Mediagazer: 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% (Hollywood Reporter)

5:15 AM ET, January 17, 2021

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

The Daily Beast:
Sources: Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are “disenchanted” with Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace; total viewership is down 15% YoY since Dec. 28

Discussion: CNN, Forbes, @brianstelter, @bruno_j_navarro, @jayrosen_nyu, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, @kim, @chunks_mommy, @justinbaragona, @janemayernyer, @patrickmcgee_, @ericbolling, @noahshachtman, @benyt, @benyt, Mediaite and Daily Truth Report

Kali Hays / WWD:

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.

William Turvill / Press Gazette:
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

Discussion: @mrdylancollins

Paul Bennun / KCRW:
California public radio station KCRW drops The Daily, over concerns about NYT's handling of issues surrounding Caliphate

Discussion: @kcrw, The Independent, Vulture, @awalkerinla, @kausmickey, @mollydacious, @sorayanelson, @akmcglinchy, @thebenbergman, @nwquah and @reblavoie

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

Politico announces new members of its Playbook team, expanding from two writers to four: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, and Tara Palmeri — Facing stiffer competition, a new crew of writers—Ben Shapiro not included—is promising more scoops and scene as the O.G. political tip sheet reboots …

Berny Belvedere / Arc Digital:

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, The Rundown, PRESS RUN, @benshapiro and The Media Nut

Washington Post:

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

Columbia Journalism Review:

On Wikipedia's 20th anniversary, the need for nuance in reporting about the project is crucial as sites like Breitbart and Russian media try to discredit it — Last year, as the election approached, we heard that the founder of 8chan had become an active Wikipedia editor.

Alex Pasternack / Fast Company:

A look at the raging debate inside Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, on what to call the attack on the Capitol — ‘Storming’? ‘Insurrection’? ‘Riot’? ‘Attempted coup’? On Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, volunteers are still searching for the words.

Discussion: @martinsfp, @aservais1, @chrisalbon, The Guardian, @krmaher, @luis_in_brief, @ariannahuff, @bkeegan, @pasternack, @fuzheado, @harrymccracken, @thewikipedian and The Ringer

BuzzFeed News:

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 …

Discussion: Gizmodo, Business Insider, New York Times, Engadget, @shannonrwatts, @williamturton, @craigsilverman, @monteiro, @slpng_giants, @jesselehrich, @senduckworth, The Verge and CNN, more at Techmeme »

Hollywood Reporter:

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: @robinbenty, @jackjacksharpe5, @thr, @kimmasters, @miagaluppo, Too Much TV Newsletter, /Film and Variety

Janko Roettgers / Protocol:

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

David Folkenflik / NPR:

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.

Discussion: @npr, @normornstein, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik and @anneapplebaum

Eva Mathews / Reuters:

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, more at Techmeme »

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 5:15 AM ET, January 17, 2021.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Deputy Ed. - Gen. Assignment Desk, DC — WaPo

EU Technology Reporter, Brussels — Bloomberg

Breaking News Reporter, NY — Guardian US

Harrisburg Reporter, PA — PCBC

Senior Editor - Styles, NY — NYT

Part-time Editor, Remote — Techmeme

Home & Travel Reporter, Ireland — Newsweek

Assistant Digital Editor, MA — Boston Globe

Senior Editor - Visuals (Temporary), DC — NPR

South Reporter, GA/Remote — ProPublica

Private Capital Reporter, London — FT

Staff Writer, MI — Watershed Voice

Articles Editor, CA — SF Standard

Pharma Reporter, Remote US — Endpoints

Metro Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Higher Ed. Reporter, Remote CA — EdSource

Politics Reporter, Brussels — Politico

Investigations & Enterprise Ed., WI — Cap Times

Social Strategy Editor, NY — WSJ

Business Reporter, TX — Fort Worth Report

Senior Narrative Editor, CA — Cloud Chamber

News Correspondent, MS — Magnolia Tribune

Accountability Reporter, NC — Charlotte Observer

Editor-in-Chief, NY (flexible) — The 74

Housing Reporter, OK — The Frontier

Writer/AI Content Reviewer, CA — Outlier

Writer/Editor, Remote — Mediaite

Political Reporter, TX — Courier Newsroom

Afternoon/Night Editor, NH — Keene Sentinel

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More News:

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
A look at early support for Trump from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and how that changed in 2017, as Scarborough now sees that support as a mistake

Discussion: @patrickmcgee_, @erikwemple and @postopinions

Ted Johnson / Deadline:
DOJ announces it won't move to end or modify the 80-year-old consent decrees governing ASCAP, BMI music licensing, citing lack of consensus among stakeholders

Discussion: Variety, AppleInsider, Los Angeles Times and Radio & Television …

Amaris Castillo / Poynter:
Journalists in Washington, DC, share how they're preparing to cover the inauguration of Biden amid safety concerns, limited access, and heavy security

Discussion: @poynter, @marissa_jae, @itsren, @amariscastillo, Forbes and Politico

The Information:
Sources: Apple is discussing launching a new subscription service that would charge people to listen to podcasts

Discussion: @martinsfp, @chrismessina, @mgsiegler, @kantrowitz, @chrispirillo, @theinformation, @richlightshed, @jessicalessin, @niubi, @nwquah, @jbenton, Bloomberg, The Desk, Engadget, AppleInsider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
BBC's next chairman Richard Sharp says he is not in favor of decriminalization of UK's license fee, describing it as the “least worst” option to fund the BBC

Discussion: @pressgazette and @nogoodgods

Earlier Picks:

Nathan Bomey / USA Today:
Gannett CEO says the company, which passed 1M paid digital subscriptions in Q3 2020, is aiming for 10M subscribers within five years

Discussion: @raju and @niemanlab

Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
As Snapchat starts competing with TikTok via its Spotlight program, some creators begin earning small fortunes and look for ways to expand

Jim VandeHei / Axios:
Axios publishes a new Bill of Rights: no opinion section ever, most content free for all people, staff pledge to not take public political positions, more

Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
NBCUniversal launches NBCU Academy, a journalism training program that's set to partner with 17 academic institutions across the US with $6.5M in funding

From Techmeme:

Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Cisco details a hacking campaign that penetrated multiple governments' networks using two zero-day flaws in its VPN and firewall Adaptive Security Appliances

Ben Glickman / Wall Street Journal:
IBM agrees to buy HashiCorp, which helps companies manage cloud infrastructure, in a deal valuing HashiCorp at $6.4B and expected to close by the end of 2024

Bob Van Voris / Bloomberg:
US prosecutors charge two founders of Samourai Wallet, saying the crypto mixing service facilitated more than $100M in money laundering transactions

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