Mediagazer: Video: Texas Tribune's Evan Smith: ‘I Was A Hater, Then I Became A Zealot’ (Staci D. Kramer/paidContent)

6:05 AM ET, March 14, 2010

Top News:

Fearing Drug Cartels, Reporters in Mexico Retreat — REYNOSA, Mexico — The big philosophical question in this gritty border town does not concern trees falling in the forest but bodies falling on the concrete: Does a shootout actually happen if the newspapers print nothing about it …

Randeep Ramesh / Guardian:

Google news tax could boost local papers, report says — Commission of inquiry calls for levies to promote new media, warning that too few interests control too many outlets — Google and other websites that carry news they do not produce should be taxed and the money generated used to prop …

Jennifer Mendelsohn / New York Times:

Honey, Don't Bother Mommy. I'm Too Busy With My Blog and Building My Brand. — ON a brisk Saturday morning this month, a dedicated crew of about 90 women, most in their 30s or thereabouts, arrived at a waterfront hotel here, prepared for a daylong conference that offered to school …

Discussion: The Steve Rubel Stream and Edelman Digital

Jon / CyberJournalist.net:

News is a social experience — The latest Pew Internet & American Life Project report, “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer,” examines how Americans are increasingly using their social networks and social networking technology to filter, assess, and react to news. — The report says:

Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:

Video: Texas Tribune's Evan Smith: ‘I Was A Hater, Then I Became A Zealot’ — One of the side benefits of coming to Austin for South By Southwest Interactive: spending some time at the Texas Tribune, the non-profit news site launched last November to cover statewide politics, public policy and government.

Globe and Mail:

Torstar among final bidders for CanWest papers — Publisher, believed to be backed by Fairfax, will compete with other industry heavyweights in auction to be completed by April 30 — Lindsay Lohan and the E*Trade baby - Who would turn down a promotion? - What's an MER?

Brian X. Chen / Gadget Lab:

Apple's iPad Will Read Books Out Loud, Support Free E-Books — When it began taking pre-orders for the iPad this morning, Apple also published some new details about how the tablet device will function as an e-book reader. — It turns out the iPad will read books out loud to you with audio dictation …

Discussion: TeleRead, Gizmodo, eBookNewser, 901am, Fast Company, GalleyCat, VentureBeat and TheAppleBlog

Ernst Poulsen / Online:

Danish Magazine Publishes Collaboratively Using Google Wave — One of the big questions in online journalism is how to engage users. A small Danish experiment on Google Wave may provide some hints. — In the last 10 years, we have learned that subtle changes in format on the Web …

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

Mayhill Fowler goes from new media star to old news — As a citizen journalist, her report rocked President Barack Obama's presidential campaign. She has an e-book on her experience. — What does it mean to be the most famous citizen journalist in the world? Mayhill Fowler has discovered it can be a rough ride.

Discussion: Romenesko

Variety:

Univision expands online presence — Univision is launching a telenovela mobile and Internet channel on its Univision.com website in a bid to meet the demands of burgeoning Hispanic Internet users. — The service, dubbed Novelas and Series, is slated to kick off in the spring …

Natasha Vargas-Cooper / The Awl:

The Night Lady Gaga Blew Up the Internet with ‘Telephone’ — Natasha: Can I ask you something? — Choire: Yes! — Natasha: Do you ‘get it’? — Natasha: Like Gaga overall. — Choire: I *largely* get it. I mean, obviously I groove on the, I guess, excitement level?