Mediagazer: Australia's concentrated media industry, dominated by News Corp, is aligned with the prime minister and has sought compensation from tech companies for years (Damien Cave/New York Times)

2:55 AM ET, February 18, 2021

Top News:

William Easton / About Facebook:

Ahead of proposed media law, Facebook says it's banning Australians from sharing/viewing news and all users from sharing from and viewing Australian news Pages — In response to Australia's proposed new Media Bargaining law, Facebook will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing …

Discussion: @dylanbyers, Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Guardian, Press Gazette, @joshfrydenberg, @matthewstoller, Digiday, Insider, @mikeisaac, CNBC, Gizmodo, @mattburgess1, Slice of Bread, The Verge, Hollywood Reporter, ZDNet, The Pick and Roll, Raw Story, @mikeisaac, @jamesrbuk, @kantrowitz, @bdsams, @jordanlperkins, @w7voa, RNZ, @profgalloway, @karaswisher, @markdistef, @mathewi, @stuntech, New World Same Humans, Mumbrella, @caitoz, @mathewi, Mashable, @sarafischer, @froomkin, Mediaite, @katecrawford, @deniseshrivell, @jonkeegan, @andrewlawton, @emilybell, @caseynewton, @walthickey, The Kākā, @normative, @a_d_morgan, @mariabustillos, The Daily Dot, @timmarchman, The Western Journal, @profgalloway, @pt, @stevekopack, @gaberivera, @timmarchman, @juhasaarinen, @amyremeikis, @belindajones68, Herald Sun, @itsbouquet, The Week and @emilybell, more at Techmeme »

Campbell Brown / Facebook:

Facebook News Partnerships VP: Australia's planned law “fails to recognize ... the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers” — Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to restrict the availability of news on Facebook in Australia.

Casey Newton / Platformer:

Banning Australian news makes sense for Facebook and may prompt people to visit news sites directly; Google's payoffs, though, will invite global shakedowns — Yesterday, I wrote that Australia's News Media Bargaining Code threatened to splinter the internet.

Discussion: The Guardian, @caseynewton, @caseynewton, @karaswisher, AdExchanger, South China Morning Post, @jayrosen_nyu, @evadienel, @joshelman, @gaberivera, @swesterman, @laurenweinstein, @_claireconnelly and The Right Scoop, more at Techmeme »

Reuters and Associated Press:

Facebook says it generated ~5.1B free referrals to Australian publishers worth ~AU$407M last year, as Australia's Media Bargaining law passes the House — - Facebook will no longer allow people in Australia to read or share news — The move is a response to the country's proposed Media Bargaining law

Discussion: @andrewbrownau, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, news.com.au, New York Post, @carolecadwalla, @caseybriggs, @joshgnosis, 9News, @emilybell, @slpng_giants, @joshgnosis, The Indian Express and @caseybriggs

Nicholas McElroy / ABC:
Australian authorities in public health, weather, and other areas say Facebook has removed posts from their feeds following Facebook's news ban

Damien Cave / New York Times:

Australia's concentrated media industry, dominated by News Corp, is aligned with the prime minister and has sought compensation from tech companies for years — Pathbreaking legislation showed that even a small nation can get the tech giant to bend. But the United States seems unlikely to follow.

Discussion: Press Gazette, Wall Street Journal, CBS San Francisco and @alfonslopeztena

News Corp:

News Corp announces a multi-year, global partnership with Google to provide content from its news sites “in return for significant payments by Google” — Long-term Deal Involves Payment For Premium Content For Google News Showcase; — Will Yield Substantial Benefits For Journalism And Society

Discussion: @jeffjarvis, Digiday, MediaPost, @jeffjarvis, Garbage Day, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, @mathewi, Bloomberg, @b_fung, @kerrymflynn, @jeffjarvis, The Indian Express, Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, @ilpomodoro2, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, Politico, @maxboot, @aubreybelford, @mmasnick, @kylieedo, @cp24, @laurenweinstein, @jayrosen_nyu, @sub8u, @presseschauer, @laukaya, @gcberg, @hillbrad, @davidmackau, @senficon, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @deadline, @slpng_giants, @noahshachtman, @mohamed, @sarafischer, @rasmus_kleis, @kateo, @kerrymflynn, @tiffanydcross, @clarajeffery, @lee__drake, @jeffjarvis, @kimbere640, @kerrymflynn, @davidmwessel, @joshsternberg, @nandoodles, @kerrymflynn, @deniseshrivell, @davidcayj, @markhughesfilms, @jason_kint, @djjasong, @devrelcallum, @jason_kint, @mcclure111, @sammonford, @bryson_m, @brianstelter, @jeffjarvis and @jason_kint, more at Techmeme »

Brian Flood / Fox News:

Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70 after a battle with lung cancer — Limbaugh's death, following Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, announced by family — Fox News Flash top headlines for February 17 — Rush Limbaugh, the monumentally influential media icon who transformed talk radio …

Discussion: @pastpunditry, @richlowry, Washington Post, New York Times, @jessbravin, New York Times, The Wrap, HuffPost, NPR, CNN, The Wrap, @ichotiner, @drjeffreypjones, Slate, Media Matters for America, Axios, @brianros1, The Daily Beast, ABC News, @johnjcook, @maxwelltani, @jessicavalenti, @kayleighmcenany, @glennbeck, @jbouie, @mattoswaltva, @sentomcotton, @joelpollak, CNBC, @govkristinoem, @bessbell, Breitbart, @atrupar, New York Post, The Sun, @nowthisnews, @tressiemcphd, Discourse Blog, @brithume, @jeffjarvis, @dylanmatt, @karaswisher, @franklin_graham, @greenfield64, New York Times, @byyourlogic, @ichotiner, @froomkin, @rhetoricpj, @judgejeanine, @brianstelter, @titonka, @maureenjohnson, @mattwalshblog, @ashleyfeinberg, @diamondandsilk, @jackmirkinson, @akilahobviously, Power Daily, @melaniatrump, @capeannsky, @janecoaston, @bug_gwen, @richlowry, @johnastoehr, @randpaul, @maragay, @dylanbyers, @froomkin, @sarahljaffe, @juddlegum, @rothschildmd, @tomnamako, @letsgomathias, @froomkin, @the_law_boy, @brianstelter, @grynbaum, @nigel_farage, @davidklion, @juliaioffe, @williamturton, @brianstelter, @heerjeet, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, @sharpe222, @allison_burnett, @cwarzel, @drpaulgosar, @mehdirhasan, @bro_pair, @janicedean, @mehdirhasan, @atrupar, @froomkin, @jessicavalenti, @cameron_kasky, @pastpunditry, @scrowder, @oliverdarcy, @froomkin, @goldengateblond, @senrickscott, @jparkabc, @yamiche, @christnnitemare, @the_law_boy, Press Watch and @pastpunditry

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Alden's audacious lie that it ensures “sustainability of robust local journalism” is evidence of its unsuitability as a newspaper owner — When Alden Global Capital announced Tuesday that it was positioned to buy the Chicago Tribune and several other major newspapers, its statement might have sounded promising.

Discussion: Vanity Fair, @larryryckman, @sulliview, @davidaxelrod, @dangillmor, @maghielse, @elyssacherney, @dennisdoddcbs, @amlwhere, @nicdawes, @briokc, @larryryckman, @melissajpeltier, @meredithshiner, @royalpratt and The Guardian

Marc Tracy / New York Times:

Profile of Stewart Bainum, who set up a nonprofit to buy The Baltimore Sun; filing shows price of $65M for The Sun and other papers under nonbinding term sheet — Stewart Bainum, a hotel magnate and former politician, has swooped in with a plan to run it and other papers in Maryland as part of a nonprofit.

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, @peterfranchot, Washington Post, @jayrosen_nyu, @jayrosen_nyu, @ckrewson, @marcatracy and @jayrosen_nyu

Christopher Dinsmore / Baltimore Sun:
A nonprofit formed by Stewart Bainum Jr., Sunlight for All Institute, is set to acquire The Baltimore Sun, The Capital Gazette, and several other area outlets

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Axios, @chicagotribune, @amlwhere, @aodespair and The NewsGuild - CWA

ProPublica:

ProPublica says Richard Tofel, its founding general manager and president since 2013, will retire from the company when a successor is found — ProPublica announced today that Richard Tofel, its founding general manager and president since 2013, will retire from the company when a successor is in place …

Discussion: @dicktofel, @dancow, @kenwardjr, @michaelluo, @sulliview, @jeffjarvis, @kleinmatic, @davidfolkenflik, @agolis, @craignewmark, @emmacarew, @carolineylchen, @celrae, @ericuman, @jonathanalter, @nsbarsky, @dlind and @ibarguen

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

CNN nullified its rule that prevented Chris Cuomo from covering Andrew Cuomo when the Gov. was flying high, only to invoke it during the nursing home scandal — On his Monday night CNN program, host Chris Cuomo provided an update on the biggest story of the past year.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, @jgrantaddison, TheBlaze and @jessemckinley

Etan Vlessing / Hollywood Reporter:

Apple and Skydance Animation cut a deal for feature films and TV series for Apple TV+, starting with Luck and Spellbound movies and The Search for WondLa series — Their overall deal includes animated TV shows like ‘The Search for WondLa,’ which gets a series order.

Discussion: Deadline, Collider, @zemthings and /Film

Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

YouTube says it will expand Shorts, its TikTok rival in beta in India, to the US in coming weeks, announces plans for 2021 including expanding in-video shopping — YouTube has a host of big product updates coming this year, and it just detailed a lot of them in a blog post from Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan.

Discussion: YouTube Official Blog, Gizmodo, @mattnavarra, Android Police, @fwiz and @vidiq, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:
YouTube says YouTube Kids app now has 35M weekly users and launches new tools for creators to make money from their fans, including an applause feature

Discussion: @lucas_shaw, more at Techmeme »