Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
After leaving Meta, Brandon Silverman, co-founder of Facebook-acquired CrowdTangle, has helped craft a bipartisan bill to boost social networks' transparency — The co-founder of CrowdTangle has been working with Congress on legislation to make tech companies disclose their inner workings.
Pamela McClintock / Hollywood Reporter:
Comscore: North American box office revenue rose to $4.5B in 2021, up 101%+ YoY but nearly 60% behind 2019, as movies with youth appeal fueled the recovery — Revenue at the North American box office jumped 101 percent over 2020 but still lagged far behind pre-pandemic levels.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @pdergarabedian, @mattdentler and The Wrap
Associated Press:
IFJ: 45 journalists and media workers were killed doing their jobs in 2021, one of the lowest death tolls in 30 years and down from 65 killed in 2020 — BRUSSELS (AP) — A total of 45 reporters and media workers were killed doing their jobs over the last year, the highest number among …
Discussion:
@juanlozano70 and @spj_tweets
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Impresa, the largest media conglomerate in Portugal, gets hacked and extorted by the Lapsus$ ransomware gang — The Lapsus$ ransomware gang has hacked and is currently extorting Impresa, the largest media conglomerate in Portugal and the owner of SIC and Expresso, the country's largest TV channel and weekly newspaper, respectively.
Discussion:
@runasand, @aitorehm and @campuscodi
Jana Winter / Yahoo News:
US CBP and congressional committees are reviewing a secretive CBP division that ran database checks to investigate as many as 20 journalists — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is conducting a review of a secretive division that uses some of the country's most sensitive databases …
Discussion:
@weinbergersa, Reclaim The Net, @buddjenn, @isikoff and @davidlarter
Jennifer Jenkins / Duke University School of Law:
Books, movies, and songs published in 1926 and an estimated 400,000 sound recordings published before 1923 enter the US public domain as copyrights expire — On January 1, 2022, copyrighted works from 1926 will enter the US public domain, 1 where they will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon.
The Moscow Times:
Russia's media regulator adds Netflix to its “audio-visual services” register, requiring it to offer 20 major Russian federal TV channels starting in March 2022 — Russia's state media watchdog will require Netflix to offer state television channels to its Russian customers …
Discussion:
@emmalbriant and @michaeldweiss
Xander Richards / The National:
BBC concedes Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer Alan Dershowitz was “not a suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst” to discuss the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict — BBC admits fault after interview with Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer Alan Dershowitz — THE BBC has conceded …
Discussion:
@bbcnewspr, @laird_dinnaken, @jason1749, @marla_vous, The Guardian, @dry_observer, @caoilfhionnanna, @jayrosen_nyu, @palbint, Rolling Stone, @kimpossiblefact, @anelsona, @maxblumenthal, @nadiawhittomemp, @dougsaunders, @parismarx, @grady_booch, @aodespair, @mehdirhasan, @craigmurrayorg, @bigblackjacobin, @tribelaw, @shujarabbani, @byyourlogic, @zevshalev, @mikegalsworthy, @emilygorcenski, @silkiecarlo, @littledeekay, @birgittaj, @jonfranks, @aymanm, @claireatki, @jeffjarvis, @chardinetaylor, @paulmasonnews, @charlesarthur, @robburl, @atrupar, @jamieojohnson, @mollyjongfast, @jolyonmaugham, @liamyoung, @louisstaples, @scottygb, @kimjohnsonmp, @roseschmits, @clancyreports, @owenjones84, @healthuntodeath, @sarahchurchwell, Washington Post, @vrycoolandgood, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter and The Times
CNN:
Sudanese security forces raid two broadcasters, confiscate equipment, and assault and detain staff, trying to censor coverage of mass anti-military protests — (CNN)At least four people were shot dead by Sudanese security forces during anti-coup demonstrations near the capital Khartoum on Thursday …
Heidi Chung / Variety:
Since BuzzFeed's SPAC merger, its stock has fallen more than 50%, as other digital media companies warily eye their own exit or consolidation moves — As 2021 draws to a close, there have been some wild last-minute moves from recognizable names in digital media.
Discussion:
@variety
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:
Fox News ends 2021 as the top-rated basic cable channel for the sixth straight year with an average of 1.3M daily viewers, followed by MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, HGTV — End-of-year ratings are in and Fox News finished off 2021 as the top-rated basic cable channel for the sixth straight year, netting a lot of other wins along the way.
Discussion:
@mmasnick, @jayrosen_nyu, @bungarsargon, Washington Times, Forbes, Variety, Deadline and Fox News
Reuters:
Court denies bail to two ex-Stand News editors; HK's Carrie Lam says actions against Stand News “have nothing to do with so-called suppression of press freedom” — Two former senior editors of Hong Kong's Stand News were charged with conspiring to publish seditious materials …
Discussion:
@reuters, @reuters, @reuters, @theprojecttv, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP and 10 play
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Q&A with 10 media writers on the biggest and most overblown stories of the year, which streamer had the best year, predictions for 2022, and more — I'm sorry we didn't have a newsletter last weekend. I was dealing with a mild bout of Covid, time I used to catch up on Oscar movies.
Discussion:
Green Light, @aherman2006 and @lucas_shaw
Jack Suntrup / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Missouri's governor says he thinks a prosecutor will bring charges in the case of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter alerting the state to a data vulnerability — JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday expressed his opinion the Cole County prosecuting attorney would bring charges …
Discussion:
@trendoid, @shortformernie, @joeuchill, @joeuchill, Reclaim The Net, @bkopernikus, @stevecollinssj, @highbrow_nobrow, @brfreed, @ericcolumbus, @xor, @dangillmor, The Verge, Metacurity and MediaPost