Mediagazer: Dear Vanity Fair: Please Stop Putting Old Dead People on Your Cover (Brian Moylan/Gawker)

5:25 PM ET, October 13, 2010

Top News:

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Tribune Exec Lee Abrams Suspended — Tribune Co. chief innovation officer Lee Abrams, who was forced to apologize after sending a company-wide email containing racy video, has been suspended from his duties. Here's the memo:

Discussion: AdAge, Romenesko, New York Observer, Gawker and The Huffington Post

Robert Feder / blogs.vocalo.org:
Time for Tribune to clear the air on foul management

Discussion: Chicago Breaking Business, Romenesko, Gawker, FishbowlNY, Broadcasting & Cable and Media Decoder

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

In Coverage of Mine Rescue, Watching, Waiting and Counting — The pictures said it all. In a remote part of Chile, a capsule emblazoned with the colors of the country's flag was hoisted out of an underground tomb and inside was a miner, the first of 33 to be rescued in a remarkable effort televised …

Discussion: New York Observer, New York Times, Free Press, City Room, CNN, PC World and The Lede

Dylan Stableford / The Wrap:

Exclusive: Yahoo Hires Ex-Talking Points Blogger to Replace John Cook — Yahoo may be having trouble retaining top executives, but the company continues to hire high-profile bloggers to crank out original content. — On Wednesday, Yahoo is expected to announce the hiring of Zachary Roth …

Discussion: Romenesko and WebNewser

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

It's a brave new world at Condé Nast Digital — Tweet — The latest buzz inside Condé Nast is that a sweeping reorganization of the Condé Nast Digital operations is about to take place. — One outcome will combine the corporate print ad side with corporate digital ad sales …

Discussion: New York Observer, FishbowlNY, paidContent, TIME Healthland, The Wire and NYConvergence.com

Ken Doctor / Newsonomics:

“Public Media” $100 Million Plan: 100 Journalists Per City — We've seen lots of motion in the public radio world over the last year. We've seen 12 topical sites prominently launched in major cities, under the rubric of Project Argo. We've seen National Public Radio building out a state …

Discussion: Romenesko

Zeke Turner / New York Observer:

A New Gossip Girl at the Post — Last Wednesday night, Page Six reporter Emily Smith was at the club Provocateur in the meatpacking district at a party for the season finale of The Spin Crowd, an E! network reality show produced by Kim Kardashian. — Ms. Kardashian came and left quickly …

Discussion: Romenesko, Gawker, New York Post and The Awl

Emma Heald / Editors Weblog:

The Times of London's impenetrable but straightforward paywall — Assistant editor for online Tom Whitwell and Director of Times Digital Gurtej Sandhu told participants at a lunch during the 17th World Editors Forum a few details about the progress of the Times of London's new paywall and the thinking behind it.

Discussion: mediabistro.com and The Wire

Boston Globe:

BU, Globe partner on ‘Your Town’ sites — Boston University journalism students will help to cover the city's neighborhoods and nearby communities for Boston.com’s “Your Town” websites, The Boston Globe and the university said yesterday. — The students' coverage will add to a wide variety …

Discussion: Romenesko

Peter Lauria / The Daily Beast:

Current TV Attempts to Reboot — Now five-years-old, Current TV has failed to make a dent. But CEO Mark Rosenthal wants to broaden by doubling-down on investigative programming. He talks exclusively to Peter Lauria. — Early on in War on the Border, a three-part special examining …

Discussion: TVNewser, Romenesko and The Daily Beast

Jim Romenesko / Romenesko:

NPR staff told to stay away from Colbert, Stewart rallies if not covering them — From: [NPR chief executive] Vivian Schiller — Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 8:58 AM — Subject: FW: NPR Journalists and political activity — Please see Ellen Weiss' note to her staff below …

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Observer, Salon, The Huffington Post and Moraes on TV

Agence France Presse:

Media mayhem mars family's joy at Chile mine rescue … The joy of family members of the first miner to be rescued in Chile on Wednesday turned suddenly to horror when hundreds of journalists trampled their humble tent in a mad rush to speak to them. The chaos and jostling marred …

Discussion: blogs.tampabay.com, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Guardian and Press Gazette

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

Newspapers Need to Do More Than Copy Groupon — Over the past year, Groupon has become a rocket-powered social shopping phenomenon. It's one of the fastest-growing startups in decades, is valued at more than $1 billion, and expects to close the year with almost $500 million in revenue.

Discussion: PR Newswire, Shaping the Future … and paidContent

Trevor Butterworth / Medialand:

Dim Reading in Geekville — On the eve of 2010, a year that would be a landmark in cyber-insecurity, the Washington Post downsized cybersecurity reporter, Brian Krebs. It sent something of a shockwave through the world he covered, where Krebs was widely respected not just for his doggedness …

Brian Moylan / Gawker:

Dear Vanity Fair: Please Stop Putting Old Dead People on Your Cover — Vanity Fair is supposed to be a “cultural catalyst,” a “magazine that provokes and drives the popular dialogue.” Then why does it dedicate so many covers to dead ladies? Who's buying these issues? And why is it getting worse?

Discussion: The Book Bench

James Robinson / Guardian:

Guardian asked for hacking evidence — Paper's editor, Alan Rusbridger, points out that police already have access to material on practices at the News of the World — Read Alan Rusbridger's letter to the Metropolitan police — The Metropolitan police have written to the Guardian asking …

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk and Jon Slattery

Felix Salmon:

How Dealbook lost its HP scoop — The NYT's Dealbook franchise spent a chunk of yesterday in internal discussions on how to use Twitter, which is hopeful. But first they should work on their ability to use the Web. — A nice little scoop fell into Dealbook's lap yesterday, when Ray Lane …

David Kaplan / paidContent:

Reuters To Roll Out Online Video Series; ‘Rocketboom’ Meets ‘Newshour’ — As part of its continuing efforts to build out its multimedia strategy, Reuters.com is developing a series of online video programming for its website. Plans call for a daily “morning show” that would be aimed …

Discussion: The Wire, Talking Biz News and Felix Salmon

IAB:

Internet Ad Revenues Break Records, Climb to More Than $12 Billion for First Half of '10 — Search Remains Strong, Digital Video Soars as Display Gains Momentum—Double-Digit Growth in Online Advertising Is Back — The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC US today released …