Mediagazer: A discovery engine for narrative nonfiction: Byliner.com launches with high hopes and a sleek site (Lois Beckett/Nieman Journalism Lab)

1:45 PM ET, June 21, 2011

Top News:

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Upending Anonymity, These Days the Web Unmasks Everyone — Not too long ago, theorists fretted that the Internet was a place where anonymity thrived. — Now, it seems, it is the place where anonymity dies. — A commuter in the New York area who verbally tangled with a conductor last Tuesday …

Discussion: Gawker, Gannett Blog and Felix

Matthew Campbell / Bloomberg:

AOL Considering Paid Content, International Acquisitions in Company Revamp — AOL Inc. (AOL) may introduce premium versions of its online content and make international acquisitions as Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong works to turn around the struggling Internet pioneer.

Discussion: Mixed Media, Adweek, FishbowlNY, Online Video News, Noted and National Review

Jim / Gannett Blog:

Bulletin: Gannett announces 700 newspaper layoffs — U.S. newspapers division President Bob Dickey distributed the following memo today: — CONFIDENTIAL CONTAINS PROPRIETARY BUSINESS INFORMATION - NOT FOR PUBLIC DISSEMINATION — June 21, 2011 — To: All US Community Publishing employees

Discussion: Poynter

Lois Beckett / Nieman Journalism Lab:

A discovery engine for narrative nonfiction: Byliner.com launches with high hopes and a sleek site — It's a nonfiction nerd's fantasy: a database of nearly 30,000 feature stories, meticulously organized, sleekly presented, and fully searchable — by author, by publication, by topic.

Discussion: Poynter, The Atlantic Wire, The Wire and Mashable!

Tanzina Vega / New York Times:

Bloomberg TV Pushes for a Wider Audience — Bloomberg has begun a major marketing effort for its television operation in a bid to persuade business executives to see the company as more than just a maker of the terminals that are popular on trading floors. — “We want to be the most …

Discussion: Adweek, Company Town, The Wire and Inside Cable News

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Economist group results defy downturn — Almost all British-based newspaper and magazine publishers are contemplating losses or declining profits. But the Economist group, as it does on a regular basis, is telling a very different story today. — According to its results …

Discussion: Press Gazette and Adweek

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

Why We Often Blindside Companies — A couple of weeks ago I apologized to the CEO of AdMeld for writing about their acquisition without even contacting him to let him know beforehand or ask for a comment. He wrote back “the call would have been nice.” — I know how frustrating …

Discussion: Gizmodo, Digital Media, Caterina.net, AllThingsD, SAI, @dangillmor, @marshallk, @alexbraunstein, @tcarmody, ReadWriteWeb, cdixon.org, Betabeat, @tcarmody, Future of Journalism, @furrier, @sarahcuda, @megan and @gnat

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Van Jones Considers Legal Action Against Fox News — NEW YORK âÂ"- After challenging Glenn Beck to a debate over the weekend at Netroots Nation and in a MoveOn.org-sponsored ad Monday, Van Jones may have taken his beef with Beck a step further. — Jones, a senior fellow …

Discussion: Free Press, National Review, TVNewser, Mediaite and Media Decoder

Joe Mullin / paidContent:

‘Hot News’ Doctrine Not Looking So Hot After Apppeals Court Ruling — In the past couple years, media companies doing battle with news aggregators—or competitors—began to turn to the little-known legal doctrine of “hot news.” It stems from a 1918 Supreme Court case that found news organizations might …

Discussion: Mixed Media, Threat Level, ap.org, @gaberivera, @kouroshk, NetNewsCheck Latest and Bloomberg

John Sellers / The Wrap:

New York Times Cuts Reader Chat: '5,000 Words Isn't a Comment, That's an Article' — You can still comment on New York Times articles — just be more succinct about it. — With only a cryptic explanation, the paper announced Monday on its homepage that it would be cutting the character limit …

Discussion: Thompson on Hollywood, Refinery29, Future of Journalism, Adweek, FishbowlNY and Mediaite

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

6 reasons to consider Onswipe for tablet-friendly websites — A new product launching today, Onswipe, helps news publishers easily set up a tablet-friendly version of their websites for iPad users and will help sell premium ads on those sites. — You may have come across the Onswipe interface already …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Betabeat, GigaOM and eMedia Vitals

Keach Hagey / On Media's Blog:

Olbermann's return — Keith Olbermann resumed his old position as host of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” at 8 p.m. tonight, albeit on a cable network that with only about two thirds of the reach of his former perch, and brought enough of his show with him for his fans to feel at home.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Gawker

Ellie Behling / eMedia Vitals:

The rise of the journalist as publisher — The rise of the journalist as publisher — Journalists can be their own publishers — able to produce, distribute, market and monetize their own content. It's not a new concept, but it continues to gain traction on new platforms like the iPad.

Discussion: TechCrunch

Diane Cardwell / New York Times:

Legal Battles Are Woven Over Tangled Web Gossip — A Web site purporting to expose “the under-belly of the Manhattan Real Estate Market” by reporting on bad broker behavior, lousy landlords and run-down apartments quickly became a bitter forum for accusations against landlords, brokers …

Discussion: New York Magazine and Gannett Blog

Committee to Protect Journalists:

Prominent Mexican columnist, wife, son shot to death — A prominent Mexican newspaper columnist, his wife, and a son were shot to death in their home in Veracruz, according to state investigators, a shocking assault that underscores the country's ongoing crisis.

Discussion: Press Gazette, BBC and Journalism.co.uk

Wailin Wong / Chicago Tribune:

Everyblock hires new president — EveryBlock, the Chicago-based website that collects community news and connects neighbors with each other, has hired a new president to oversee its growth and marketing efforts. — The company, which was founded in 2007 by Naperville native Adrian Holovaty …

Discussion: mediabistro.com, Poynter and Street Fight

Deutsche Welle:

World needs journalists now more than ever, says expert — Joel Simon is executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international non-profit organization run by journalists for journalists. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in New York, the CPJ campaigns for freedom …

Discussion: Future of Journalism and Committee to Protect …