Mediagazer: A profile of Holly Herndon, an artist and musician who uses AI in her work and who co-founded Spawning, a company building a “consent layer for AI” for artists (Anna Wiener/New Yorker)

Interviews with 100+ people detail David Zaslav's WBD tenure, including deep cuts and a 50%+ stock drop, during a tumultuous time for the entertainment industry — A merger put him in the driver's seat at Warner Brothers, one of the industry's biggest studios. It has been a wild ride.

Discussion: @tsoh_investing, The Hollywood Reporter, @stcroix2020, @mileskahn, @sidhubaba, @benmullin and @brianstelter

New York Times:

Interviews with 12+ CNN insiders describe how David Zaslav cultivated friendships with some of CNN's biggest names, which did not stop him from then firing them — David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, was friends with some of the network's biggest names.

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @blakerutherford, @omunderdal, @benmullin, @jamesstewartnyt and @benmullin

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

Two SAG-AFTRA board members say they voted against the new contract because it did not have enough protections against AI, though they also had other concerns — Two members of the SAG-AFTRA board said they voted against the new contract because it does not do enough to protect actors against artificial intelligence.

Discussion: SAG-AFTRA, @ladykatebond, @ladykatebond, @ladykatebond, Wired, @alexwinter.com, KNSD-TV, CBS News and Rolling Stone

Financial Times:

As Rupert Murdoch cedes control to Lachlan this week, a look at the issues facing Fox: the $2.7B Smartmatic lawsuit, shareholder complaints, Ray Epps, and more — As the new chair completes his takeover, he must contend with unresolved claims hanging over the media company

Discussion: @brianstelter, The Hollywood Reporter, Cord Cutters News, Politico and NPR

Salvador Rodriguez / Wall Street Journal:

In 2022, Meta quietly began letting ads say past US elections were “rigged” or “stolen”; sources say execs made the decision based on free speech considerations — Company weighed free-speech considerations in changing its policy last year

Discussion: New Republic, more at Techmeme »

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

YouTube expands support for enhanced bitrate 1080p HD video to Android, web, and smart TVs, from just iOS, and rolls out achievement badges for users over 18 — YouTube is expanding a few new features for premium users, the company announced on Wednesday. The platform is expanding …

more at Techmeme »

Anna Wiener / New Yorker:

A profile of Holly Herndon, an artist and musician who uses AI in her work and who co-founded Spawning, a company building a “consent layer for AI” for artists — The artist and musician uses machine learning to make strange, playful work. She also advocates for artists' autonomy in a world shaped by A.I.

Discussion: @joelvmills, @newyorker, @kcesq, @annawiener, @totalvibration and @hollyherndon, more at Techmeme »

Steve McClellan / MediaPost:

GroupM partners with Google to assess the impact of Privacy Sandbox APIs on advertising; Chrome currently plans to complete cookie deprecation in H2 2024 — GroupM is teaming with Google Chrome on a post-cookie technology readiness program. — The companies will be working with a select group …

Discussion: Digiday, Ad Age and AdExchanger

Lili Bayer / The Guardian:

Slovakian journalists and watchdogs express alarm after Slovakia's new prime minister described some media outlets as hostile and warned of restricting access — Robert Fico describes leading broadcasters and newspapers as hostile and says they are ‘unwelcome guests at government office’

Discussion: The Kyiv Independent

K.J. Yossman / Variety:

The BBC apologizes after an anchor misquoted a Reuters report and falsely claimed the IDF targeted “medical teams and Arab speakers” in Gaza's main hospital — The BBC has apologized after a news anchor mis-reported a Reuters news story to suggest the Israeli arms was targeting medical staff.

Discussion: New York Post, Hollywood Reporter, The Times of Israel, Deadline, Metro.co.uk, The Irish Sun, @michaeldickson, @bbcnewspr, @jakewsimons and The Times

Jake Kanter / Deadline:

UK Parliament submission: Amazon warns the UK should not take for granted its status as a Hollywood rival for production and seeks improved incentives — - Amazon Warns Of Threat To UK Status As Hollywood Rival; Says Shoots Can Be Relocated At “Short Notice”

Discussion: Reuters

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:

The Telegraph forbids staff from using AI-generated text, except in limited circumstances, but hopes to have a “permissive” approach for “back office” tasks — Staff were warned against entering sensitive or proprietary data into ChatGPT.

Discussion: @pressgazette