Top News:
CNN:
Don Lemon pleads not guilty to two federal charges stemming from his reporting at an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church — Don Lemon pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges following his arrest last month in connection with a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, Deadline, Mediaite, The Hill, The Guardian, Washington Post, New York Post, KSTP-TV, Washington Times, twitchy.com, NBC News, Courthouse News Service, The National Pulse, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, Barrett Media, The Daily Wire, TV Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Axios, Advocate, Blaze Media, Just Jared, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, @froomkin.bsky.social, @washingtonpost.com, The Daily Signal, @jackjenkins.me, Reuters, MS NOW, NewsNation and Joe.My.God.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Memo: Paramount names former Trump administration attorney Rene Augustine as its senior vice president of global public policy, amid a takeover battle for WBD — Rene Augustine worked with Makan Delrahim, Paramount's top lawyer, at the Justice Department and most recently served in advisory roles to the Kennedy Center
Discussion:
Reuters, The Wrap, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
RELATED:
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Sources: Paramount CEO David Ellison met with Trump last week for two conversations; Trump has said he will stay out of Netflix-Paramount competition for WBD
Discussion:
@deggans, @davidclinchnews, @tarpeianrock.bsky.social, Variety, NewsMax.com, Wall Street Journal, Axios and Techdirt
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Source: New York Daily News is cutting six of 10 national desk staffers, one metro reporter, seven print production people, and two photo department staffers — The owner of the New York Daily News fired 16 people this week - a “Valentine's Day massacre” that leaves the paper with a skeleton staff …
Discussion:
NewsGuild of New York and The Wrap
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
The Richmond Free Press, a 34-year-old Black-owned weekly, shuts down due to falling ad revenue as the Black press suffers from the dispersion of its readership — The Richmond Free Press cited declining advertising in announcing the end of its three-decade run in Virginia's capital city.
Discussion:
Richmond Free Press, LGBTQ Nation and @scottnover.bsky.social
George Winslow / TV Tech:
Cineverse says it is acquiring IndiCue, a profitable CTV ad tech company, for $22M plus up to $18M in earnout as Cineverse focuses on streaming infrastructure — As a result of the deal, Cineverse expects to get a majority of its revenue from technology and streaming infrastructure solutions by 2027
Discussion:
Cineverse, TheDesk.net, Deadline, NCS | NewscastStudio, Advanced Television and Media Play News
New York Times:
A Q&A with NYT reporters on handling the Epstein files, including creating tools to make them searchable, prepping for the release, and dealing with redactions — Two dozen journalists. A pile of pages that would reach the top of the Empire State Building. And an effort to find the next revelation in a sprawling case.
Discussion:
@martyswant, @jswatz.bsky.social, @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social, @dylfreed and @dylfreed
Advanced Television:
Report: AI-generated music uploads account for <1% of total streams; AI adoption is strongest in functional and low-stakes settings such as background music — The music industry has long been defined by an extreme winner-takes-all dynamic. A small number of tracks, artists …
Discussion:
OC&C Strategy Consultants
Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
An interview with Chloe Rushmere, head of content for magazine and newspaper subscription app Readly, on future plans as Readly integrates with France's Cafeyn — “All you can read” magazine and newspaper app Readly's merger with a French equivalent is set to enhance its mobile app and support the business to increase investment.
Discussion:
@pressgazette.co.uk
Edith Hancock / Wall Street Journal:
The EU approves UMG's $775M acquisition of Downtown Music, a deal UMG expects to complete in the coming weeks after announcing it in December 2024 — The companies offered to sell Downtown's Curve royalty in an effort to win Brussels's blessing — The European Union approved Universal …
Discussion:
Digital Music News, CMU, Billboard, Music Business Worldwide, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter and Bloomberg
Todd Spangler / Variety:
SAG-AFTRA signs an agreement with Netflix covering The Pete Davidson Show as a podcast, after talks about whether it should be treated as a TV show or a podcast — Netflix has described its recently released “The Pete Davidson Show” as a “video podcast” — and now SAG-AFTRA has signed …
Discussion:
Podnews, Barrett Media, The Wrap, Deadline, The Atlantic, @theatlantic.com, Vulture and Motley Fool
Antonio Zappulla / Thomson Reuters Foundation:
The Thomson Reuters Foundation says its news brand, Context, will be “phased down”, some staffers will lose jobs, and the site will remain up as an archive — Over the past year, the world has fundamentally changed. — We are experiencing the most profound geopolitical shift in 50 years …
Brendon Kleen / Awful Announcing:
Memo: The Banner in Maryland plans to expand sports staff to cover Washington, DC, teams, hiring beat reporters to cover the Nationals and Commanders, and more — Credit: Baltimore Banner; Washington Commanders; Washington Nationals — The Baltimore Banner is hoping it can fill …
Discussion:
Media Nation, Sports Media Watch and The Banner
Correspondent - Russia, Berlin — 
Editorial Manager - MENA, Dubai — 
Digital Managing Editor, Mumbai — 
Breaking News Editor, TX — 
Money Writer - Underscored, NY — 
Multimedia News Reporter, SD — 
Copy Editor, IL — 
Associate News Editor, NY — 
Transportation/GA Reporter, CA — 
Reporter, WI — 
Reporter - Private Equity, NY — 
Sr. Immigration & Courts Reporter, IL — 
Community News Reporter, FL — 
Senior Editor, Johannesburg — 
Content Editor - Consulting, London — 
Foodie Beat Reporter, WA — 
News Reporter, CA — 
Executive Editor, SC — 
Retail & Consumer Reporter, MA — 
Managing Editor, FL — 
Executive Editor - Forbes Wine, NJ — 
Tech News Writer - Yahoo Tech — 
Data Journalist - Lifestyle, WA — 
NFL Editor - Sports Network, Remote — 
Deputy Social Media Editor, DC — 
Reporter - Beauty & Wellness, NY — 
Community Reporter, NC — 
Night Editor, CA — 
Govt. Affairs Reporter, MA — 
Reporter - Politics, CA/NY/DC — 
Tech Reporter - AI — 
Night & Weekend News Writer, Remote — 
Greater China Correspondent, Taipei — 
Writer - Mobile, NY or Remote — 
