Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
The US State Department says Russia rejected a “significant” proposal to release The WSJ's Evan Gershkovich; sources say the offer involved trading prisoners — U.S. seeking to win freedom for Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, State Department spokesman says
Discussion:
BBC, Newser, Mediaite, Agence France-Presse, The Hill, Associated Press, Fox News, CBS News, The Desk, CNN, The Messenger, Talking Biz News and Voice of America
Tom Symonds / BBC:
Lawyers for News UK and former UK Cabinet minister Chris Huhne reach a settlement in a phone hacking case that Huhne says includes a “six figure sum” in damages — The publisher of the Sun and the News of the World has agreed a “six figure” settlement to a phone-hacking claim from a former government minister.
Discussion:
@peterjukes, @bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @davidfolkenflik, @uvuume, @peterjukes, The Guardian, Byline Times and Hacked Off
RELATED:
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:
SAG-AFTRA members ratify the union's new contract with Hollywood studios with 78% voting in favor; 74% of members approved the union's contract in 2020 — Approval of new studio agreement with a turnout of 38% concludes a historic year for Hollywood labor — SAG-AFTRA members have ratified …
Discussion:
Variety, The Guardian, Next TV, Associated Press, @sagaftra, IndieWire, ScreenRant, Reuters, RTÉ, TVLine, CNN, New York Times, CBS News, Deadline, Los Angeles Times, @tvmojoe, @sagaftra, @tvmojoe, @embryethan, The Hollywood Reporter, @zeitchikwapo, @deadline, @sagaftra, @zeitchikwapo, @ewagmeister, The Messenger and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Drew Richardson / CNBC:
Disney investor Ancora urges other Disney shareholders to put Nelson Peltz on the board and blasts the existing board for “sustained value destruction” — - Activist investor Ancora issued a letter to Disney shareholders urging the company to add Nelson Peltz to its board.
Discussion:
Business Wire, Yahoo Finance, @ernie.tedium.co, The Information, The Wrap and Axios
Jordan Moreau / Variety:
Three Pixar movies released solely on Disney+ during the pandemic will come to theaters in 2024: Soul on January 12; Turning Red, February 9; and Luca, March 22 — The three movies will come to theaters nationwide in 2024, with tickets going on sale Jan. 2.
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
How the WSJ, MIT Technology Review, the FT, El País, The Globe and Mail, BBC News, Middle East Eye, WaPo, and five other news outlets use LinkedIn newsletters — “While you're less at the whim of the algorithm, it's still social media.” — “LinkedIn is cool now” …
Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian:
Over 700 Washington Post staffers plan to strike on December 7 over stalled contract talks amid cost cuts; by last week, 36 newsroom employees accepted buyouts — More than 700 employees plan to walk off the job for 24 hours. — More than 700 Washington Post employees plan to walk off the job Thursday for a 24-hour strike.
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
A poll of 2K+ Britons on Israel-Hamas coverage: 36% consider the BBC neutral, the most among five outlets; 15% see the BBC as pro-Palestinian, 17% as pro-Israel — But even more of those polled felt the BBC's coverage has been “mostly neutral”. — A poll conducted by think tank More in Common …
Discussion:
More in Common UK and Media Voices
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair:
Jessica Lessin and others reflect on 10 years of The Information, which has 65 full-time employees, 475K active readers, and expects revenue growing 30% in 2023 — As the tech website turns 10 this week, its editor in chief reflects on building a sustainable subscription business off Silicon Valley scoops …
Axios:
FazeWorld, a production studio that creates shows for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and others, raised a $750K seed round at a $7.5M valuation — FazeWorld, a production studio that's created viral TikTok shows, has raised a $750,000 seed round at a $7.5 million valuation from a slew of big names in media …
Discussion:
@thefazeworld
New York Times:
A new Trump administration would “come after” the media as well as political foes, promises Kash Patel, a Trump confidant likely to serve in the administration — Donald Trump, who has already promised to use the Justice Department to “go after” his political adversaries …
Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:
Memo: Yahoo News lays off staff across its US editorial team and plans to shut down its “In the Know” vertical, which curated news for Gen Zers and millennials — It's the latest news outlet to slash its payrolls as the media market takes hit after hit.
Discussion:
New York Post
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