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Facebook says it's banning all ads for cryptocurrencies, ICOs, and binary options to avoid “misleading or deceptive promotional practices” — It's an “intentionally broad” policy aimed at stopping scammers. — Facebook is banning all ads that promote cryptocurrencies …
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Study: Twitter cuts into Facebook's lead on traffic sent to publishers; this month FB sent 2.5 visitors for each one Twitter sent, down from 4.7:1 in Oct. 2017 — Publishers are freaking out about Facebook's plan to show 20% less news in the News Feed. But over the past four months …
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One Man & His Blog, more at Techmeme »


Vice Media has fired Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano following two separate allegations of sexual misconduct against him — Vice Media has fired its chief digital officer, Mike Germano, after at least two women accused him of sexual misconduct, TheWrap has learned.
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Digiday, New York Times, CNNMoney, Ad Age, Mediawire, Associated Press, @moorehn, Business Insider, Variety, Adweek, @emilysteel, Fast Company and @emilysteel


Chicago Sun-Times EIC Chris Fusco says Times will not publish anything by Richard Roeper as it investigates allegations he paid to boost his Twitter followers — The Chicago Sun-Times will not publish columns or reviews authored by Richard Roeper as the newspaper investigates the legitimacy of Roeper's sizable Twitter following.
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@davevescio, New York Times, Washington Post, MediaNama, Gizmodo, @smartfootball, @libyaliberty, @sopandeb, @adam_klug, @pattymo, New York Daily News, Adweek, @digiphile, Dallas Morning News, CNET, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, @stevegol, Newser, The A.V. Club, One Man & His Blog, @ositanwanevu, TVWeek.com, TV Tattle, @wexler, @anildash, Media Star and Editor & Publisher


Podcasters first look at Apple's Podcast Analytics data shows listeners are highly engaged, with many listening to 80-90% of shows, and prefer longer formats — The public radio producer had started a podcast as a side project in early 2017, and the exploration of her experience …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, RAIN News, Fast Company and MacStories


Private equity firm Blackstone buys 55% stake in Thomson Reuters financial and risk division, valuing the unit at $20B including debt — LONDON — What is now Thomson Reuters came to life a decade ago in a $17 billion merger of the Thomson financial information business and the Reuters news service.
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Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, Reuters, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Financial Times, @dnvolz, Agence France-Presse and Financial Times


Creators of FactStream app for iOS tested curation of live fact checks of State of the Union speech, sourced from Washington Post, PolitiFact, FactCheck.org — On January 9, 2018, less than year after being sworn in as president of the United States, Donald Trump told his 2,000th lie.
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Duke Reporters' Lab, @billadairduke, @dukesanford, @rebeccaiannucci, Washington Post and American Press Institute


Journalists who receive anything deemed classified by the government could face up to five years in prison under Australia's proposed espionage laws — SYDNEY, Australia — When Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia recently proposed new espionage laws, he stressed the need for disclosure …
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@hannahhrlc, @petergreste, @farrellpf, @emmaels, @caugustelliott, Human Rights Watch and @billcode


Foreign correspondents in China are increasingly facing interference from officials, with 1 in 12 of those surveyed claiming they were manhandled or punched — One in 12 correspondents claims to have been manhandled or beaten in 2017, BBC reporter says he was punched
Discussion:
@wang_maya


HBO will launch in Japan on Amazon Prime Video on April 1, with the first six seasons of Game of Thrones and ~50 other past and current shows available — Largely absent from Japan until now, U.S. pay-TV giant HBO is to license its catalog and streaming rights in Asia's second largest market via Amazon Prime Video.

PwC review of BBC pay structure found no gender bias in decision making, but identified anomalies, recommends clear pay framework, narrower pay ranges — Today the BBC has published a review of on-air pay carried out by PwC, and set out a five-point plan to help create a fairer and more equal BBC.
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Alt-right personality Mike Cernovich has made a $500K bid for Gawker's assets — A leaked pitch deck shows how Cernovich would turn Gawker into a platform for his media ambitions—and, perhaps, a cudgel to get back at a site that once called him a “D-list right-winger.”
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@willsommer, @jordansarge, @crislopezg, @tina_nguyen, The Wrap and Mediaite


Sources: Amazon and Facebook are interested in bidding for streaming rights to WWE's “Raw” and “Smackdown” franchises, as tech firms compete with TV giants — The year is 2034. The Olympics that have been a fixture on channels owned by NBCUniversal since 2002 have disappeared from TV altogether.
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@jimandrews_esp