Top News:
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
In a post, Donald Trump says he will withhold support and endorsements for any Republican who votes against his bill to claw back CPB funding — The Senate next week is expected to consider a package to rescind $9.4 billion in funding, including $1.1 billion already allocated to the Corporation …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Newsweek, Politico, Raw Story, RedState, NewsMax.com, The Hill, Deseret News, CBS News, Reuters, HuffPost, NCS | NewscastStudio, Benzinga and Washington Examiner
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: Meta won't propose additional changes to its pay-or-consent model in the EU, and could face fresh antitrust charges and hefty daily fines — Meta Platforms (META.O) is very unlikely to offer more changes to its pay-or-consent model, meaning it is almost certain to be hit …
Discussion:
Cryptopolitan and Bloomberg
The Hollywood Reporter:
A profile of Sean O'Brien, the pro-Trump leader of Teamsters union and one of the very few Hollywood emissaries with the clout to lobby Trump for tax credits — Sean O'Brien, the colorful and combative leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, is providing an unexpected line to the White House.
Muck Rack:
In 2025, the US has 8.2 journalists per 100K residents on average, down from 40 in 2002; 33% of US counties don't have even one full-time journalist — Where are the journalists? — For the first time, we've mapped how many local journalists cover each U.S. county, revealing in stark detail the stunning collapse in local reporting.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, CNN, Inside Radio, @griffen8smith, @tvgrimreaper, @brianstelter, @paulguinnessy.bsky.social, Local News Initiative, @jayrosen.bsky.social, Matthew Albasi on LinkedIn, The Hill, UPI, Scott Yates on LinkedIn, NextDraft, Center for Cooperative Media, NCS | NewscastStudio, Poynter and @dankennedy.net
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
A look at Radio Times parent company Immediate Media, which had adjusted profit of ~£36M in 2024 and 745K digital subscribers, out of 1.3M total subscribers — Magazine publishing nowadays is generally either a story of decline or one of pedalling ever faster to stand still.
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
A look at ProRata's recently launched Gist AI answer widget, which it hopes publishers will feature on their pages, arguing it helps with reader retention — Prorata's chief business officer has set out four things the AI start-up needs to prove to publishers as it builds up to a wider launch of its products.
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
YouTube will remove its Trending page and Trending Now list in favor of category-specific charts, says it better aligns with the way content is discovered now — YouTube is removing its Trending page and Trending Now list in favor of category-specific charts, the company announced on Thursday.
Discussion:
Livemint, Android Authority, Cord Cutters News, Variety, Beebom, Tech Times, Gizchina.com, Mashable, The Hans India, Game Rant, Android Headlines, WinBuzzer, Neowin, The Hollywood Reporter, Social Media Today, Android Police, Pocket-lint, WeRSM, Tubefilter, Dexerto, 9to5Google, The Verge, Thurrott and Tech Startups
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The UK's Reach plans to merge its national and regional sports journalism teams into one central hub, resulting in around 50 layoffs — Reach has proposed major changes to how its sports journalists work, merging many of its national and regional teams in England into a central hub with around 50 redundancies anticipated.
Discussion:
BusinessCloud, HoldtheFrontPage, National Union of Journalists … and Irish News
Corbin Bolies / The Daily Beast:
Joe Davidson, a longtime Washington Post columnist, says he resigned after a column he wrote about Trump's policies was blocked for being “too opinionated” — BAD GUY — Joe Davidson said he left the paper after it spiked political commentary from his column.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Press Watch, Washington Post, @brianstelter, @wabjdc, @brianstelter, SheKnows, Mediaite, StyleCaster, Breitbart, HuffPost, Editor and Publisher, New Republic, New York Post and Alternet.org
Trishla Ostwal / Adweek:
Rembrand, which uses AI tools to add products into social and CTV ads, buys the US arm of Mirriad, which uses VFX to place branded items into TV and film scenes — The younger AI company acquires the legacy firm, signaling a broader shift in the media landscape
Discussion:
Maria Teresa Hernandez on LinkedIn and Omar Tawakol on LinkedIn
Alex Welch / The Wrap:
A judge rules Don Lemon's lawsuit against Elon Musk and X can proceed to trial, after Musk canceled a $1.5M/year exclusive X content deal with Lemon in 2024 — “Musk is subject to the legal process, just like everyone else,” the journalist's lawyer says of the axed X content deal
Discussion:
TechSpot, theJasmineBRAND, New York Post, Mediaite, CNBC, Fox Business, The A.V. Club, Deadline and Barrett Media, more at Techmeme »
Borys Kit / The Hollywood Reporter:
Webtoon Entertainment is rebranding and reorganizing its North American entertainment and IP business, with Wattpad Webtoon Studios becoming Webtoon Productions — David Madden has been elevated to president of the new Webtoon Productions, among other changes.
Discussion:
Animation Magazine
