Mediagazer: Netflix's stock drops 48% from November's high as US subscriber numbers hit maturity, forcing it to chase growth in developing markets and verticals like gaming (Frank Pallotta/CNN)

12:00 PM ET, January 24, 2022

Top News:

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

A look at likely First Amendment ramifications of the Sarah Palin v. NYT libel case, set to begin Monday, as reporters face aggressive defamation allegations — The trial comes at a time when those who argue that news outlets should pay a steeper price for getting something wrong are more emboldened than they've been in decades.

Discussion: @janewester, Reuters, NPR, Insider, Reuters, Politico, Bloomberg, Poynter, @renato_mariotti, @mattnegrin, WGN-TV, CNN, Washington Post, @bgrueskin, @tedstew, @tedstew, @terri_rupar, @clarajeffery, @greta, @greta, @realstanvg, @davidfolkenflik, Vanity Fair, @cernovich, The Guardian, @erikwemple, @npr, The Hill, @jannwolfe, @boutrousted, @joshgerstein and @shannonrwatts

Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:

Sarah Palin tests positive for COVID-19, delaying her defamation trial against the NYT until February 3 — The long-awaited trial, which could test key First Amendement protections for media, is rescheduled for Feb. 3. — NEW YORK — A long-awaited showdown in a Manhattan courtroom between Sarah Palin …

Discussion: New York Post, New York Times, Daily Herald, Politico, Deadline and Hollywood Reporter

Joanne O'Connor / Keeping the Receipts:

Carole Cadwalladr's libel trial shows how UK courts are being used to stifle public interest journalism, renewing calls for anti-SLAPP legislation — There's more at stake than who picks up the legal bill in the trial of Banks vs. Cadwalladr. Press freedom is on the stand too — the Citizens

Discussion: @carolecadwalla, @carolecadwalla, @carolecadwalla, @allthecitizens, @mrjamesob, @edwyplenel, @arron_banks, @arron_banks, @monicalewinsky, @arron_banks, @carolecadwalla, @janemartinson, @georgemonbiot, @carolecadwalla and The Guardian

Columbia Journalism Review:

Q&A: Monica Samayoa of the Uproot Project, a network of environmental journalists of color, on covering climate change effects on communities of color and more — Each month, Covering Climate Now speaks with a different journalist about their experiences on the climate beat …

Discussion: @tiffanycamhi, @opbmorning, @uproot_project, @cjr, What's New in Publishing, @aaronscottopb and @m0nica10

Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:

CBS News announces plans to overhaul its streaming service, including adding hosts, reviving classic programming, and expanding local offerings — Talent like Norah O'Donnell and Tony Dokoupil will host streaming shows, including revivals of Edward R. Murrow's ‘Person-to-Person’ and doc series ‘CBS Reports.’

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, The Streamable, MediaPost, TVNewser, CBS News, nexttv.com, Daily Herald, @cbsnewspress, Los Angeles Times, @bristei, @alexweprin and @alexweprin

Shannon Bond / NPR:

An open letter calling on Spotify to crack down on COVID-19 misinformation following a Joe Rogan podcast controversy gains 1,000+ signatures — An open letter urging Spotify to crack down on COVID-19 misinformation has gained the signatures of more than a thousand doctors …

Discussion: TheGrio, @justinhendrix, The Starting Block, @npr, The Falcon Report and And Other Things

Politico:

Sixteen media thinkers, including Tom Scocca and David Folkenflik, make predictions about the state of the media in the next 15 years — It's almost conventional wisdom right now that the news media is in a fast-moving crisis, with mainstream news sources collapsing and Americans increasingly divided …

Discussion: @kristenhare, @ants000, @roughtype, @claireatki, @umwallacehouse, @newspapernovel, @penamerica, @saba_h, @froomkin, @report4theworld, @jinnovationcity, @roughtype and David Weir's Newsletter

John F. Harris / Politico:
John Harris reminisces about the early days of Politico on its 15th anniversary and argues that media institutions need to reclaim their agenda-setting power

Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:

Hundreds of German publishers, including Axel Springer, say Google is breaking EU law with its move to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome by next year — Axel Springer among the media groups demanding that Brussels intervene on search giant's plan — Google is facing a fresh complaint …

Discussion: @eric_seufert, @wblau and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »

Al Jazeera:

Turkey arrests and jails prominent journalist Sedef Kabaş for allegedly insulting President Erdoğan; Kabaş faces four years in prison for her comments — A Turkish court ordered prominent journalist Sedef Kabas jailed pending trial on a charge of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan under …

Discussion: BBC, CNN, @sarahemclaugh, Washington Post, Sky News, The Guardian, @mmasnick, Media1, @silvermanjacob and DW.COM

Andrew Dickson / New York Times:

How UK stage theater companies are using AR and VR to broadcast productions to viewers at home as the pandemic pushes companies to experiment with new art forms — The Interactive Storytelling Studio at the National Theater in London is using technology to bring a miniature musical to viewers' homes.

Discussion: @hesherman, @nytimestech, @nytimesarts and @jangles

Janko Roettgers / Protocol:

Netflix COO says the company is “open to licensing large game IP”; job listings hint it may launch Fortnite-like live service games with regular content updates — Two months after launching mobile games to all of its members, Netflix is looking to double down on gaming …

Discussion: @randolphpitts, @jank0, @jank0, @jank0, @somospostpc, @pathedger18 and Digiday

Frank Pallotta / CNN:
Netflix's stock drops 48% from November's high as US subscriber numbers hit maturity, forcing it to chase growth in developing markets and verticals like gaming

Discussion: SlashFilm, @sportschris, The Wrap, The A.V. Club, @jeffjohnroberts, @ashleyrreports, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, Bloomberg, Insider, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance and Variety

Anya Schiffrin / Columbia Journalism Review:

An update on interventions designed to help journalism, like municipal advertising in the US, tax credits, and ripple effects of Australia's news bargaining law — A year after publishing our 2021 report “Saving Journalism: A Vision for the Post-Covid World,” our researchers went …

Discussion: @columbia, @columbiasipa, @cjr, @sdp, @deanbaker13, @columbia, @damianradcliffe, Poynter, @poynter and @vwpickard

John Whitehouse / Media Matters for America:

OANN owner Robert Herring Sr. posts a video acknowledging that AT&T is dropping the network and urges viewers to ask Spectrum, Dish, and others to carry OANN — Earlier this week, my colleague Bobby Lewis looked at One America News Network's future after the deranged conspiracy theory channel was dropped by AT&T / DirecTV.