Mediagazer: A Niche of the Unreal in a World of Credulity (Mark Oppenheimer/New York Times)

2:00 PM ET, September 4, 2010

Top News:

Mark Oppenheimer / New York Times:

A Niche of the Unreal in a World of Credulity — Since 2008, ChristWire.org has emerged as the leading Internet site for ultraconservative Christian news, commentary and weather reportage. — “Hurricane Earl Projected Path, Gay East Coast of America,” ChristWire opined on Monday.

Discussion: ChristWire, Advocate and New York Magazine

Sharon Waxman / The Wrap:

Updated: Eminem Wins Royalties from Universal, UMG Will Fight It — The U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling and decided that Eminem's music-publishing company is owed royalties by Universal Music Group (UMG) for music downloaded over iTunes or sold as cellphone ringtones.

Discussion: L.A. Times Tech Blog and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »

Economist:

Putting your money where your mouse is — Crowdfunding: Artists, musicians and writers are using the internet to aggregate lots of small donations to fund their work — WIKIPEDIA, a giant online encyclopedia compiled by volunteers, is the product of the aggregation of lots of people's spare time.

Associated Press:

AP Interview: Wikipedia founder bullish on news — CERNOBBIO, Italy — Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales believes relief may be in sight for the beleaguered news media industry. — The increasing use of the mobile Internet and for-pay “apps” that run on smart phones and other gadgets might give news providers …

Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:

Facebook Adds News Search — Facebook has begun surfacing widely “liked” news stories from independent media organizations in its basic search bar today, it appears. First reported by watchdog blog AllFacebook, the change is something that seems likely to be understood as a challenge to Google.

Discussion: All Facebook, The Next Web, Lost Remote, GigaOM and paidContent, more at Techmeme »

John Battelle / John Battelle's Searchblog:

More Thoughts On Demand: A Referendum of Sorts on Google and Social — It's been nearly a month since Demand filed its S1, and I promised you all a longer look after my initial posting. Here are some thoughts now that I've had a chance to digest the document.

Discussion: Romenesko

Bloomberg:

Google Loses German Court Ruling Over YouTube Videos — Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc.'s YouTube video service lost a Hamburg court ruling over copyrighted material that was posted online without permission for rebroadcast. — YouTube may be liable for damages involving video shown …

Discussion: PlagiarismToday

Andres Palmiter / comScore Voices:

Live Streaming Video Jumps 600% in Past Year — Nearly a decade before anyone had heard of YouTube, the first viral video spread among snickering teens and procrastinating college students. Discovered via direct download links and embedded QuickTime players, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's …

Discussion: NewTeeVee, TechCrunch, eMedia Vitals, Silicon Alley Insider, MediaPost and VentureBeat

Mark Lisheron / American Journalism Review:

Reloading at the Statehouse — As traditional news organizations shed state government reporters, a wide array of innovative startups is rising to fill the gap. — AJR Senior Contributing Writer Mark Lisheron (mark@texaswatchdog.org) is Austin bureau chief for Texas Watchdog, a government accountability news Web site.

Chris Rovzar / New York Magazine:

101 Minutes With Arianna Huffington — Arianna Huffington, fresh from a TV appearance, her hair blown out, her five-foot-ten frame amped up by a two-inch set of heels, clacks into the hushed Soho offices of the Huffington Post. It is her first visit to her newsroom since she left …

Robert Niles / Online Journalism Review:

Take two: How Patch.com - or any national network of local news websites - might succeed — By Robert Niles: Last week, I wrote about my skepticism of Patch.com, based on my assumption that the economies of scale available to a national chain of local publications online were no longer enough …

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

On the Media: Analyzing The Times' teachers series — The paper is under fire for naming names, but the goal — of media and the union — should be better educating students. — The police officer disciplined on the job. The foster child killed by a caretaker. The city manager drawing a pension after a long career.

Discussion: Romenesko, Hot Air and Big Journalism