Top News:
Scott Feinberg / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Academy releases new rules for the 98th Oscars in 2026, including making it tougher to vote in a category without watching all the nominees in the category — Additionally, the organization's board of governors has left the door open to again replacing its Oscar Nominees Luncheon with an Oscar Nominees Dinner or some other event.
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Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
The Academy says generative AI and other digital tools used in the making of a film “neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination” for the Oscars — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said using the technology wouldn't disqualify a movie.
Discussion:
Billboard, Engadget, Associated Press, IndieWire, Consequence and WBAL Baltimore News
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: Truth Social dropped Nexstar from a defamation lawsuit after Nexstar agreed to fire a breaking news reporter at The Hill; Nexstar denies the accusation — The Scoop — For the last year and a half, Truth Social has relentlessly pursued a defamation case against 19 media companies …
Discussion:
The Desk, Politico, @maxtani.bsky.social, @thestefansmith, @maxwelltani, @timkarr.bsky.social, @jakewilkns and @madelinegmonroe
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Sarah Palin testifies in her defamation case against The New York Times, saying her profile “crashed” as a result of a 2017 editorial that contained an error — Closing arguments in the libel case are expected on Tuesday, after which the nine jurors will begin deliberations.
Mia Sato / The Verge:
Meta is testing using AI tools in the US to detect teen Instagram users, even if they've lied about their birthday, and place them under Teen Account settings — On Instagram, AI tools will detect underage users and automatically change their account settings.
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Bluesky starts rolling out blue check verification, initially limiting verification to select organizations and its moderation team — Bluesky's new verification process launches today. It mixes the old-school, Twitter-style blue check bestowed by the platform with a more decentralized option for trusted organizations.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Engadget, Bluesky, MediaPost, Neowin, Forbes, PCMag, Thurrott, GitHub, Digital Trends, Gizmodo, TechRadar, @davetroy.com, @filippo.abyssdomain.expert, @tchambers.bsky.social, @bsky.app, The Verge, @joncooper-us.bsky.social, @shreyanjain.net, @berniemichalik.ca, @digiphile.bsky.social, @jcsalterego.bsky.social, @pfrazee.com, @samuel.bsky.team, @pfrazee.com, The Desk, @pfrazee.com and r/BlueskySocial, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Ryan Lizza has departed Politico, where he was Playbook co-author and chief Washington correspondent, and has launched a Substack publication called Telos — We have a special announcement: Status is launching a limited-edition First Amendment tee—and opening our very own store.
New York Times:
After Meta blocked news on its platforms in Canada, misleading content from right-wing pages like Canada Proud filled the gap ahead of the federal election — Hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing pages such as Canada Proud is thriving on Facebook as the election nears.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and @feldmanadam, more at Techmeme »
Max Tani / Semafor:
Bloomberg, CPJ, and others advise journalists to take extra precautions when traveling to the US, including guidance on dealing with immigration authorities — THE SCOOP — Some media organizations are advising their employees to take extra precautions when traveling to the US.
Discussion:
@maxwelltani
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: WaPo has begun speaking with several candidates to become the editor of its rebooted opinion section, including Reason EIC Katherine Mangu-Ward — THE SCOOP — The Washington Post is inching closer to finding an editor for its rebooted opinion section.
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz
Julie Bort / TechCrunch:
a16z acquires Erik Torenberg's Turpentine podcast, which focuses mostly on interviewing VCs; Torenberg will join the VC firm as a general partner — Andreessen Horowitz's hiring spree continues. On Monday, Erik Torenberg announced that the giant VC firm had acquired his Turpentine podcast, with him joining as a general partner.
Discussion:
@eriktorenberg, Andreessen Horowitz and @a16z
New York Times:
Sources: as labor costs rose after two strikes, producers of reality shows, indie films, and blockbusters increasingly shot overseas, hurting Hollywood workers — Movies and TV productions are rapidly leaving California to film outside the United States, where labor costs are lower and tax incentives greater.
New York Times:
Sources: Sewell Chan's departure from CJR comes as the magazine has been running under tight budgetary constraints and was beginning a fundraising campaign — Sewell Chan, who started as executive editor of the publication in September, said his firing after several staff complaints was “baffling.”
Discussion:
Poynter, Mediaite, PR Daily, TVNewsCheck, Breaker, Media Nation, @ryangrim and The Wrap
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