Top News:
Kathryn Wilkens / Mediaite:
At CPAC, FCC Chair Brendan Carr boasted “Trump is winning”, citing PBS and NPR defunding and the departures of Joy Reid, Chuck Todd, Stephen Colbert, and others — During a Friday CPAC appearance, FCC Chair Brendan Carr bragged that he's remaking the media by pushing out left-leaning figures …
Discussion:
Status, The Hill, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @brendancarrfcc, twitchy.com, @acyn, @mehdirhasan, NPR, The Wrap, @newnarrative.bsky.social, @mehdirhasan, Washington Examiner and RedState
Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Fortune editor Nick Lichtenberg, who uses AI to research and write articles; AI-assisted stories made up ~20% of Fortune's web traffic in H2 2025 — A Fortune editor has cranked out more than 600 stories using the technology; 'this won't be seen as some people's idea of journalism'
Discussion:
@jeremymbarr, @olgakhazan, @grossdm, @michaelroston, Marisa Kabas on LinkedIn, @PeteTucker@mastodon.social, @meghanbobrowsky, @gwill2k.bsky.social, @jfeej.bsky.social, @marisakabas.bsky.social, @minakimes.bsky.social, @charlottealter, @marisakabas.bsky.social, Yahoo Finance, @joshsternberg.com and Fortune
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Maxwell Zeff / Wired:
How some independent tech reporters are using AI, which they say allows them to do more reporting and recreate newsroom resources like editors and fact-checkers
How some independent tech reporters are using AI, which they say allows them to do more reporting and recreate newsroom resources like editors and fact-checkers
Discussion:
@joshdaws, @doog, @jasminewsun, @alexeheath, @zeffmax, @vcunningham, @lizzieohreally.bsky.social, Jordan Mitchell on LinkedIn, @geek4dogs, @joannastern, @kevinroose, @jasminewsun, @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @knibbs.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, Talking Biz News, Business Insider and r/Journalism
New York Times:
Sources: Versant is one of multiple suitors in talks to buy Vox Media's podcast network as it seeks to diversify its revenue; NBCU invested $200M in Vox in 2015 — Versant, the parent company of CNBC and MS NOW, is looking to continue expanding its business beyond cable TV.
Discussion:
@mediaevan, Adweek, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, The A.V. Club and Mediaite
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Internal figures show Business Insider's paid subscribers have consistently declined, from about 185K at the end of 2022 to 135K at the end of 2025, a 27% drop — Barbara Peng was elevated in November 2023 from president to chief executive, and she later tapped Jamie Heller in September 2024 …
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
A US judge grants DirecTV a temporary restraining order blocking the Nexstar-Tegna merger, finding DirecTV's position that it violates antitrust laws persuasive — A federal judge in California has granted DIRECTV a temporary restraining order in a legal challenge brought against Nexstar Media Group's $6.2 billion merger with TEGNA.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Spotify and record labels seek a $322M judgment from Anna's Archive for scraping Spotify and an injunction requiring hosting providers to disable access — Spotify and major record labels are seeking a $322 million default judgment from Anna's Archive, which hasn't responded to court proceedings …
Discussion:
Music Ally, @whoa-magic.lol, Digital Music News, Music Business Worldwide, CMU and heise online
Reuters:
Meta's longtime content policy chief Monika Bickert is leaving the company to teach at Harvard; she will stay at Meta until August to work on a transition plan — Meta's long-time content policy chief Monika Bickert, who oversaw the writing and enforcement of Facebook's content policies …
David Smith / The Guardian:
Jane Fonda led a Kennedy Center rally Friday with ~100 invited guests, including journalists Jim Acosta and Joy Reid, to protest free speech threats under Trump — Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threats
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
The Writers Guild Staff Union, on strike for almost six weeks, has offered a contract proposal to WGA West management, seeking a response by Monday at midnight — Tensions are starting to boil over between the Writers Guild of America West and its striking staffers, who have been without paychecks for going on six weeks.
Discussion:
Page Six, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
Indiegraf:
Indiegraf acquires Hearken, which was founded in 2015 by Jennifer Brandel to help newsrooms build trust by involving the public in the reporting process — We're excited to announce that Indiegraf has acquired Hearken, an organization that has spent over a decade leading the industry in the shift from reach to relationships.
Discussion:
Indiegraf and Jennifer Brandel on LinkedIn
Reuters:
Sources: US DOJ has sent subpoenas in its Paramount WBD acquisition probe, seeking information on how the deal would affect studio output, theaters, and more — The U.S. Department of Justice has sent subpoenas in its investigation of Paramount Skydance's (PSKY.O) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery …
Discussion:
@filmbrainbmb.bsky.social, @ericfinalfantasy.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, Deadline, Benzinga and Media Play News
John Ourand / Puck:
Sources: advertisers were generally unpersuaded by Netflix's pitch that Opening Night was a “big event”; some ads ran as make-goods for NFL Christmas guarantees — The streaming giant invested in a lightweight MLB package to see whether it could fully eventize the industry's most tonnage-friendly sport.
