Top News:
Brian Stelter / CNN:
In an interview, WaPo Executive Editor Matt Murray says Jeff Bezos supports “reinvention” and wants the WaPo to be “a bigger, relevant, thriving institution” — Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos remains committed to the publication, its top editor told CNN in an interview Wednesday …
Discussion:
Status, Fox News, The Hill, PJ Media, Talking Biz News, Gulf Business, The American Bazaar, @brianstelter, @j9talley, Newser, @garygrumbach, @mikeisaac, Poynter, IJR, @ericcasey.bsky.social, @rcmacleod.bsky.social, Business Insider, Life, Liberty, Property, Le Monde, CNN, NPR, @washpostcomms, Semafor, @maxwelltani and The Wrap
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Derek Thompson / @dkthomp:
Matt Murray saying that WaPo will no longer write for “one slice of the audience” demonizes the strategy of fiercely reporting on Trump that made it successful — This part of the Matt Murray email to WaPo staffers makes me most depressed about the paper's future. What you've got here is a media company where the owner has not only overhauled strategy but also required that new leadership pursue a Bad Strategy and demonize the very [image]
Discussion:
@mikeisaac, @mattzeitlin, @alex_kirshner, @herbscribner and @thatjenmonroe
Jeremy Barr / The Guardian:
Marty Baron says “I firmly believe” Jeff Bezos prioritizes his other interests over WaPo; Jim VandeHei says “I have no clue what their strategy was or is” — On Wednesday, storied newspaper axed nearly one-third of company after earlier unpopular moves by owner Jeff Bezos
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Ex-WaPo Executive Editor Marty Baron says “this ranks among the darkest days in the history of” the paper; WaPo laid off Amazon beat reporter Caroline O'Donovan
Discussion:
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Ruth Marcus / New Yorker:
How Jeff Bezos forced WaPo into severe decline in President Trump's second term, including mass layoffs that seem to transform it into a kind of Politico-lite
How Jeff Bezos forced WaPo into severe decline in President Trump's second term, including mass layoffs that seem to transform it into a kind of Politico-lite
Discussion:
404 Media, Awful Announcing, Nieman Lab, BY GLENN KESSLER, Climate-Colored Goggles, The Atlantic, @zzzzaaaacccchhh, @jimvandehei, New York Times, @jhweissmann, Axios, Semafor, @nitashatiku, @isaacstanbecker, @chuckculpepper1, @nastyagalouchka, @denk_tweets, @pbump.com, @shannonosaka.bsky.social, Dan Gillmor on LinkedIn, Melanie Sill on LinkedIn, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, @hammancheez.bsky.social, Pen Strokes, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @heatherthereporter …, @rmac.bsky.social, @samadams.bsky.social, @samadams.bsky.social, Truthout, @whitehouse.senate.gov, @PeteTucker@mastodon.social, @gonebabygone.bsky.social, Techdirt, @gonebabygone.bsky.social, @csammells.bsky.social, Breitbart, @chrislhayes.bsky.social, @leahmillis.bsky.social, @lunaluvgood2020.bsky.social, @leahmillis.bsky.social, @timothynoah.bsky.social, Ace of Spades HQ, @jkavanagh.bsky.social, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, @kristinekenyon.bsky.social, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, @susanrinkunas.com, @susanrinkunas.com, @brianpjcronin.bsky.social, @ginnyhogan_@threads.com and @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social
Ashley Parker / The Atlantic:
With the WaPo layoffs, we're seeing a business and leadership failure, and the death of a newspaper where the actual journalism still stands strong
With the WaPo layoffs, we're seeing a business and leadership failure, and the death of a newspaper where the actual journalism still stands strong
Discussion:
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Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Outside Interactive, formerly Outside Media, which pivoted from ads to a recurring revenue model, reports 2025 revenue up 23% YoY to $125M and its first profit — Following a five year transformation, the platform brought in $125 million in 2025, over 60% of which came from recurring lines of revenue
Discussion:
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Crunchyroll says it is developing original video game titles under its Crunchyroll Games banner in partnership “with Japanese publishers and global developers” — Anime media giant Crunchyroll is now developing original video game titles under its Crunchyroll Games banner.
Discussion:
Screen Rant and Dexerto
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google releases a core update to Discover, rolling out first to US users, aiming to cut clickbait and show more locally relevant, in-depth, timely content — Table of Contents — This Discover update will show more locally relevant content based on the users country.
Discussion:
Search Engine Journal
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Substack notifies users about a “limited” data breach in October 2025, found on February 3 and now patched; a threat actor leaked a database of ~697K records — Newsletter platform Substack is notifying users of a data breach after attackers stole their email addresses and phone numbers in October 2025.
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Spotify partners with Bookshop.org to let Premium US and UK subscribers buy hardcover and paperback books via its app starting in spring; Spotify will get a cut — Streaming service is joining with Bookshop.org to appeal to readers who read in multiple formats — Spotify Technology is getting into the physical book business.
Discussion:
Publishers Weekly, Spotify, XDA Developers, PCMag, Inc.com, The Mac Observer, 9to5Google, Digital Trends, Thurrott, Publishing Perspectives, Neowin, Six Colors, Hindustan Times, Mashable, 9to5Mac, Reuters, Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, The Independent, T3, TechCrunch, Telecompaper and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Bill Simmons, Spotify's head of talk strategy, says Spotify's Netflix deal gives podcasts a bigger potential audience, and might chip away at YouTube dominance — “You have to think about it as you're just trying to gain audience, especially in 2026, when everybody is just fighting to grab …
Discussion:
Front Office Sports, Tubefilter and Awful Announcing
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Kamala Harris rebrands and revives KamalaHQ as Headquarters, a “Gen-Z led progressive content hub”, in partnership with People For the American Way — New initiative teams with People For the American Way, founded by Norman Lear — Kamala Harris, more than a year …
Allie Canal / NBC News:
Trump says he will stay out of the Netflix-Paramount battle over WBD, a reversal from his December 2025 claim that he would be involved in the approval process — The president's comments to NBC News were a reversal from his December statement that he would be involved in the approval process for Netflix's deal.
Discussion:
Deadline, Kansas City Star, Benzinga, International Business Times, primetimer.com, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Indian Express, Ukrainian National News, Simply Wall St, MediaNews4U, Far Out Magazine, Newsmax, Washington Examiner, Dan Gillmor on LinkedIn, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @fergdawg.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, @mikemcintosh.bsky.social, @iluvpolitix.bsky.social, @mcpoylesnavy.bsky.social, @meabell58.bsky.social, Reuters, Bloomberg, Business Insider, CNBC and @judiciarydems.senate.gov
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
BFI: 2025 spending on UK film production hit a £2.8B record high, of which 91% came from non-domestic films; UK cinema admissions fell 30% compared to 2019 — Last year saw the highest annual spend on movies in the UK since records began, according to just-released annual stats from the BFI.
Discussion:
Variety, Martina Porter on LinkedIn, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian and Telecompaper
