Top News:
CNN:
NBC and Megyn Kelly have officially parted ways; sources say NBC will pay Kelly the remaining sum of her contract, believed to total about $30M — (CNN)Two years after she signed with the network amid much fanfare, Megyn Kelly and NBC have officially parted ways.
The Information:
Sources: Viacom in talks to acquire Tubi TV, an ad-supported streaming service partly owned by MGM and Lionsgate; one source estimated a cost of around $300M — Nearly every major media company in recent years has launched video streaming services that cost viewers a few dollars a month and don't carry ads …
Discussion:
@cityofthetown
Kit Walsh / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Bird sends dubious DMCA takedown notice to Boing Boing over a post explaining how to legally buy an abandoned Bird scooter and convert it to a personal scooter — Every now and then we have to remind someone that it's not illegal for people to report facts that they dislike.
Discussion:
Boing Boing, The Verge, @alexstamos, @nickabouzeid, @jason_koebler, Techdirt, @techdirt, @sil, @lenazun, @adamsinger, Gizmodo, TechCrunch and @waxpancake, more at Techmeme »
Peter Lawrence Kane / SFWeekly:
The East Bay Express has laid off four core members of its editorial staff and is moving to an all-freelance model; editor Robert Gammon remains — Four people at the 40-year-old alt-weekly lost their jobs. — UPDATE: Robert Gammon, the EBX's editor, has supplied a comment.
Brianna Sacks / BuzzFeed News:
Ex-staffers of Freedom Daily say Brian Kolfage, who raised $20M via a GoFundMe campaign for Trump's wall, pushed them to fabricate stories for his website — “He never wanted the truth. It was all just for clicks, and the more inflammatory, the better," a former employee said.
RELATED:
NBC News:
Brian Kolfage's previous fundraising efforts relied on two ultra-conservative websites, Freedom Daily and Right Wing News; Kolfage denies he owned Freedom Daily
Brian Kolfage's previous fundraising efforts relied on two ultra-conservative websites, Freedom Daily and Right Wing News; Kolfage denies he owned Freedom Daily
Discussion:
@oneunderscore__, @natashabertrand, @oneunderscore__, @fpwellman, @ambiej, @oneunderscore__, @mikeisaac, @pattymo, @oneunderscore__ and Mashable
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
NYT announces it's launching a weekday 3-minute news briefing and a news quiz for Alexa-enabled devices, with eventual expansion to Google Assistant and Siri — The New York Times is pushing further into voice products for smart speakers. On Friday, the company announced that it's launching …
Discussion:
@digiphile, New York Times and MediaPost
Matthew Kassel / Columbia Journalism Review:
As President Trump's press bashing continues unabated, local journalists face increased incidents of being spurned and vilified by elected officials — Douglas Burns, a fourth-generation journalist, is co-owner of the Daily Times Herald in Carroll, Iowa, a newspaper that has been in his family since 1929.
Discussion:
@penamerican, @cjr, @rokhanna, @news_collab, @spjlv, The Rural Blog, @rylandky and @ruralj
RELATED:
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
WH researcher: Trump participated in 338 short Q&As with reporters in his first two years in office, compared to 75 for Obama, 243 for GW Bush, 394 for Clinton — You may have heard that President Trump on Thursday denied any knowledge that former campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared polling data …
Washington Post:
Over half the top 20 YouTube search results for “RBG” this week pointed to false far-right videos, spotlighting how misleading videos bury credible content — Conspiracy theories about the health of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have dominated YouTube this week …
Discussion:
@hshaban, @oneunderscore__, @marietjeschaake, @tonyajoriley, @jzheel, @hshaban, @garettsloane, @drewharwell and @slpng_giants
Brent Lang / Variety:
Sources: CBS Films will fold into CBS Entertainment Group this year, with some layoffs in March and a focus on streaming after current films are released — CBS Films will be folded into CBS Entertainment Group over the next twelve months, Variety has learned.
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Facebook's fact-checking operation launches in the UK and partners with the independent charity Full Fact to assess the accuracy of content — Social network brings in independent charity in attempt to tackle misinformation — Facebook's fact-checking operation is launching in the UK …
Discussion:
Full Fact, Press Gazette, Telegraph and WIRED UK
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
CBS reaches an agreement to keep using Nielsen's Total Audience measurement services, resolving an impasse since their previous contract expired December 31 — CBS Corp and Nielsen said Friday they have reached an agreement for Nielsen national, digital and local audience measurement.
Discussion:
Adweek, Broadcasting & Cable, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap and Adweek