Calls grow for Ofcom check on Sky bid, Facebook seeks news head and Today's festive, all-female line-up

Sky’s headquarters in Isleworth, west London. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian

MediaGuardian’s top stories

Pressure grows to refer Rupert Murdoch’s Sky bid to Ofcom

Murdoch plans Sky bid tactic that would squeeze out opponents

Does Rupert Murdoch’s Sky takeover bid pass the public interest test?

Twitter U-turns over banning white nationalist

Facebook advertises for a head of news after US election concerns

Today programme announces all-female Christmas guest editor line-up

Sarah Phelps on writing EastEnders sex scenes and shaking up Agatha Christie

Ian McCaskill obituary

2017 Golden Globes: full list of nominations

Best of the rest

Sumner Redstone’s family have called off merger talks between Viacom and CBS. Photograph: Fred Prouser/Reuters

Viacom-CBS: Redstone family calls off merger talks (Financial Times £)

Record 84,000 journalists in the UK in 2016 according to Labour Force Survey (up 20,000 in a year) (Press Gazette)

Discovery restructures commissioning team (Broadcast)

‘Duck Dynasty’ creators fire back at fraud lawsuit (Hollywood Reporter)

YouTube viewing on TV doubles in one year (Brand Republic)

And finally …

For decades, Alan Yentob was the dominant creative force at the BBC – a towering figure in British culture – so why did many applaud his very public slide from power? The Guardian’s long read has taken a look at the story and the man.