Top News:
Elaine Woo / Los Angeles Times:
Joan Didion, whose career spanned traditional reporting, screenwriting, cultural criticism, and fiction, dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 87 — Joan Didion, the celebrated prose stylist, novelist and screenwriter who chronicled American culture and consciousness with cool detachment …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, New York Times, @markharrisnyc, SlashFilm, @juliaccarpenter, @jayrosen_nyu, @adriennelaf, @andersen, @stevesilberman, @monicalewinsky, @brickhousecoop, @gustavoarellano, Media Nation, @connorasheets, @moppyopps, Electric Literature, @mckenziewark, @margaretsimons, The Wrap, The Week, Associated Press, Reuters, UPI, Insider, The Guardian, Washington Post, @daveyalba, 6abc, @rrrrnessa, @chimeracoder, @paperhaus, @latimes, @jfmclooney, @nytimes, @kimjnews, @elisewho, @lindseyboylan, @dastageermuska, IndieWire, @latimes, @parisreview, @sarayasin, @pattmlatimes, @kimjnews, @johnmyers, @racheldonadio, Hollywood Reporter, @hannahcwiley, @mathewi, @4thestatebooks, @condelibrary and @the_60s_at_60
Sapna Maheshwari / New York Times:
Brands are flocking to TikTok with dedicated ad campaigns, attracted by its 1B users and its algorithm that can make an ad seem like just another video — Brands are flocking to the platform like never before, drawn by its more than 1 billion users and its algorithm, which can make an ad seem like just another video.
Discussion:
@nytimesbusiness, @sapna, American Press Institute, @frankpasquale, @katherinemiller, @migold, Fast Company, Insider and Gizmodo
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
The European Commission grants antitrust clearance for Discovery's proposed acquisition of AT&T's WarnerMedia; Discovery expects the deal to close in mid-2022 — Discovery, announced today that the European Commission has granted unconditional antitrust clearance of the company's proposed acquisition …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, The Hollywood Reporter, C21Media and Variety
Rebecca Davis / Variety:
Studio executives, producers, and others predict China will decouple from the global film industry in 2022 as the country turns inward under Xi Jinping — The tea leaves aren't difficult to read: China and Hollywood can bid adieu to any attempts at in-depth cultural collaboration …
Discussion:
Variety, @fy4chan, @penamerica, @darksecretplace, @chineseciv and @sonnybunch
BBC:
Jon Snow, who led the UK's Channel 4 News for 32 years, signs off as lead presenter; the channel says he'll front longer-form projects and focus on charities — Jon Snow has presented his final edition of Channel 4 News after 32 years at the helm of the programme.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Telegraph, @gnuseibeh, @dunlapsports, @faisalislam, @giharrington, @faisalislam, @piersmorgan, @bbclysedoucet, @cathynewman, @faisalislam, @channel4news and The Guardian
David Pierce / Protocol:
Interview with Automattic's Matt Mullenweg on working from his always-connected RV, making “the Berkshire Hathaway of the internet”, and betting on open systems — In the early days of the pandemic, Matt Mullenweg didn't move to a compound in Hawaii, bug out to a bunker …
Discussion:
@nickgillespie, @dimensionmedia, @markosaric, @harrymccracken, @jboogie, @pierce, @automattic and @protocol
Kristina Davis / San Diego Union-Tribune:
US judge orders a podcast to turn over unaired interviews, ruling the defendants' rights to due process outweigh the podcast producers' First Amendment rights — Lawyers for six naval officers want the recordings to help defend their clients against criminal bribery charges
Discussion:
@tomwrightasia, @tomwrightasia, @tomwrightasia, @tomgara, @katie_rcfp, @benyt, @bradleyhope, @davecbenoit, @rcfp, @tomwrightasia and @nickochsnerwbtv
Byron Kaye / Reuters:
Australia adds what appears to be a fake news site to the register of companies that can negotiate licensing deals with Meta and Google — Australia's ground-breaking law forcing platforms like Google and Facebook to pay local publishers for news faces an unlikely test case …
Jon Caramanica / New York Times:
A look at TikTok's biggest stars, including Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, Noah Beck, and Addison Rae, expanding to other platforms, often with mixed results — This year, the app's biggest stars — Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, Noah Beck, Addison Rae and others — leapt from the phone screen …
Reuters:
Belarus adds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to its list of extremist organizations, meaning that Belarusian subscribers could face six years in prison — Belarus' interior ministry said on Thursday it has added United States broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to its list of extremist organisations.
Claudia Eller / Variety:
Q&A with Bob Iger, as he prepares to leave Disney at the end of 2021, on his disinterest in running another company, Bob Chapek, investing in startups, and more — “I'm being resolute about it — this time around. I haven't once second-guessed it or hesitated," he tells me. “It's bittersweet.
Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper, @mhawk9955, @jesterbestie, CNBC, @variety_cynthia, @williamsjon, @joshgad, @variety, @variety, @tylermooore, @variety, @variety, Puck, @variety_claudia, Insider and The Week
Ari Paparo Dot Eth / @aripap:
[Thread] For media and advertising, Web3's focus on decentralization and tokenization solves few, if any, problems and is the last thing ad tech needs — This web3 shit is starting to annoy me, so here's a thread with my opinions on the relevance to media and advertising. 1/21 🧵
Discussion:
@tkawaja, @bznotes, @matvelloso, @aripap, @zachcoelius, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @rafat, @tswirly, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @myles_younger, @aripap, @hakosam, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @aripap, @bd2k, @eric_seufert, @modestproposal1 and @hisamblake
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