Top News:
Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Wired says it plans to drop paywalls for articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act — The news business isn't just any business — it serves a vital role in our democracy, recognized by the First Amendment. But media outlets can't serve that role if they're bankrupt.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, CNN, @seth-stern.bsky.social, Talking Biz News, @stevenlevy, @johncusack.bsky.social, @eloquence@social.coop, @angusmaccaull.bsky.social, @dbeecher.bsky.social, @jonahblank.bsky.social, @gregwilliams718.bsky.social, @timmarchman.bsky.social, @evystadium.bsky.social, @wired, @katie-drummond.bsky.social, @josephcox@infosec.exchange, @leahfeiger.bsky.social, @warnercrocker.bsky.social, @dsilverman@mastodon.social and @werd.io
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
RFE/RL sues USAGM and its officials Kari Lake and Victor Morales, arguing they acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally in blocking funds allocated by Congress — The grant cancellation would violate the Constitution and federal laws, according to the case filed by RFE/RL in the US District Court for DC
CNN:
Source: leaders of several US-funded international networks have told their teams to keep broadcasting, defying Trump, as they deem the terminations unlawful — The leaders of several US-funded international networks have instructed their organizations to continue broadcasting …
Discussion:
@demfromct, @brianstelter, New Republic, The Kyiv Independent, Lisa Curtis on LinkedIn and The Diplomat
Nectar Gan / CNN:
Chinese nationalists and state media praise Trump's decision to dismantle VOA, RFA, and other US-funded media outlets that broadcast to authoritarian regimes — Hong Kong CNN — One nationalist influencer called it “truly gratifying.” Another said he was laughing his head off.
Discussion:
The Hill, Global Times, The Desk, MSNBC, Washington-Baltimore …, Radio Free Asia, Politico, Foreign Policy, Wall Street Journal, @wang_maya, @hadas_gold, @taiwanfcc, @brianstelter, BBC, Punch Newspapers, Taiwan Foreign …, South China Morning Post, @radiofreeasia, @ewong, Phelim Kine on LinkedIn, @wbng.org, DNyuz, TVNewsCheck, Poynter, Global Times, @boerdeng, @pearsonelaine, New York Times, The Guardian, The Diplomat, ABC, @passantino.bsky.social, NBC News, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, HuffPost and RedState
RELATED:
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks plans to step down in spring 2025; President Biden had renominated Starks in 2023 for a new term that ends in 2027 — Geoffrey Starks, one of two Democrats on the Federal Communications Commission, said that he will step down this spring.
Discussion:
MediaPost, TV Tech, Inside Radio, The Desk, TVNewsCheck, @brianstelter, The Verge, @kaplanikids.bsky.social, RADIO ONLINE, Bloomberg, Radio & Television …, @brendancarrfcc, @viacristiano, Federal Communications Commission, Cord Cutters News, @viacristiano, Radio Ink, @geoffreystarks and Barrett Media
Reuters:
Tencent Music reports Q4 revenue up 8.2% YoY to ~$1.03B, above ~$1.01B est., social entertainment services revenue down 13% to ~$225M, and net profit up 47.3% — Tencent Music Entertainment (1698.HK) topped analysts' estimates for quarterly revenue on Tuesday with its second straight quarter …
Discussion:
Billboard, Music Business Worldwide, Digital Music News, Tencent Music and Benzinga
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Taboola strikes a deal with Microsoft to sell display ads for MSN.com, Outlook, Games, Office products, and more, as it expands beyond native advertising — Taboola struck a deal with Microsoft to sell display ads for MSN.com, Microsoft Outlook, Games and Microsoft's broader Office Suite …
Discussion:
Adam Singolda on LinkedIn and @sarafischer, more at Techmeme »
Angela Giuffrida / The Guardian:
Italian newspaper Il Foglio says it published the world's first newspaper edition entirely produced by AI, part of a month-long experiment to show AI's impact — Il Foglio says artificial intelligence used 'for everything - the writing, the headlines, the quotes ... even the irony'
Discussion:
Tomorrow's Publisher, @janerosenzweig.bsky.social and @hannahfearn.bsky.social
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Memo: Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing plans to step down from his role as co-CEO to focus on creative projects for the company — Jeremy Boreing, co-founder of the Daily Wire, is stepping down from his role as co-CEO to focus on creative projects for the company, he told staff in a memo obtained by Axios on Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, @iancarrollshow, @paleofuture.bsky.social, @jeremydboreing and @imbrettcooper
Todd Spangler / Variety:
In an open letter to the OSTP, Ben Stiller and 400+ Hollywood creatives urge President Trump to not let Google, OpenAI, and others “exploit” copyrighted works — More than 400 Hollywood creative leaders signed an open letter to the Trump White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy …
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
The Independent plans to launch Bulletin, a news service that uses Google AI tools to provide article summaries overseen by its journalists, later this month — UK-based publisher joins newsrooms around the world in grappling with existential threat posed by new technology
Discussion:
Press Gazette, @getwired.bsky.social, @jackcarterbenjamin … and @jaspar.bsky.social
Bloomberg:
Source: Elon Musk invested $150M to acquire more X shares in 2024 at a valuation close to his 2022 purchase price and “expressed willingness” to buy more shares — - Musk “expressed willingness” to buy more shares, filing shows — Musk initially purchased X for $44 billion including debt
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