Mediagazer: Disney Increases Annual Cash Dividend By 50% (Brent Lang/The Wrap)

6:25 PM ET, November 30, 2011

Top News:

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Pulitzer Prizes change breaking news category to emphasize ‘real-time’ reporting — The Pulitzer Prizes are doing away with paper for next year's awards. All entries must be submitted digitally. The Pulitzer Board is also changing the local breaking news award to emphasize real-time reporting.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, GigaOM and The News About The News

Justin Ellis / Nieman Journalism Lab:
Could Pulitzer changes mean an award for live-tweeting?

Discussion: The Pulitzer Prizes

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Warren Buffett buys his hometown paper, the Omaha World-Herald — Billionaire Warren Buffett warned investors two years ago that newspapers faced “the possibility of nearly unending losses” and not to buy them. Today, his company has purchased his hometown paper, the Omaha World-Herald.

Discussion: Forbes, Omaha World-Herald and Media Decoder

Omaha World-Herald:

Buffett to buy The World-Herald — The Berkshire Hathaway company has agreed to purchase The Omaha World-Herald Co. from its employee shareholders and the Peter Kiewit Foundation. The transaction is expected to close in late December, pending approval of The World-Herald's shareholders …

Discussion: The Buttry Diary, CNBC, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Gawker

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

How news orgs are reaching millions through Facebook's new apps — It has been over two months since Facebook announced a new class of social news applications — ones that automatically share links to everything a person reads. Now we are learning more about the readership …

Discussion: The Wall Blog, The News About The News, currybetdotnet and Facebook Developer Blog

Sarah Marshall / Journalism.co.uk:
Guardian's Facebook app delivering 1m extra hits a day

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, The Next Web, Facebook Developer Blog and Guardian

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Parenting Fills Facebook's Most Shared Articles of 2011 List

Discussion: 10,000 Words, NetNewsCheck Latest, Editors Weblog, New York Press, Lost Remote, Yahoo! News, Future of Journalism and Gawker

James Robinson / Guardian:

The Leveson inquiry: what we've learned so far — From the ‘toothlessness’ of the PCC to Hugh Grant's middle name, we round up what 10 days of testimony has taught us — Over the past 10 days, a succession of famous faces, and some who are less well-known, have appeared at the Royal Courts …

Henry McDonald / Guardian:
‘Paisley family targeted for phone hacking’

Discussion: Irish Independent News

Telegraph:
Leveson Inquiry: ‘News International tried to destroy my life,’ hacking lawyer claims

Discussion: Reuters and Press Association

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:
Alastair Campbell: phone hacking may have revealed Cherie Blair's pregnancy

Discussion: Guardian

Amy Chozick / New York Times:

Warner Said to Pick New Head of Time Inc. Magazine Unit — Time Warner Inc. has selected the head of a digital advertising firm to run its Time Inc. magazine unit, according to people with knowledge of the hiring. — The company is expected to announce later Wednesday that Laura Lang …

Discussion: AdAge, AdAge, Publishing Executive …, Media & Entertainment and WWD Media Headlines

Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
Digitas CEO Laura Lang To Head Time Inc.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, AdAge, Adweek, Bloomberg, Mogulite and Folio

Joel Gunter / Journalism.co.uk:

BBC World News channel taken off air in Pakistan — The BBC has said that it is ‘deeply concerned’ by Pakistan's decision to block its World News channel — The BBC World News channel has been blocked across Pakistan after it broadcast a documentary deemed to be critical of the country.

Discussion: Digital Spy, Committee to Protect …, BBC and Journalism.co.uk

Simone Wilson / LA Weekly:

Occupy L.A. Eviction: Is LAPD Restricting Coverage With Last-Minute ‘Pool Media’? — Creating limited media pools at high-profile, heavily policed events isn't an uncommon practice at the Los Angeles Police Department. — “When we don't have resources to accomodate every single outlet …

Discussion: New York Times, L.A. NOW, The Informer, Runnin' Scared, Occupy Los Angeles, BAGnewsNotes, LAist, Los Angeles Times and The Huffington Post

Alexis Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:
Media Choreography and the Occupy LA Raid

Discussion: LAist, LA Observed and The FJP

Ruth Fowler / Huffington Post UK: LAPD Made Sure The Whole World Ain't Watching

Ben Fritz / LA Times:

Paramount Pictures sued by financing partner for fraud — This post has been updated. See note below for details. — Paramount Pictures withheld profit from such hit movies as “Mission: Impossible 3,” “Jackass 2” and the “Transformers” trilogy, according to a lawsuit filed …

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

New York Times overhauls comment system, grants privileges to trusted readers — The New York Times rolls out a new commenting system today that spotlights reader contributions and grants special privileges to some. — The Times will invite any reader whose comments are consistently approved …

Jim Romenesko:

USA Today begins search for editor-in-chief — USA Today editor John Hillkirk has been moved to senior editor for investigative journalism and national enterprise reporting. “We will begin a national search immediately for an Editor-in-Chief for USA TODAY,” says a memo.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Poynter and Gannett Blog

Guardian:

Woman arrested in hacking investigation — Operation Weeting detectives have arrested a 31-year-old woman in connection with phone hacking at News International — Detectives investigating phone hacking at News International have arrested a 31-year-old woman.

Discussion: Bloomberg, @skymartinbrunt and Press Gazette

Martinbrunt / @skymartinbrunt: Bethany Usher, 31, now lectures in journalism at Teeside University. Worked at News of the World 2006 to 2007 in Manchester

Matt Rosoff / MattyDread:

On slideshows... I'm flattered MG Siegler would take the time to single out one of my slideshows for SAI as being interesting enough to read, but annoying when formatted as a slide show. — So. A few ideas to think about. — Bad slideshows are horrible, agreed.

Discussion: @erickschonfeld and parislemon

MG Siegler / parislemon:
ANNOYING: The Article As A Slideshow

Discussion: Business Insider and @mattrosoff

Michael Cieply / Media Decoder:

Expect Some Toning Down of Antipiracy Bills, Says Movie Industry Supporter — LOS ANGELES — Look for changes in the proposed antipiracy legislation that has giants in the entertainment and technology industries squared off against each other, but nothing extensive enough to please all of the legislation's opponents.

Discussion: O'Reilly Radar

Brent Lang / The Wrap:

Disney Increases Annual Cash Dividend By 50% — The Walt Disney Co. board has increased its annual cash dividend by 50 percent, the media giant announced Wednesday. — The new dividend is 60 cents per share, up from 20 cents per share from the previous year. It is payable on Jan. 18, 2012, the company said.

Discussion: rbr.com, Broadcasting & Cable and Bloomberg

Bloomberg:

Silver Lake Bids $16.60 a Share for Yahoo Stake — A group of investors led by private- equity firm Silver Lake offered to buy a minority stake in Yahoo! Inc (YHOO). for about $16.60 a share, according to people with knowledge of the matter. — That was lower than an offer …

Discussion: GeekWire, Wall Street Journal, CNET News, The Next Web, Business Insider, Seattle Times, Forbes and Deadline.com, more at Techmeme »

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.