Mediagazer: US To Pay $2.5M In Photo Editor Robert Stevens' Anthrax Death (Curt Anderson/Associated Press)

3:30 AM ET, November 30, 2011

Top News:

Paul McMullan defends Milly Dowler phone hacking — Former News of the World deputy features editor tells Leveson inquiry that hacking of missing teenager's voicemail was ‘honourable’ and done by ‘well-meaning journalists’ — Former News of the World deputy features editor Paul McMullan arrives at the Leveson inquiry today

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk

Tara Conlan / Guardian: Jeremy Hunt hints at demise of PCC

Guardian:
Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are ‘scum of journalism’, Leveson told

Discussion: Future of Journalism, Gawker, The Huffington Post and Journalism.co.uk

Joel Gunter / Journalism.co.uk:
Former Daily Star reporter: I was hacked after resigning

Discussion: CJR, Poynter, Press Gazette, Guardian, Crikey, Media Week and Journalism.co.uk

Robert Dex / The Independent: Jeremy Hunt: Police ended hack inquiry

Guardian:
Police tell former Northern Ireland secretary he may have been targeted by investigators employed by News International

Discussion: Telegraph, Digital Spy, Guardian and Press Gazette

BBC:
Leveson Inquiry: Journalist talks of culture of bullying

Discussion: Guy Fawkes' blog

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Parenting Fills Facebook's Most Shared Articles of 2011 List — Articles about natural disasters and parenting advice from CNN, Yahoo! News, the New York Times, and Huffington Post topped Facebook's new list of the most shared articles in the US for 2011. Facebook measured which articles were Liked …

Discussion: Future of Journalism, Gawker and Lost Remote

Julie Moos / Poynter:
Casey Anthony the most searched story of 2011

Discussion: Journalism.org, FishbowlNY and TVNewser

David Cohn / digidave.org:

Spot.Us has Merged with Public Insight Network — Spot.Us + PIN = Rocking — Spot.Us launched in November of 2008. Counting the months of planning (and applying for the Knight News Challenge) that went into the launch and I've been working on Spot.Us for almost four years.

Discussion: MediaShift Idea Lab, Poynter, rjionline.org and News for Digital Journalists

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

How CNN Landed Herman Cain Interview On New Allegations — NEW YORK — When CNN producers booked Herman Cain on Sunday to appear on “The Situation Room” the following day, they couldnât have expected that the Republican presidential candidate would be on air denying allegations …

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Erik Wemple, Economist, MyFox Atlanta, The Caucus, Business Insider, Slate and Capital New York

Steve Myers / Poynter:
Media inquiries pushed Ginger White to go forward with story of Cain affair

Discussion: MyFox Atlanta

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

Magazines Pull Back on Tablet Bells and Whistles — When the iPad launched, magazines rushed to shovel expensive rich-media features into their tablet editions. But now that they have to create editions for the new Kindle Fire and Nook Color and their ilk, some are downplaying the need for often-expensive enhancements.

Discussion: FishbowlNY and eMedia Vitals

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:

Former ‘CBS Evening News’ Producer Dick Meyer Tapped to lead BBC News, America — The BBC has tapped former CBS news producer and executive Dick Meyer as its executive producer of BBC News, America. Meyer was most recently executive editor of NPR, and before that led CBSNews.com.

Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney Brazenly Lies and the Media Lets Him Slide — Last week, a lot of media attention was devoted to latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich using the word “humane” in a debate answer about illegal immigration, suggesting we should avoid policies that tear families apart.

Discussion: CJR, Capital New York and Metro

Curt Anderson / Associated Press:

US To Pay $2.5M In Photo Editor Robert Stevens' Anthrax Death … Robert Stevens , Robert Stevens Anthrax , Robert Stevens Anthrax Death , Robert Stevens Government , Us Government Robert Stevens , Media News — MIAMI — More than a decade after tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens became …

Discussion: ProPublica

Bloomberg:

Lions Gate Said to Be in Merger Talks With ‘Twilight’ Film Producer Summit — Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (LGF), the independent film and TV company, is in merger talks with Summit Entertainment LLC, the studio behind the “Twilight” vampire movies, three people with knowledge of the situation said.

Discussion: Deal Journal, Forbes, Los Angeles Times and Deadline.com

Katherine Rushton / Telegraph:

Chris Bryant: BSkyB used details from phone hacking to aid lobbying — News Corporation passed information obtained by hacking to BSkyB to help it “advance its commercial interests”, Chris Bryant, the Labour MP has claimed. — Anti-Murdoch protestors hold placards reading “End the Murdoch Mafia” …

Katherine Rushton / Telegraph: James Murdoch suffers severe loss of support as BSkyB chairman

The Sydney Morning Herald:
BSkyB chairman Murdoch re-elected with 19% opposition

Discussion: Company Town, paidContent:UK, Guardian and Wall Street Journal

Jim Romenesko:

‘Mounting Nittany’ sex column on hold as Penn State deals with Sandusky case — The “Mounting Nittany” sex column used to run every Thursday in Penn State's Collegian — typical fare: “Let's talk sex, hugs and handjobs” — but it's been MIA for several weeks now.

Discussion: Deadspin

Nadia Damouni / Reuters:

Exclusive: THL eyes buyout of Yahoo's U.S. business — (Reuters) - Thomas H. Lee Partners is interested in buying the U.S. operations of Yahoo Inc, breaking away from other bidders that are for now eyeing either a minority stake or teaming up with the Internet giant's partners in Asia, sources familiar with the matter said.

Discussion: Epicenter, Electronista, The Wall Blog, Online Video News, CNET News, Future of Journalism, DealBook and Business Insider

Reuters:

ESPN's Skipper talks NBA, Penn State scandal — Sports fans will set aside their outrage over two college sex abuse scandals along with frustration over labor unrest in the NBA, and keep watching games, ESPN's incoming president told Reuters on Monday.

Discussion: MediaFile

Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:

Stephen Colbert On CNN iReporters: ‘This Bold Move Will Help You Get Rid Of Your Remaining Viewers’ — On Monday night's The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert deftly tore into CNN for laying off dozens of its employees and choosing instead to rely more heavily on free (and …

Discussion: Poynter and TVNewser

Andy McSmith / The Independent:

Blogger is not likely to reveal source — The name Guido Fawkes was not mentioned yesterday during the hearings into media ethics because - to quote the presiding judge, Lord Leveson - “I am concerned to deprive the particular website of that oxygen”.