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Sources: NYT told Lauren Wolfe, who had a temporary position, that her name and NYT's name were in headlines after her “chills” tweet, and “we can't have that” — The paper of record's treatment of a freelance editor getting “chills” on Twitter drew accusations …
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Washington Post, @wolfe321, @joepompeo, @yashar, The Hill, @jshahryar, @miriamelder, The Guardian, @weareyourfek, Vox, @mikeloukides, @b52malmet, @fawfulfan, @arusbridger, Today in Tabs, @kendrawrites, @jeremyhobson, @joshgerstein, @miriamelder, @jayrosen_nyu, @tvietor08, @markhalperin, @mlcalderone, @meredthsalenger, @brianstelter and @froomkin

Insider Inc. says it was profitable in 2020 and added 200 jobs as revenue grew 30% YoY; sources: it generated $150M+ in revenue as subscribers doubled to 100K+ — Business-news site generated 30% revenue growth in 2020 despite Covid-19 crisis thanks to subscriptions, automated ads

NBC's Peacock signs a deal for exclusive streaming rights for WWE Network content in the US from March; source says the deal runs five years and is worth $1B+ — World Wrestling Entertainment content will move to Peacock starting March 18 in deal worth more than $1 billion
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a16z plans to launch a “new and separate media property” later this year focused on “the future” and names ex-CNN editor Maggie Leung executive editor — We embraced speaking directly to our audience — from the builders of the future to the tech-curious — right as the firm was started in 2009.
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Business Insider, @smc90, @panzer, @wennmachers, Bloomberg, @panzer, @kantrowitz, @asalyers3, @chaykak, @ricmac, @a16z, @julesyoo, @jessicalessin, @cityofthetown, @naithanjones, @saschasegan, @jessicalessin, @thekenyeung, @andrewchen, @bhorowitz, @vijaypande, @taylorlorenz, @obrien, @panzer, @sarthakgh and Talking Biz News, more at Techmeme »

Forbes drops plans for a trip to Bermuda for 75 people on its “30 under 30” list, meant to provide an escape from pandemic “gloom”, after facing criticism — Invitation for people on magazine's ‘30 under 30’ list is dropped hours after Guardian inquiry

Rupert Murdoch says free speech is being suppressed by an “awful woke orthodoxy” and says he is “far from done” — Mr. Murdoch of News Corp, who spoke in a video, has been relatively quiet publicly in recent years. He called conformity on social media “a straitjacket on sensibility.”
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Vanity Fair, Mediaite, Vanity Fair, The Hill, Rolling Stone, @dylanbyers, @caslernoel, @edmundlee, @mattgertz, @peterjukes, @benyt, @scout_finch, @billbarnwell, @oliverdarcy, @markberman, @slpng_giants, @safimichael, @dylanbyers, @lukeoneil47, @mariskreizman, @mattgertz, @jasonhirschhorn, @richardhanania, @parkermolloy, @katie_robertson, @rschooley and @edmundlee

Ex-CNN exec S. Mitra Kalita and PA radio exec Sara Lomax-Reese launch URL Media, a newsletter seeking to expand local news on Black and brown communities — Former CNN executive S. Mitra Kalita and Philadelphia radio executive Sara Lomax-Reese have launched a newsletter seeking to expand local news …
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@mitrakalita, @russcontreras, @gregabedard, @dawnc331, @ampalm, @ccmnewmarkj, @eramshaw, @sashak, @schmalie, @elizatalks, @rosental, @cande313, @raju, @amlwhere and @kainazamaria

AMC Entertainment says it signed deals for $917M in funding to survive the COVID-19 pandemic for months and avoid bankruptcy — World's largest movie theater chain buys time with debt and equity deals as it continues to burn cash during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Variety, Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Business Wire, The A.V. Club, /Film, @nicsperling, Bloomberg, The Playlist, @richlightshed, @mjsamps, @firstshowing, The Week, The Wrap and Business Insider

An in-depth look at Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective, which a source says has spent $250M on journalism, buying stakes in The Atlantic, Axios, and others — With the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs is becoming a force in American media. What is she trying to achieve?
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@cjr, @jackshafer, @zunguzungu, @cjr, @_meher, @teddyschleifer, @pennyriordan1, @raju and @mathewi

Facebook News launches in the UK, partners with Axel Springer and Samsung owned Upday for curation; announces new partnerships and payments for some publishers — As the United Kingdom prepares to sharpen its focus on how it regulates big tech companies, Facebook is taking a big step …
Discussion:
Telegraph, The Guardian, inews.co.uk, The Verge, HoldtheFrontPage, Behind Local News UK, About Facebook and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
Facebook says it will give researchers targeting data on 1.3M social issue, electoral, and political ads from August 3 through November 3, 2020 — Facebook announced the news in a blog post Monday, following years of requests from academics. Until now, Facebook has only publicly shared data …

Sources: Group Nine's SPAC is eyeing ~20 targets, including BuzzFeed with its ~$300M in annual revenue, for an acquisition, as it wants $500M+ in annual revenue — - Bustle Digital Group, Vice Media, Vox Media, Group Nine and Buzzfeed have had recent talks about going public via a SPAC …
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Forbes, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @megancgraham, @sherman4949 and @sherman4949