Top News:
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
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.
Chris McGreal / The Guardian:
Sources describe internal discontent about CNN's Gaza coverage and complaints about editorial policies preferring Israeli claims over Palestinian perspectives — Insiders say pressure from the top results in credulous reporting of Israeli claims and silencing of Palestinian perspectives
Discussion:
Mediaite, @jayrosen_nyu, @glynmoody@mastodon.social, @shreeparadkar, @awinston and @RealJournalism@mastodon …
Rebecca Jennings / Vox:
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:
@LAGilman@raggedfeathers.com, @lilithsaintcrow …, Caitlin Dewey on LinkedIn, @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social, @jon@gruene.social, @kbeninato@mstdn.party, @maclethal@threads.net, @damianogerli@mastodon.social, @taimanzano, @caerickson, @98migrocha, @greenlitcrit, @iamlouislaroche, @ramzeerawkz, @chaykak, @pronounced_ing, @bigmeaninternet, @nmamatas, @ibrahim_m_, @molenasreddin, @rebexxxxa, @_zeets, @jonathangarelick@threads.net, @joanwestenberg@threads.net and The Information, more at Techmeme »
Anne Steele / Wall Street Journal:
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, @dansaffer@threads.net, Semafor, WBIR-TV, Bloomberg, The Verge, Variety, @dada_drummer, @dada_drummer, @spotify, @brianstelter, @dada_drummer, @scottnover, NBC News, Billboard, Variety, Rolling Stone, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, @carnage4life@mas.to, The Information, New York Daily News, @pearlmania500@threads.net, New York Times, Newser, Inside Radio, NBC Bay Area, Business Insider, Axios, Gizmodo, CBS News, Reuters, Brandon Bauman on LinkedIn, @profgalloway@threads.net, TechCrunch, @charlesbarbour@threads.net, KARK-TV, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, @hagen@mastodon.social, The Wrap, @simondowens@threads.net and @dangillmor@mastodon.social
Financial Times:
A look at the potential deal between Skydance and Shari Redstone's National Amusements, as a tough media industry landscape forces Redstone to consider offers — Interest from Skydance and other bidders could split shareholders in studio behind ‘The Godfather’
Wall Street Journal:
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
Danny Crichton / Securities:
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, @sarthakgh, @kevinsxu, @logtecheric, @firstadopter@threads.net, @mjburnsy, @carnage4life@mas.to, @wolfejosh, @jryedinak, @jasonlk and @logtecheric
Committee to Protect Journalists:
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 …
Discussion:
@cpjafrica and @cpjafrica
David Pegg / The Guardian:
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
Harry McCracken / Fast Company:
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.
Selome Hailu / Variety:
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:
Politico, TV Insider, @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
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
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