Media News Daily: Top Stories for 11/03/2026

Meta Builds Bipartisan Political Influence Team

Meta has recruited and promoted a bipartisan group of former political officials and operatives as it seeks stronger relationships with policymakers from both parties. The team includes people with backgrounds in Democratic and Republican administrations and campaigns, while Meta continues facing scrutiny over artificial intelligence, data centers, platform regulation, and other policy issues. Axios reports that the strategy is intended to preserve ties with Republicans while strengthening relationships with Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. Meta spent more than $26 million on federal lobbying in 2025. (Read More) (Social Media Today Rating)

People Inc. Cuts 195 Jobs

People Inc. is laying off 195 employees, roughly 6% of its workforce, as the media company shifts resources away from print and legacy web operations. CEO Neil Vogel told employees that most of the affected positions are concentrated in those businesses and said the company must continue adapting to rapid changes across the media industry. The publisher, whose brands include People and Entertainment Weekly, has also been investing in areas such as social video and other newer revenue streams. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)

Former Lawmakers Back OpenAI in Publisher Copyright Fight

Former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and former Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher have filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting OpenAI in its copyright dispute with The New York Times and other news publishers. They argue that using copyrighted material to train large language models should qualify as fair use because models analyze works to learn statistical patterns rather than simply republish them. Publishers, including MBFC, counter that AI companies use their journalism without permission while creating products that can replace the original content and undermine licensing markets. Other technology, digital-rights, and entertainment groups have also filed briefs on opposing sides of the closely watched case. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)