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CNBC:
Vox Media to end contracts of hundreds of freelancers to comply with CA's new AB5 law, which will forbid non-employees from submitting over 35 articles a year — - Hundreds of Vox Media freelancers will lose their jobs in the coming months. — Vox Media is preparing for a California law …
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SBNation.com, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, @ag_conservative, @ericboehlert, Golden State Of Mind, Awful Announcing, @markos, @cjmcginnis, @nbj914, @geekgirldiva, @laurawags, @matthewkeyslive, @nowyousieme, Mavs Moneyball, @nowyousieme, @gilesferrell, @joemullinax, @jenniferleechan, @pellybottoms_up, @joshuakusnick and The Wrap
Emily Bell / The Guardian:
Local news, with its ever-shrinking resources, cannot adequately counter “phantom local news” sites, which are set up to repeat talking points or disinformation — Local news is often trusted more than national news but it is highly vulnerable to online disinformation
Discussion:
PBS NewsHour, Yorkshire Post, @emilybell, @millarlaura, @jenwilliamsmen, @elliotelinor, Talking Biz News, @davidhiggerson and @gmsarli
Davey Alba / New York Times:
Campaign staff and researchers say almost all political campaigns, including presidential ones, lack teams for spotting and pushing back on disinformation — Few politicians have teams to spot false statements about them online, or to fight back before it spreads.
Discussion:
@digiphile, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @cindyotis_, @daveyalba, @justicedems, @tiffanycli and @athay11, more at Techmeme »
Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
Even as Netflix resists ads, it's finding ways to work with brands, such as partnerships, where no money changes hands, that aim to create interest in its shows — Tide Pod shout-outs onscreen. Flirtatious exchanges with companies on Twitter. Netflix may not run ads, but it has become a coveted marketing platform.
Discussion:
@tiffkhsu
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Netflix shares detailed overseas subscriber numbers for the first time in a filing, and says 90% of total subscriber growth came from outside the US since 2017 — Streaming service is disclosing detailed subscriber information by region for operations outside of the U.S. for the first time
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Variety, Variety, The Wrap, The Streamable, MediaPost, Deadline, Reuters, CNET, MarketWatch, Los Angeles Business Journal, @wsj, Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, Financial Times and @xpangler, more at Techmeme »
Mónica Marie Zorrilla / Adweek:
Stuart Emmrich, who spent ~17 years as The New York Times' Styles editor, named editor of Vogue.com, a newly-created role that reports to Anna Wintour — He will oversee digital content and report directly to Anna Wintour — Condé Nast said today it has named Stuart Emmrich as Vogue.com's first editor.
Discussion:
The Cut
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple partners with ABC on election coverage, will feature ABC videos, live streams, and FiveThirtyEight data on Apple News from Feb. 7 to the 2021 inauguration — Apple announced today it will collaborate with ABC News on coverage of the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election in its Apple News app.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Apple, MacRumors.com, AppleInsider, The Verge, VentureBeat, Hollywood Reporter and Variety
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram expands its fact checking efforts by hiding false content behind warnings, except for politicians, and removing it from Explore and hashtag pages — Instagram is giving politicians the same free reign to spread misinformation as its parent company Facebook.
Discussion:
Adweek, Instagram, Engadget, @jasonabbruzzese and @blakersdozen, more at Techmeme »
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
SF-based startup Bigscreen partners with Paramount to bring Paramount films to VR headsets in 3D; viewers pay $4 to $5 for entry into a virtual movie theater — San Francisco-based virtual reality startup Bigscreen has teamed up with Paramount Pictures to bring the theater experience to VR headsets …
Discussion:
VentureBeat and Oculus Blog
Patrick Frater / Variety:
UK's Cineworld agrees to buy Canadian cinema operator Cineplex for $1.65B, would become largest North American operator combined with its 2017 Regal purchase — U.K.-based movie theater chain Cineworld is to acquire Cineplex, Canada's leading cinema chain.
Discussion:
Canadian Press, Reuters, Telegraph, Telegraph, Financial Times, Barron's Online, Wall Street Journal, MobileSyrup, BNN, Daily Hive, CTVNews, Screen, Los Angeles Times, Deadline and The Times
Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
The Try Guys, who left BuzzFeed in 2018, say their media business 2nd Try is now profitable, mainly driven by branded content deals as it plans streaming shows — The four-person entertainment group The Try Guys has grown from a video series owned by BuzzFeed to its own independent company that sells merch …
James Poniewozik / New York Times:
The success of The Mandalorian's “Baby Yoda” shows it's possible for TV to become as franchise-dominated as film, where Disney makes billions building on old IP — What if the future of TV were delightful, irresistible, meme-able versions of intellectual property you already loved ... forever?
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, @mairalg, @aseitzwald, @grace_segers, @alexburnsnyt and @ncroal
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