Mediagazer: The “end of TechCrunch”? It might not be such a bad thing (Chadwick Matlin/Fortune)

8:55 AM ET, September 8, 2011

Top News:

Dan Primack / Fortune:

Arrington out at AOL (for real this time) — Not TechCrunch editor. Not AOL Ventures employee. Michael Arrington is on his own. — It has been a very long week for AOL. And it's about to get even longer. — Last Thursday, word leaked that one of its employees …

Discussion: Poynter, Future of Journalism, Gawker, VentureBeat, CNET News, Medacity, Geek News Central, New York Magazine, FT Tech Hub, Business Insider, Guardian, ShortFormBlog, MediaPost and Editors Weblog, more at Techmeme »

Elias Bizannes / Elias Bizannes/blog:

The changing dynamics of news — In the recent controversy that has erupted due to the firing of Michael Arrington from TechCrunch, I believe it represents an era in innovation led by TechCrunch that we're only starting to appreciate. — To start on this thought experiment …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

C.W. Anderson / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Information's triumph? Three ways TechCrunch challenges ideas of journalism … In the spirit of doing what one does best and linking to the rest, I'll dispense with a lengthy overview of the controversy that erupted when AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and Silicon Valley power-broker …

Discussion: GigaOM, BetaNews, TheMediaBriefing, Betabeat and Business Insider

Chadwick Matlin / Fortune:

The “end of TechCrunch”? It might not be such a bad thing — What would the startup scene be like without the blog that currently animates it? A whole lot better, actually. — FORTUNE — At TechCrunch's Disrupt conference earlier this year, Michael Arrington brought Arianna Huffington …

Discussion: digiday:DAILY, Medacity, American Journalism Review and Fox News, more at Techmeme »

Felix Salmon:

When digital ads pay for local news — In the world of regional newspapers, Journal Register Company and MediaNews Group are very big fish; they're now merging, and the merged entity to be called Digital First Media, will be run by John Paton. Who writes that already he's reaching an important milestone:

Discussion: Future of Journalism

Jxpaton / Digital First:

Digital First: The Next Step — Today marks another important step for Digital First. — As announced earlier this morning, we have formed a new company - Digital First Media Inc. It will manage both the Journal Register Company and Media News Group and its mission will be to accelerate …

Discussion: Journal Register Company, The Buttry Diary, Future of Journalism, BrauBlog, BuzzMachine, paidContent, GigaOM, NetNewsCheck Latest, The Huffington Post, Extra!, The Latest Word and Beet.TV

Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:

The newsonomics of ComboCo — Editor's Note: Each week, Ken Doctor — author of Newsonomics and longtime watcher of the business side of digital news — writes about the economics of news for the Lab. — Roll-up. — What seemed inevitable ("The newsonomics of roll-up") has now begun.

Discussion: paidContent

Joshua Benton / Nieman Journalism Lab:
A wave of consolidation? Some context on MediaNews, Journal Register, and Alden Global Capital

Discussion: mediabistro.com, News for Digital Journalists, Gannett Blog and News after Newspapers

Steve Myers / Poynter:
MediaNews and Journal Register Co. brought under one roof with John Paton at helm

Discussion: paidContent and Editors Weblog

Henry Blodget / Business Insider:

Our Policy On Anonymous Sources — Last week, NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen asked about our policy on anonymous sources. — Here is that policy: — We will grant anonymity to any source at any time for any reason. — The logic for this policy is simple.

Jim Colgan / Poynter:

How journalists are using the iPad to enhance their reporting — Many journalists know what it's like to have a source freeze when you pull out a microphone or start recording them on camera. What were once colorful anecdotes can quickly turn into stilted monologues.

Los Angeles Times:

How high can fees for sports rights go? — Pay-TV distributors fret that passing along those costs could drive subscribers away — A television camera man covers action during the first half of an NFL preseason football game last month between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan Lawler / GigaOM:
The summer of our discontent: How web TV has changed

Discussion: MediaPost

Michelle Kung / Wall Street Journal:

Hollywood Expands New-Media Reach — Two high-powered Hollywood players made separate announcements Tuesday that they are launching enterprises designed to expand into novel approaches to making and distributing entertainment. — John Fogelman, formerly an agent with William Morris Endeavor …

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Hey, Guess What Happens to Advertising if the Economy Tanks — Here's some unpleasant deja vu: Summer's over, the economy is wobbling and analysts are starting to hack away at advertising forecasts. — 2011 isn't 2008, yet. So Barclays analyst Anthony DiClemente doesn't think the ad business …

Henry Blodget / Business Insider:
Media Analysts Begin To Slash Ad Spending Forecasts As Economy Craters...

Discussion: eMedia Vitals

John Koblin / WWD:

New Lineup Shaping Up at the New York Times — ABRAMSON'S LINEUP: New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson is quickly assembling her team and on Wednesday announced what seemed to be a foregone conclusion: Joe Kahn, deputy foreign editor since 2008, will replace Susan Chira as the paper's new foreign editor.

Discussion: Poynter

Jim Romenesko / Poynter:

Judge orders Medill students to give emails to prosecutors — A Cook County judge has ruled that Medill students were “acting as investigators in a criminal proceeding” under the supervision of former Northwestern professor David Protess and that they must give prosecutors more than 500 emails detailing …

Discussion: Chicago magazine