Top News:

Without naming Fox, James Murdoch blasts media owners who enabled “toxic politics” and says their lies have unleashed “insidious and uncontrollable” forces — Comments from Rupert's son are his strongest rebuke of industry practices since leaving the family business
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy, @kathrynamurdoch, CNN, The Guardian, @martin_flanagan, @glynmoody, @jgreenblattadl, @racheld, @raydalio, @wajahatali, @joyannreid, @tompainetoday, @originalspin, @richardajkeys, @bostonjoan, The Wrap, @mattgarrahan, @stewartmcdonald, Variety, @mmasnick, Business Insider, @swannyqld, @ashkan, @kathrynamurdoch, @mrkrudd, @billkristol, @clairecmc, @liseinthecity, @katebevan, @samthielman, @turnbullmalcolm, @tucker5law, @stopfundinghate, @poniewozik, contextisking.com, @andrewcooper__, @robinwigg, @fascinatorfun, @maynereport, @lisatozzi, @timbrooks100, @janinegibson, @alexebarker, @suanzes and @oliverdarcy

In a tweet, Michael Barbaro apologized for actions around Caliphate, saying he shouldn't have DMed and blocked critics; he didn't address Andy Mills concerns — Michael Barbaro is seen to have pressured some reporters and radio stations over coverage of issues with another NYT podcast, produced by his fiancée.
Discussion:
@mikiebarb, @wwd, @oliverashkleine, @perlberg, @paigepfleger, @jolentag, @avcsays, @monicalewinsky, The Daily Beast, @anxious_maria, @audioblahblah, @thedailybeast, @dmoritzrabson, @mallory_yu, @loather, @lexieschapitl, @byrobertor, @wyatt_privilege, @acvtweets, @kctww, @mallory_yu, @tuckwoodstock, @kerrymflynn, @fidmart85, @comparativist, @alyssaedes, @stphnfwlr, @nicktheandersen, @genepark, @thrasherxy, @patrick_fenelon, @selfquarantine2, @bethfertig, @bellwak, @mallory_yu, @julito77, @stevemullis and @samarajbreger

Facebook says it is temporarily banning ads for gun accessories and military gear through next week's inauguration “out of an abundance of caution” — Following complaints from Senators and employees, Facebook on Saturday said it was temporarily halting ads for gun accessories …

Crooked Media, which will no longer be the voice of “the resistance” after Jan. 20, plans to push more into film and TV and mulls taking on financial partners — Former Obama officials built a 21-show portfolio explaining — and organizing against — Trump-era chaos.
Discussion:
@natjarv and @__shaniqua_

Analytics firm Zignal Labs: online misinformation about election fraud dropped 73% in the week after several social media sites suspended Trump and key allies — Zignal Labs charts 73 percent decline on Twitter and beyond following historic action against the president
Discussion:
@natematias, Slate, @ashanitw, @alicedreger, @rulajebreal, @marklittlenews, @emilybell, Variety, @_cingraham, @mrlnmarce, @villanellewoods, @jfreewright, @chaensaw, @bylenasun, @rulajebreal, @lawyerscomm, @pandemic_times, @stuartathompson, @tarbellorg, @laurie_garrett, @bjrich_, @tosinadeda, @mollyjongfast, @kelleratlarge, @dangillmor, @jeremarketer, @mmviverito, Mediaite, @wardcarroll, @debramessing, @felonious_munk, @stevekling, @realblue75, @maythaalhassen, @caseyjohnston, @ericboehlert, @grudging1, @markruffalo, @stewartmcdonald, @seanmcarroll, @carolleonnig, @dcdoubleaa, @joenbc and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »

Radio Free Asia veterans say its new president Stephen Yates' links to a company owned by Taiwan threaten the broadcaster's credibility — The new president of the federally funded Radio Free Asia network most recently ran a consulting company from Boise, Idaho that has represented foreign governments and interests.

Remote controls of new TVs show how streaming services and tech giants are vying for users' attention through branded buttons and voice assistants — Don't touch that dial: As TV manufacturers are unveiling their 2021 models at this year's virtual CES, they're also giving us a first look …
Discussion:
@jank0, @protocol, @digitalshields and @timhanlon

Profile of the Queens Daily Eagle, a small outlet in the borough that has gone viral for giving local-angle treatment to major Trump news like the impeachment — A series of headlines have brought attention to the Queens Daily Eagle, a small outlet in the borough where the president was born.
Discussion:
@jessicaramos, @emma_a_whitford, @nytimes, @ylichterman, @thetowncrier, @susan_harman and @noah__goldberg

Sources: proposed deals tied to the HBO Max day-and-date release plan will be costly for WB, with talent making below $4M getting 25% bonus, $4M+ receiving 40% — Denzel Washington is said to be getting his $20 million plus backend fee, while the sheer number of bonuses tied to the HBO Max …
Discussion:
@thr, @thr, @robinbenty, @jackjacksharpe5, @thr, @kimmasters and @miagaluppo

A look at the rise and fall of Xiami, Alibaba's discontinued music streaming service, which only had 22.4M MAUs by Oct. vs. 450M+ for Tencent's three music apps — Once a leader, Xiami saw its monthly active users (MAUs) fall to 22.4 million by October 2020, a tiny fraction of the 450 million …
Discussion:
@scmpnews

Politico staffers were upset about Shapiro guest-curating Playbook not because he is a conservative but because he is the apotheosis of culture war excess — Berny Belvedere DISSOLVES THE FLESH of Ben Shapiro's takes through a REVERSE OSMOSIS OF PAIN — Politico invited Ben Shapiro to guest-curate its Playbook newsletter.
Discussion:
@mattwelch, @trumwill, @tomzellerjr, @sladesr, @edbott, @ngrossman81, @sheltondesigner, @jennarmathias, @brooks_bonny, @ldburnett, @jimswiftdc and The Rundown

Tencent Music acquires China-based Lazy Audio, which provides audiobooks, podcasts, and radio shows, for $417M — (Reuters) - China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group said on Friday it acquired audiobook platform Lazy Audio, owned by Shenzhen Lanren Online Technology Co, for 2.7 billion yuan ($417 million).
Discussion:
PR Newswire

Q&A with Pranay Prabhat, senior director of digital ad tech at NYT, about its new first-party data ad program, losing third-party cookie revenue, and more — From the outside, it may appear that advertising is now insignificant for the New York Times when compared with its soaring digital subscriptions business.
Discussion:
@mrdylancollins