Mediagazer: Ex-AMI investigators tell how AMI has used “blackmail” tactics like those revealed by Bezos; company lawyers have pressured other reporters to stop probing AMI (The Daily Beast)

8:10 PM ET, February 10, 2019

Top News:

CNN:

Jill Abramson continues to defend her book against plagiarism charges, says she gave Vice early excerpts of the book and invited the company's response — New York (CNN Business)Jill Abramson continues to claim that passages from her new book, “Merchants of Truth,” weren't plagiarized, but instead were improperly credited.

Discussion: @reliablesources, @bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @amandionair, @boobpunchtina, @will_bunch, @mcwm, @piersmorgan, @mathewi, @cnn, @medialawprof, Axios, @rtmannjr, @jyuanathan, @jordgoldman, @anthonylfisher and @benmullin

Tom Scocca / Hmm Daily:

Journalists defending Jill Abramson's plagiarism show that public figures above a certain level are somewhat immune to any real career consequences — The Worst Thing We Read Yesterday™ — Last night, Michael C. Moynihan of Vice tweeted a series of examples of Jill Abramson …

Discussion: Vox, @voxdotcom, @whet, @danielgerling, @feedkastcharles, @edroso, @erinmcunningham, @tomscocca, @sarahkogod, @ericgeller, @penenberg, @joelberkowitz, @hofrench, @georgeselgin, @amyalkon, @hshaban and @virginiahughes

Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:

AMI sources: Lauren Sanchez's brother provided her texts with Bezos to National Enquirer; Bezos' security consultant says probe into who provided texts is over — Multiples sources tell The Daily Beast that Michael Sanchez, a Trumpworld associate and brother to Bezos' lover, gave the couple's texts to The National Enquirer.

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, @hshaban, @helenkennedy, @noahshachtman, @benmullin, New York Times, The Big Lead, Business Insider, Mediaite and Fortune

The Daily Beast:

Ex-AMI investigators tell how AMI has used “blackmail” tactics like those revealed by Bezos; company lawyers have pressured other reporters to stop probing AMI — Threatening to reveal Jeff Bezos' “dick p*ck” was just the latest strong-arm tactic.

Bloomberg:
Sources: SDNY received information about key exchanges concerning Bezos and AMI and is reviewing it for possible immunity agreement violations

Discussion: New York Times, Philly.com, Crikey, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, emptywheel, @howardkurtz, Splinter, The Hill, @eisingerj, The Wrap, CNET and Slate

Matthew Ball / REDEF:

Fortnite's longevity will hinge on its ability to evolve and be a social network, which could allow Epic to build a Metaverse rivaling big internet platforms — If Fortnite is to play an important role in Epic's future (let alone that of media overall), it's important to address …

Discussion: @dwallacewells, @bakergavin and @mathewi

Hollywood Reporter:

How the $71.3B Disney-Fox merger, which is expected to result in 4,000 layoffs, could affect Fox employees and the iconic movie studio 20th Century Fox — With the $71.3 billion merger of two studios about to close, fears are mounting on the storied Fox lot as colleagues prepare to become rivals …

Discussion: @thr, @reggiegotlag, @maac027 and @thr

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy recommendations for journalism: be transparent, gain philanthropic support, improve tech use, diversify staff — Radical transparency, committed philanthropy, disinformation-debunking technology, organizational diversity — and a year of service …

Discussion: @clubelly and @knightfdn

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

MGM's pay TV channel Epix launches Epix Now, a $5.99/month streaming service, available on iOS, Apple TV and Android, says it is coming to Roku and Fire TV soon — Epix is joining the subscription streaming marketplace with the launch of Epix Now as a stand-alone option for $5.99 a month.

Discussion: The Wrap, Adweek, Multichannel News, The Verge, Hollywood Reporter and CNET, more at Techmeme »

Jill Martin Wrenn / Financial Times:

More journalists starting their careers look for funding outside corporate media orgs, via philanthropy, non-profits, subscriber support, crowdsourced ventures — Breaking into journalism has always taken talent, tenacity and entrepreneurialism. Now young would-be reporters and editors …

Discussion: @elenacresci, @charliebeckett, @jayrosen_nyu and @hazelsheffield

Martyn Herman / Reuters:

Following NFL, NBA, and Spain's La Liga, major UK Premier League teams to adopt Intel's True View tech, which provides immersive 360-degree replays — Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City are set to watch this season's Premier League title race from “inside the game” …

Alison Herman / The Ringer:

NYT Cooking's comment section is helpful and civil because comments are focused on improving recipes, moderated by humans to keep them relevant — The subscription-based service offers hundreds of recipes—and even more suggestions—from helpful, well-meaning users. Who knew that such a thing was possible?

Peter Rubin / Wired:

How chains like Cinemark and AMC are testing high-end, immersive multiplayer VR experiences in select movie theaters — ONCE UPON A time, the company with the biggest screens in the world made a big bet on virtual reality. Imax opened seven VR centers in movie theaters around the globe …

Discussion: @wired and @provenself, more at Techmeme »

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