For the Record

Senate Implements Restrictions for Impeachment Coverage:

According to Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times, the U.S. Senate has implemented restrictions on journalists covering the impeachment trial of President Trump, including a magnetometer check "meant to sniff out illicit electronics" and the banishment of cameras controlled by nonprofit public service network C-SPAN. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has "gathered signatures from 57 news organizations objecting to the rules." 

Billboard Sells Spin, Sterogum:

Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group announced the divestiture of music publications Spin and Stereogum Thursday. The former publication (which is in the midst of a commercial renaissance) has been acquired by private equity firm Next Management Partners, while Stereogum's leadership (led by Editor-in-Chief and CEO Scott Lapatine) has purchased the indie-oriented site from the company. "It is a bittersweet moment as we announce new opportunities for Spin and Stereogum and bid farewell to these iconic and venerable music brands and their dedicated teams," said Media Group President Deanna Brown. 

Vanity Fair Hires Calderone, Ecarma:

Vanity Fair has hired Politico Senior Media Reporter Michael Calderone "as senior editor of The Hive, a franchise within the company that focuses on covering business, technology and media from the lens of people in power," according to Sara Fischer of Axios." The magazine also has hired Mediaite's Caleb Ecarma to cover Donald Trump and "MAGA culture." John Homans will continue to serve as executive editor of the division.

DoJ Begins Google Antitrust Probe:

According to a team of reporters from Bloomberg, the U.S. Justice Department "is organizing meetings with large publishing companies" (including News Corp., Conde Nast and The New York Times Company) "to seek information about how Alphabet Inc.’s Google operates in the digital advertising market," signaling that a long-gestating antitrust investigation of the company's practices has commenced. In a recent interview, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said that "the department plans to move quickly and keep the probe from dragging on."

Thompson Announces Times' Digital Growth:

New York Times Company President and CEO Mark Thompson announced Tuesday that it passed its goal of $800 million of annual digital revenue a year ahead of schedule and now has more than 5 million total subscriptions, an all-time record. The organization added 1 million subscribers in 2019.

Guardian Media Group Appoints New Chief Executive:

Annette Thomas will become chief executive officer of Guardian Media Group in March, the company announced Tuesday. Thomas, who holds a Ph.D. in cell biology from Yale University and most recently served as CEO of the science group at Clarivate Analytics, spent much of her career as an executive at Macmillan Science and Education. "The Guardian brand, its progressive perspective, global reach and unique ownership structure with its values safeguarded by the Scott Trust are all significant strengths in these challenging times," Thomas said. "The need and appetite for trusted high-quality journalism, grounded in facts, has never been greater."

Google Ends Third-Party Tracking Cookie Support:

Google announced Tuesday that it will end support for third-party tracking cookies in its Chrome browser over the next two years. According to Lara O'Reilly of Digiday, the move "is designed to encourage publishers, advertising companies and other browser providers to help Google create a new set of privacy-focused, open web standards."

Hughes Becomes First Female Inquirer Publisher:

Lisa Hughes will succeed Terry Egger as publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the newspaper announced Tuesday. Hughes, who served as president/publisher of The New Yorker until 2017, will become the first female publisher of The Inquirer in its 190-year history. "Nothing matters more in our democracy than local journalism, to speak truth to power, to hold elected officials accountable, to celebrate our sports teams' wins and losses, and to report on justice reform and the education system and gun violence, all of which has been part of The Inquirer's beat for 190 years," said Hughes. "The Inquirer and the Lenfest Institute are closely watched and, I hope, an encouraging experiment in community-supported local media."

Lessig Files "Clickbait Defamation" Suit:

Digital policy activist and Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig "is suing The New York Times over an interview about the MIT Media Lab accepting money from sex offender Jeffrey Epstein," according to Adi Robertson of The Verge. The suit alleges that the publication subjected Lessig to "clickbait defamation" by asserting that the legal scholar defended the donations in a headline. Lessig, who is a friend of implicated former Lab Director Joi Ito and signed a letter in his defense, maintains that he condemned the donations while adding that "if you're going to take the money, you damn well better make it anonymous."

Twitter Tipping Not Under Development:

A Twitter spokesperson has denied a report from The Information that the company is actively developing a tipping feature potentially linked to the financial services company Square, which was co-founded by CEO Jack Dorsey. Users currently are permitted to make donations to political candidates on the platform.