Top News:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook confirms test of “downvote” button on some comments for users to give feedback to company, with options like “Offensive”, “Misleading”, “Off Topic” — How can Facebook promote meaningful interaction between users?
Megan Farokhmanesh / The Verge:
Twitch tightens community guidelines for hateful behavior, harassment, and sexually suggestive conduct, effective Feb. 19 — New rules go into effect this month — Twitch is enacting stricter policies in the interest of curbing harassment and sexually suggestive behavior.
Discussion:
Twitch Blog, Twitch.tv, Kotaku, Mashable, TechCrunch, Kotaku, @twitch, @barnacules, @tamsinwood92, @skyhookart, CinemaBlend, VentureBeat, @valroths, @rt_lozelda, @nowyouseebree, @twitch, @riottiza, @pretzel_rocks, @penphiva, Engadget, Polygon, Fast Company, Gamasutra and Polygon
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
Digital Content Next study: Google and Facebook account for less than 5% of publishers' digital revenue and about 30% of their total distributed content revenue — Google and Facebook are the biggest tech companies in terms of advertising and biggest traffic sources for publishers …
Discussion:
Digital Content Next
Steven Waldman / Report for America:
Report for America names 9 more news outlets that will host journalists, starting in June, including The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Sun-Times, and The Incline — The crisis in local journalism - a.k.a. the crisis in local democracy, a.k.a. why you can't find out if your water is polluted …
Donie O'Sullivan / CNNMoney:
Twitter left up hundreds of videos from two Vine accounts connected to the Russian Internet Research Agency until CNN asked about the accounts — Senate committee grills tech giants over online terrorism — Twitter left hundreds of Russian propaganda videos, with millions of views …
Discussion:
Engadget, The Hill and BloombergQuint, more at Techmeme »
The Daily Northwestern:
Northwestern journalism professor Alec Klein, director of the Medill Justice Project, takes leave of absence amid probe into allegations of harassment — Medill Prof. Alec Klein, who yesterday was accused of harassment by several former students and employees of Medill, is taking a leave of absence from Northwestern.
Christina Pazzanese / Harvard University Gazette:
Q&A with Margaret Sullivan on the state of the news media, why the Times erred in removing the public editor position, and advice for young journalists — In a time when a U.S. president has been known to call journalists the “enemy of the people,” the everyday work of reporting the news has rarely been more challenging.
Mike Fleming / Deadline:
Disney preview of 2019 streaming service: starts in US only, excludes R-rated films, keeps Marvel on Netflix, first-year goal is 4-5 new movies and 5 TV series — EXCLUSIVE: The Disney streaming service is beginning to crystallize, and Deadline can provide some details of the initial slate.
Discussion:
Engadget, CinemaBlend, The A.V. Club, The Verge, @rwmead, @pauljordanjr, io9, /Film, The New York Observer and The Playlist
James Vincent / The Verge:
YouTube temporarily suspends ads on Logan Paul's channels citing “recent pattern of behavior”, stopping an income stream estimated to be worth $1M+ per month — It's only a temporary suspension though — Has controversial YouTuber Logan Paul changed? It seems YouTube doesn't think so.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Variety, Business Insider, Polygon, The Independent, Bustle and Kotaku, more at Techmeme »
John Koblin / New York Times:
HBO signs deal with hosts of Pod Save America for series of TV specials ahead of midterm elections, a week after launching four shows by hosts of 2 Dope Queens — HBO is getting into podcasts. — The premium cable network has signed a deal with the hosts of the popular “Pod Save America” …
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, The Hill, TechCrunch, Washington Free Beacon and Deadline
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Filing: Hulu lost $920M in 2017, compared to $531M in 2016, as owners invested $1B, vs. $733M in 2016; analyst estimates losses will climb 80% in 2018 to ~$1.7B — Hulu dropped deeper into the red last year as it boosted spending on originals and launched its live TV service — and the losses are expected to mount in 2018.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Fast Company, Ubergizmo, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, 9to5Mac and The Verge
RELATED:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Hulu announces it is rolling out higher-quality 60 FPS video on select channels and devices
Hulu announces it is rolling out higher-quality 60 FPS video on select channels and devices
Discussion:
Pocket-lint, Engadget, The Verge and Variety
Randy Dotinga / Voice of San Diego:
San Diego county attorneys wanted a CityBeat reporter who exposed 60 local jail deaths to reveal her sources, or take a deal that would harm a widow's case — A headline like “60 Dead Inmates” has a way of focusing the mind, at least in theory. Alarm bells should have been going off across …
Discussion:
KNSD-TV and @kellylynndavis
John-Paul Ford Rojas / Sky News:
Trinity Mirror, publisher of UK's Daily Mirror, has agreed to pay £126.7M for several Northern & Shell titles including the Daily Express and Daily Star — Publisher Trinity Mirror is to buy the owner of the Daily Express in a £126.7m deal, it has been confirmed.