Top News:
Gus Garcia-Roberts / USA Today:
Twitter has permanently suspended Jacob Wohl for creating and operating fake accounts, after he shared plans to make deceptive accounts before the 2020 election — Twitter announced that it is permanently suspending Jacob Wohl, a 21-year-old Internet hoaxer and supporter of President Donald Trump …
Cherie Hu / Bello Collective:
Investments in podcasts like Spotify's Gimlet acquisition will allow artists to share their own narratives directly with fans and avoid traditional music press — In sidestepping media middlemen, artists are creating their own DIY music-media economy — Over the past few decades …
RELATED:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Pandora launches Stories, a new marketing tool allowing artists to build music playlists combined with voice tracks, available for all users to stream — In an effort to one-up Spotify and Apple Music, Pandora this morning announced the launch of a new marketing tool for artists, called Pandora Stories.
Columbia Journalism Review:
Reuters/Ipsos poll in US: 60% believe sources pay reporters sometimes or very often, 41% are less likely to believe stories with anonymous sources, and more — For decades, we've known that Americans don't trust the press. What we haven't known is how people view the makings of journalism …
American Journalism Project:
The American Journalism Project, a venture philanthropy project aiming to reinvigorate local news, has launched with $42M in commitments — New venture philanthropy organization will work collaboratively to catalyze a new generation of civic news organizations — Feb. 26, 2019.
Discussion:
@journalismproj, @journalismproj, @chanders, @ibarguen, @craignewmark, @journalismproj, @jbenton, @emilybell, @elizwgreen, @clockwerks, @knightfdn, @evanasmith and @raju
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times:
Rotten Tomatoes will no longer let users post reviews and ratings before films are released, in an effort to make its audience-rating system more trustworthy — Walt Disney Co.'s “Captain Marvel” is expected to open with a spectacular $100 million in ticket sales from the U.S. and Canada alone next month.
Discussion:
Rotten Tomatoes, Fast Company, TechCrunch, Variety, @melsil and @jessica_roy
Hadas Gold / CNN:
DC appeals court rejects DOJ's bid to overturn the ruling that cleared the way for AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner; DOJ says it will not seek further review — London (CNN Business)An appeals court has rejected the Justice Department's bid to overturn a ruling that cleared the way for AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner.
Discussion:
CNBC, Broadcasting & Cable, @tedstew, @notaaroncraig, @superwuster, @kadhimshubber, @amy_siskind, @cnnbrk, @zoetillman, @richbtig, Light Reading, Adweek, The Wrap, Fortune, Ad Age, Fast Company, Variety, Engadget and The Week, more at Techmeme »
East Bay Times:
After inadvertently releasing a list of thousands of cops with criminal convictions under public records law, CA's AG threatened two reporters with legal action — Attorney General warns reporters it's illegal to possess list of thousands of cop convictions — Their crimes ranged from shoplifting to embezzlement to murder.
Discussion:
@trevortimm, @trevortimm, @caseytolan, @a_mendelson, @reveal, @csmcdaniel, @digiphile, @dangillmor, Boing Boing and Hit & Run
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Spotify goes live for some in India, even as its licensing fight continues with Warner Music; after free trial, premium service is 119 rupees, or about $1.67/mo — Spotify's India launch is well underway, with some local users reporting that they can already access the music service on their devices.
Discussion:
Spotify, Recode, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, MediaNama, Times of India, TechCrunch, @reckless and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
theSkimm plans to launch its first daily news podcast, Skimm This, on March 4, releasing it at 5pm weekdays and focusing on around four stories in 10 minutes — News media company theSkimm is delving further into podcasting, with the launch of its first daily news podcast called Skimm This, set to launch on March 4.
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC and UK broadcaster ITV have confirmed plans to launch a joint, paid-for streaming service BritBox by the end of 2019 — Streaming service to launch this year will feature archive shows and new commissions — The BBC and ITV have confirmed plans to join forces and launch a paid …
Lucinda Southern / Digiday:
In late January, The Economist tightened its paywalled to five articles per month from three per week, in hopes of increasing subscribers — The Economist has tightened its paywall so readers have access to five articles a month — rather than three a week — in order to nudge more registered users over into subscribing.