Top News:
Derek Thompson / @dkthomp:
Matt Murray saying that WaPo will no longer write for “one slice of the audience” demonizes the strategy of fiercely reporting on Trump that made it successful — This part of the Matt Murray email to WaPo staffers makes me most depressed about the paper's future. What you've got here is a media company where the owner has not only overhauled strategy but also required that new leadership pursue a Bad Strategy and demonize the very [image]
Discussion:
@mikeisaac, @mattzeitlin, @alex_kirshner, @herbscribner and @thatjenmonroe
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Jeremy Barr / The Guardian:
Marty Baron says “I firmly believe” Jeff Bezos prioritizes his other interests over WaPo; Jim VandeHei says “I have no clue what their strategy was or is” — On Wednesday, storied newspaper axed nearly one-third of company after earlier unpopular moves by owner Jeff Bezos
Discussion:
Fox News, The Bulwark, Business Insider, Lawyers, Guns & Money, HotAir, @morganvisconti.bsky.social, Washingtonian, @jimvandehei, Drezner's World, MS NOW, @davidfolkenflik, @jeremymbarr, @semaforben, The American Spectator, Crooks and Liars, Australian Financial Review, Agence France-Presse, Esquire, Longreads, Deseret News, NewsMax.com, The NewsGuild, Media Nation, The Wrap and CBS News
Brian Stelter / CNN:
In an interview, WaPo Executive Editor Matt Murray says Jeff Bezos supports “reinvention” and wants the WaPo to be “a bigger, relevant, thriving institution” — Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos remains committed to the publication, its top editor told CNN in an interview Wednesday …
Discussion:
Status, New York Sun, Fox News, Washingtonian, @jeremymbarr, MS NOW, Blaze Media, Vanity Fair, PJ Media, Gulf Business, The American Bazaar, @peterbakernyt.bsky.social, Newser, @timkarr.bsky.social, @mikeisaac, @j9talley, @garygrumbach, @brianstelter, The Hill, Talking Biz News, Semafor, IJR, Poynter, @ericcasey.bsky.social, @rcmacleod.bsky.social, Business Insider, twitchy.com, Life, Liberty, Property, Le Monde, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, The Information, The Indian Express, Columbia Journalism Review, HotAir, Washington …, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, @washpostcomms, Semafor, @maxwelltani, New York Times, The Wrap and The Athletic
Ruth Marcus / New Yorker:
How Jeff Bezos forced WaPo into severe decline in President Trump's second term, including mass layoffs that seem to transform it into a kind of Politico-lite
Discussion:
404 Media, Newslaundry, Poynter, New Republic, Nieman Lab, The Wrap, Climate-Colored Goggles, Awful Announcing, Slate, BY GLENN KESSLER, @jimvandehei, @murshedz.bsky.social, @jhweissmann, To the Contrary, Axios, @RonaldTooTall …, The Atlantic, The Cross Section, @zzzzaaaacccchhh, @nitashatiku, @isaacstanbecker, @chuckculpepper1, @nastyagalouchka, @denk_tweets, @pbump.com, @shannonosaka.bsky.social, Dan Gillmor on LinkedIn, Melanie Sill on LinkedIn, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, @hammancheez.bsky.social, Pen Strokes, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @heatherthereporter …, @rmac.bsky.social, @samadams.bsky.social, @samadams.bsky.social, Truthout, @whitehouse.senate.gov, Aftermath, NextDraft, @PeteTucker@mastodon.social, Al Jazeera, @gonebabygone.bsky.social, Techdirt, @gonebabygone.bsky.social, @csammells.bsky.social, Breitbart, @chrislhayes.bsky.social, @leahmillis.bsky.social, @lunaluvgood2020.bsky.social, @leahmillis.bsky.social, The Nation, @timothynoah.bsky.social, Ace of Spades HQ, @jkavanagh.bsky.social, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, @kristinekenyon.bsky.social, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, @susanrinkunas.com, @susanrinkunas.com, @brianpjcronin.bsky.social, @ginnyhogan_@threads.com, @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social, Mediaite and The Atlantic
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Ex-WaPo Executive Editor Marty Baron says “this ranks among the darkest days in the history of” the paper; WaPo laid off Amazon beat reporter Caroline O'Donovan
Ex-WaPo Executive Editor Marty Baron says “this ranks among the darkest days in the history of” the paper; WaPo laid off Amazon beat reporter Caroline O'Donovan
Discussion:
gofundme.com, Associated Press, CBS News, @ceodonovan, The Guardian, The Bulwark, twitchy.com, @mrdanzak.com, @flyingwithsara.bsky.social, France 24, PetaPixel, New York Times, @51st.news, @bestforbritain.org, The Daily Caller, campaignlive.com, ARLnow, @fheinderyckx@mastodon.social, Talking Biz News, Benzinga, @benmullin, Mediaite, @corbinbolies, The Indian Express, The Wrap, Forbes, @ceodonovan, @jeremymbarr, @mat, @mlcalderone, @sherrilynifill@threads.com, @senwarren, @geoffrbennett@threads.com, @kensweet, NPR, @davidfolkenflik, @davidfolkenflik, Awful Announcing, The Moderate Voice, Gamereactor UK, PBS NewsHour, Mediaweek, NewsMax.com, Inc.com, The Independent, The Guardian, Grabien, @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social, Joseph Menn on LinkedIn, Screen Rant, LinkedIn News, Miriam Smallman on LinkedIn, Emily Guskin on LinkedIn, Mind Matters, @nhannahjones.bsky.social, @nhannahjones.bsky.social, The Hill, Gizmodo, Salon, Baller Alert, Feed Me, @viacristiano.bsky.social, @alissawilkinson.bsky.social, GeekWire, @kateconger.com, The 51st, @heidireinberg.bsky.social, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @noahshachtman.bsky.social, @davidakaye.bsky.social, @laurenkaorigurley.bsky.social, Daniel Wolfe on LinkedIn, Politico, @anoraker.com, @sadbumblebee.buzz, Fast Company, Fox News, Meidas+, @sifu.tweety.fish, The Kyiv Independent, Washington Times, @harrisondsmith.bsky.social, @timrecuber.bsky.social, Sports Business Journal, @susanrinkunas.com, Entrepreneur, NBC News, @karaswisher.bsky.social, @juliaangwin.com, Lori Montgomery on LinkedIn, WLT Report, @raphae.li, @drewharwell.com, Townhall, @tierneymaps.bsky.social, The Post Millennial, Yahoo Finance, HuffPost, New Republic, @tcobserver12.bsky.social, @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social, Blue Virginia, New York Post, @thelincoln.bsky.social, @joshuasweitz.bsky.social, @thrasherxy.bsky.social, Front Office Sports, @davidzipper.bsky.social, New York Daily News, @actfortransit.bsky.social, @reevesjw.bsky.social and Reuters
Kenneth Li / Reuters:
Thomson Reuters reports Q4 revenue up 5% YoY to $2B, matching est., and news division organic revenue up 5% to $232M, boosted by licensing deals; TRI falls 7%+ — Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO) reported higher fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday, boosted by its legal, tax and accounting and corporates businesses …
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Alexander Osipovich / Wall Street Journal:
Thomson Reuters' CEO says AI cannot easily replace the company's legal-research expertise, after its stock fell following the release of Claude legal work tools — Two of the companies battered by this week's artificial-intelligence selloff, Thomson Reuters and Intercontinental Exchange …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, Business Insider, Reuters and Shelly Palmer
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Spotify partners with Bookshop.org to let Premium US and UK subscribers buy hardcover and paperback books via its app starting in spring; Spotify will get a cut — Streaming service is joining with Bookshop.org to appeal to readers who read in multiple formats — Spotify Technology is getting into the physical book business.
Discussion:
Spotify, Los Angeles Times, Dexerto, Publishers Weekly, Digital Music News, XDA Developers, PCMag, Publishing Perspectives, Inc.com, Mashable, 9to5Mac, Digital Trends, The Verge, The Mac Observer, Reuters, Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, 9to5Google, Neowin, Hindustan Times, Business Insider, The Independent, T3, TechCrunch, Thurrott, Six Colors and Telecompaper, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Reddit reports Q4 revenue up 70% YoY to $726M, vs. $665M est., DAUq up 19% to 121.4M, above est., forecasts Q1 revenue above est., announces a $1B share buyback — Reddit shares rose 6% and then receded to flat in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings …
Discussion:
Reuters, Reddit Upvoted, Bloomberg and Sherwood News
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Substack notifies users about a “limited” data breach in October 2025, found on February 3 and now patched; a threat actor leaked a database of ~697K records — Newsletter platform Substack is notifying users of a data breach after attackers stole their email addresses and phone numbers in October 2025.
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Outside Interactive, formerly Outside Media, which pivoted from ads to a recurring revenue model, reports 2025 revenue up 23% YoY to $125M and its first profit — Following a five year transformation, the platform brought in $125 million in 2025, over 60% of which came from recurring lines of revenue
Discussion:
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Crunchyroll says it is developing original video game titles under its Crunchyroll Games banner in partnership “with Japanese publishers and global developers” — Anime media giant Crunchyroll is now developing original video game titles under its Crunchyroll Games banner.
Discussion:
Screen Rant and Dexerto
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google releases a core update to Discover, rolling out first to US users, aiming to cut clickbait and show more locally relevant, in-depth, timely content — Google has released the February 2026 Discover core update, this is a core update specific to how Google surfaces content within Google Discover.
Discussion:
Glenn Gabe on LinkedIn, Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Roundtable
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Kamala Harris rebrands and revives KamalaHQ as Headquarters, a “Gen-Z led progressive content hub”, in partnership with People For the American Way — New initiative teams with People For the American Way, founded by Norman Lear — Kamala Harris, more than a year …
Discussion:
New York Sun, MS NOW, Mediaite, The Washington Free Beacon, Fox News, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, RedState, The Verge, CNN, So What, The Cut, The Post Millennial, Louder With Crowder, TheGrio, New Jersey Online, BizPac Review, NOTUS, San Francisco Chronicle, New Republic and Just Jared
