Mediagazer: SAG-AFTRA calls for laws making the development and distribution of false AI images illegal, following the release of sexually explicit AI fakes of Taylor Swift (The Wrap)

12:05 AM ET, January 27, 2024

Top News:

Internal email: WWE President Nick Khan says Vince McMahon resigned as TKO Executive Chairman and from the TKO board, and no longer has a role with TKO or WWE — The WWE founder faced allegations of battery and sex trafficking by a former employee. … Following allegations of battery …

Khadeeja Safdar / Wall Street Journal:
Janel Grant, an ex-WWE staffer who received a payout from Vince McMahon and signed an NDA in 2022, files a lawsuit accusing WWE and McMahon of sex trafficking

Kate Knibbs / Wired:

A look at women's blog The Hairpin, which has been resurrected by a Serbian DJ after its 2018 shutdown and is now filled with SEO-optimized, AI-generated trash — Beloved women's website The Hairpin shut down in 2018. This month it returned from the dead to churn out AI clickbait.

Discussion: @lordravenscraft, @tomgara@threads.net, @sarahscire, @kellyconaboy, @seejanemarie, @ethangach, @lingerie_addict, @jayasax, @pjmaciak, @rick_paulas, @round, @mediaevan, @andyorin and Business Insider

The Wrap:

SAG-AFTRA calls for laws making the development and distribution of false AI images illegal, following the release of sexually explicit AI fakes of Taylor Swift — The Biden administration also spoke out on Thursday — Following the release of faked, sexually explicit images …

Discussion: Variety, Fox News, HuffPost, New York Times, Billboard, Bloomberg, The Verge, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, The Hill, CNN, The Hollywood Reporter, Vogue, Irish News, Wall Street Journal, UPROXX, StyleCaster, New York Post and Page Six

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Analysis: conservative calculations put media job losses at over 650 people so far in January, compared to around 983 journalism cuts in January 2023 — Big losses at likes of Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated and Mediahuis Ireland in the first weeks of 2024.

Discussion: @pressgazette and National Union of Journalists …

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:

A profile of Anna Jones, Telegraph Media Group's first female CEO, who took over at possibly the most tumultuous time in the rightwing title's 169-year history — The first woman to lead the Telegraph Media Group has been described as ‘extraordinarily energetic, motivated and driven’

Discussion: @pressgazette and Press Gazette

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Telegraph Media Group CEO Nick Hugh steps down as the UK prepares to launch a second probe into plans to transfer control of the titles to a UAE-backed group

Discussion: @j_a_warrington, The Wrap and Bloomberg

Cameron Joseph / Columbia Journalism Review:

As newspapers cut DC reporters, they can no longer pressure legislators on local issues or inform readers about their legislators' performance — This week sucked. — On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times laid off 115 people, more than 20 percent of its total staff.

Discussion: Talking Biz News, @bgrueskin, Ed Joyce on LinkedIn, @cam_joseph, @nickriccardi, Nelson Guda, PhD on LinkedIn, @alexclearfield, @kirk_bado, @cam_joseph, The Guardian and The Wrap

Jason Koebler / 404 Media:

404 Media outlines the reasons it wants to reach readers directly via email, including social media fragmentation and AI spam making discoverability tougher — Join the newsletter to get the latest updates. — Success — Great! Check your inbox and click the link. — Error

Discussion: @josephfcox, @chronotope, @tnewmstweet, @shellsharks@infosec.exchange, @oh_that_courtney@hachyderm.io, @thebrianpenny@threads.net, @jason_koebler, @josephfcox, @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk, @josephfcox, @jeffjarvis, @cwarzel@threads.net, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai on LinkedIn, @jeffjarvis@threads.net, 404 Media, @josephfcox, @berkowitzbt and @josephfcox

Reuters:

A Moscow сourt extends the custody of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich to March 30, 2024 as he awaits trial; Gershkovich can appeal within three days — A Moscow сourt extended the custody of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by two months on Friday as he awaits trial on spying charges that he denies.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Committee to Protect …, Axios, 6abc, Fox News, Irish News and Voice of America

Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:

Axios launches Axios Entertainment, a new studio division that will develop and produce original nonfiction films and TV shows — The company has projects in development with Tom Brady's Shadow Lion, Chrissy Teigen's Huntley Productions, Media Res, Guy Ritchie, Mark Wahlberg's Unrealistic Ideas, among others.

Discussion: The Wrap, @jimvandehei, @markhorowitz and @alex

Joseph Hudak / Rolling Stone:

A group of investors including country singer Morgan Wallen buy Field & Stream, with plans to relaunch it as a brand and biannual print magazine — The country stars will relaunch the hunting, fishing, and outdoors brand digitally, in print, and through a live music festival

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, @fieldandstream, @mediaevan, Variety and Billboard

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:

Q&A with Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters on not launching an app on the Apple Vision Pro, the WWE deal, content strategy, ads, competition, gaming, bundles, and more — I am pleased to welcome Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters for a Stratechery Interview. Peters was named the co-CEO of Netflix …

Discussion: MacRumors, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, @markgurman, @stevemoser, @markgurman, @loudmouthjulia, @markgurman, @loudmouthjulia, Benzinga, @mostly.borrowed.ideas …, @mostly.borrowed.ideas …, 9to5Mac, Gizmodo and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:

How disagreements between the Los Angeles Times and the LA Times Guild over seniority protections resulted in more than 60 journalists of color being laid off — Disagreements between the LA Times and its Guild over seniority protections ended in more than 60 journalists of color being laid off.

Discussion: @suhaunah, @marinashutup, @stufalk, @tatecurtis, @raeoflion, @raminskibba, @suhaunah, @froomkin and @sarahscire

Winston Cho / Hollywood Reporter:

George Carlin's estate sues Dudesy over its comedy special featuring an AI George Carlin, alleging copyright infringement and right of publicity violations — “We have to draw a line in the sand,” says daughter Kelly Carlin, who sued creators of an hourlong special titled 'George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead.'

Sara Salinas / CNBC:

In a memo, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish announces layoffs, citing a need to “operate as a leaner company and spend less”; he did not disclose the size of the cuts — - Paramount CEO Bob Bakish announced layoffs at the media company. — He did not disclose how many jobs the company would cut.

Discussion: Axios, Variety, Observer, Yahoo Finance, Broadband TV News, NBC Bay Area, NME, @weareyourfek, @madisonmills22, @tracytran, The Wrap, Benzinga, Adweek, Reuters, Deadline, Bloomberg, The Hill and The Messenger

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
In a memo, Paramount CEO outlines growth strategies for 2024, including “driving to streaming profitability” and “maximizing content with the biggest impact”

Discussion: Deadline, The Wrap, @paulvrea, @tvgrimreaper, Reuters and Next TV

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Deadline:
Marie Donoghue, former vice president of global sports video at Amazon's Prime Video, joins DraftKings as its chief business & growth officer

Discussion: Sports Media Watch, @austinkarp, @draftkingsnews, Awful Announcing, New York Post, DraftKings and Sportico

Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
The WGA East files an unfair labor practice charge against G/O Media, alleging that G/O Media has been “bargaining in bad faith” in ongoing negotiations

Discussion: The Information

Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Directors Guild of America says it has secured the same streaming residuals and access to streaming platform viewing data that the WGA won

Discussion: Deadline, @tvgrimreaper, @joerussotweets, @katiekilkenny7, Variety, The Wrap and Deadline

Sara Fischer / @sarafischer:
Forbes CEO Mike Federle announces layoffs affecting less than 3% of staff, saying Forbes “must remain vigilant in our current economic environment”

Discussion: CNN, @taradublinrocks, @nyguild, @forbesunion, @redsteeze, @dankennedy_nu@threads.net, @jayrosen_nyc@threads.net, @ethangach, @bill_shea19, @iamkylemullins, @alexrkonrad, @sarafischer, Talking Biz News, BNN Bloomberg, @crumbler@threads.net and The Wrap

Earlier Picks:

Amy Hawkins / The Guardian:
Documents reveal that several eligible sci-fi works were excluded from the 2023 Hugo Awards, held for the first time in China, raising censorship concerns

Discussion: @amyhawk_, @wang_maya, Chris Cottorone on LinkedIn, @cstross@wandering.shop, Ad Astra Science Fiction …, The Bookseller and @tess@mastodon.social

Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles Times appoints Terry Tang as the paper's interim executive editor; Tang has been LA Times's editorial page editor since February 2022

Discussion: @drpatsoonshiong, @olgakhazan, @georgia_geen, @mitrakalita, @ryfons, @alexbruell, @megjameslat, @megjameslat, Talking Biz News, The Objective and The Hollywood Reporter

Bloomberg:
Sources: Disney's India assets are being valued at ~$4.5B in merger negotiations with Reliance, less than the $10B Disney initially pursued

Discussion: Anto Antony on LinkedIn and Reuters

From Techmeme:

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Reuters:
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November

Bloomberg:
Preqin data: Southeast Asia's AI startups raised just $1.7B across 122 deals so far in 2024, out of ~$20B across 1,845 deals for the whole Asia-Pacific region

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