Top News:
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: Truth Social dropped Nexstar from a defamation lawsuit after Nexstar agreed to fire a breaking news reporter at The Hill; Nexstar denies the accusation — The Scoop — For the last year and a half, Truth Social has relentlessly pursued a defamation case against 19 media companies …
Discussion:
@maxtani.bsky.social, @thestefansmith, @maxwelltani, @timkarr.bsky.social, @jakewilkns and @madelinegmonroe
New York Times:
Sources: as labor costs rose after two strikes, producers of reality shows, indie films, and blockbusters increasingly shot overseas, hurting Hollywood workers — Movies and TV productions are rapidly leaving California to film outside the United States, where labor costs are lower and tax incentives greater.
Discussion:
Sam Pepper on LinkedIn, The Hill, Jason Fisher on LinkedIn, Breitbart, HOLA! and New York Post
Julie Bort / TechCrunch:15 minutes ago
a16z acquires Erik Torenberg's Turpentine podcast, which focuses mostly on interviewing VCs; Torenberg will join the VC firm as a general partner — Andreessen Horowitz's hiring spree continues. On Monday, Erik Torenberg announced that the giant VC firm had acquired his Turpentine podcast, with him joining as a general partner.
Discussion:
@eriktorenberg, @a16z and Andreessen Horowitz
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
A profile of Acyn Torabi, or @Acyn, who joined MeidasTouch in 2023 and is shaping the US liberal media with his fast-cut, viral video posts of political gaffes — Acyn Torabi dominates the internet with fast-cut clips of political mayhem. Are they news, or something else?
Discussion:
@mehdirhasan.bsky.social, @davebrady72.bsky.social, @acyn, @drewharwell, @ahatcher54, @brianstelter, @michaelkruse.bsky.social, @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social, @briandonlon.bsky.social, @ericdharvey.com, @brianstelter.bsky.social, @justinhendrix.bsky.social, @mspopok.bsky.social and @digiphile.bsky.social
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Bluesky starts rolling out blue check verification, initially limiting verification to select organizations and its moderation team — Bluesky announced on Monday that it is rolling out blue check verification, confirming previous rumors that this feature was on its way to the platform.
Mia Sato / The Verge:
Meta is testing using AI tools in the US to detect teen Instagram users, even if they've lied about their birthday, and place them under Teen Account settings — On Instagram, AI tools will detect underage users and automatically change their account settings.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Meta, The Hill, @pinemikey.bsky.social, Engadget, Quartz, Associated Press, Mashable, @metanewsroom and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Ryan Lizza has departed Politico, where he was Playbook co-author and chief Washington correspondent, and has launched a Substack publication called Telos — We have a special announcement: Status is launching a limited-edition First Amendment tee—and opening our very own store.
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: WaPo has begun speaking with several candidates to become the editor of its rebooted opinion section, including Reason EIC Katherine Mangu-Ward — THE SCOOP — The Washington Post is inching closer to finding an editor for its rebooted opinion section.
Discussion:
@taylorlorenz
Michael Idov / New York Times:
A look at Votvot, a streamer that provides uncensored content to counter Kremlin propaganda, as its ~$2M annual budget is cut as part of Trump's RFE/RL cuts — The Trump administration's decision to take a hammer to the funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty might be legally dubious …
Discussion:
CBS News
Christopher Grimes / Financial Times:
The success of A Minecraft Movie, set to hit $700M in ticket sales globally this weekend, signals Hollywood's breakthrough in adapting video games into films — While superhero franchises flag, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ shows the industry has finally cracked the formula for translating popular games into films
Discussion:
New York Post, Daily Mail, TechCrunch, Deadline, Christopher Grimes on LinkedIn, Variety, Media Play News, @grimes_ce, RTÉ and The Sun
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, as he builds a live events business; sources: Emanuel is in talks to buy the Miami and Madrid Open tennis tournaments for $1B+ — The talent agent is buying sports events, and music and art festivals — “I'm the juice.”
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @jbflint, @jbflint and @ccadelago
New York Times:
Sources: Sewell Chan's departure from CJR comes as the magazine has been running under tight budgetary constraints and was beginning a fundraising campaign — Sewell Chan, who started as executive editor of the publication in September, said his firing after several staff complaints was “baffling.”
Discussion:
Mediaite, PR Daily, Poynter, Media Nation and @ryangrim
RELATED:
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr:
[Thread] Columbia University is cutting ties with Sewell Chan, Columbia Journalism Review editor since June 2024; Betsy Morais will serve as interim director
Sewell Chan / Sewell Chan on LinkedIn:
Sewell Chan says the decision to fire him is “quite frankly baffling” and it came after “I had three pointed conversations with staff members in recent weeks”
Discussion:
@gary_weiss, @unrealdmgold, @cduhigg, @ericnewcomer, @colligan.bsky.social, @froomkin.bsky.social and The Wrap
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
UK law enforcement is targeting gangs, rather than consumers, to tackle the boom in “broken” Fire sticks, used to stream sports and other content illegally — Enforcement resources directed at gangs at the top rather than consumers who flout law
Discussion:
Sam Sadi on LinkedIn
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