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Disney confirms pulling a transgender storyline from animated series Win or Lose, saying “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects” with their kids — The original animated show about a co-ed high school team debuts on Disney+ in February.
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Sources: Disney worried that it had a flawed case in Trump's ABC lawsuit, and fighting it could hurt the Disney brand and damage press protections for others — Talks started and finished on the same day, after Disney decided that fighting the lawsuit could potentially hurt the company and protections for the press.
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Several ABC News staffers say its Trump settlement sets a concerning precedent and sends a message that Disney is giving priority to its corporate interests — Staffers question decision by Disney; company was looking to avoid protracted legal battle — Disney's decision …

Letter: The Scott Trust's deal to sell the Observer to Tortoise came despite a last-minute bid from Ecotricity founder Dale Vince to thwart the deal — Ecotricity founder Dale Vince made a fresh bid on Wednesday morning to prevent the world's oldest Sunday newspaper from falling into Tortoise Media's hands, Sky News can reveal.
Discussion:
The Times, RTÉ, London Evening Standard, City A.M. and Associated Press
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Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Tortoise formally signs the deal to buy The Observer, appoints acting editor Lucy Rock as the title's print editor, and launches a voluntary redundancy scheme
Tortoise formally signs the deal to buy The Observer, appoints acting editor Lucy Rock as the title's print editor, and launches a voluntary redundancy scheme
Discussion:
Byline Times, Axios, @stagewrite.bsky.social, The Independent, @tortoise, @carolecadwalla, @arusbridger, @tk.gg, @mediaindustry_b, The Guardian and @carolecadwalla

Flipboard launches Surf, an app to create custom feeds from Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, RSS, podcasts, and YouTube, in beta on iOS, Android, and iPadOS — Surf weaves Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, RSS feeds, podcasts, and YouTube into something that wouldn't have been possible until recently.

As demand for ghostwriters grows, high-end writers see higher salaries and more complex deals; survey: one in three reported earning more than $100,000/year — Shifts in the book industry have been a boon to writers who work quietly behind the scenes — Reality stars don't typically pride themselves on their literary prowess.
Discussion:
Dan Gerstein on LinkedIn and Gotham Ghostwriters

The NYT's Wirecutter partners with Google to add buttons with phrases like “Shop nearby with Google” to 150 curated products from December 20 to December 26 — The partnership is the biggest to date for Wirecutter, which started advertising this spring
Discussion:
@markstenberg3

Some US groups are building resources to defend against Trump lawsuits, and should gather lawyers, money, and people who know how to respond to performance art — In the wake of Donald Trump's election victory and promised revenge tour, a number of individuals have proposed the creation …
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Richard J. Tofel / Columbia Journalism Review:
ABC needs to answer questions about its $16M settlement with Trump in a libel case, especially whether it is changing accountability coverage of those in power
ABC needs to answer questions about its $16M settlement with Trump in a libel case, especially whether it is changing accountability coverage of those in power
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eMarketer expects Instagram to hit $32B in US ad revenue in 2025, or 50% of Meta's ad sales; filings: Instagram was ~30% of Meta's global business in early 2022 — - Video-sharing app estimated to reach $32 billion in ad revenue — Instagram users spend majority of their time watching videos
Discussion:
Benzinga, more at Techmeme »

SCOTUS says it will hear a challenge on January 10 to a new law that could lead to a TikTok ban in the US, ahead of the law taking effect on January 19 — Washington — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will take up a challenge to a new law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the U.S …
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Roku partners with X Games to stream X Games Aspen, founded by ESPN but sold to MSP Sports in 2022, on the recently launched Roku Sports Channel in 2025 — The platform will be home to X Games Aspen and a summer X Games event next year as it continues to expand its sports portfolio

Media Concierge agrees to take over Scotsman and Yorkshire Post parent company National World, promising no editorial job cuts and investment in local news — Marketing business and Irish local publisher Media Concierge has agreed a deal to take over Scotsman and Yorkshire Post parent company …
Discussion:
London Evening Standard, City A.M., The Independent and HoldtheFrontPage

YouTube sues Ganjingworld, which runs the Gan Jing World video-sharing website, alleging that it has been “automatically vacuuming up YouTube user channels” — YouTube filed a lawsuit against Ganjingworld, which operates the Gan Jing World video-sharing site, alleging that it has been …