Top News:
Cristiano Lima / Washington Post:
Congress leaves out the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act from the US defense spending bill, after intense pushback from industry and advocacy groups — Facebook threatened to block news in the U.S. over the measure, which was under consideration as part of a defense package
Discussion:
Media Nation, Politico, The Hill, CNN, Gizmodo, @matthewkeyslive, @yusufdfi, The Desk, @senatorshoshana, @libertarianblue, @jeremylittau, @jkealing, @evan_greer, @kellymakena, @evan_greer, Insider, @fightfortheftr, Breitbart, The Rural Blog, Public Knowledge, MediaPost and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: The Washington Post is exploring a spinoff or sale of its Arc XP publishing tool, which the company expects to generate $200M+ in ARR by 2027 — Company has embraced digital experimentation under tech-billionaire owner; spinoff of ‘Arc’ business also possible
Discussion:
@anthony, @sarafischer, @ckrewson, @asharma and @froomkin, more at Techmeme »
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Sara Fischer / Axios:
Memo: The Washington Post plans to discontinue its ad tech arm Zeus as a standalone business and its internal ad team will use the self-serve ad tool Zeus Prime — The Washington Post will no longer operate its ad tech division, Zeus, as a standalone business, according to a note sent to employees Tuesday obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
@sarafischer, @dylanbyers and @sarafischer
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
Over 1,100 unionized staff at The New York Times plan to go on strike on Thursday; NewsGuild estimates that some major desks could lose 90% of their workforce — New York CNN Business — The New York Times is preparing for more than 1,100 of its union staffers to go on strike for a full …
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:
The RCFP and over a dozen news organizations urge the US Senate to pass the PRESS Act, which would shield reporters from being forced to reveal sources and more — The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and more than a dozen news organizations are urging the U.S. Senate to pass …
Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:
A US judge dismisses a lawsuit claiming Mohammed bin Salman conspired to kill Jamal Khashoggi after the White House said the crown prince had sovereign immunity — Judge says Mohammed bin Salman entitled to sovereign immunity despite ‘credible allegations’ of involvement in journalist's murder
Faiz Siddiqui / Washington Post:
Twitter ads from ~40 major brands including Amazon, Snap, and Uber appeared on the pages of at least two white nationalists, whose accounts Elon Musk restored — Ads from dozens of major brands were appearing on white nationalist and extremist accounts — SAN FRANCISCO …
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Gizmodo, @faizsays, The Verge, @brendannyhan, @tedlieu, @esqueer_ and Digiday, more at Techmeme »
J. Clara Chan / The Hollywood Reporter:
Vox Media promotes podcast executives Ray Chao and Nishat Kurwa to new SVP roles overseeing its podcast network's video content and programming, respectively — Chao will oversee video content in his new role as svp and gm of audio and digital video, while Kurwa will lead programming …
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Ted Sarandos says Netflix has “not seen a profit path” from “renting big-league sports” as their “dramatically expensive” rights have made them a loss leader — Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos affirmed recent comments from the company that they are not …
Discussion:
Variety, Sports Illustrated, Awful Announcing, CNBC, Reuters, Barrett Media, Gizmodo, @tvgrimreaper, Media Play News, The Streamable, Ad Age, The Wrap and IndieWire
Aaron Mok / Insider:
Amazon is offering select users $2/month if they let Amazon track which ads the users saw, where they saw them, and when they were viewed — - Amazon's Ad Verification program offers select users $2 per month for sharing their traffic data. — It is part of Amazon's Shopper Panel …
Discussion:
Ars Technica, @eposvox, @eric_seufert, @x0rz, The Hill and Gizmodo
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan says the government and Channel 4 are discussing new funding models that could help the broadcaster avoid privatization — Culture secretary tells MPs she is discussing alternative business models with broadcaster — Channel 4 is discussing …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News and Digital TV Europe
John Seabrook / New Yorker:
How a young generation of musicians uses TikTok, amassing huge followings but making little money, while some older musicians remain opposed to the platform — The social-media platform is transforming the music industry. Is that a good thing? … In December, 2020, after spending nine months …