Top News:
Perry Stein / Washington Post:
A US judge blocks federal officials from examining devices seized from WaPo reporter Hannah Natanson's home until after he can review and rule on access issues — The seizure “chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm,” The Post said in statement.
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian, Mediaweek, Freedom of the Press …, @maxwelltani, Ars Technica, Mediaite, @jeremymbarr, NBC News, @myhlee.bsky.social, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Courthouse News Service, Politico, MS NOW, Straight Arrow News, @cmerfy.bsky.social, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, @bselena.bsky.social, New York Times, @frankamari.bsky.social, US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Jodie Ginsberg on LinkedIn, @clancyny.bsky.social, @clancyny.bsky.social, @joffirphd.bsky.social, @acarv.in, @hannahnatanson.bsky.social, NewsMax.com, @trevortimm.bsky.social, @freedom.press, Deadline, @washingtonpost.com, Fox News, The Independent, Associated Press, NOTUS, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Martin Baron on LinkedIn, @reedfrich.bsky.social, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @allanschlosser.bsky.social and @drewharwell.com
Jay Peters / The Verge:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says creators will be able to generate Shorts using their own AI likenesses starting in 2026 — The capability is launching sometime in 2026, though YouTube isn't sharing details about how it will work. … Your YouTube Shorts feed might soon be filled with a lot …
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan publishes his annual letter, saying YouTube aims to reduce “AI slop” and has strengthened parental controls, and teases Shorts updates
Discussion:
YouTube Official Blog, Variety, Digit, Business Standard, Decrypt, Moneycontrol, CNET, @nealmohan, Matt Thornton on LinkedIn, @kylebrussell, PhoneArena, @knoebel.bsky.social, @aneternalenigma.com, Célia Salsi on LinkedIn, MediaPost, Newser, Neowin, Sean Downey on LinkedIn, Chris Schremp on LinkedIn, Thurrott, Dexerto, Tara Walpert Levy on LinkedIn, Deadline, Music Ally, Tubefilter and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Emma Roth / The Verge:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says YouTube TV plans to launch “fully customizable” multiview for non-sports channels and channel packages focused on various topics
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says YouTube TV plans to launch “fully customizable” multiview for non-sports channels and channel packages focused on various topics
Discussion:
Android Central, Android Headlines, TheDesk.net, Cord Cutters News, 9to5Google, Android Authority, Pocket-lint, TechCrunch and How-To Geek
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
The UK's Future acquires social-first publisher Sheerluxe and Blush Talent MGMT for an initial £39.9M, rising by an additional £40M based on performance — Social-first publisher deal brings cost of Future acqusitions to £1.6bn over ten years.
Discussion:
BusinessCloud
Washington Post:
An Israeli strike killed three journalists in Gaza, one of whom freelanced for AFP and CBS; Israel says it targeted operators of a drone affiliated with Hamas — The journalists were killed Wednesday in a strike on their car in central Gaza. Israel's military said it struck “several suspects” who were operating a drone.
Business Insider:
Vimeo is laying off staff for the second time since September 2025, when it cut 10% of its workforce; Bending Spoons acquired Vimeo for ~$1.38B in November 2025 — - Vimeo is laying off staffers globally in a new round of cuts. — The job cuts arrived a few months after tech holding company Bending Spoons bought Vimeo.
The Hollywood Reporter:
The FCC says TV talk shows should now comply with equal time political broadcasting rules; the board's lone Democrat calls the change a censorship escalation — The FCC released new guidance Wednesday that stipulates that daytime and late night talk shows will be expected to comply with equal time rules.
Discussion:
Ars Technica, New York Times, Inside Radio, Reality Tea, LateNighter, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, @farhip, Reuters, Raw Story, CBS News, New York Post, @farhip, Variety, Washington Examiner, TheDesk.net, @laurentguy.bsky.social, @natanael.bsky.social, The A.V. Club, The Gateway Pundit, @maraleia.bsky.social, @greene.haus, @radicalcompliance.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, @avi.zollman.com, Deadline, Consequence, The Wrap, @frydawolff.bsky.social, Forbes, TV Tech, NewsMax.com, Politico, Bloomberg, Newsbusters and Breitbart
Mia Sato / The Verge:
Cate Blanchett, Cyndi Lauper, and 800+ creatives launch “Stealing Isn't Innovation” to protest unauthorized AI training, backed by RIAA, SAG-AFTRA, and others — Cate Blanchett, Cyndi Lauper, George Saunders, and other creatives say that AI companies are …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Human Artistry Campaign, more at Techmeme »
Seyma Bayram / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at The Amargi, a new nonprofit digital outlet based in Germany covering Kurdish news in English and trying to avoid favoring any specific political party — The Amargi, a digital outlet based in Germany, takes the lead on Kurdish news. — Kurdish media has a storied history of coverage from exile.
Discussion:
@kamalchomani, UnHerd and @cjr
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with YouTuber J.J. McCullough, who started his channel in 2015 and has 1M subscribers, on research, earning enough for a middle-class lifestyle, and more — “I respect mainstream media a great deal. I think they're doing better work than a lot of new media people do.
Discussion:
Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, @simonowens.bsky.social and @tongli.bsky.social
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
Sensor Tower: video streaming app downloads grew 39% YoY in 2025, with revenue up 18%; microdrama downloads grew 100%+ and traditional streaming apps fell 4%+ — Despite their global success in adoption and monetization, however, apps that specialize in vertical video were less successful when it came to engagement.
Discussion:
Business Standard, Digit, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, Sportico and PR Newswire
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Vox executives detail how Vox is using Patreon to grow reader revenue and interactions; sign-ups grew 350% in the first two months after Trump's inauguration — Explainer journalism brand Vox is using membership and subscriptions platform Patreon to help build a “two-way relationship” with its audience.
Ernesto Van der Sar / TorrentFreak:
Unsealed docs: Spotify and labels sued Anna's Archive over plans to release scraped Spotify data; US court grants a temporary order taking down some domains — Spotify and several major record labels, including UMG, Sony, and Warner, have taken legal action against the unknown operators of Anna's Archive.
