Top News:


China declines to renew a WSJ reporter's press credentials, effectively forcing him to leave the country, following a June article on President Xi's family — Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean national, has worked in Beijing for the Journal since 2014 — BEIJING—A reporter for The Wall Street Journal …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, The Wrap, CNN, South China Morning Post, CNBC, Talking Biz News, @jbhavan, Committee to Protect …, @pekingmike, @stevencnn, @joshchin, @emilyzfeng, @jchengwsj, @suilee, @kevincarrico, @aaronblake, @amyyqin, @ewong, @joshchin, The Week and Associated Press


Sources: Disney has laid off National Geographic workers, with one source saying as many as 80 are affected; US editions of Nat Geo Traveler to stop publication — Walt Disney has laid off employees of the National Geographic unit it acquired from the former 21st Century Fox …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @andrewnelson, FierceVideo, @chriselliotts, @rafat, @rafat, Politico, @rafat and Los Angeles Times
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Disney sells its 80% stake in YES Network to Amazon, the Yankees, and Sinclair, valuing the network that airs the NY Yankees and other local sports at ~$3.5B — KEY POINTS — Disney sold its stake in the YES Network to an investor group that includes Amazon, the company announced Thursday.


Source: Disney has laid off nearly 60 employees in its home entertainment and TV distribution divisions, affecting both Disney and former Fox employees — Consolidation at Disney is moving forward as the company has handed out pink slips to nearly 60 more employees, TheWrap has learned.
Discussion:
Variety and Hollywood Reporter


Source: Google has agreed to pay between $150M and $200M to resolve an FTC investigation into YouTube over alleged violations of federal privacy laws for kids — Google has agreed to pay between $150 and $200 million to resolve an FTC investigation into YouTube over alleged violations …
Discussion:
The Hill, Business Insider, TechCrunch, The Verge, @senmarkey and CNET, more at Techmeme »


BuzzFeed News uncovers accounts on Twitter and Pinterest, now removed, devoted to posting creepy screengrabs of high-profile female TV journalists in the UK — In response to questions from BuzzFeed News, Twitter said the accounts sexually objectified women “without their consent”, while Pinterest called them “gross” and apologised.
Discussion:
@skysarahjane


Sources: Vice Media trimmed about 15 jobs at cable channel Viceland, as it merges Vice News and Viceland, shifting away from lifestyle and entertainment content — Company is merging Vice News and Viceland, shifting its programming away from lifestyle and entertainment content
Discussion:
@readdanwrite, @moorehn and bookforum.com


The New York Times puts up a hard registration wall, requiring visitors to log in or create a free account to read articles — US newspaper The New York Times has become the latest publisher to put up a hard registration wall, following extensive registration and log-on tests last month.
Discussion:
@martinsfp, @raju, @raju, @raju and @baekdal
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After complaints for omitting references to race in an article on Tea Party history, NYT updated story with an ineffective sentence that provided little remedy
Discussion:
@nytpolitics, @deggans, @_cingraham, @wesleylowery, @gregpinelo, @tomperriello, @wesleylowery, @paulkrugman, New York Post, CNN and Splinter


Bertelsmann head criticizes France's new tax on digital companies with €750M in annual revenue for its vagueness in defining what constitutes digital revenue — The boss of German media group Bertelsmann has hit out at France's new tax on digital companies, warning that the measure …
Discussion:
@rasmus_kleis and @charliebeckett


Union contracts at times fail to address new forms of work, such as when social media staff are labeled “editorial” and barred from branded content distribution — The rise of unionization in digital media is normally framed in one of two extreme ways: as an innovation-killing millstone …
Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @timemagunion and @kristinamonllos


Folio:'s annual salary survey finds female editors-in-chief and managing editors earned $0.83-$0.86 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts — Against a backdrop of sustained industry instability, editorial salaries have remained relatively consistent year-over-year …
Discussion:
American Press Institute


MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell retracted a thinly sourced report alleging Russian oligarchs co-signed loans for Trump; Trump then blasted O'Donnell on Twitter — O'Donnell has retracted a thinly-sourced report alleging that Trump obtained loans co-signed by Russian oligarchs
Discussion:
@lawrence, @realdonaldtrump, Fox News, @realdonaldtrump, Washington Post, @erictrump, @ggreenwald, Poynter, @jayrosen_nyu, @digiphile, @oliverdarcy, @oliverdarcy, The Hill, CNN, MSNBC, Mediaite and Law & Crime