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Critics accuse WSJ of amplifying misinformation after it publishes a 600-word letter to the editor from Trump, filled with debunked claims of election fraud — The publication of the letter, citing baseless and debunked claims, was criticized for pushing the traditional boundaries of a letters-to-the-editor page
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@jeremymbarr, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Washington Post, The Week, @charlesornstein, @amandacarpenter, @amandacarpenter, @jdawsey1, Mediaite, @waltshaub, @mattnegrin, @terrymoran, @thedailybeast, @chrislhayes, @jaketapper, @bgrueskin, @frankrichny, @bgrueskin, @mehdirhasan, @janinezacharia, The Daily Beast, @djrothkopf, @billkristol, @ericowensdc, @svdate, @bgrueskin, @jeremymbarr, The Hill, @ike_saul, UPROXX, @urbanachievr, @gretchenapeck, Raw Story, @timobrien and @sykescharlie


Spotify reports Q3 revenue of $2.9B, up 27% YoY; MAUs rose 19% YoY to 381M as Premium users rose 19% YoY to 172M; ad sales rose 75% YoY to $374M; stock up 6%+ — Spotify posted double-digit gains for overall monthly users and paid subscribers for the third quarter of 2021, in line with expectations …
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Spotify cites Edison Research and its own internal data to claim it “recently became” the most-used podcast platform in the US and says it has 3.2M podcasts — In September, analysts at eMarketer predicted Spotify was poised to overtake Apple Podcasts in U.S. listenership sometime this year.
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw, @burackbobby_, AppleInsider and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »


Internal docs show Facebook staffers agonized over whether the company was nudging news organizations to produce “darker, more divisive content” — In November 2018, the staff of Facebook's fledgling Civic Integrity department got a look at some eye-opening internal research …
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@jeffjarvis, @cat_zakrzewski, @froomkin, @justinhendrix, @donlday, CNET and @oliverdarcy, more at Techmeme »
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Sources say Facebook Papers have no sharing restrictions, so media outlets should model transparency and make them publicly accessible
Discussion:
@kantrowitz, Press Gazette, The Message Box, Nieman Lab, @joshelman, @attorneynora, @kantrowitz, wgbh.org, @annia, @dellcam, @mat, @kimzetter, @katiedrumm, @karissabe, @ezranbc, @seyitaylor, @scottnover, @blackamazon, @cwarzel, @niemanlab, @digiphile, The Wrap, The Triad, Vanity Fair, bookforum.com, New York Magazine and GOOD INTERNET, more at Techmeme »


USA Today launches an SMS text chat service, letting digital subscribers connect with its fact checkers — We're living in an age of misinformation. From coronavirus to climate change, via TikTok trends and Facebook memes, being certain about the truth is more important than ever - and more difficult to distinguish.
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu and @dpfunke


Internal docs show Netflix tried to minimize public backlash to the film Cuties by stopping it from appearing in some search results and recommendations — In September 2020, Netflix was in turmoil as the company battled its most significant PR scandal to date.
Discussion:
@mattzeitlin, @pkafka, The A.V. Club, @cwarzel, @caseynewton, @fmanjoo, @karenattiah, @labuzamovies, @loudmouthjulia, @ericnewcomer, NME, @franklinleonard, @dtemkin, The Wrap, @zoeschiffer, CNET, IndieWire and Variety, more at Techmeme »


Sony reports Q2 revenue rose 13% YoY to $21B and operating income rose 1% YoY to $2.8B; Sony Pictures revenue rose 35% YoY to $2.37B as its films grossed $105M — Sony Pictures Entertainment recorded $288M in operating profits for the three months ending September 30, repping a 7% dip from the same period last year.


Judge dismisses charges against Detroit police officer Daniel DeBono, accused of shooting rubber bullets at three photojournalists after a 2020 protest — Charges have been dismissed against a Detroit police corporal accused of shooting three journalists with rubber bullets during a 2020 George Floyd demonstration.
Discussion:
Associated Press, @drharris1911, @gregorykozak, @bradmossesq and @oliverdarcy


Google reimburses Mail Online after blaming human error for disabling ads on Mail's US homepage for four hours on July 30 due to “perceived derogatory content” — Google reimbursed Mail Online after turning off advertising on its US homepage for several hours over the …
Discussion:
@carnage4life and @ianvisits


A pre-election Austrian study found that interest in politics fell for people who read non-mainstream news sites, perhaps due to cynical media takes — The results of a new study published in Digital Journalism suggest that exposure to alternative media sites — which are often extremist …
Discussion:
@franz__reiter, @niemanfdn, @tiagodf, @niemanlab and Taylor & Francis


Universal Music Group, which was spun out of Vivendi last month, reports Q3 revenue of €2.15B, up 16% YoY; subscription and streaming revenue grew 14% YoY — In its first post-IPO earnings report, Universal Music Group posted 17.4% year-over-year revenue growth in the third quarter of 2021 …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide, PR Newswire, Billboard, Bloomberg and Music Business Worldwide


Fox's Blockchain Creative Labs, launched earlier this year with $100M in seed funding, partners with WWE to launch a marketplace selling NFTs based on WWE IP — Fox's Blockchain Creative Labs has found its first external NFT partner in the wrestling giant.
Discussion:
Tubefilter, Decrypt, nexttv.com, Variety and Light Reading