Top News:
Liam Scott / Voice of America:
RSF says 23 journalists were jailed in Syria and 10 others were missing as of December 9; press freedom groups call for accountability for Assad's government — When news broke about the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria this week, photojournalist Paul Conroy found himself thinking …
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Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
The rebel group that now runs Syria's government says the search for Austin Tice, abducted in 2012, is ongoing and offers to “cooperate directly” with the US — Biden administration officials say that, for now, it is too dangerous to deploy personnel to look for the missing American …
Discussion:
Middle East Eye, Reporters Without Borders, New York Times, HuffPost and Los Angeles Times
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Warner Bros. Discovery has decided not to renew its deal for new episodes of Sesame Street, though it will continue licensing library episodes through 2027 — The Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service Max will continue to license library episodes of the long-running children's show …
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Sources: Patrick Soon-Shiong told LA Times opinion leaders not to publish an editorial critical of Trump's cabinet picks without publishing an opposing view — Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's public comments and actions, including recently blocking an editorial weighing in on President-elect Trump's cabinet picks …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, @simonowens.bsky.social, The Independent, Karin Klein on LinkedIn, The Wrap, @jeffgreco.com, @damon.kiesow.net, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, Mediaite, @cephalopod.bsky.social, @katekilla.bsky.social, @scottjohnson.wtf, @ashtonlattimore.bsky.social, The Present Age, @emilybell.bsky.social, @jamellebouie.net, @rmac.bsky.social, @noahshachtman.bsky.social, @katierobertson.bsky.social and @edmundlee.bsky.social
Lachlan Cartwright / @lachcartwright:
Source: Kim Masters, the long serving Editor at Large of The Hollywood Reporter, is leaving to join Puck; she was reportedly making ~$400K/year at THR — Scoop: Kim Masters, the long serving Editor at Large of The Hollywood Reporter, is leaving the magazine to join Puck, I'm told. Masters was making almost $400,000 a year at the Penske publication, according to @LAmag https://lamag.com/...
Discussion:
The Wrap, @mathewi, @mattbelloni, @dylanbyers, @semaforben and @bcamcrane
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
The WGA demands studios take “immediate legal action” against companies that used writers' work to train AI, in a letter to CEOs of Disney, Netflix, and others — The union is arguing that tech companies “looted the studios' intellectual property” while Hollywood's major companies stood by.
Ben Mullin / @benmullin:
Memo: Chuck Lane, deputy opinion editor for The Washington Post, is leaving the newspaper after 24 years to join The Free Press — News: Chuck Lane, deputy opinion editor for The Washington Post, is leaving the newspaper. He'll be joining The Free Press, I'm told.
Pew Research Center:
A survey of US teens aged 13 to 17 shows 73% use YouTube daily, 57% TikTok, 50% Instagram, and 20% Facebook; 17% use X daily, down from 23% in 2022 — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat remain widely used among U.S. teens; some say they're on these sites almost constantly
Discussion:
Music Ally, @johngramlich, @npmigreg@threads.net, Michelle Faverio on LinkedIn, Social Media Today, PCMag, @mcuban.bsky.social, Business Insider, WUSA, The Information, TechCrunch, @scriban.bsky.social, @rayminehane.bsky.social, @conradhackett.bsky.social, @faineg.bsky.social and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Mauro Orru / Wall Street Journal:
The UK CMA opens a formal probe into BlackRock's acquisition of UK data provider Preqin over concerns that the £2.55B deal could stifle competition in the UK — A decision is due by Feb. 12 on whether the deal warrants an in-depth investigation — British antitrust officials …
Discussion:
Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Aidan Ryan / The Boston Globe:
Boston NPR affiliate WBUR to cancel Radio Boston, its midday show that spent 15 years on air, and move its staff to a new production team focused on local news — Boston NPR news station WBUR is canceling “Radio Boston,” its midday show focused on local affairs, as part of an overhaul of its schedule and coverage.
Discussion:
WBUR and RadioInsight
Patrick Coffee / Wall Street Journal:
The failure of the Kroger-Albertsons merger likely curbs the companies' efforts to grow digital ad businesses to compete better with bigger rivals like Walmart — The combined company would have competed more with Walmart for ad dollars, industry observers say
Taylan Bilgic / Bloomberg:
Turkey's antitrust regulator fines Google $75M in an ad tech probe, says the company favored its own supply-side platform at the expense of its rivals — Turkey's antitrust regulator fined Google 2.61 billion liras ($75 million), saying the company provided an unfair advantage to its own supply-side platform at the expense of rivals.
Discussion:
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