Mediagazer: Readability Just Became Instapaper's Publisher Payment Layer (MG Siegler/TechCrunch)

11:30 PM ET, February 5, 2011

Top News:

The Daily Wait — I've been reading The Daily each day since its debut Wednesday. Three days, three issues. My opinion of it has declined each day. Until I see an updated version of the app, I'm done with it. I noticed yesterday that it took way too long to load the day's new issue.

Discussion: paidContent, @dannysullivan, Pulse2 and The Wire, more at Techmeme »

MG Siegler / TechCrunch:

Readability Just Became Instapaper's Publisher Payment Layer — Personally, I think the concept behind Readability is pretty awesome. It gives you a way to read all your favorite articles on the web without all of the clutter of the web — meaning, mainly, ads.

Discussion: Instapaper Blog, Sample the Web and Readability Blog

Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:

NBC: Here's Why We Fired the “Today Show” YouTube Leaker — Yup, NBC did indeed fire the guy who put that 1994 “Today Show” clip up on YouTube. — Here's the company's official statement: “The individual in question violated the company's standards of conduct by repeatedly copying …

Discussion: @robpegoraro, paidContent, AOL News, NetNewsCheck Latest, Computerworld, Mediaite, The Wire, The Wrap and GigaOM

Ethan / ...My heart's in Accra:

Interview with Andy Carvin on curating Twitter to watch Tunisia, Egypt — Andy Carvin is a pioneer in online organizing, digital journalism and social media. He's currently “senior strategist” at NPR, helping the radio network develop their digital strategies.

Discussion: contentious.com and News for Digital Journalists

Arianna Huffington / Guardian:

Traditional papers didn't know how to handle WikiLeaks | Arianna Huffington — WikiLeaks revelations were fascinating - but the key points were too often overlooked by the press, writes Arianna Huffington — With condolences to the iPad and Sarah Palin's Twitter account, WikiLeaks is the media story of our time.

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Exclusive: HuffPo's Eric Hippeau Stepping Down From Yahoo Board as Akamai's David Kenny Steps In — Eric Hippeau (pictured here), longtime Yahoo board member and one of its earliest investors, will be stepping down as a director, according to sources close to the situation.

Discussion: The Wire

Frances Martel / Mediaite:

Matt Drudge Surfaces On Twitter To Talk Internet Lexicon, Obama Poll Numbers — Notoriously elusive internet aggregator Matt Drudge has decided to give his internet persona a voice away from the screechy headlines. With little fanfare, the Drudge Report added to the tops of its stories …

Discussion: Gawker, @drudge and @drudge_report

Washington Post:

The argument for funding public media — Federal funding for public media has once again become a target in the debate about fiscal prudence. Attempts last fall to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting were defeated along party lines. CPB provides financial support for locally owned …

Discussion: Technology Liberation Front

Emily Bell / Guardian:

The Daily, and the AOL way — News Corp's glossy iPad launch represents the world of ‘spectacle’ media, while the web giant focuses on the ugly data — There were two faces of digital media abroad in New York this week. One was its most impressively flat shiny square face …

Megan Garber / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Storyful, YouTube: The value of the impermanent team-up — The turmoil in Egypt has shown, yet again, the key role that curation plays in a networked news environment. But as valuable as all the text-based aggregators are — which is to say, hugely valuable — the constantly shifting events …

Discussion: Babylon & Beyond