Mediagazer: NYT's new disclosures about Neil Sheehan's deception of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, and its framing, raise concerns about journalistic ethics (Edward Wasserman/Mother Jones)

11:50 PM ET, February 7, 2021

Top News:

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Lawsuits from two election tech companies are now reining in right-wing media misinformation, after years of ad boycotts, public pressure campaigns, and outrage — Defamation cases have made waves across an uneasy right-wing media landscape, from Fox to Newsmax.

Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:

Fox News cancels Lou Dobbs Tonight on the Fox Business network and is expected to part ways with the pro-Trump host; Dobbs is still under contract for now — Fox News has canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the program hosted by television's staunchest supporter of Donald Trump and of his assertions …

Discussion: @rolandsmartin, @urbanachievr, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, @mollyjongfast, The Wrap, CNN, @brianstelter, @michaelcohen212, Politico, @petethorn, @helenkennedy, @alt_localgov, @cnn, @nprweekend, @redcladloon, @iamjulesward, @realcliffholmes, @moopersists, @davekeating, @dannagal, @sifill_ldf, @brianstelter, @rolandsmartin, @hunterw, @madisonsiriusxm, @mollyjongfast, @joshtpm, @senwhitehouse, New York Times, Mediaite, @dburghart, @xochitlhinojosa, @harthanson, @chrisdjackson, @timobrien, @adamgoldmannyt, @sruhle, @jeremymbarr, @rawstory, Media Matters for America, @eugene_scott, @sacca, @michaeldweiss, @johncardillo, contextisking.com, @georgehahn, @katiephang, @drdenagrayson, NPR, @glcarlstrom, @helenkennedy, @kurtbardella, @senatorjen, @ynb, Forbes, TheGrio, National Review, @tedlieu, Slate, @ztpetrizzo, Mother Jones, The Week, @erikwemple, @erikwemple, The Full Belmonte, @timobrien, @marcosbreton, @film_girl, @richmintz, @toddstarnes, @matchity, @russbengtson, @oliverdarcy, Newser, @jamessurowiecki, @ritholtz, @jeffjarvis, @bgrueskin, @bernybelvedere, @authorkimberley, @kitten0409, @aaronblake, @brownandbella, @gregpinelo, @green_footballs, @parkermolloy, @johniadarola, @azi, @yashar, HuffPost and Friendly Atheist

Gordon Russell / The Advocate:

Louisiana AG Jeff Landry sues a reporter for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune over a public-records request she filed — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Friday sued a reporter for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune over a public-records request she filed …

Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:

Interview with Marty Baron on some of the controversies during his tenure at WaPo, how the paper covered Bezos, and what he wanted to achieve in Washington DC — The soon-to-retire executive editor defends the idea of journalistic objectivity. “It's not neutrality, it's not both-sides-ism, it's not so-called balance,” he says.

Edward Wasserman / Mother Jones:

NYT's new disclosures about Neil Sheehan's deception of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, and its framing, raise concerns about journalistic ethics — Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:

Study finds debunking misinformation after exposure is more effective at improving an individual's truth discernment a week later than “prebunking” or labeling — Debunking > prebunking. If you want someone to not believe that false or misleading headline they just read, when's the best time to correct it?

Discussion: @firstdraftnews and @niemanlab

Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:

Twitter permanently suspends the account of Jim Hoft, founder and EIC of far-right news website Gateway Pundit, for violations of its “civic integrity policy” — Twitter on Saturday issued a permanent suspension for the account run by Jim Hoft, founder and editor-in-chief …

Discussion: Forbes, CNN, theepochtimes.com, @keithbaldrey, @bostonjoan, Insider, @antisillypirate, RT, Mediaite and Fox News

Ben Smith / New York Times:

Hachette Book Group last month fired Kate Hartson, one of the few mainstream editors who published Trump die-hards like Trump Jr., Lewandowski, and Pirro — Top editors at Hachette have told employees that they've learned the lessons of the Capitol siege of Jan. 6: no hate speech, no incitement to violence, no false narratives.

Discussion: @paulwiggins, @davecullen, Washington Post, @changinghands, @markszaidesq and @espiers

Andy Mills:

Audio producer Andy Mills, a creator and co-star of the NYT podcast Caliphate whose behavior has come under sustained scrutiny, has resigned — Today I'm resigning from The New York Times. Those are not words I ever wanted to write. — Growing up, I never even imagined that I would get the chance …

The Daily Beast:
NYT says Donald McNeil Jr. is leaving the company, days after staffers complained to bosses about the handling of reports he used racist language on a trip

Al Jazeera:

Egypt has released Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Mahmoud Hussein from jail after more than four years in pre-trial detention — Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Mahmoud Hussein freed after spending more than four years in detention. — Egypt has released Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein …

Discussion: @declanwalsh, @carriebrowntv, @iamabdi5, @stevechaosc, @kwoodsome, @abdynoor, @hasanpatel, @harunmaruf, @ajenews, @hiba_morgan, @nazaninemoshiri, @eoghancorry, The North Africa Journal, Axios, The Straits Times, Reuters, Associated Press and Sky News

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:

A look at Subtext, a messaging service used by BuzzFeed, NPR, and others, that helps reporters form closer bonds with readers via subscriptions to their SMS — At the beginning of the pandemic (remember the beginning?) it seemed as if every news outlet in existence was launching …

Discussion: @niemanlab, @digidave, @spj_tweets, @meredithdclark, @michellemanafy, @markstenberg3, @sinclaircornell, @ylichterman and @rasmus_kleis

Alex Kantrowitz / OneZero:

Interview with Glenn Greenwald on the benefits of Substack and content moderation, including whether Joe Rogan should have hosted Alex Jones — 'They're going to have to prepare now about how to resist the onslaught that absolutely will be coming in their direction' … In

Discussion: @brendenwood, @ozm, @ozm and @rasmus_kleis