Top News:

Sources: Sean Spicer warns staff against leaking to media in a meeting that included a check of phones, saying apps like Confide and Signal violate Records Act — The push includes random phone checks overseen by White House lawyers. — Press Secretary Sean Spicer is cracking …
Discussion:
Washington Post, @braddjaffy, Mediaite, RT, @maggienyt, Washington Monthly, Washington Examiner, @arimelber, The Hill, @maggienyt, New York Magazine, CNN, The Slot, @sheeraf, @annericeauthor, Politicus USA, @kfile, @danpfeiffer, @pwnallthethings, @tripgabriel, Mashable, @erinscafe, @erinscafe, @realdanlyons, @katieglueck, @lrozen, Newser, @lpdonovan, @jeffbercovici, @davidenrich, @wakeup2politics, @mikiebarb and Axios

How Robert Mercer steers politics through Facebook data and media, using Cambridge Analytica, Breitbart, the Media Research Center, aid to Leave.EU, and more — With links to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage, the rightwing US computer scientist is at the heart of a multimillion-dollar propaganda network
Discussion:
The Guardian, @pierre, @markruffalo, @edfrenkel, @astroehlein, @arron_banks, @ndrewhung, @christopherzara, @kreissdaniel, @_felixsimon_, @origiful, @chanders, @carolecadwalla, @zeynep, @_felixsimon_, @emilybell, @chanders, @chanders, @emilybell, @bryanrieger, @_felixsimon_, @jayrosen_nyu, @chanders and @jayrosen_nyu

A frustrated Trump, used to controlling media with strategic tabloid leaks, ramps up attacks on an entrenched White House press corps and broader media — WASHINGTON — The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, has taken to slapping journalists who write unflattering stories with an epithet …
Discussion:
@realdonaldtrump, @sweden, Mediaite, @maggienyt, @maggienyt, CNNMoney, @radhikajones, @mathieuvonrohr, @radhikajones, @adamnagourney, @jmseabrook, @ariannahuff, @nils_gilman, @danawollman, @jayrosen_nyu, @jonathanwpeters, The Century Foundation, Axios, @markberman, @markharrisnyc and @jerometaylor

Profile of Tucker Carlson, who as a newly minted primetime Fox News anchor has emerged as one of the most powerful people in media — Tucker Carlson is selling me hard on the swamp. It is an unseasonably warm afternoon in late January, and we are seated at a corner table in Monocle …

YouTube has attracted little scrutiny for hosting and rewarding creators of fake news, conspiracy theories, and hate speech — David Seaman is the Pizzagate King of the Internet. — On Twitter, Seaman posts dozens of messages a day to his 66,000 followers, often about the secret cabal …
Discussion:
@bernstein and @bernstein

Exploring why New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood was fired after a management search of his work email — Charles Isherwood woke up on the morning of February 3 with one of the best jobs in the country: second-string theater critic for the New York Times.
Discussion:
@vulture, @maxfalkowitz, @stacylemelle, @tedgioia, @bringsjohn, @kevinpokeeffe and @felixsalmon

Interview with Mashable CCO on how beats, quality over quantity, and focus have increased unique views by 78% YoY and video views by 452% YoY to 320M/month — Last year, Mashable laid off about two-dozen employees, cutting its politics and international reporters in a push for more video.

Sources: Gretchen Carlson is in talks to join MSNBC; the former Fox News anchor settled a sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes for $20M last year — Gretchen Carlson, who settled a multi-million lawsuit late last year against former Fox News chief Roger Ailes …
Discussion:
New York Daily News, Daily Mail, The Hill, @brucebartlett, Mediaite and @imillhiser

Twitter opens up Periscope Producer to all users; the service lets broadcasters incorporate live video from sources other than their mobile device — After four months of being slowly released, Twitter announced that its Periscope Producer service is now available to everyone …
Discussion:
@periscopehelp and Digital Trends

President Trump says he will not attend White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year; WHCA president says the dinner will still go ahead on April 29 — Donald Trump on Saturday capped a week of tumultuous relations with the press by saying he will not attend …
Discussion:
TVLine, Washington Post, CNET, CBS New York, The Huffington Post, TheBlaze, @maggienyt, Axios, The Week, Fox News Insider, CBS Philly, RT, The Wrap, The Slot, NPR, @realdonaldtrump, @jeffmason1, TVNewser, The Daily Beast, BBC, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Politicus USA and Fox News

Documents show Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the BND, spied on the phones, faxes, and emails of foreign journalists over several years — Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the BND, apparently spied on large numbers of foreign journalists overseas over the course of several years …
Discussion:
DER SPIEGEL, @mathieuvonrohr and @sunnysingh_n6