Top News:


CNN calls a threatened lawsuit from Trump lawyer Charles Harder a “desperate PR stunt”; Harder's letter cited the Lanham Act, which deals mainly with trademarks — An attorney for President Donald Trump has sent a letter to CNN that threatens to sue the AT&T-owned cable-news network …


In a letter to Comcast, Gretchen Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and others call for an outside investigation into allegations about NBC News in Catch and Kill — A number of former Fox and NBC Newsers have signed a letter meant for Comcast CEO Brian Roberts asking that the company open a new investigation …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, The Hill, The Daily Caller, TVWeek.com, The Wrap, Mediaite, @jeremymbarr, Decider, @greta and Page Six


Quibi partners with T-Mobile, which will make the platform part of its offering, giving Quibi a broad distribution platform ahead of its April launch — Telecommunications giant T-Mobile has agreed to partner with Quibi, a Hollywood start-up that plans to distribute bite-size entertainment designed for millennials.
Discussion:
Variety, TechCrunch, @johnlegere, Light Reading, @xpangler and Tubefilter, more at Techmeme »


A comparison of how NYT and NBC edited Harvey Weinstein stories, and a look at one obscure legal worry by NBC execs about persuading women to break NDAs — When reporters tilted at allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by movie producer Harvey Weinstein, they squared off against a target …
Discussion:
Nieman Reports, American Press Institute, @husainhaqqani, @postopinions, @mattgertz, @karaswisher and @erikwemple


In memo to staff, Gannett CEO says, “digital is our future” and “We will continue to maintain print if consumers are asking for it and the economics make sense” — In a piece yesterday I reported that phasing out USA Today in print is likely to be part of the calculations …


AT&T raises the price of its streaming service AT&T TV Now, with the basic Plus package up $15 to a $65/month; the move follows a similar increase in March — AT&T is instituting a substantial price hike for its live TV streaming service AT&T TV Now: Customers who have subscribed …
Discussion:
Fast Company, The Streamable, The Streamable, The Wrap, Bloomberg and Ars Technica


Sources: AT&T's advertising business, Xandr has bought Clypd, an ad platform that uses data to better target TV ads, from European broadcaster RTL — Trade deal comes amid speculation over parent companies' ad tech strategies — A little more than a year after closing its purchase of AppNexus …
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Reuters, Ad Age, AdExchanger, MediaPost, @aripap and The Drum


Sources: YouTube is offering public figures five- and six-figure lump sums to subsidize channel startup costs as it becomes an increasingly appealing side job — Six-figure deals for filming everyday trips to the store? It's enough to lure high-profile celebrities to the platform …
Discussion:
@legendaryenergy, @pabastien, @jfgariepy, @raz0rfist, @bitchute, @adam22, @ashkan, @ashfoxhall and @pkedrosky


Verizon Media wins the right to sell ads for Apple News in Canada, Australia, and UK, as NBC Universal extends an exclusive deal to sell Apple News ads in US — An inside look into how media partners operate on Apple's platform — Apple is making changes to its news service …
Discussion:
@garettsloane and 9to5Mac


Pakistan denies entry to Committee to Protect Journalists coordinator, citing a blacklist by the Ministry of Interior, which voided his journalist visa — Last night, Pakistani immigration authorities denied entry to CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, citing a blacklist managed by the Ministry of Interior.
Discussion:
@hamidmirpak, @mehrtarar, @tahassiddiqui, @nickkristof, @reema_omer, @susanchira and @francescam63


Zuckerberg gives a full-throated defense of Facebook as a champion of free expression and defends Facebook policy to opt out of fact-checking political ads — In an address at Georgetown University, the Facebook chief executive called for more free speech — not less …
Discussion:
@berniceking, Washington Post, The Wrap, Facebook, The Verge, @noupside, Washington Post, @ewarren, The Verge, @anildash, NBC News, @sarahfrier, @mikeisaac, @oneunderscore__, @bernstein, @hypervisible, @shiraovide, Washington Post, Facebook, @cwarzel, Mother Jones, Breitbart, Variety, The Wrap, Vox, Wall Street Journal, @balajis, @naacp_ldf, @natesilver538, @natesilver538, @sriramk, @profgalloway, MIT Technology Review, @manjusrii, Fast Company, @jbouie, The Daily Caller, Ad Age, @balajis, Business Insider, @nickconfessore, @bostonjoan, @ekp, @migueldeicaza, @zeynep, @zeynep, @guyro, @guyro, @guyro, @gabrielsnyder, @hawleymo, @ingrahamangle, @caseynewton, @zeynep, @vanitaguptacr, @oliverdarcy, @mikeisaac, @donie, @donie, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @ezraklein, @anildash, @kristenclarkejd, @andizeisler, @anildash, @adrjeffries, @brianbeutler, @vijayravindran, @brianstelter, @tonyromm, @rosenbergerlm, @crampell, @jamieogrady, @chanders, @bw, @mikeisaac, @esaagar, @iethics, @ananny, @jaconi, @jaconi, @jaconi, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @sarahfrier, @mathewi, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @sdkstl, @tonyromm, @cwarzel, @alexstamos, The Hill, @pkafka, The Interface, Salon, Adweek and Media Matters for America, more at Techmeme »


Maven, which licensed SI's brand and has bought TheStreet, Say Media, and Hubpages, has raised $20M and outlined its SI strategy and plans for political news — Maven, the Seattle-based media company that purchased Sports Illustrated earlier this year, has raised $20 million and revealed …