Top News:
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Sources: Disney worried that it had a flawed case in Trump's ABC lawsuit, and fighting it could hurt the Disney brand and damage press protections for others — Talks started and finished on the same day, after Disney decided that fighting the lawsuit could potentially hurt the company and protections for the press.
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @emptywheel.bsky.social, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @cold-feet.bsky.social and Politico
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Richard J. Tofel / Columbia Journalism Review:
ABC needs to answer questions about its $16M settlement with Trump in a libel case, especially whether it is changing accountability coverage of those in power — As someone who practiced press law for more than twenty years, and served as a senior executive of news organizations for just as long …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Present Age, Alternet.org, HotAir, @deminlawrence.bsky.social, @michaeljstern.bsky.social, New York Post, @davidfolkenflik, @kieranbluesky.bsky.social, @therealjocelynj.bsky.social, @michaelmechanic.bsky.social, @taliajane.bsky.social, @evangreer.bsky.social, @rollingstone.com, @rollingstone.com, Rolling Stone, @BruceMirken@mas.to, Newser, Financial Times, Althouse, @lesleyabravanel.bsky.social, @RunRichRun@mastodon.social, @dicktofel.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, Media Nation, The Intercept, Washington Post, Raw Story, Slate, Reason and r/Journalism
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Some US groups are building resources to defend against Trump lawsuits, and should gather lawyers, money, and people who know how to respond to performance art
Some US groups are building resources to defend against Trump lawsuits, and should gather lawyers, money, and people who know how to respond to performance art
Discussion:
@joshtpm.bsky.social, The DSR Network, @brendannyhan.bsky.social, @rwarnick.bsky.social, @sykescharlie, @spytalker, @robfardon, @joshtpm.bsky.social, @joshtpm.bsky.social, @joshtpm.bsky.social, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @emptywheel.bsky.social, @emptywheel.bsky.social, @emptywheel.bsky.social and @emptywheel.bsky.social
Pamela McClintock / The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney confirms pulling a transgender storyline from animated series Win or Lose, saying “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects” with their kids — The original animated show about a co-ed high school team debuts on Disney+ in February.
Discussion:
New York Times, Deadline, Variety, PinkNews, @kaekaecurtis, @discussingfilm, @zoerosebryant, @harelliequinn, @24framesofnick, @tinysquash, @esjesjesj, @lostmediabuster, @usa_polling, @spectrathegame, @danny8bit, @sturgeons_law, @cosmic_marvel, @zoerosebryant, @adequateemily, AV Club, Metro.co.uk, CNN, @sarahoconnellshow.com, Raw Story, @thegabitype.bsky.social, New York Post, New Jersey Online, The Guardian, @matbrunetvo.com, @spookalucca.games, @lostmediabuster, Twitchy, ElsaMaren will be the …, Washington Examiner, Entertainment Weekly, Breitbart, Fox News, World of Reel, The Gateway Pundit, Polygon, The Wrap, Screen Rant and TVLine
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Tortoise formally signs the deal to buy The Observer, appoints acting editor Lucy Rock as the title's print editor, and launches a voluntary redundancy scheme — Tortoise Media has formally signed a deal to buy The Observer and appointed the newspaper's next editor.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Associated Press, City A.M., The Independent, @tk.gg, @stagewrite.bsky.social and @mediaindustry_b
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Some streamers now believe that releasing movies in theaters, promoted by expansive marketing and PR campaigns, helps makes movies successful on their platforms — Just a few years ago, media executives thought theatrical releases didn't benefit their streaming services. Now, many of them think the opposite.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTube sues Ganjingworld, which runs the Gan Jing World video-sharing website, alleging that it has been “automatically vacuuming up YouTube user channels” — YouTube filed a lawsuit against Ganjingworld, which operates the Gan Jing World video-sharing site, alleging that it has been …
Arthur Macmillan / Columbia Journalism Review:
An in-depth look at The Telegraph's sale and British-born publisher Dovid Efune's attempts to buy it, as the newspaper becomes a test case in media valuations — A storied London broadsheet is for sale—again. The latest bidder, right-wing media proprietor Dovid Efune, is struggling to raise the money.
Discussion:
@cjr
Andrés Buenahora / Variety:
UCLA study: showrunners, creators, and lead actors across streaming TV in 2023 tended to be white and male, while shows with BIPOC leads outperformed others — According to the report, set to be released Tuesday, streaming audiences have a desire for diverse stories and female viewers …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @juliapuehringer.bsky.social, Yahoo Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter
Mia Sato / The Verge:
Sources: Forbes is cutting ties with freelancers who wrote for Forbes Vetted, its product review section, citing Google's “site reputation abuse” policy on SEO — Forbes will stop using freelancers for some types of stories indefinitely — and has blamed the change on a recent update to Google Search policies.
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Media news outlet Press Gazette partners with Flip-Pay to roll out a registration wall to read its content, and says readers must give an email and job title — Press Gazette has launched a registration wall to read our online content. — This title is the most popular commercial online …
Sam Bradley / Digiday:
A look at Reddit's growth in sports fan communities; internal data: Reddit recorded a 35% YoY increase in engagement in 1,000+ sports-themed Subreddits in 2024 — This article was provided as an exclusive preview for Digiday+ members, who were able to access it early.
Discussion:
Modern Retail
Ben Sherry / Inc:
A profile of Tyler Denk, co-founder of newsletter platform Beehiiv, which raised a $33M Series B in April 2024 and generates $1.6M to $1.75M in monthly revenue — Denk has cultivated a brash online persona while building Beehiiv into a buzzy newsletter platform. Both are lucrative.
Discussion:
Ben Sherry on LinkedIn and The Information