SLINGING THE HOPPER: Respected CNET technology reporter Greg Sandoval has resigned his post this morning over a conflict with parent company CBS, expressing he’s “no longer confident that [it’s] committed to editorial independence.” The dispute arose over CBS preventing CNET from giving a “Best of CES” award to Dish Network’s new DVR, Hopper with Sling. CBS removed the Hopper from consideration because it is currently in litigation with the device’s manufacturer over its ability to automatically skip over ads in recorded shows, claiming it violates the network’s copyrights. (1/14p)