Top News:

A.G. Sulzberger says the role of a free press is under attack, and that the anti-press playbook used in eroding democracies is now being deployed in the US — This essay was originally delivered as a talk at the Notre Dame Kellogg Institute for International Studies on Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Nation, TVNewsCheck, @nytimespr, @maxwelltani, @brianstelter, @froomkin.bsky.social and @sydney-bauer.com

The EU General Court rules the EU should not have denied an NYT journalist's request for text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla — The case revolved around whether texts between a top official and a drug company executive counted as a public record that might need to be disclosed.
Discussion:
The Guardian, UPI, Le Monde, Associated Press, City A.M., Bloomberg and Politico

The BBC plans to expand its Local Democracy Reporting Service beyond local authorities and “dramatically” increase BBC's presence on YouTube and TikTok — BBC director-general Tim Davie has revealed plans to expand the Local Democracy Reporting Service outside of its current focus on local authorities.
Discussion:
Broadband TV News and BBC

Some leading UK TV executives call for collaboration or consolidation among public broadcasters, amid funding pressures and competition from US streaming giants — Just before Christmas, in a private dining room in the upmarket Charlotte Street Hotel in the heart of London's Soho …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and Andrew Ailwood on LinkedIn

BBC DG Tim Davie says the BBC will only work with top talent who sign up to a new set of anti-bullying standards unveiled several months back by the CIISA — The BBC will only work with top talent who sign up to a new set of anti-bullying standards in film and TV, according to the Director General …
Discussion:
Reuters and Advanced Television

FTC v. Meta: Meta's lawyer disparaged tech journalists Kara Swisher and Om Malik, calling Malik a “failed blogger”, showing Meta's long-simmering media tensions — Meta's lead attorney called a once-prominent tech journalist a “failed blogger.”

Elizabeth Pochoda, a journalist who worked as an editor at many publications, including The Nation, Vanity Fair, and House & Garden, has died at 83 — She was a writer and a top editor at publications as diverse as The Nation, Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. She also helped found Grand Street and reboot Vanity Fair.
Discussion:
@markharris.bsky.social
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
Some NYT local investigation fellows discuss their experience getting the time and resources their local newsrooms didn't have to conduct investigations — “Newspaper wars are out. I think the future of local news is collaboration.” — If last year's Pulitzer Prizes were a …
Discussion:
Sona Patel on LinkedIn, @pculpepper.bsky.social and @niemanlab.org

Mumbai-based gaming company Dream Sports has invested $50M in cricket media platform Cricbuzz and cricket broadcaster Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet — Dream Sports, a Mumbai-based gaming company, has invested $50 million in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet, securing a strategic minority interest.
Discussion:
BMI

Court docs: DOGE tried to assign a team to review CPB operations on April 29, but CPB said DOGE had no role “supervising or having any activity relating to CPB” — Less than a day after President Trump attempted to fire three Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members last month …
Discussion:
CNN, The Dispatch, @thedesk.net, @brianstelter.bsky.social, Inside Radio and @notaaroncraig.bsky.social

Sony Pictures reports Q4 revenue flat YoY to $2.73B and operating income up 70% YoY to $354M; FY 24 revenue fell 4% to $9.9B, operating income fell 4% to $774M — The studio's top performing films in the period were ‘Venom: The Last Dance,’ ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die,’ ‘The Garfield Movie,’ and the scandal-plagued ‘It Ends With Us.’
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Reuters, The Wrap and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

Sinners passes $215.3M domestically, making it the first original movie to make $200M+ since 2017's Coco, and the first live-action movie to do so since 2013 — Following its blockbuster debut in theaters in mid-April, “Sinners” has been on a box office tear that has defied even the most optimistic expectations.