Mediagazer: Blagging figures were ‘grossly understated’ (Andrew Pugh/Press Gazette)

12:55 PM ET, December 1, 2011

Top News:

Stan Schroeder / Mashable:

Spy Files: WikiLeaks Releases Surveillance Industry Documents — WikiLeaks on Thursday released the first 287 documents from a database containing “hundreds” of documents from contractors in what WikiLeaks calls the “mass surveillance industry.” — For this project, WikiLeaks teamed …

more at Techmeme »

Wikileaks:

The Spyfiles — Mass interception of entire populations is not only a reality, it is a secret new industry spanning 25 countries It sounds like something out of Hollywood, but as of today, mass interception systems, built by Western intelligence contractors, including for ‘political opponents’ are a reality.

Discussion: Gawker, Mail&Guardian and Editors Weblog

Aaron Barnhart / Kansas City Star:

For first time in history, TV ownership declines — Nielsen, the TV ratings people, are out with the 2012 edition of their Television Audience report. Much of this is a repackaging of data previously released by Nielsen. But as NBC used to say, it's new to me!

Discussion: /Film, Poynter and Inside TV

Sean Comer / Yidio: A Sign The Internet Has Won? TV Ownership Declining

Ingrid Lunden / paidContent:

Amazon Widens Its Kindle Footprint With €99 Device On Sale In Spain, Italy — It's taken a few years, but Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) has really ramped up the number of countries where it is selling its Kindle products. Today it's announcing two more countries to the list where it sells …

Discussion: Amazon.com, Epicenter, CNET News, PC Magazine, Electronista and The Next Web, more at Techmeme »

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:
Amazon Has Some Kindle Book Rentals Beyond Textbooks

Discussion: The Verge

Andrew Pugh / Press Gazette:

Blagging figures were ‘grossly understated’ — The Information Commissioner's official figures on the extent of blagging by journalists and private investigators unearthed by Operation Motorman have been “grossly understated” - according to the man who led the investigation.

The Independent: Investigator: I was barred from taking on the press

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Foursquare Teams Up With NY Mag, Time Out, Other Publishers — “Save to Foursquare” buttons now appear alongside web content at New York magazine, Time Out, and a variety of other publishers, allowing users to send places they want to go to their phones and get alerted when they're in the vicinity.

Discussion: Foursquare Blog, L.A. Times Tech Blog, FT Tech Hub, ReadWriteWeb, Marketing Pilgrim, Lost Remote and Electronista

Cotton Delo / AdAge:
Foursquare Rolls Out New Buttons for Publishers

Discussion: VentureBeat

Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:

Barnes & Noble Reports Q2 Net Loss Of $6.6M, Says NOOK Is Now A $220 Million Business — Barnes & Noble this morning reported sales and earnings for its second quarter ended October 29, 2011, and they're a mixed bag. Total sales decreased slightly, from $1.9 billion to $1.89 billion, compared to the prior year.

Discussion: mediabistro.com, Media & Entertainment, CNET News, paidContent, Softpedia News, Fast Company, Publishers Lunch and TeleRead, more at Techmeme »

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

How 9/11 led to the birth of Google News — In a video explaining the evolution of Google search over the years, Google Fellow Amit Singhal tells the story of how Google News came to be: “When September 11th happened, we as Google were failing our users. Our users were searching …

Henry Blodget / Business Insider:

You Bet Apple TV Is Coming, Says Apple Guru Gene Munster — Here Are The Details — Apple analyst Gene Munster just reiterated his belief that Apple is going to launch a TV next year. — He made the comments at our IGNITION: Future of Media conference this morning.

Discussion: CNET News, Fortune, MacRumors, Future of Journalism, Softpedia News, NYConvergence.com and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Matt Seaton / Guardian:

Naomi Wolf: reception, responses, critics — Naomi Wolf's article about the police crackdown on Occupy went viral this weekend. Many ‘liked’ it; others, not so much ... When a single article is recommended on Facebook 235,000 times, tweeted nearly 7,000 times, gets close to 1,000 comments and is viewed …

Jeff Roberts / paidContent:

HBO To Cord Cutters: You'll Never See Our Shows — HBO is cementing its reputation as a trail-blazer with a new batch of hit shows and, more recently, a hugely popular mobile offering. But the company is determined to remain a traditionalist when it comes to its relation with tv distributors.

Discussion: VentureBeat, Multichannel, VideoNuze, Techland, The Verge and Deadline.com

Bloomberg:

Alibaba-Led Group Said to Prepare Yahoo Bid — Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Softbank Corp. (9984) are in advanced talks with Blackstone Group LP (BX) and Bain Capital LLC about making a bid for all of Yahoo! Inc., said three people with knowledge of the matter.

Discussion: AdExchanger.com, CNET News, Medacity, Business Insider, Electronista, Forbes and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Michael J. Connor / Syracuse Post-Standard:

Why The Post-Standard didn't give Bobby Davis' tape to police in 2003 — We don't like to write about ourselves, yet here we are again. — On Nov. 20, we published a letter to you explaining why in 2003 we did not run a story after we investigated allegations of sexual molestation …

Discussion: Bleacher Report

Kunur Patel / AdAge:

Q&A with Next Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang — Time Inc. isn't About to Become a Digital Ad Agency, Lang Says — Time Warner has named Digitas CEO Laura Lang to become CEO of Time Inc., ending a nearly nine-month search by selecting an outsider with deep digital knowledge but no publishing experience.

Discussion: eMedia Vitals, Media & Entertainment and New York Times

Ingrid Lunden / paidContent:UK:

Hearst's Carey: We Will Have One Million Paying Digital Subscribers In 2012 — On the heels of the Economist claiming one million monthly mobile readers of its magazine across Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Android devices, another magazine publisher is gearing up to join the seven-figure club …

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Former NoW journalist denies phone hacking — Bethany Usher who was arrested by Operation Weeting detectives claims she always adhered to the PCC code — A former News of the World journalist arrested by detectives investigating phone hacking at the paper has said she has …

RBR:

Q3 Internet ad revenues up 22% — Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. hit $7.88 billion in Q3, a 22% increase over the same period in 2010, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC US. These figures also show a 2.7% uptick from the record-setting revenues of Q2.

Discussion: Adweek and MediaPost

Jef Feeley / Bloomberg:

News Corp Wins Dismissal of Shine Group Acquisition Lawsuit by Investors — Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp. (NWSA) persuaded a judge to throw out an investor lawsuit seeking information about the $675 million purchase of a U.K.-based television production company owned by Murdoch's daughter.