Mediagazer: How an emphasis on web traffic and the recent departure of two music critics have affected The New York Times' dwindling jazz coverage (Max Cea/Salon)

1:20 PM ET, February 25, 2017

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Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

CNN, Politico, NYT, BuzzFeed, and others blocked from gaggle with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer; AP and Time declined to attend — Several news organizations boycotted the White House press gaggle this afternoon after the White House excluded CNN and other outlets from attending.

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Philip Bump / Washington Post:

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in December that press access to government is what separates democracy from dictatorship — This post has been updated. — White House press secretary Sean Spicer barred reporters from several large media outlets from participating in a scheduled press briefing Friday.

Steven Perlberg / BuzzFeed:

While seeking press credentials, Breitbart CEO Larry Solov says Bannon resigned by phone, reveals site's owners: Susie Breitbart, Mercer family, and himself — Breitbart CEO Larry Solov on Friday met with the standing committee of the U.S. Senate Press Gallery — which is made up of five reporters …

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, @ericboehlert, @adamserwer, @ddiamond, @perlberg, International Business Times and Forbes

CNN:

Sources: the FBI rejected a White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Trump's associates and Russians — FBI refused WH request on Trump-Russia stories — Washington (CNN)The FBI rejected a recent White House request to publicly knock …

Mike Allen / Axios:

Bloomberg cancels its afterparty for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner; Bloomberg's co-host Vanity Fair had earlier pulled out — Bloomberg L.P., host of the premier afterparty for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, will not host an event this year, Axios has learned.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, The Wrap, Politico, Mediaite, Hollywood Reporter, @hadas_gold and The Daily Caller

Steven Perlberg / BuzzFeed:
Sources: CNN is considering sitting out this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 29

Discussion: Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair, Talking Biz News, @pareene, Mediaite, The Wrap, Business Insider, TVNewser, The Week, @mattyglesias and @ananavarro

Max Cea / Salon:

How an emphasis on web traffic and the recent departure of two music critics have affected The New York Times' dwindling jazz coverage — What changes in music coverage at The New York Times mean for jazz — Given the typical adversarial rendering of critics by artists — pedantic …

Justin Baragona / Mediaite:

In CPAC speech, Donald Trump says not all media, just “fake news media”, is the enemy of American people, decries leaks, claims reporters make up sources, more — In his speech at CPAC this morning, President Donald Trump took aim at the media once again, decrying leaks …

Sydney Ember / New York Times:
Interviews around the US reveal that Americans of varying political affiliations believe Trump's characterization of the media as “enemy” went too far

Discussion: Mediaite, The Wrap, @hirokotabuchi, @nytimes, @melbournecoal, @ennisnyt and @melbournecoal

Lyz Lenz / Columbia Journalism Review:

Profile of Texas Monthly's Pamela Colloff, whose true crime stories, oral histories, political profiles have earned her a reputation as a virtuoso of longform — Unemployed college graduate Pamela Colloff and her friend Margaret Brown in 1994 set off from New York on a road trip in a rusty Volvo with no real destination in mind.

Jackie Spinner / Columbia Journalism Review:

Some politicians are avoiding reporters by using technology to interact directly with constituents — Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference. Photo by Gage Skidmore. — AFTER DUCKING HIS CONSTITUENTS and protesters this month …

Discussion: Mediaite

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

How The New York Times' confidential tips page works: 50-100 tips per day, about half possibly newsworthy and distributed right away while protecting identity — Having worked for The Guardian team that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking the Edward Snowden stories, Gabriel Dance knows the importance of anonymous tips.

Discussion: @trevortimm, @ashleyfeinberg, @poynter, @jacklgoldsmith, @porter_anderson and @runasand

Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed:

The Associated Press sues Laura Ingraham's website LifeZette, seeking $49K+ for unpaid content licensing fees — The Associated Press filed a lawsuit against LifeZette, the Laura Ingraham-helmed website, seeking more than $49,000 in allegedly unpaid licensing fees, penalties, and interest.

Discussion: @zoetillman and The Intercept

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:

Nielsen: £5.27B spent on TV ads in 2016 with digital businesses spending record £639M; Amazon increased spend by 28% to £34.3M — Comparison sites and Amazon boost spending on the small screen - but Google and Facebook cut campaigns — Digital businesses- online …