Top News:
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
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 …
Discussion:
Deadline, Variety, Mediaite, TVLine, Bloomberg, CNN, Wrestlezone, The Wrap, MMA Fighting, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, TMZ.com, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, New York Post, ESPN, The Sun, @wrestleops, @seanrosssapp, POST Wrestling, The A.V. Club, @jessehawken, Wrestlezone, The Daily Beast, @jbflint, The Messenger, USA Today and Awful Announcing
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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
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Awful Announcing, KSNG-TV, CBS News, USA Today, Fox News, Forbes, Metro.co.uk, New York Post, Wrestlezone, Front Office Sports, UPROXX, @xpangler, @xpangler, City A.M., @danprimack, NBC News, @justinbaragona, @henereyg, @wsj, @wsj, @siddhantadlakha, @theinsneider, Sportico, New York Times, CNN, Deadline, Mediaite, Defector, Sportico, Courthouse News Service, All I ever wanted …, TMZ.com, Los Angeles Times, The Messenger, FOX8 WGHP, Media Play News, WFLA-TV, Hollywood Reporter, The Verge, ComingSoon.net, Boing Boing, CNBC and The Sun
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.
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, New York Times, HuffPost, Us Weekly, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, The Verge, CBS News, Associated Press, The Hill, CNN, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Vogue, Irish News, Wall Street Journal, UPROXX, StyleCaster, New York Post, Page Six and Fast Company
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
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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
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.
Taylor Lorenz / Washington Post:
Supporters of Israel are using apps to mass report pro-Palestinian content online, raising questions for tech platforms over “citizen-led propaganda” campaigns — The apps raise questions for tech platforms over ‘citizen-led propaganda’ campaigns, experts say
Discussion:
@clancynewyork, @washingtonpost, @attorneynora and @thackerpd
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, Axios, 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:
@fieldandstream, @mediaevan, Los Angeles Times, 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 …
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
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” — As speculation kicks up about a sale, Bob Bakish wrote a memo outlining strategies such as …
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, Deadline, @paulvrea, @tvgrimreaper, Reuters and Next TV
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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
Discussion:
Axios, Observer, Variety, Broadband TV News, NBC Bay Area, @weareyourfek, @madisonmills22, @tracytran, The Wrap, Adweek, Deadline, Reuters, Deadline, Bloomberg, The Hill and The Messenger
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