Top News:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, claiming it infringed on Disney's works to train its Seedance 2.0 video generation model without pay — The Walt Disney Company on Friday sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging the Chinese tech giant has been infringing …
Discussion:
Engadget, Deadline, Business Insider, Associated Press, Variety, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Moneycontrol, Rohan's Bytes, The Decoder, Gizmodo, South China Morning Post, ZeroHedge News, The A.V. Club, primetimer.com, Forbes, CineD, The Asia Business Daily, Tech in Asia, @carnage4life@mas.to, The Wrap, Caixin Global and Deadline
RELATED:
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
The MPA urges ByteDance to curb its AI video model Seedance 2.0, after an AI-generated video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on a rooftop went viral
Discussion:
New York Times, Futurism, Instapundit, The Guardian, CNBC, TVBEurope, TechRadar, Entertainment Weekly, Deseret News, Deadline, The Gateway Pundit, The Wrap, Blaze Media, Screen Rant, Los Angeles Times, @jonathanjarry.bsky.social, San Francisco Chronicle, Business Insider, Breitbart, South China Morning Post, Dexerto, Page Six, World of Reel, Screen, PiunikaWeb, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap
Scott Shambaugh / The Shamblog:
A now-removed Ars Technica article, covering how an AI agent wrote a hit piece about an open source project maintainer, seems to have included AI hallucinations — Context: An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code …
Discussion:
The Shamblog, 404 Media, @kazedkaz.bsky.social, @berniethewordsmith …, @albertcardona@mathstodon.xyz, @shannonvallor.bsky.social, @dahukanna@mastodon.social, Tyler Adams on LinkedIn, @Linkshaender@bildung.social, @acdha@code4lib.social, @melissawm@pynews.com.br, Internet Governance Project, Michael Dawe on LinkedIn, The Decoder, @ehashman@cloudisland.nz, @mjp123.bsky.social, Ben Spargo on LinkedIn, Wall Street Journal, @elfsternberg.bsky.social, GitHub, @davidcrespo.bsky.social, @antisomniac.bsky.social, Paul Ford on LinkedIn, Scott Shambaugh on LinkedIn, James Cuff on LinkedIn, Vijay Balasubramaniyan on LinkedIn, Abhinaba Naskar on LinkedIn, Kautuk Pandey on LinkedIn, Scott Shambaugh on LinkedIn, @kendraserra.bsky.social, @librarian.bsky.social, @maoltuile.bsky.social, @librarian.bsky.social, @kendraserra.bsky.social, @kendraserra.bsky.social, @andybalaam@mastodon.social, @ironyuppie.com, @ciphergoth, @googleoss, I Am Completely Serious, @mordecwhy.bsky.social, @engineersneedart.com, @dancow.bsky.social, Ars Technica, @larsmb@mastodon.online, @harld@masto.ai, Decrypt, Fast Company, @enikofox.com, @secretaboutbox.bsky.social, @alexhanna.bsky.social, @clauswilke.com, The Decoder, The Register, WinBuzzer and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Sources: after its amended offer, WBD board members are weighing whether Paramount could offer a superior deal, possibly sparking a new bidding war with Netflix — Warner Bros Discovery Inc. is considering reopening sale talks with rival Hollywood studio Paramount Skydance Corp. after receiving …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Reuters, Cord Cutters News, @rogoswami, Motley Fool and MediaPost
Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Former NPR host David Greene sues Google for allegedly replicating his voice in NotebookLM without permission; Google says the voice is based on a paid actor — NPR's David Greene says he was “completely freaked out” when he heard an AI voice that sounded just like his own, and he's suing over it.
CNN:
Don Lemon pleads not guilty to two federal charges stemming from his reporting at an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church — Don Lemon pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges following his arrest last month in connection with a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Discussion:
Deadline, JURISTnews, @freedom.press, Straight Arrow News, The Hollywood Reporter, RedState, Democracy Forward, BizPac Review, New York Times, Alpha News MN, Washington Post, NBC News, HotAir, Mediaite, New York Daily News, New York Post, twitchy.com, KSTP-TV, Courthouse News Service, One America News Network, HuffPost, Chicago Tribune, The Hill, Newsbusters, The Guardian, Barrett Media, TV Insider, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Axios, CBS News, The Daily Signal, The Wrap, Fox News, Advocate, @froomkin.bsky.social, MS NOW, NewsNation, TMZ.com, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Blaze Media, @jackjenkins.me, Just Jared, @washingtonpost.com, Scripps News, MPR News, FOX 10 Phoenix, Reuters and Joe.My.God.
Hollie Richardson / The Guardian:
A look at the growth of Belfast in Northern Ireland as a home for producing TV shows, following the success of the comedy Derry Girls — From Blue Lights gossip to How to Get to Heaven from Belfast cocktails, the city has become a small-screen hotspot - and is basking in its newfound fame
Discussion:
Financial Times, Mirror, @debbiemoon.bsky.social, Metro.co.uk, Forbes and The Irish Times
James Faris / Business Insider:
As Netflix, Disney, and Paramount add vertical clips to their streaming services, media analysts warn that short-form video isn't a cure-all — - Hollywood streamers are turning to short-form video as YouTube and TikTok take viewership time. — Netflix, Disney, and Paramount are adding …
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News
Abbey White / The Hollywood Reporter:
A Q&A with PBS Kids' Sara DeWitt on the effect of cuts to the $112M Ready to Learn grant, including potentially partnering with ad tech companies — A leading exec at the public broadcasting institution breaks down the impact of recent government cuts and what to do about them
Discussion:
@willmckinley.bsky.social and Cord Cutters News
Isma'il Kushkush / Nieman Reports:
A look at the dearth of media coverage of Sudan's civil war, started in 2023; report: 32 journalists have been killed and 90% of outlets damaged or destroyed — Sudan's journalists risk their lives to tell the story of their homeland as the world turns away
Discussion:
@zidan.bsky.social
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Memo: LA Olympics Chair Casey Wasserman is putting his talent agency up for sale after his ties to Epstein surfaced and high-profile talent departed the firm — Wasserman has said he ‘never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein’ and told staff he felt that he had ‘become a distraction’ to the firm's work
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Wrap, Sports Business Journal, New York Post, CBS News, HotAir, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, FOX 11 Los Angeles, NBC Bay Area, NBC News, KVIA-TV, The Hill, Front Office Sports, The A.V. Club, Axios, Stereogum, @wsj, Fortune, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Page Six, Variety, Reuters, Bloomberg and New York Times
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Source: New York Daily News is cutting six of 10 national desk staffers, one metro reporter, seven print production people, and two photo department staffers — The owner of the New York Daily News fired 16 people this week - a “Valentine's Day massacre” that leaves the paper with a skeleton staff …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Memo: Paramount names former Trump administration attorney Rene Augustine as its senior vice president of global public policy, amid a takeover battle for WBD — Rene Augustine worked with Makan Delrahim, Paramount's top lawyer, at the Justice Department and most recently served in advisory roles to the Kennedy Center
Discussion:
Deadline, TheDesk.net, @bselena.bsky.social, Reuters, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
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