Top News:
Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
The Republican National Committee says it will require candidates to pledge to not participate in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates — The Republican National Committee says it will require candidates to pledge to not participate in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
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Committee to Protect Journalists:
One year in, Biden's relationship with the press stands in stark contrast to Trump's, but press freedom advocates have concerns over FOIA, Assange, and more — President Joe Biden's approach to U.S. media is a stark contrast to Donald Trump's vicious rhetoric.
Jay Cridlin / Tampa Bay Times:
Paul Tash, Tampa Bay Times' longest-serving CEO and chairman, is retiring and will be succeeded by company president Conan Gallaty — Conan Gallaty takes over as chief executive officer and will be the fourth chairman since Nelson Poynter when Tash departs this summer. — Published Just now
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@amlwhere, @geostanley, @markpuente, @anitakumar01, @matt_cohen_, @amy_hollyfield, @billadairduke, Poynter, @jaycridlin, @bobbuckhorn and @carolynpfox
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
NBCUniversal and RTL partner to cross-sell TV ad inventory in the US, Europe, and Asia — The arrangement will create opportunities for marketers across the U.S., Europe and Asia, the companies say.
Discussion:
The Drum, Variety, Digital TV Europe and Beet.TV
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
NBCUniversal plans to use audience data from iSpot.tv to track the Olympics and the Super Bowl next month, in addition to Nielsen, in a new multiyear agreement — NBCUniversal, the media company most critical of the audience measurement data it receives from Nielsen, is testing …
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Variety, Adweek, Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Media Play News, Marketing Dive, @ourand_sbj, Radio & Television …, @bristei, Awful Announcing, Beet.TV and Deadline
Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
NSO Group spyware was found on devices owned by 35 journalists and activists in El Salvador; 23 devices belong to journalists linked to the El Faro news site — The newly disclosed campaign shows how little the company has done to curb abuses of its powerful surveillance tools.
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Peter White / Deadline:
New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi is writing and producing a satirical drama for AMC set in Washington, DC, teaming up with executive producer Gina Mingacci — EXCLUSIVE: Olivia Nuzzi, the Washington correspondent for New York magazine who wrote some of the wildest stories …
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Dade Hayes / Deadline:
In a first, BET+ will be included on Xfinity TV in a deal between ViacomCBS and Comcast, which also extends carriage of Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Showtime OTT — ViacomCBS and Comcast have reached a distribution renewal that continues carriage of CBS and a roster of cable networks …
Discussion:
Variety, @aagave, @aagave, @fidmart85, @aagave, Light Reading and Hollywood Reporter
Justin Hendrix / Tech Policy Press:
260+ health professionals ask Spotify to create a misinformation policy, after a discredited scientist spread COVID-19 misinformation on Joe Rogan's podcast — More than 260 doctors, nurses, scientists, health professionals and others have signed an open letter calling on the streaming media platform Spotify …
Discussion:
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Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Researchers use simulations to show that focusing on increasing trust in reliable information and news works better than focusing on debunking misinformation — Misinformation makes up a teeny-tiny share of what most people read, and we might want to worry a little less about debunking …
Discussion:
@sacha_altay, HKS Misinformation Review, @michellemanafy, @journoresource and @rasmus_kleis
Lillian Rizzo / Wall Street Journal:
Sinclair renews its digital rights NBA deal, after signing a similar deal with the NHL in December, as it secures $600M in debt to develop its streaming service — Diamond Sports, the largest owner of regional sports networks, also renewed its digital-rights agreement with NBA, securing ability to stream games
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Telemundo is launching content brand Tplus on Peacock's premium tier in the fall, with scripted, unscripted, and documentary content in English and Spanish — NBCUniversal's Telemundo Enterprises is launching content brand Tplus on Peacock this fall in sync with the company's exclusive …
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Axios, The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, The Wrap and Hollywood Reporter