Mediagazer: DirecTV says the satellite broadcaster dropped Newsmax since the channel demanded tens of millions in licensing fees, not for “political or ideological” reasons (Matthew Keys/The Desk)

4:05 PM ET, February 6, 2023

Top News:

Carrie Blazina / Online News Association:

The Online News Association appoints LaSharah S. Bunting as its CEO and Executive Director, effective March 13; Bunting was most recently a Simon & Schuster VP — Journalist, transformational leader, equity advocate will lead organization — The Online News Association …

Discussion: @lasharah, @jeffjarvis, @ashleyalvarado, @irvwashington3, @ona, @avqueenbenet, @iiwrites, @cande313, @kelseyproud, @bylarrygraham, @jkealing and @carrieblazina

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

Vinco Ventures and Icon Publishing acquire The National Enquirer from A360 Media for “a little less” than $100M, an April 2019 price that included other outlets — The publication has come under scrutiny in recent years over its suppression of stories about Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign.

James Vincent / The Verge:

Getty Images sues Stability AI in the US for allegedly copying 12M+ images without permission or compensation for training data used to create Stable Diffusion — Getty Images has filed a lawsuit in the US against Stability AI, creators of open-source AI art generator Stable Diffusion, escalating its legal battle against the firm.

Discussion: The Hill, MIT Technology Review, Forbes, @marie_haynes, @johnkoetsier, @dalperovitch, @rachelmetz, @rasbt, @jjvincent, @atarkowski, @jjvincent, @jjvincent, @glenngabe, @jjvincent and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

Ken Doctor says his local digital outlet Lookout Santa Cruz is on track to make a profit in 2023 and hopes to expand, probably within California, by early 2024 — Over many years as a leading media analyst, Ken Doctor spoke out repeatedly about the disintegrating American newspaper business.

Discussion: @jbenton, @raineytime, @raineytime, @david_sommers and @sammy_roth

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

After Twitter said free API access would end on February 9, Elon Musk promises “a light, write-only API for bots providing good content that is free” — Last week, Twitter said it is shutting down free access to its APIs starting February 9. Now, days before the deadline …

Discussion: @elonmusk, Fortune, The Register, @kassandraseven, @paul@tapbots.social, @berdlybot, @elonmusk, Engadget, @jamescridland, @inlined, 9to5Mac, @taizou_hori, @stefan@stefanbohacek.online, @luca@social.luca.run, Mashable, The Verge and Insider, more at Techmeme »

Jason Koebler / VICE:

Twitch suspends an AI version of Seinfeld for 14 days after Larry Feinberg, a Jerry Seinfeld clone, made transphobic and homophobic statements in a standup bit — “Nothing, Forever,” has been banned for at least 14 days. — Jason Koebler — “Nothing, Forever,” the infinitely-generating AI version …

Amudalat Ajasa / Washington Post:

A look at the Black women fighting for years to claim top TV meteorologists roles in the US, some of whom face waves of backlash and hate from viewers — For decades, broadcast meteorology has been dominated by White men — leaving out women, and particularly women of color.

Discussion: @tevinwooten, @drshepherd2013, @brynnecraig, @bhensonweather and @stellakafka

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

GB News presenter Mark Steyn quits after the channel told him he has to personally pay Ofcom fines for breaches of the broadcasting code over vaccine comments — Mark Steyn could face sanction by media regulator after he cast doubt on safety of Covid vaccines

Chan Ho-him / Financial Times:

Disney removes an October 2022 episode of The Simpsons that referred to “forced labor camps” in China from Disney+ in Hong Kong, after a similar removal in 2021 — Missing programme on streaming platform mentions ‘camps where children make smartphones’

Discussion: Fox News, Reuters, Forbes, Politico, @byron_wan, Fortune, @sariarhohavren, @yaling_jiang, @uyghurproject, CBR, @rachel_cheung1, @tripperhead, @therealjoshye, @therealjoshye, CNN, @thomashhchan and Insider, more at Techmeme »

Matthew Keys / The Desk:

DirecTV says the satellite broadcaster dropped Newsmax since the channel demanded tens of millions in licensing fees, not for “political or ideological” reasons — Satellite broadcaster DirecTV said money, not politics or social ideology, was the element that provoked …

Discussion: The Streamable, Next TV and Forbes, Thanks:@matthewkeyslive

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

Pakistan unblocks Wikipedia after three days; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif: the ban's unintended consequences over objectionable content outweigh its benefits — Pakistan has unblocked Wikipedia in the South Asian market, just three days after the online encyclopedia was censored in the nation …

Discussion: @marriyum_a, El País, Forbes, Wikimedia Foundation, UPI, Engadget, The Indian Express, Al Jazeera and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Gretchen Voss / Boston Magazine:

After a Massachusetts newspaper spent years alleging mayoral corruption with approval by its owner, a defamation suit shows its sole journalist was a fabulist — Everett's oldest weekly newspaper, the Everett Leader Herald, spent years reporting that the city's highest-elected official …

Discussion: @bostonmagazine and @thestoryshorey

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Enuma Okoro / Financial Times:
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Elizabeth Spiers / New York Times:
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Angela Fu / Poynter:
Gannett ended online comments for most of its ~200 news sites on February 1 as “a safe, moderated” discussion is no longer feasible due to “changes in staffing”

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