Top News:


CBS News confirms that President Biden will not do a pre-game Super Bowl interview with CBS, the second year in a row that he has turned down the opportunity — An interview with the U.S. President in the hours before the Super Bowl has become a tradition in recent decades.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, @bobpagesports, Mediaite, New York Post, @bristei, @claireatki, Politico, Sportico, New York Times, Fox News, Awful Announcing, The Wrap and Deadline


Spotify and Joe Rogan sign a new multiyear deal, estimated to be worth $250M; Rogan's show will be available across podcast platforms and as videos on YouTube — Hit show to be distributed broadly, including on YouTube, rather than exclusively on audio-streaming service
Discussion:
Spotify, Semafor, @dansaffer@threads.net, WBIR-TV, Bloomberg, The Verge, Variety, @dada_drummer, @dada_drummer, @spotify, @brianstelter, @dada_drummer, @scottnover, NBC News, Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, @carnage4life@mas.to, The Information, @pearlmania500@threads.net, New York Daily News, New York Times, Newser, Inside Radio, NBC Bay Area, Business Insider, Axios, Gizmodo, Reuters, CBS News, Brandon Bauman on LinkedIn, @profgalloway@threads.net, TechCrunch, @charlesbarbour@threads.net, Los Angeles Times, KARK-TV, The Hollywood Reporter, @hagen@mastodon.social, The Wrap, @simondowens@threads.net and @dangillmor@mastodon.social


A look at Charter's rise to become the biggest US cable TV provider, with 14.12M subscribers, topping Comcast and highlighting the dire state of cable TV — Charter tops Comcast as No. 1 pay-TV provider by subscribers, months after hinting it may exit the business
Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper, @patiencehaggin, @patiencehaggin, @david_marcelis, @patiencehaggin, The Desk and Media Play News


A look at the deteriorating situation for media in Guinea, where the government has been blocking or suspending outlets and arresting journalists — Guinean authorities should immediately reverse the suspension of Dépêche Guinée and the privately owned news website's publishing director …


TechCrunch+'s founding editor about its launch to complement TechCrunch's ads and events revenue and its failure due to issues with finding business reporters — January was a brutal month for journalists, globally from death and locally from layoffs. The latter hit home this week …
Discussion:
@rezendi, @dannycrichton, @kevinsxu, @logtecheric, @wolfejosh, @jryedinak, @jasonlk and @logtecheric, more at Techmeme »


How the creator economy is forcing writers and artists to build personal brands and become influencers, making many artists uncomfortable and feel like sellouts — So you want to be an artist. Do you have to start a TikTok? — When Rachael Kay Albers was shopping around her book proposal …
Discussion:
@rebexxxxa, @ibrahim_m_, @taimanzano, @caerickson, @greenlitcrit, @bigmeaninternet, @ramzeerawkz, @nmamatas, @molenasreddin, @chaykak, @98migrocha, @iamlouislaroche, @_zeets, @pronounced_ing, @jonathangarelick@threads.net, @joanwestenberg@threads.net, Broadside and The Information, more at Techmeme »


Azerbaijan is accused of cracking down on independent media in the run-up to snap elections; 13 journalists, including from Abzas Media, have been detained — Sevinc Vaqifgizi is one of 13 independent journalists detained since snap presidential vote announced


Interviews with Disney executives about Apple Vision Pro, how the device is changing the studio's production pipelines, future plans for the device, and more — Years in the works, the new Disney+ app has an immersive new twist. But the company sees it as one small step into a new entertainment medium with rich possibilities.


How the EFF, Techdirt, MuckRock, and DDoSecrets are pushing back against legal threats aimed at censoring their reports on Appin's alleged hacker-for-hire past — A loose coalition of anti-censorship voices is working to highlight reports of one Indian company's hacker-for-hire past …
Discussion:
Techdirt, @Doug_Bostrom@scicomm.xyz, @freedomofpress, @nsnadeemsarwar, @amys_here, @taylorbuley, @a_greenberg, @a_greenberg, @jkdbchr, @jsrailton, @a_greenberg, @robchapman@ohai.social, MuckRock, @jeff@honeytree.social, @mmasnick@mastodon.social, @DaveMWilburn@infosec.exchange, @evacide@hachyderm.io and Hacker News


HBO cuts Miloš Biković from The White Lotus cast, after Ukraine accused him of supporting Russia since its war; Biković calls the move a “disturbing precedent” — HBO has cut Miloš Biković from the cast of “The White Lotus” Season 3 following a callout …
Discussion:
TV Insider, Politico, @twmcltd, @variety, CBR, Business Insider, New York Times, EW.com, New York Post, The Independent, The Daily Beast, TVLine, IndieWire, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline


While reporting on a woman who sought assisted suicide, a Boston Globe columnist signed a form helping her to proceed, raising questions about journalism ethics — While reporting on a woman who sought assisted suicide, Kevin Cullen got personally involved, putting the Globe in an ethical dilemma.
Discussion:
Washington Post, @bostonglobe, @kirkmin, Media Nation, @poynter, @farhip and The Boston Globe


The WSJ lays off ~30 staffers as it restructures its DC bureau and shutters the US-China news team; laid-off staffers will be allowed to apply for some new jobs — The Wall Street Journal took a hatchet to its Washington bureau on Thursday, laying off roughly 20 staffers in a restructuring …
Discussion:
@katie_robertson, @alejandrolazo, Marc Rotenberg on LinkedIn, @protecttruth_, @dlippman, @baoyuan, @steventdennis, Talking Biz News, Columbia Journalism Review, @byrontau, @bgrueskin, @bgrueskin, @dnvolz, @rubinations, @compliancememe, HuffPost, Politico, @katie_robertson, @jhweissmann, @katie_robertson, @katie_robertson, @kaivanshroff, @bgrueskin, @corbinbolies, @azambelich, @feliciasonmez, @samro, @theamarareport, @rhcm123, @theamarareport, @bgrueskin, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, Talking Biz News and @maxwelltani