Mediagazer: How journalists are using Facebook, Twitter to write mini serial narratives (Roy Peter Clark/Poynter)

11:20 AM ET, January 22, 2011

Top News:

Bill Carter / Media Decoder:

Olbermann Leaves ‘Countdown’ on MSNBC — Updated Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he is leaving “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” immediately. — The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time …

Jeff Pearlman / CNN:

Tracking down my online haters — Editor's note: Jeff Pearlman is a columnist for SI.com. He blogs at jeffpearlman.com. — (CNN) — Matthew is a college student from a small suburban town in Missouri. He loves the Kansas City Chiefs and spending Sundays in front of the TV watching football.

Discussion: Soup

Justin Ellis / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Boston Hack Day Challenge: An open door to Boston.com — Count The Boston Globe among the growing number of organizations that want hackers to come in from the cold. On the weekend of Feb. 25 they're holding a three-day event called the “Boston Hack Day Challenge” where developers …

Discussion: Scripting News

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

NewsBeast in Final Talks With Union About Merger — Union reps some 90 Newsweek edit staffers — Newsweek and The Daily Beast are in final talks with the Newspaper Guild about staffing issues related to their merger, Adweek has learned. — The union, which represents …

Joe Coscarelli / Runnin' Scared:
Nick Summers Out at New York Observer, Returning to Newsweek For Tina Brown

Discussion: Poynter, FishbowlNY, @mlcalderone and Gawker

Roy Peter Clark / Poynter:

How journalists are using Facebook, Twitter to write mini serial narratives — Since the mid 1990s I've been experimenting with serial narratives, stories of more than one serving, in which parts or episodes often end in cliffhangers, driving the reader or viewer to the next installment.

Media Week:

Matthew Dearden brings a ‘can-do’ culture to Clear Channel — Matthew Dearden, chief executive of Clear Channel UK, tells Media Week how his experience client-side at BT has shaped his strategy and investment plans for the outdoor advertising business — Matthew Dearden, chief executive, Clear Channel UK

Tim Molloy / The Wrap:

Antoine Dodson, of ‘Bed Intruder’ Fame, Gets Reality Show Pilot — Hide your kids, hide your wife: Antoine Dodson — star of the viral smash “Bed Intruder” — is shooting a reality TV show pilot. — The pilot, produced by Entertainment One, will follow Dodson and his family as they relocate …

Discussion: New York Observer

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

Bloomberg's New D.C. Operation Gets Showcase — Insert in Businessweek debuts Friday — Bloomberg LP has big plans for BGOV, the government reporting arm it quietly started last year in an effort to compete with established Beltway players. Now the extent of those plans is becoming a little clearer.

Andy Plesser / Beet.TV:
Seeking “Influence,” Bloomberg Beats, AOL, CNN, MSN, Forbes …

Discussion: WebNewser

Matt Cutts / The Official Google Blog:

Google search and search engine spam — January brought a spate of stories about Google's search quality. Reading through some of these recent articles, you might ask whether our search quality has gotten worse. The short answer is that according to the evaluation metrics that we've refined …

Tom Krazit / CNET News:
Google ready for action against content farms

Discussion: New York Magazine, New York Observer and paidContent

Lauren Kirchner / CJR:

Google News is “The Most Efficient System” — Krishna Bharat on how Google helps journalists stay focused — On Wednesday, Google News product manager Krishna Bharat spoke to Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism students about how Google News can help journalists to do what they do best …

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Are Harper's Directors on Board with Publisher's Feuds? — Eric Foner. Image via Wikipedia — Harper's publisher John “Rick” MacArthur may want to check with his board next time he's about to pick a public fight to see if they have his back. MacArthur is currently at odds with his staff …

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

Backstage at the Onion's New TV Show — One day, maybe not that far off, we won't distinguish between video we watch on the Web and the stuff we see on TV. But for now, TV is still the big leagues-the place you go if you want the biggest stage, and the most money.

Discussion: Time, The Onion Sports Network and AintItCool