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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
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@oliverdarcy, @kathrynamurdoch, CNN, The Guardian, @martin_flanagan, @raydalio, @wajahatali, @joyannreid, @originalspin, @richardajkeys, @bostonjoan, The Wrap, @mattgarrahan, Variety, @stewartmcdonald, @mmasnick, Business Insider, @swannyqld, @ashkan, @kathrynamurdoch, @mrkrudd, @billkristol, @clairecmc, @liseinthecity, @katebevan, @samthielman, @turnbullmalcolm, @tucker5law, @stopfundinghate, @poniewozik, @andrewcooper__, @robinwigg, @fascinatorfun, @maynereport, @lisatozzi, @timbrooks100, @janinegibson, @alexebarker, @suanzes, @oliverdarcy, contextisking.com and The Hill
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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.
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@mikiebarb, @oliverashkleine, @perlberg, @paigepfleger, @jolentag, @avcsays, @monicalewinsky, The Daily Beast, @anxious_maria, @audioblahblah, @thedailybeast, @dmoritzrabson, @mallory_yu, @loather, @wyatt_privilege, @acvtweets, @kctww, @tuckwoodstock, @kerrymflynn, @fidmart85, @alyssaedes, @stphnfwlr, @nicktheandersen, @thrasherxy, @selfquarantine2, @bethfertig, @mallory_yu, @stevemullis and @samarajbreger
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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
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Business Insider, @ashanitw, @alicedreger, @rulajebreal, @_cingraham, @mrlnmarce, @chaensaw, @bylenasun, @rulajebreal, @pandemic_times, @stuartathompson, @tarbellorg, @laurie_garrett, @bjrich_, @kelleratlarge, @dangillmor, Mediaite, @debramessing, @felonious_munk, @stevekling, @realblue75, @maythaalhassen, @caseyjohnston, @ericboehlert, @markruffalo, @seanmcarroll, @carolleonnig, @dcdoubleaa and @joenbc, more at Techmeme »

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 …
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@oliverdarcy, @politicopress, @aloisedphelps, @eugenedaniels2, @meghanmccain, @tarapalmeri, @brucebartlett, @erikwemple, @erikwemple, Washington Post, @benyt, @mattyglesias, @sirajahashmi, @therealhoarse, @surabees, @carloslozadawp, @back_ttys, @fenitn, @r_allbritton, @ahmed, @nancook, @rush_hour1, @jonallendc, @eoinhiggins_, @ryanlizza, @lachlan, @justinbaragona, @froomkin, @rachaelmbade, @seungminkim, @jakesherman, @tarapalmeri, @tarapalmeri, @joshchafetz, @meredithshiner, @tarapalmeri, @maxwelltani and The Wrap
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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.
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@mattwelch, @trumwill, @tomzellerjr, @sladesr, @edbott, @ngrossman81, @sheltondesigner, @jennarmathias, @brooks_bonny, @ldburnett, @jimswiftdc, The Rundown, PRESS RUN, @benshapiro and The Media Nut

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.
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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
A look at the raging debate inside Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, on what to call the attack on the Capitol
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@aservais1, @martinsfp, @chrisalbon, @krmaher, @luis_in_brief, @ariannahuff, The Guardian, @bkeegan, @pasternack, @fuzheado, @harrymccracken, @thewikipedian and The Ringer

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 …

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

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 …

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.
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@npr, @normornstein, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik and @anneapplebaum

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 …
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@jank0, @protocol, @digitalshields and @timhanlon

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).
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PR Newswire