Top News:
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Trump threatens to sue the BBC over the Panorama edit, seeking “no less than $1B in damages” if he does not get a full retraction and an apology — A lawyer for President Trump said the BBC's editing of a speech he gave was “defamatory.” The broadcaster apologized on Monday for an “error in judgment.”
Discussion:
Associated Press, BBC, GB News, PBS NewsHour, IJR, @jayrosen_nyu, @number10cat, @benhabib6, Metro.co.uk, KDFX-TV, @trobinsonnewera, @jacobnyrup.bsky.social, Megyn Kelly, TV Blackbox, @dankennedy.net, Channel 4 News on YouTube, GBNews on YouTube, CBS News, Sky News, Daily Mail, The Times, TalkTV on YouTube, Yahoo News, Mirror US, The Independent, The Standard, The Guardian, Financial Times, International Business Times, The Law and Policy Blog, The Guardian, @robfordmancs.bsky.social, Time, Mediaite, Benzinga, Screen, Reuters, HuffPost, The Guardian, Telegraph, BBC, @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social, ZeroHedge News, Agence France-Presse, Washington Post, Variety, UPI, Deseret News, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Courthouse News Service, The Gateway Pundit, GZERO, 9News, Mirror and Politico
RELATED:
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
At an all-hands, BBC chair Samir Shah dismissed concerns of a Conservative coup at the BBC as “fanciful”; source: Gibb did not want DG Tim Davie to resign
Discussion:
@maitlis, The Guardian and @aljwhite.bsky.social
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
In Parliament, the UK's culture secretary says concerns about the BBC are legitimate but some politicians are “launching a sustained attack on the institution”
In Parliament, the UK's culture secretary says concerns about the BBC are legitimate but some politicians are “launching a sustained attack on the institution”
Discussion:
GB News, Sky News, @jakekanter.bsky.social, Mirror and New Statesman
Michael Savage / The Guardian:
Inside the downfall of the BBC's top bosses: many see their departure as part of a wider political effort to shift BBC reporting to the right on key issues
Inside the downfall of the BBC's top bosses: many see their departure as part of a wider political effort to shift BBC reporting to the right on key issues
Discussion:
FRESH HELL Tina Brown's Diary, Byline Times, Advanced Television, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, @dgcassidy.bsky.social, Deadline, Michael Markovitz on LinkedIn, @mc00.bsky.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @sundersays.bsky.social, Semafor, UnHerd, Wall Street Journal, Broadband TV News, Financial Times and HuffPost
Michael Savage / The Guardian:
Sources: BBC board member Robbie Gibb, who has links to the Conservative party, “led the charge” in pressuring the BBC's leadership over claims of systemic bias
Sources: BBC board member Robbie Gibb, who has links to the Conservative party, “led the charge” in pressuring the BBC's leadership over claims of systemic bias
Ellise Shafer / Variety:
Report: at a town hall, outgoing BBC DG Tim Davie said that “we did make a mistake” in Panorama's Trump edit but “we've got to fight for our journalism”
Report: at a town hall, outgoing BBC DG Tim Davie said that “we did make a mistake” in Panorama's Trump edit but “we've got to fight for our journalism”
Discussion:
Mumbrella, The Guardian, @birdyword, Commentary Magazine, The Indian Express and Metro.co.uk
Ellise Shafer / Variety:
BBC Chair Samir Shah says the Panorama edit “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action” and apologizes for the “error of judgement”
BBC Chair Samir Shah says the Panorama edit “did give the impression of a direct call for violent action” and apologizes for the “error of judgement”
Discussion:
BBC, RADAR, Fox News, Bloomberg, @karlbode.com, GB News, @andrewpakes_, @lucy_worsley, @lucymanning, @stellacreasy, @bbcjlandale, @harrietharman, The Guardian, @campbellclaret, @johnsimpsonnews, @rhonddabryant, @emilythornberry, @matthewsyed, @gregbagwell, @scottygb, @charlesarthur, @avasantina, The Guardian, @timzero4.bsky.social, New York Times, LinkedIn, Mirror, Reuters, RedState, Townhall, The American Bazaar, The Daily Sceptic, Newser, Telegraph, Financial Times, Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal, Jamaica Observer, The Hill, The Indian Express, NDTV Profit, Suggest, Straight Arrow News, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline
Lewis Goodall / Goodall and Good Luck:
An ex-BBC editor says Panorama's editing error is a minor issue exaggerated by right-wing newspapers and social media, but the BBC needs major internal reforms
An ex-BBC editor says Panorama's editing error is a minor issue exaggerated by right-wing newspapers and social media, but the BBC needs major internal reforms
Discussion:
@mehdirhasan, @obornetweets, @thetvroom, @lewis_goodall, @steverichards14, The Nerve, @drchrisnewton, @lewis_goodall, @johnsimpsonnews, @mehdirhasan, @markhburton@mstdn.social, @ianfraser.bsky.social, The Sun, @eddwilson.bsky.social, Politico, @AlexGallagher@mastodon.scot, GB News and The Guardian
Anna Kaminski / Kansas Reflector:
The county involved in the 2023 raid of the Marion County Record in Kansas agrees to pay a cumulative $3M to three journalists and a city councilor — Record editor says court cases against city continue — TOPEKA — The county involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Brian Reed on LinkedIn, KDFX-TV, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Straight Arrow News, @clancyny.bsky.social, @jaredmcclain.bsky.social, Marion County Record, @kenstonemedia.bsky.social, Associated Press, Newser, @themountaingoats.bsky.social, @papermarisa.bsky.social, @sobroquet.bsky.social and PBS NewsHour
Vivian Wang / New York Times:
How China stopped an NYC-based independent Chinese film festival, including pressuring directors and moderators, as it largely erases independent films in China — A showcase for independent Chinese films was scrapped after the Chinese authorities pressured directors, moderators and even a volunteer to pull out.
Discussion:
@kooyjan.bsky.social, @mikejjensen.bsky.social and Vogue
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paramount Skydance plans to increase Paramount+ prices in the US starting January 15; monthly rates will rise $1, ad-supported tier will rise $30 to $90/year — David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is planning to spend more on content — and at the same time, it's going to charge more for streaming.
Discussion:
The Verge, IGN, Mashable, CinemaBlend, Comic Book, 9to5Mac, Tom's Guide, How-To Geek, @char2025.bsky.social, Awful Announcing, Advanced Television, masslive.com, Broadband TV News, Streaming Better, WPXI-TV, PCMag, Beebom, TechRadar, Screen Rant, Deadline, MacDailyNews, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
RELATED:
Reuters:
Paramount says it will invest $1.5B+ to grow its streaming business and revitalize its film studio in 2026; David Ellison says its 2025 films “underperformed”
Paramount says it will invest $1.5B+ to grow its streaming business and revitalize its film studio in 2026; David Ellison says its 2025 films “underperformed”
Discussion:
Observer, The A.V. Club, TrekMovie.com, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, Deadline, StreamTV Insider, Business Insider, NewsMax.com, The Wrap, Barrett Media, Morningstar, Proactive, The Hill, Yahoo Finance, Radio & Television …, Los Angeles Times, TVNewsCheck, Adweek, Benzinga, CNBC, Variety, archive.ph, The Wrap, Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter
Vanity Fair:
Vanity Fair announces new hires, including Ta-Nehisi Coates as senior staff writer and Adrienne Green as executive editor, plus new contributing editors — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Adrienne Green, José Criales-Unzueta, Marisa Meltzer, and more join the magazine
Discussion:
@vanityfair.com and Daily Mail
Sara Germano / The Information:
Sources: Versant, the NBCUniversal spinoff, is exploring a sale of its youth sports management app SportsEngine; NBC bought SportsEngine in 2016 — Versant, Comcast's planned spinoff of its cable channels, is exploring a sale of its youth sports management app, SportsEngine, people familiar with the matter said.
Discussion:
The Wrap
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
DirecTV launches DirecTV Elect, an AI-driven political ad platform offering access to CTV ad inventory across DirecTV and US cable networks — Political advertising has been a cash cow of the local broadcast television industry for decades. Now, satellite and streaming TV provider DIRECTV is hoping to chip away at that lead.
Discussion:
TV Tech, Streaming Better and TVNewsCheck
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
Sources: Bari Weiss has complained that CBS News' Standards and Practices team has “too much power” and asked “what's the point of standards?” — EXCLUSIVE: Internal rumblings within the newsroom come after the S&P head resigned and the network disbanded its vaunted Race and Culture unit.
Adam Chitwood / The Wrap:
Study: among the top 100 Spotify podcasts in the US in 2024, 64% were hosted by men, 77% of hosts were white, and 62.6% of 4K+ episodes had no woman guests — The podcasting medium significantly trails the diversity of other entertainment avenues — The hosts of the top 100 podcasts …
Discussion:
NPR and Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Puck: Disney offered YouTube the same rates as major distributors, at least for ESPN, but YouTube wants to pay less; Disney is losing $30M/week without YouTube — The YouTube TV and Disney feud continues to rage on, with the latest reporting suggesting that YouTube TV may now be the hang-up …
Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at censorship at student papers in Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma; at two colleges, students started independent papers after conflicts with administrators — On university campuses, student papers are fighting their own administrations—and sometimes the government—for the right to report.
Discussion:
@columjournreview.bsky.social, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Indian Express and USA Today
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
FilmLA: in Q3, LA-based commercial production dropped 18% YoY and was 40% lower than the five-year average, leaving a major hole in industry workers' safety net — Commercial production has long been crucial to sustaining entertainment workers in the Los Angeles area. But it continues to plummet.
Discussion:
Ali Brown on LinkedIn and Matt Miller on LinkedIn
