Top News:
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Source says “most” journalists at Voice of America were put on administrative leave, a day after Trump signed an EO aimed at eliminating the USAGM — Journalists at Voice of America (VOA) were put on administrative leave on Saturday, a day after President Trump signed …
RELATED:
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
Trump signs an EO seeking to dismantle seven federal agencies, including VOA parent USAGM, which is congressionally chartered as an independent agency — The order targeting the agencies, largely obscure entities that address issues like labor mediation and homelessness prevention, appeared to test the bounds of the president's power.
Discussion:
The White House, USAGM, USA Today, The Independent, @theanthonydavis.bsky.social, Deadline, Mother Jones, @whodat35.bsky.social, The Wrap, @katzish.bsky.social, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, TVNewsCheck, @julieroginsky.bsky.social, @mediaevan.bsky.social, @kallekn@mastodonsweden.se and Rolling Stone
Agence France-Presse:
Kari Lake, who joined the USAGM in February, says she is canceling the agency's contracts with news services including AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse
Kari Lake, who joined the USAGM in February, says she is canceling the agency's contracts with news services including AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse
Discussion:
Associated Press, Raw Story, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, Le Monde, The Japan Times, Fortune, Politico, DNyuz, Wall Street Journal, Lawyer Monthly, @giantsigh.bsky.social, Variety, Daily Caller News Foundation, The National Pulse, Committee to Protect …, The Desk, @maynereport, @buynevich, TVNewsCheck and @karilake
The Times:
An investigation into the unsolved 1977 murder of The Sunday Times foreign correspondent David Holden in Egypt suggests he doubled as a KGB spy and had CIA ties — Experienced and road-worn, with slicked-back brown hair and china-blue eyes, David Holden was 53 when he landed in Cairo on a warm night not long before Christmas, 1977.
Jackson Healy / Courthouse News Service:
Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sues G/O Media over March 2024 articles in Gizmodo and Kotaku accusing him of workplace harassment, discrimination — Robert Kotick accused the media company of knowingly lying about since-dismissed workplace sex harassment and discrimination charges.
Discussion:
@adelaidejewel.bsky.social, @goblin-goon.bsky.social and Aftermath, more at Techmeme »
Martin Fackler / New York Times:
A look at Japan's first media nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism, Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa, started eight years ago by Makoto Watanabe — Makoto Watanabe quit a major newspaper after it retracted a scoop. Now he runs an investigative nonprofit that does not shy away from challenging authority.
Discussion:
@sapporodaskapital.bsky.social, @imad.bsky.social and r/Journalism
Kayla Gogarty / Media Matters for America:
An analysis of popular podcasts, streams, and other long-form audio and video content with political leanings indicates that right-leaning outlets dominate — A new Media Matters analysis found 9 out of the 10 top online shows assessed are right-leaning
Discussion:
@TonyStark@progressivecafe …, @tanyatussing@mastodon.social, @kamalanation.bsky.social, @goangelo.bsky.social, @johnlcorbett.bsky.social, @taylorlorenz@threads.net, @thebreakdownab.bsky.social, @liselhintz.bsky.social, @peter-butler.bsky.social, @parkermolloy.com, @socialmedialab.ca, @volts.wtf, @caulfieldtim.bsky.social, @followtheh.bsky.social, @atherton.bsky.social, @ositanwanevu.bsky.social, @mariabustillos.bsky.social, @ryanlcooper.com, @mariabustillos.bsky.social, @ohhkaygo.bsky.social, @ohhkaygo.bsky.social and @mmfa.bsky.social
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo say they're building a high-tech studio aiming to help artists use AI as a creative tool to make films, shows, and video games — The ‘Avengers’ directors are building a high-tech studio to help artists use AI to make films, shows and videogames with potentially smaller budgets
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Forbes, Decider and Mirror
Molly White / Citation Needed:
The real threat of AI models training on open-access material is that they may bleed free repositories dry by draining resources and not providing attribution — Listen to me read this post here (not an AI-generated voice!), subscribe to the feed in your podcast app, or download the recording for later.
Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
President Donald Trump criticized multiple media outlets during a speech at the DOJ, calling the press' coverage of judges and other topics “totally illegal” — Want to avoid video ads? Subscribe to — President Donald Trump ripped the media on Friday, as is typical …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Wrap, @pgranfield, @sykescharlie, @beyerstein, @wajahatali, @rothschildmd, @atrupar, @atrupar, @rothschildmd, @mattgertz, @thetnholler, Breitbart, HuffPost, Raw Story, Associated Press, The Independent, NBC News, RedState, @petemontdc.com, The Hill, Rolling Stone, PoliticusUSA and NewsNation
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The Guardian, City AM, GB News, and Newsquest appear to have introduced “consent or pay” models in recent months, joining Mail Online, Mirror, and more — The Guardian has become the latest UK news publisher to begin requiring readers to pay for website access if they do not agree to being tracked by third-party cookies.
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Streamers court YouTubers for new shows or spinoffs; sources: Amazon made $100M+ in profit on Beast Games and Netflix held talks with Dude Perfect for a series — Disney, Peacock and others pursue YouTube stars for new shows; Amazon's ‘Beast Games’ boasts profit and gears up for more seasons
Discussion:
@hernanlopez, @tvgrimreaper, @jtoonkel, Hernan Lopez on LinkedIn, TVNewsCheck and Jason Illian on LinkedIn
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CNBC is expanding its CNBC Sport brand by adding a weekly TV series, live events, and launching a series of long-form CNBC Sport-branded productions — CNBC Sport, launched by reporter Alex Sherman, will add a weekly TV series and launch a series of long-form docs (starting with a Steph Curry special) in the coming weeks.
