemanreports
Brad Smith / Microsoft On the Issues:
Microsoft's Endorsement of Australia's Proposal on Technology and the News — Editor's Note: Last week, Microsoft endorsed an Australian proposal that would require tech gatekeepers like Facebook and Google to share revenue with local independent news organizations.
Discussion:
The Hill, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Microsoft pres. says US and other countries should consider adopting rules like Australia's proposed laws, which force tech companies to pay for news content
Microsoft pres. says US and other countries should consider adopting rules like Australia's proposed laws, which force tech companies to pay for news content
Discussion:
@jason_kint, more at Techmeme »
Saqib Shah / Engadget:
Google launches Google News Showcase in UK and Argentina, after debuting the service in Australia last week, and says it now has over 450 publications globally
Google launches Google News Showcase in UK and Argentina, after debuting the service in Australia last week, and says it now has over 450 publications globally
Discussion:
CNBC, @niemanlab, @googlenewsinit, @googlenewsinit, @googlenewsinit, @googleuk, @danrussell12000, Press Gazette, The Keyword, The Verge, MacRumors, HoldtheFrontPage, OneZero, 9to5Google and The Keyword
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy:
Bloomberg is laying off employees as part of a “new structure to elevate editing”; sources: layoffs will affect about 90 employees — Bloomberg EIC John Micklethwait confirms layoffs in a memo to staff: “I am not going to pretend today is a happy day for the newsroom. It is always painful to tell journalists that they are losing their jobs.” I'm told the layoffs are affecting about 90 employees. https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
Insider, @perlberg, @vtuss, @jessicalessin, @ericnewcomer, @grace_panetta, @jenni_gritters, @chrismessina, Talking Biz News, @freeblackgirl, @caleweissman, @ejacqui, @jhilburg, @jbenton, @derekahunter, @mattrosoff, @froomkin, @heathat, @ericlach, @oliverdarcy, @fmanjoo, @aleksnotalex, @tombevanrcp, @nbj914, @kerrymflynn and @perlberg
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney beats as Disney+ reaches 94.9M subscribers globally, 30% of those from Disney+ Hotstar, while revenue dropped to $16.25B, down 22% YoY — Disney Plus had the wind at its back to close out 2020: The streaming service notched 94.9 million customers worldwide as of the end of the year-end quarter, the company announced.
Discussion:
The Streamable, The Wrap, CNBC, Engadget, Yahoo Finance, MacRumors and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
HBO Max to launch in Latin America and the Caribbean in June; existing HBO-branded streaming services in Europe will shift to HBO Max later this year — WarnerMedia's streamer HBO Max is set to launch across 39 Latin American and Caribbean territories in June.
Sheila Dang / Reuters:
Kantar: CBS generated a record $545M in ad spending during the Super Bowl, which had a record 57 minutes of ad time — (Reuters) - ViacomCBS' CBS network generated a record $545 million in advertising spending during the NFL's Super Bowl LV this past Sunday, according to preliminary estimates from research firm Kantar.
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, @readdanwrite and @sheila_dang
RELATED:
Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter:
Ted Sarandos says Netflix plans to open a corporate office in Canada and will hire a content executive to deal directly with local Canadian producers — “Canada is an amazingly diverse country and growing our presence locally will help us share more authentically Canadian stories with the world …
Reuters:
BBC World News has been barred from airing in mainland China — (Reuters) - BBC World News has been barred from airing in China, the Chinese state media CGTN said bit.ly/2Z51L43 early on Friday, citing the National Radio and Television Administration. — Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: a deal for full control of Tribune Publishing by Alden Global Capital could be reached this month — The hedge fund already owns a big stake in the newspaper chain behind titles including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News — A hedge fund that owns a big stake …
Discussion:
@kimjnews, @mattgertz, @brynstole, @royalpratt, @nwi_jsp, @petersagal, @localcelebrity, @byalisonbowen, @royalpratt, @rexhuppke, @lenfestinst and @lalpert1
Caroline Davies / The Guardian:
Meghan Markle wins her privacy case in summary judgment against the Mail on Sunday, which published extracts from a letter she wrote to her father — Judge gives summary judgment in favour of royal over extracts of letter to estranged father, Thomas Markle
Constance Grady / Vox:
With the release of “Framing Britney Spears”, the idea that the media treated her unfairly is accepted but it's revisionism to say it didn't know it was wrong — We're all complicit in what happened to Britney. But some of us more so than others.
Discussion:
Esquire, @constancegrady, CAFE, @voxdotcom and The Media Nut
Angela Fu / Poynter:
Three Gannett newsrooms in New Jersey have announced they are jointly unionizing and forming the Record Guild, part of the NewsGuild of New York — The new union will include the Bergen Record, the Daily Record and the NJ Herald. — Three Gannett-owned newsrooms in New Jersey announced Wednesday morning they are jointly unionizing.
Discussion:
@mcdiduch, @poynter, @angelanfu, @kaitlynkanzler8, The NewsGuild - CWA and nyguild.org