Top News:


Getty Images sues Stability AI in the US, alleging it copied 12M+ images without permission or compensation to use as training data in creating Stable Diffusion — Getty Images has filed a lawsuit in the US against Stability AI, creators of open-source AI art generator Stable Diffusion, escalating its legal battle against the firm.
Discussion:
@rasbt, @atarkowski, @jjvincent, Wall Street Journal and Insider


A360 Media sells The National Enquirer to VVIP Ventures, a joint venture by Vinco Ventures and Icon Publishing, for “a little less” than the $100M price in 2019 — The publication has come under scrutiny in recent years over its suppression of stories about Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign.


Ken Doctor says his local digital outlet Lookout Santa Cruz is on track to make a profit in 2023, and hopes to expand to another California city by 2024 — Over many years as a leading media analyst, Ken Doctor spoke out repeatedly about the disintegrating American newspaper business.
Discussion:
@raineytime, @raineytime, @david_sommers and @sammy_roth


After Twitter said free API access would end on February 9, Elon Musk promises “a light, write-only API for bots providing good content that is free” — Last week, Twitter said it is shutting down free access to its APIs starting February 9. Now, days before the deadline …


A look at The Nation's refusal to retract a 2017 story saying the 2016 DNC email leak was an inside job, not a Russian hack, and its history of defending Russia — Two and a half years ago, the Columbia Journalism Review refused to publish Duncan Campbell's investigation into The Nation magazine …
Discussion:
@jonathanchait, @anthonybarnett, @dcampbell_iptv, @areidross, @marioricciard18, @info_rosalie, @casmudde, @fascinatorfun, @ronanltynan, @ronanltynan, @davidcorndc, @rvawonk, @lemieuxlgm, @projpm, @j_fassler, @j_fassler, @j_fassler, @kenny_pryde, @bylinetimes, @alanoszka, @jaspjackson, @aaronjmate, @john_sipher, @jonathanchait, @eduardosuarez, @froomkin, @jayrosen_nyu, @peterjukes, @im_pulse, @seth_hettena and @davidcorndc


Disney removes an October 2022 episode of The Simpsons that referred to “forced labor camps” in China from Disney+ in Hong Kong, after a similar removal in 2021 — Missing programme on streaming platform mentions ‘camps where children make smartphones’
Discussion:
Reuters, Insider, CNN, CBR, @yaling_jiang, @byron_wan, Fortune, @sariarhohavren, @rachel_cheung1, @tripperhead, @therealjoshye, @therealjoshye and @thomashhchan, more at Techmeme »


By seeking a jury trial over breaking up Google's ad business, the DOJ is taking a risky, very unusual step for an antitrust case, which may hinder its chances — The US Department of Justice is insisting that its new Google suit be tried by a jury — Complexity is often used to obfuscate.
Discussion:
@aidanpeppin, @georgedibb, @justinhendrix, @jtasioulas, @alemannoeu and @maxvonthun, more at Techmeme »


The Markup founder Julia Angwin says she is leaving the outlet after five years to pursue other projects; Angwin moved from EIC to editor-at-large in April 2022 — Hello, friends, — I'm sad to inform you that this is my last missive to you. After founding The Markup five years ago …
Discussion:
@juliaangwin, @meredithangwin, @charliebeckett, @josephmenn, @daniellecitron, @cfcamerer, @elinor_carmi, @sivavaid, @startpage, @sisiwei, @nabihasyed, @rajiinio, @leonyin, @lauraedelson2, @merbroussard, @jason_kint, @brianstelter, @darakerr, @craigsilverman, @jayrosen_nyu, @jonkeegan, @lkirchner, @moonalice, @jamesrbuk, @juliaangwin and Talking Biz News


A look at the Black women fighting for years to claim top TV meteorologists roles in the US, some of whom face waves of backlash and hate from viewers — For decades, broadcast meteorology has been dominated by White men — leaving out women, and particularly women of color.
Discussion:
@stellakafka, @drshepherd2013, @brynnecraig and @bhensonweather


A profile of Chris Jackson, the publisher and EIC of Penguin Random House imprint One World Books, who is diversifying hiring and publishing more POC authors — Chris Jackson moves slowly through clusters of people on the promenade in front of Jane's Carousel, the iconic merry-go-round by the East River waterfront in Brooklyn.
Discussion:
@alecurussell, @nikadubrovsky, @enumaokoro and @raju


BMG signed and canceled a deal with a French rapper widely condemned in Europe for antisemitic lyrics; documents: the label's involvement was to be kept hidden — Though the music label ultimately backed out, the deal illustrates the temptations and risks faced by corporations seeking …
Discussion:
@katierosman, @sowmyak, @alexmarshall81, @nytimesmusic, @nspector4, @joshmalina and Billboard


A look at “de-influencers”, a rising cohort of TikTok users criticizing viral products and promoting thoughtful shopping; #deinfluencing videos passed 68M views — TikTok users are speaking critically about viral products and advocating for thoughtful shopping habits.
Discussion:
@davidfromkansas, Media Voices, @devindra, @wsjmag, @loyolaquinlan, @neilretail, @itstheannmarie, @dawngilbertson, Bits of Yit, Insider, SPY, Good Good Good, TODAY.com, TIME, Fortune, @wsjmag and @laneflorsheim