Washington Post

From early in its history, cable news found the panel format — featuring people from different perspectives and disciplines — to be a lively (and cost-efficient) way to deliver opinions on current events. The discussions can be enervating, enlightening or infuriating, depending on who is on which side of the food fight. But it’s often hard to tell the reporters from the opinion slingers, especially when the panels bleed into the delivery of the news itself. News reporters bristle when critics tar them as liberal or conservative.

As it became clear in November 2017 that the Department of Justice was heading for a legal  showdown with AT&T over its Time Warner merger, the company offered a proposal that it said would address the government’s concerns about competition. But thus far, only two percent of AT&T's rivals have expressed support for that plan. Of the 1,000 letters sent by AT&T to competing TV providers in November notifying them of the proposal, just 20 received a positive response. The lukewarm interest highlights the enormous stakes facing the entertainment industry. 

Google plans to spend $300 million over the next three years to help combat the spread of misinformation online and help journalism outlets. The company has adjusted its systems and rankings to lead people to “more authoritative content” on Google search and YouTube, especially when it comes to breaking news events. Google said that bad actors often exploit these situations, seeking to surface inaccurate content on Google's platforms.

The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Facebook following reports that a data analytics firm that had worked with the Trump campaign had improperly accessed names, “likes” and other personal information about tens of millions of the social site’s users without their knowledge. The FTC probe – confirmed by a source familiar with the agency's thinking and not authorized to speak on the record -- marks the most substantial political and legal threat yet to Facebook as it grapples with the fallout from Cambridge Analytica and its controversial tactics.