Top News:
Axios:
Email: the White House orders the GSA to terminate “every single media contract” expensed by the agency and all contracts for Politico, BBC, E&E, and Bloomberg — - The discovery, made through a U.S. government spending database that has long been publicly available …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, Mediaite, CBS News, @marcacaputo, @liz_wheeler, @firstadopter, RedState, @kagrox.bsky.social, @asymmetricinfo, @nytimespr, @lawrencehurley.bsky.social, @hallijayne.bsky.social, The Post Millennial, @doge, @brianstelter, @barbarasobel.bsky.social, @mjnblack, @apbioonly, @nkLottery@shakedown.social and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Politico:
Politico's EIC and CEO say the company has never received any government funding, and agencies that subscribe to Politico Pro do so through standard processes — POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, New York Times, CNN, Associated Press, @bresreports, @politico, @ewerickson, Twitchy, The Hill, @brianstelter, HotAir, @suellentrop.bsky.social, The Post Millennial, @w7voa.journa.host.ap.brid.gy, @natsfert, Beth Diaz on LinkedIn, @adamwren, @stevenoverly, @timbays.bsky.social, MeidasTouch News, @zachary, @jimgeraghty, @zachschermele, @joanwalsh, Fox News and Axios
Isabella Kwai / New York Times:
Trump amplifies a conspiracy theory that “billions” in USAID and other agencies' funds were stolen to pay Politico and others for positive coverage of Democrats — President Trump spread unfounded claims that the government had paid Politico and other news media outlets for positive coverage of Democrats.
Discussion:
CNN, Townhall, @realDonaldTrump …, Raw Story, RedState, Breitbart, Washington Post, The Wrap, @rubinreport, @armanddoma, @billackman, @elonmusk, @parkermolloy.com, @cabot_phillips, @jason, Daily Kos, The Guardian, Blaze Media, Hollywood Life, @mehdirhasan, @billybinion, @sanleekelly.bsky.social, @lhfang, @cheetah.bsky.social, @stuartathompson.bsky.social, New Jersey Online, DNyuz, @krassenstein, @nancyscola, @elonmusk, @ryangrim, The Independent, @ike_saul, @rikkiratliff, @mtaibbi, OpenTheBooks, @peterschiff, @armanddoma, @brianstelter, @jeremymbarr, @stuartathompson.bsky.social, @willsommer.bsky.social, Althouse, Newser, freebeacon.com and Digby's Hullabaloo
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon reports Q4 ad revenue up 18% YoY to $17.29B, vs. $17.4B est., and subscription services revenue up 10% YoY to $11.51B — Overall earnings for the period smashed Wall Street expectations. — However, the Q4 ad revenue figure fell short of analyst expectations of $17.4 billion, per StreetAccount.
Sean Burch / The Wrap:
News Corp reports Q2 revenue up 5% YoY to $2.24B, net income up 58% YoY to $306M, Dow Jones revenue up 3% YoY to $600M, and WSJ subscriptions up 4% YoY to 4.2M — The news giant lost 30,000 WSJ customers during the holiday quarter as overall Dow Jones subscriber growth was flat
Discussion:
New York Post, Capital Brief and News Corporation
RELATED:
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Trump calls on CBS to “terminate” 60 Minutes, and says “CBS should lose its license”, amid his $10B lawsuit against CBS over the Kamala Harris interview — President Donald Trump called on CBS to cancel its long-running newsmagazine, “60 Minutes,” …
Discussion:
The Guardian, @realDonaldTrump …, New York Post, TVNewsCheck, Daily Caller News Foundation, DNyuz, Megyn Kelly, @robowentv.bsky.social, Boing Boing, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Blaze Media, @mherskovitz, The Wrap, Twitchy, RedState, Louder With Crowder, Reason, @aidnmclaughlin, Daily Mail, @mergerson.bsky.social, New Republic, @willharrisinva.bsky.social, Townhall, Fox News, Axios, The Daily Wire, freebeacon.com, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Rachel Aiello / CTV News:
The Canadian government will let its agencies advertise on Meta platforms; it imposed a ban in 2023 after Meta pulled Canadian news from its platforms — OTTAWA — The Canadian government has ended its ban on advertising on Meta platforms and allocated up to $100,000 for a campaign to promote the GST rebate, CTV News has learned.
Sudip Kar-Gupta / Reuters:
France condemns Russia for revoking accreditation of a Moscow-based Le Monde journalist in retaliation for Paris' refusal to issue a visa to a Russian reporter — France condemns the Russian decision to revoke accreditation for a Le Monde journalist, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Discussion:
Le Monde, The Straits Times, The Insider, The Moscow Times, European Federation … and Le Monde
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Spotify and Warner Music sign a multi-year deal that covers recorded music and music publishing and “delivers new benefits for artists, songwriters, and fans” — “This major agreement delivers new benefits for artists, songwriters, and fans, while unlocking further collaboration that expands the music ecosystem.”
Discussion:
Warner Music Group Corp., Variety, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Verge, MusicRow.com, TechCrunch, Deadline, The Wrap, Digital Music News, Billboard, Music Week and Music Business Worldwide
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
A California state court issues a temporary restraining order stopping Sony from taking Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune distribution rights away from CBS — “The court's order has no bearing on, and is not indicative of, the eventual outcome of the ongoing litigation,” Sony said Thursday in a statement …
Discussion:
Variety, TVNewsCheck, Los Angeles Times, Cord Cutters News, The Wrap, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and NewscastStudio
Sean Burch / The Wrap:
Meta hires Henry Rodgers, chief national correspondent at The Daily Caller, to help the company shape its public policy; Rodgers has covered Trump closely — Mark Zuckerberg has hired Henry Rodgers to help the company shape its “public policy” — Meta has hired Henry Rodgers …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, @henryrodgersdc, Bloomberg and @mikeisaac
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Le Monde ends 2024 with 660K subscribers, of which 580K were digital, and expects digital subscriber revenue to cover editorial staff costs within two years — Digital subscriber revenue is expected to cover the costs of Le Monde's entire editorial staff within the next two years, according to chief executive Louis Dreyfus.
Discussion:
@pressgazette.co.uk, Charlotte Tobitt on LinkedIn and @polemicdigital.com
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine:
The Bulwark had its first profitable year in 2024, and its Substack, which has 76K paid subscribers, is gaining 700 to 1,000 paid subscribers every day or two — The explosive success of The Bulwark. — It was the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, and Tim Miller was struggling …
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
The British Film Institute: UK broadcasters slashed their spending on high-end TV shows to the lowest level since 2015, while US streamers increased spending — Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky also among UK broadcasters making cuts as Netflix, Disney and Amazon pile on pressure
Discussion:
WORLD SCREEN, @debbiemoon.bsky.social, Deadline and @philralph.bsky.social
RELATED:
Mia Sato / The Verge:
StackCommerce, an online shopping platform creating affiliate marketing content, acquired Reviewed from Gannett on December 1 after its shutdown in August 2024 — Now, it's back from the dead under a new owner. … Now, it's back from the dead under a new owner.
Discussion:
The Information, @miasato.bsky.social and @chillburg.bsky.social
Consumer Tech Reporter, CA — 
Associate Editor, Remote US — 
Curation Editor (Contract), NY — 
Business Editor, CA — 
Executive Ed. - Tech & Electronics, AZ — 
Economy & Industry Reporter, TX — 
ESPN FC Associate Editor, CA/CT — 
Political Enterprise Editor, DC — 
Housing & Real Estate Reporter, ME — 
Associate Reporter - Yahoo Finance — 
Senior Editor, Remote — 
News Reporter, MA — 
Freelance Contributor, FL — 
Senior Reporter, CA — 
Managing Editor - State, CT — 
Sr. VP & Chief Content Officer, OR — 
Writer - Streaming (Temporary), GA — 
Data Graphics Reporter, CA — 
Data Reporter, TX — 
Town Reporter, CT — 
Weekend Audience Editor, VA — 
Managing Editor, FL — 
Business Reporter, WA — 
Associate Editor, NY — 
Freelance Reporter, NC — 
Crypto/Markets Reporter - Europe — 
Education & Family Reporter, OR — 
Red Sox Reporter, MA — 
Cockburn Editor, DC — 
Investigative Reporter, NC — 
Writer - Women's Soccer, Remote US — 
Senior IP Correspondent, London — 
Computational Journalist, NY — 
