Top News:


Snap says it will begin testing six-second non-skippable ads in select Snapchat Shows beginning May 15 — Once reluctant to force ads on its users, still-unprofitable Snapchat is going to start testing nonskippable ads in its TV-like shows, according to three sources with direct knowledge …
Discussion:
Fast Company, Engadget, Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, @cvas, @digiday, The Verge, Mashable and Recode, more at Techmeme »


Reporters without Borders has released its annual press freedom report-card and the US is ranked 45th in the world; Philippines slid to #133 and Turkey to #157 — Last weekend, as Nicaragua's police brutally cracked down on protesters demonstrating against President Daniel Ortega …


Netflix orders one of its first shortform series, Follow This, a weekly docuseries following BuzzFeed News journalists as they work, premiering July 9 — The shortform series will follow the journalists at BuzzFeed News as they report a variety of stories.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, YouTube, Digiday, Variety, Columbia Journalism Review, MediaFile, VideoInk, The Verge, The Wrap, @mattmittenthal, @kantrowitz, @dcbigjohn, @isaacfitzgerald, The Daily Caller, @mathewi, @scaachi, @pranavdixit, Fast Company, @journalistslike, Slate, @believekarolina, @azeen, @cwarzel, @tessatkinson and @buzzfeedben


Digg, formerly owned by Betaworks, has been sold to Boston-based ad-tech company BuySellAds; new CEO Todd Garland plans to streamline Digg and build up ad stack — This story has been updated. — Last month, Digg, an old beloved content aggregation destination, made the sad announcement …
Discussion:
@caleweissman, Business Insider, @inafried, TechCrunch, Gizmodo and @caleweissman, more at Techmeme »


US House unanimously passes Music Modernization Act to streamline licensing and ensure royalty protection for pre-1972 performances; bill now goes to Senate — As expected, the Music Modernization Act unanimously passed the House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable


Chris Hohn, a London-based activist investor, has built about a $3B stake in 21st Century Fox, say sources, may influence a sale amid Disney and Comcast offers — London-based firm holds roughly $3 billion in Fox shares, making TCI one of its top shareholders
Discussion:
@shalini, @alexfrangos and New York Times


Lee Williams, a columnist and editor at GateHouse's Sarasota Herald-Tribune, advocates for the NRA while editing breaking news, raising ethical questions — A little more than a month after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Lee Williams sat down with Marion Hammer …
Discussion:
@indira_l, @davidmastio, @emily_lecoz and @indira_l


Jonathan Carson, who joined Mic as president in April 2017, is transitioning out of the company over next few months; CEO says Mic isn't hiring a replacement — Jonathan Carson, who joined Mic as its president in April 2017, is headed out. The millennial-focused publisher hasn't named a replacement.


Filing: Peter Thiel agrees to withdraw bid for Gawker website and archives, will give eventual buyer legal release for archived articles — Billionaire venture capitalist will sit out sale of dormant blog to avoid potential legal claims against him — Billionaire investor Peter Thiel …


The Washington Post, The New York Times, Politico, Associated Press, and CNN ask court to unseal records from Mueller's Russia investigation — A coalition of news organizations, including The Washington Post, asked a federal court on Tuesday to unseal materials used by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III …


AT&T says it netted 312K new DirecTV Now customers in Q1 to reach 1.46M subscribers as it reports revenues of $38B, down 3.4% YoY, missing targets — AT&T added 312,000 DirecTV Now net new customers in the first three months of 2018 to reach 1.46 million subscribers — offsetting losses on the traditional pay-TV front.
Discussion:
The Wrap, TechCrunch, AT&T, CNET and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »


Pandora says it plans to add about 250 jobs in Atlanta over the next three years in engineering, sales, legal, and human resources — Pandora, the largest music streaming service in the U.S., has announced plans to add 250 jobs in Atlanta during the next three years.
Discussion:
Atlanta Business Journal and Associated Press