Top News:
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Sources: DoJ investigation of Fox News widens, with interviews being conducted by the US Postal Inspection Service, which probes mail and wire fraud cases — Fox News still under grand jury probe — The U.S. Justice Department's investigation of Fox News has widened to include a second law enforcement agency.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Week, Variety, TVWeek.com and Axios
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Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Sources: Fox News co-president Bill Shine asked Lachlan and James Murdoch to release a statement supporting him recently but they refused — As Fox News is roiled by lawsuits and the ouster of Bill O'Reilly, the network's co-president Bill Shine has retained the backing of the Murdochs.
Discussion:
@seanhannity, Bloomberg, Deadline, @seanhannity, Mediaite, TVNewser, Variety, The Wrap, Media Matters for America, Politico, Business Insider, Boing Boing, @hadas_gold, CNNMoney and The Week
Kaitlin Menza / Marie Claire:
Interview with New York Times reporter Emily Steel, who with Michael Schmidt spent six months investigating sexual harassment claims involving Bill O'Reilly — He was the most popular figure on the country's highest-rated television network. But he was no match for New York Times reporter Emily Steel.
Discussion:
@richbtig, @alexandrajacobs, @juliezeilinger, New York Times, @ennisnyt, @kimseverson, @aoscott, @jmartnyt, @andybechtel, @davidjoachim, @vindugoel, @michellerafter, @danbobkoff, @melbournecoal, @lkherman, @ashadahya, @ndungca, @reynadesai, @markberman, @michaelluo, @saralibby, @bydanielvictor, @danielle_ivory and @maggiecoughlan
New York Times:
In a tweetstorm on Thursday, Sean Hannity defended Fox News co-president Bill Shine, and claimed someone high up at the network was trying to get Shine fired — Swirling tensions at Fox News burst into public view on Thursday as one of its stars, Sean Hannity, spoke out in defense …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Variety, New York Magazine and The Wrap
Joseph Menn / Reuters:
Facebook identifies efforts to falsely amplify content and sentiment using fake accounts, as seen in US election, improves detection using patterns of activity — Facebook Inc acknowledged on Thursday that it has become a battleground for governments seeking to manipulate public opinion …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Facebook, @emilybell, The Verge, @mantzarlis, Bloomberg, Engadget, @digiphile, @mathewi, @pinboard, Fortune, Margarita Noriega, Gizmodo, @justinhendrix, CNNMoney, Mashable, Adweek, New York Magazine, TechCrunch, @intelwire, @elbeldner, The Verge, @pwnallthethings, @emptywheel, @normative, @selectedwisdom, CNBC, CNBC, @alexstamos, @josephmenn, @jenrweedon, @ericgeller, @profcarroll and @micahgrimes, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
Trump says he would attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner next year — He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is. — President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, @mattderienzo, @mckaycoppins, @ddale8 and The Week
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter:
Breaking: Time Inc. says it's not selling itself: “The Board has determined that the Company will continue to pursue its strategic plan...” — Breaking: Time Inc. says it's not selling itself: “The Board has determined that the Company will continue to pursue its strategic plan...”
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC releases the full text of Ajit Pai's proposal to roll back Title II net neutrality rules ahead of May 18 vote — The FCC will now take your comments on whether to kill net neutrality. — You can now start filing public comments on the Federal Communications Commission plan to eliminate net neutrality rules.
Discussion:
Backchannel, New York Times, Electronic Frontier Foundation, @stevenlevy, @scrawford, @backchnnl, TechCrunch, The Next Web, Free Press Blog, Fortune, @jbrodkin, Consumerist, Ars Technica, Techdirt, Hindustan Times, Fortune, The Verge, Variety, TechCrunch, Recode, Vox, @pattymurray, Free Press Blog, @ajitpaifcc, World News Publishing Focus …, Ars Technica UK, Ars Technica, New York Times and ZDNet, more at Techmeme »
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Jury rules for the ex-wife of Infowars' Alex Jones in a custody case where Jones' lawyer portrayed him as a “performance artist” — “Mr. Jones is like a cult leader,” the conspiracy blogger's ex-wife told the jury. “And we've seen the horrific damage cult leaders do to their followers.”
Discussion:
@jtilovetx, @cwarzel, @cwarzel and @cwarzel
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook updates Rights Manager tool to let creators claim ad earnings on copyright-infringing videos posted by others — Facebook finally has a better solution to freebooting — the common practice of stealing video and uploading it to one's Facebook Page to reap the engagement and audience growth.
Discussion:
Facebook Media, Adweek, @pkafka and Recode, more at Techmeme »
Alex Emmons / The Intercept:
Barrett Brown, on parole after serving time related to a hacking case, was re-arrested Thursday, the day before he was to be interviewed for PBS documentary — Award-winning journalist Barrett Brown was re-arrested and taken into custody Thursday, the day before he was scheduled to be interviewed for a PBS documentary.
Discussion:
D Magazine, Techdirt, @freedomofpress, Hit & Run, @theintercept, @kateconger and @alexanderemmons
Krishna Bharat:
Creator of Google News describes traits of story clusters and their sharing patterns that can be used by algorithms and humans to flag them as fake — Fast enough to empower humans to take action — Last November, a friend told me about his extended family of Filipino-Americans in the Fresno area.