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Google announces a global deal with Reuters for News Showcase, which pays publishers for content highlighted in panels in News, Discover, and search results — The events of this past year have proven that providing access to diverse, high-quality news sources is more important than ever.
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@stephenjadler and @rasmus_kleis
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Google signs an agreement with French media creating a framework for payment for publisher content and has reached agreements with three major newspapers — Google has reached an agreement with an association of French publishers over how it will be pay for reuse of snippets of their content.
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Talking Biz News, Reuters, @zachdcarter, CNBC, @jason_kint, Engadget and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki vowed to bring “truth and transparency back to the briefing room” — Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, conducted the first news briefing of President Biden's administration on Wednesday and vowed to bring …
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CNN, @themaxburns, @abc, @connieschultz, @perlberg, @beschlossdc, @katierogers, @britnygottalent, @julibriskman, @wesleylowery, @themaxburns, @caroloffcbc, @donlemon, @froomkin, @themaxburns, @fpwellman, @jackshafer, @mpatrickshea, @grubreport, @joshsternberg, @libbycwatson, @nidhiprakash, @kellyo, @annamerlan, @rickwins, @froomkin, @barnabychuck, @ron_fournier, @wiloceraptor, @jenny8lee, @jelani9, @nysenatorrivera, The Guardian, Fox News, Associated Press, BuzzFeed News, Axios, The Independent, Fox News, Press Watch and ABC News
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The media should hold power to account and resist the adversarial-seeming approach to politics it took pre-Trump, like when it focused on Obama's tan suit — White House press secretary Jen Psaki was prepared. She was professional. She was noncombative.

Michael Pack, the head of USAGM who oversaw VOA and the Open Technology Fund, has resigned at the request of the Biden administration — WASHINGTON — The Trump appointee overseeing the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded broadcasters resigned on Wednesday at the request of the Biden administration …
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@davidfolkenflik, Vox, @alexwardvox, Government Accountability …, @anneapplebaum, @kaedotcom, @zaccunningham, @davidfolkenflik, @kaedotcom, @muhammadlila, @govacctproj, @farhip, @raju, @b52malmet, @waltshaub, @npr, @camjourno, @wiczipedia, @markos, @newsprof1, @tonyfratto, @dfriedman33, @etbrooking, @jonathanwpeters, @fridaghitis, @grahamdavida, @albertomiguelf5, @junaidmuhammadd, @kimmasters, @w7voa, @davidfolkenflik, @jackshafer, @vivian, @dburbach, @grahambrookie, Associated Press, Slate, NPR, AllAccess.com, Axios and @marcrod97, more at Techmeme »
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Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Whistleblower complaint accuses Michael Pack of spending $2M on a law firm to compile personnel dossiers on USAGM managers he had targeted for removal
Whistleblower complaint accuses Michael Pack of spending $2M on a law firm to compile personnel dossiers on USAGM managers he had targeted for removal
Discussion:
Washington Post, Government Accountability …, Voice of America, Forbes, @markszaidesq and Hollywood Reporter

Biden addressed divisions sown by media when he spoke about “lies told...for profit” and distrust of those who “don't get their news from the same sources you do” — President Joe Biden invoked what he called seven “common objects we, as Americans, love” in Wednesday's inaugural address.
Discussion:
Poynter, Media Matters for America, CNN, Washington Post, Vox, New York Times, @mariabustillos, Fox News, @npr, The Week, @jayrosen_nyu, Slate and Associated Press
nyguild.org:
New Yorker Union announces 24-hour strike over management's response to pay negotiations; the union asked for $65K/year starting salaries and annual increases — Today, the New Yorker Union is undertaking a twenty-four-hour work stoppage. Between 6 A.M. on Thursday, January 21st …
Discussion:
@newyorkerunion, Business Insider, WWD and New York Times

Bonnie Fuller, founder of entertainment outlet Hollywoodlife.com, has bought out Penske Media's stake in the company, assuming full ownership — Penske Media Corporation (PMC) announced today that after a decade of partnership and co-ownership of Hollywood Life, founder Bonnie Fuller …
Discussion:
Showbiz411

Towns and counties around the US are suing Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, seeking to regulate them like cable TV and make them pay cable fees — A Georgia lawsuit is pushing to expand TV franchising rules — Streaming services are slowly turning into cable TV …
Discussion:
@labuzamovies and Atlanta Business Journal

UK broadcaster Sky pledges that one in five staff members will be from a minority ethnic background by 2025 and that 5% will be Black — UK broadcaster aims to reshape its workforce, partly in response to Black Lives Matter movement — Sky has pledged that one in five of its staff …
Discussion:
@bitc and Broadband TV News

Pro-Trump media outlet OAN has scrubbed stories about voting machine companies from its website without explanation, after the companies hired libel lawyers — - Far-right media outlet One America News has removed articles about Dominion without telling anyone.
Discussion:
@kennwhite, @jayshams, @jayshams, @jayshams, @sjdemas, @mattpoyner, @literaryeric and Mediaite

Indian political drama on Amazon Prime was forced to edit out scenes, the first time that a streaming platform has been subjected to censorship in the country — Director of Tandav agrees to remove scenes deemed to insult Hindu gods and office of Indian prime minister
Discussion:
Hindustan Times, @suhasinih, @abusulayman, @sarahemclaugh, @humanists_uk, @indexcensorship, The Hindu, News18, Tribuneindia News Service and MediaNama