Mediagazer: Syria Reportedly Detains Outspoken Blogger (The Lede)

9:35 PM ET, December 6, 2011

Top News:

Exclusive: Verizon to take on Netflix with Web service — (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc plans to launch a standalone service allowing customers to stream movies and television shows over the Web, in a fresh challenge to Netflix Inc and the traditional cable TV business, according to several people briefed on the plan.

James Rainey / LA Times:

NBC stations will use content from nonprofit news outlets — Ten NBC-owned television stations across the nation will team with nonprofit news outlets in an attempt to beef up their enterprise and analytical reporting, the network announced Monday. — NBC affiliates in Los Angeles …

Discussion: Media & Entertainment, NetNewsCheck Latest, TVWeek.com and AllAccess.com

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

For Local NBC Stations, Collaborative Journalism — In a sign of increasing collaboration between journalism groups, NBC on Tuesday will announce a series of partnerships between its television stations and nonprofit news organizations. — Effectively immediately, NBC's station in Chicago …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, LA Observed, Chickaboomer and Deadline.com

Brent Lang / The Wrap:

Broadcasters Press Supreme Court to Overturn TV, Radio and Newspaper Ownership Rules — Broadcasters are urging the Supreme Court to loosen restrictions that prevent companies from owning newspapers, radio stations and television stations in the same market.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Hillicon Valley and Adweek

Gautham Nagesh / The Hill:
Copps submits notice to resign from FCC

Discussion: Multichannel, Hit & Run and rbr.com

Bloomberg:

Apple, E-Book Publishers Probed by EU Agency — Apple Inc. (AAPL), the world's biggest technology company, and five e-book publishers are being investigated by European Union antitrust regulators over deals that may restrict sales across the region. — The probe targets the iPad-maker's deals …

Discussion: BGR, MacRumors, Future of Journalism and Jacket Copy

Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:
Why Europe's trustbusters targeted Apple's e-book ‘cartel’

Discussion: Associated Press, Mashable!, VatorNews, AllThingsD, ZDNet, Electronista, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and 9to5Mac

Robert Andrews / paidContent:
Europe Probing Apple And Publishers For E-book Price ‘Cartel’

Discussion: GigaOM, L.A. Times Tech Blog, TUAW, WebProNews, CNET News, Digits and Fast Company

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Angry About Your Cable Bill? Blame the Cable Industry, Not the NFL — Have you heard yet about how your favorite team is trying to screw you over? Don't worry. You will soon. — Trapped in a headlock of a negotiation with the NFL over broadcasting rights, the television industry …

Discussion: New York Post

Wall Street Journal:
Cable-TV Honchos Cry Foul Over Soaring Cost of ESPN

Discussion: Company Town and Deadline.com

Matthew Futterman / Wall Street Journal: NFL Near Major Media Deals

Curtis Cartier / The Daily Weekly:

Crystal Cox, Oregon Blogger, Isn't a Journalist, Concludes U.S. Court—Imposes $2.5 Million Judgement on Her — A U.S. District Court judge in Portland has drawn a line in the sand between “journalist” and “blogger.” And for Crystal Cox, a woman on the latter end of that comparison, the distinction has cost her $2.5 million.

Discussion: Street Fight, Betabeat, @digiphile, @jayrosen_nyu, @cshirky and @jayrosen_nyu

David Carr / Media Decoder:

At News Foo, Imagining the End of the World, and How to Cover It — Let's say, just for giggles, that the word was ending. Could be an alien invasion, a pandemic or nuclear annihilation. If one of those scenarios became a news event, how would it be covered?

Thanks:megan

Caitlin Johnston / American Journalism Review:

The Naked Retweet Dilemma — If journalists retweet information and links without providing any lead-in or context, does that suggest that they endorse it? — Caitlin Johnston (cljohnst@gmail.com) is a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Discussion: The Buttry Diary, Poynter, @omars81 and Future of Journalism

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

MediaNews Group's ‘Digital-First’ Mondays Bring Some Paywalls Down — In the hopes of saving money while avoiding consolidation, MediaNews Group is introducing “digital-first Mondays” at six of its California newspapers. Of those papers, the three that have paywalls will make all web content free …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, NetNewsCheck Latest and Poynter

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:

T.J. Holmes Leaving CNN — CNN weekend anchor T.J. Holmes is leaving the cable channel at the end of the year, TVNewser has confirmed. Richard Prince first reported the move in his daily media column. — Holmes began his career as a producer for KSNF in Joplin, Missouri …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Huffington Post, All Things CNN and The Maynard Institute

David Roeder / Chicago Sun Times:

Sun-Times Media online sites to begin metered pay plan — The Chicago Sun-Times and its sister publications in the suburbs will start charging for online access, joining the ranks of newspapers looking for new online revenue sources. — Access to web sites controlled by Sun-Times Media LLC …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Huffington Post, JIMROMENESKO.COM and The Wrap

Julia Angwin / The Wall Street Journal:

WikiLeaks Associates Seek Injunction on Twitter Data — Three WikiLeaks associates are appealing a court order that would force Twitter Inc. to hand over information from their accounts without a search warrant. — The WikiLeaks associates - Jacob Appelbaum, Rop Gonggrijp, and Birgitta Jonsdottir …

Discussion: AllTwitter

Paul Sawers / The Next Web:

The BBC's global iPlayer expands to iPhone and iPod Touch — Five months after BBC Worldwide launched its global iPlayer app to 11 Western European countries on iPad, the commercial arm of the UK broadcaster has announced that it's making the app available on iPhone and iPod Touch too.

Discussion: 9to5Mac, MacStories, The Verge, App Advice, TUAW, MacRumors, TechCrunch and Electronista, more at Techmeme »

James Robinson / Guardian:

Guardian journalist justifies hacking if in the public interest — Guardian investigations editor David Leigh says a ‘certain amount of guile’ can be needed to find evidence of corruption — The Guardian's investigations editor, David Leigh, has told the Leveson inquiry into press standards …

James Cusick / The Independent:
Watchdog chief faces grilling over failure to act on press's dirty tricks

Discussion: Big News Network.com and Guardian

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Kids On Kindle: Amazon Starts Publishing Children's Books — With the release of its color-screened, picture-book-friendly Kindle Fire, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is expanding into publishing books for a new audience: Kids. To start, the company's publishing division is acquiring …

Discussion: The New York Observer, Media Decoder, MarketWatch, VatorNews, GalleyCat and ZDNet, more at Techmeme »

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

The Fox News Candidate is... Fox News — Mwahahaha. — When six GOP primary contenders descended on Fox News' midtown headquarters for a “candidates forum” with a trio of red state attorneys general on Saturday night, the candidates probably expected tough questions about their positions.

Discussion: The Week, The Caucus, Collective Talent, American Journalism Review, Business Insider, Erik Wemple, Chickaboomer, National Review, Inside Cable News, TVNewser, Poynter and The Huffington Post

Steve Myers / Poynter:

Buyouts offered at The Gazette, Washington Post's community newspapers in Maryland — The buyouts were mentioned at the bottom of a story announcing that Chuck Lyons is moving from CEO to chairman of Post-Newsweek Media, the business division that includes The Gazette: “In an unrelated development …

Discussion: Gazette.Net Maryland …