Mediagazer: ‘The Simpsons’ renewed by Fox for two more seasons (Dan Snierson/Inside TV)

3:30 PM ET, October 8, 2011

Top News:

Mike Fleming / Deadline.com:

Sony Pictures Acquiring New Steve Jobs Biography For Major Feature Film — EXCLUSIVE: I've just learned that Sony Pictures is making a hefty deal to acquire feature rights to Steve Jobs, the upcoming authorized biography by former CNN chairman and Time Magazine managing editor Walter Isaacson.

Discussion: Mediaite, TUAW, Business Insider, Softpedia News, The Next Web, MacStories, CNET News, Gizmodo, Electronista, App Advice, New York Magazine and The Moviefone Blog, more at Techmeme »

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

On the Media: Steve Jobs and Apple vs. a free press — The man and his company's focus on control led to repeated fights with reporters. — In this June 9, 2008, file photo, Steve Jobs announces the introduction of the iPhone 3G during the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Discussion: San Francisco Peninsula …

Paul Farhi / Washington Post: Steve Jobs and the media: For the most part, it was a love affair

Troy Thibodeaux / Poynter:

5 tips for getting started in data journalism — Data journalist. Computer-assisted reporter. Newsroom developer. Journo-geek. If those of us who work in the field aren't quite sure what to call ourselves, it's little wonder that sometimes even the people who work beside us are puzzled by what we do.

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Al-Jazeera's chief extols virtues of ‘journalism for the people’ — The revolutionary fervour of the Arab Spring came alive last night at City University London in a lecture by Wadah Khanfar, the former director general of Al-Jazeera. — In describing his reaction to the various uprisings …

Andrew Goldfarb / IGN:

Scoop: Toy Story Scribes May Pen Farmville Film — The social franchise may be headed to the big screen. — In an interview about their work on upcoming game Skylanders Spyro's Adventures, Toy Story writers Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen have revealed that they're currently in talks to pen a film based on Farmville.

Discussion: Joystiq, /Film and New York Magazine

Alessandra Stanley / New York Times:

The TV Watch: ‘The Early Show’ on CBS Is Sober but Stronger — There isn't much news you can use on “The Early Show” on CBS. It no longer offers dieting tips, barbecue recipes or audience makeovers. There are no pop concerts or “Growing Pains” cast reunions.

Jonathan Browning / Bloomberg:

James Murdoch Must Leave News Corp. Board, Pension Body Says — Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) — News Corp. Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch should leave the board of the media company in the wake of a hacking scandal at its U.K. newspaper unit, according to a group of British pension funds.

Discussion: Digital Spy

Ian Burrell / The Independent:
News Corp sets up hotline for staff to report ‘illegal activity’

Discussion: On Media's Blog, Telegraph, The New York Observer, Mogulite, Gawker, New York Magazine and The Raw Story

James Robinson / Guardian:
News of the World phone-hacking settlement agreed by Kelly Hoppen

Discussion: Press Gazette and Guardian

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Police Clashes Spur Coverage of Wall Street Protests — The Occupy Wall Street protests, by design, began with little in the way of concrete goals or strategy. — But the protests in Manhattan, now in their third week, and in other parts of the country, have found two ways to draw attention to their cause.

Discussion: New York Times, Big Journalism, Paul Krugman and The New York Observer

David Maris / Forbes:
Some Say Occupy Wall Street Protesters Aimless; Facts Say Otherwise

Discussion: On the Media, The New Yorker Blog, Rolling Stone, The New York Observer, Media Matters for America, The Wrap, CJR, Betabeat, Capital New York and The Politico

Burgess Everett / On Media's Blog:

Ex-CNN exec launches polling site — A bad economy and chaotic news industry didn't dissuade Eason Jordan from taking his start-up headfirst into the interconnected worlds of news, polling and social media. — In mid-September, the former CNN chief news executive and multiple Emmy winner launched a …

Discussion: Future of Journalism

Dan Snierson / Inside TV:

‘The Simpsons’ renewed by Fox for two more seasons — Simpsons fans, it's time to stop saying 'D'oh!' and start shouting ‘Woo-Hoo!’ Signaling that the negotiating stalemate has ended, Fox announced today that it has renewed the animated comedy featuring Homer Simpson for two more seasons.

Discussion: Deadline.com, The Daily What, Company Town, Broadcasting & Cable, Associated Press, ArtsBeat, TVbytheNumbers and Gothamist

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

Sky News' Alex Crawford wins award for Middle East reports — Journalist Alex Crawford awarded the James Cameron Memorial Award for her reports on the Middle East and hailed as ‘outstanding role model’ for industry — Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford has received …

Discussion: Editors Weblog

Steve Myers / Poynter:

‘Storm’ video shows future of news in uninterrupted stream of our lives — Recent news events from Joplin to Tripoli have provided plenty of examples of how news has become a real-time experience, something you observe and discuss as it's happening rather than waiting hours or days to watch or read.

Discussion: Future of Journalism and GigaOM

Gabe Elsner / MediaShift:

TrueTies.Org Wants to Increase Transparency on the Op-Ed Page — The following is a guest opinion from Gabe Elsner of The Checks and Balances Project, which recently launched a new project aimed at increasing transparency at news outlets. — Every day, Americans read the opinion and commentary …