Top News:
Dustin Jones / NPR:
Six journalists in Myanmar including AP reporter Thein Zaw have been charged under a public order law for covering protests and could face three years in prison — At least eight journalists in Myanmar have been detained by authorities while covering protests against a coup that took place last month.
Elahe Izadi / Washington Post:
Filipino distributors wouldn't air A Thousand Cuts, a documentary on press freedom, so PBS Frontline bought distribution rights and is offering it free online — On the evening before Valentine's Day in 2019, journalist Maria Ressa was arrested by the Philippine government and charged with “cyber-libel.”
Discussion:
@priyankaboghani, @elaheizadi, @akbarth3great, @cleggthis, @frontlinepbs, @rasmus_kleis, @raneyaronson, @elaheizadi, @elaheizadi and @elaheizadi
Democracy Fund:
Democracy Fund, which gives grants to support newsrooms and press freedom, commits to confront systemic racism and to expand support for marginalized groups — Independent journalism is an essential instrument of accountability and critical to the health of our republic.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sports-focused FuboTV, which went public in October, reports 548K subscribers at Q4 end, up 73% YoY, and net loss for 2020 of $570.5M, compared to $35M in 2019 — FuboTV grew its internet pay-TV subscriber rolls at a rapid clip last year — and it sustained heavy losses to get there.
Discussion:
The Streamable, MediaPost, Deadline and Business Wire
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Wired names Gideon Lichfield of MIT Technology Review as global editorial director, replacing Nicholas Thompson, recently appointed CEO of The Atlantic — New York (CNN Business)Wired, the preeminent tech magazine, has its new leader: Gideon Lichfield of MIT Technology Review is coming on as its global editorial director.
Discussion:
New York Times, Condé Nast, @glichfield, @rachelfeltman, @bramsonboudreau, @nxthompson, @justinhendrix, @glichfield, @jtemple, @chr1sa, @katie_robertson, @reditlhabi, @anelsona, @akshatrathi, @jkaraian, @n_vpatel, @glichfield, @kasujja, @jeffjarvis, @howelloneill, @_karenhao, @theyomikazeem, @kerrymflynn, New York Post, WWD and Talking Biz News
Press Gazette:
The Mail On Sunday refused permission to appeal against High Court ruling in Meghan Markle privacy case, and faces an “extraordinary” legal costs bill of £1.5M — The Mail On Sunday has been refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling granting the Duchess …
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Daily Mail owner DMGT buys The New Scientist for £70M, says the weekly science magazine is forecast to make £7M in profits and £20M+ in revenues this year — The 65-year-old title is forecast to make £7m in profits this year — The publisher of the Daily Mail …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, @charlesarthur, @laurie_winkless, @marshallexi, @gitoma1, @debbiebmoon, @nevfountain, @tucker5law, @johnaglionby and @frances_coppola
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK business paper City AM says its website reached 3.2M unique visitors in February, up 125% YoY, as it considers an autumn return for its print edition — City AM has topped 3m monthly online readers for the first time as its print edition looks likely to return by the autumn.
Dylan Byers / NBC News:
Fox News says former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will join the network as a contributor — Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will officially join Fox News, the network announced Tuesday. — The news, which was announced by Fox News host Harris Faulkner …
Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter:
Disney to sell its 50% stake in Europe's largest children's channel Super RTL to RTL Group, which will pivot to become an online-first broadcaster — The entertainment giant held 50 percent of Europe's largest children's channel, but is shifting its focus to its streaming platform Disney+.
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, C21Media and Broadband TV News
Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Soundcloud to launch “fan-powered royalties” April 1; revenue from listeners' subscriptions or consumed ads is divided among artists they listen to, not pooled — This model sees streaming royalties paid out based on individual subscriber behavior - with a percentage …
Discussion:
Complete Music Update, Variety, @future_of_music, @opiumhum, @tankcrimes, @sharkyl, @ivorsacademy, @jetfury, @tankcrimes, SoundCloud press releases, Engadget, TechCrunch and The Verge
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
Two professors documented the pandemic's effects on local newsrooms, working with press associations to gather histories in seven states in the center of the US — Last year, two journalism professors started an oral history project to document the work of local newsrooms in mid-America.
Discussion:
The Rural Blog