Mediagazer: Tony Maddox, CNN: ‘2011 is the most demanding year we can remember’ (Sarah Marshall/Journalism.co.uk)

8:30 PM ET, December 17, 2011

Top News:

Digital Strategy Undid New York Times CEO — For Janet Robinson, Growing Impatience Over Company's Future Course; Controlling Sulzberger Family Looked for a Change — This week's resignation of New York Times Co. chief executive Janet Robinson caught even senior executives by surprise.

Sarah Marshall / Journalism.co.uk:

Tony Maddox, CNN: ‘2011 is the most demanding year we can remember’ — Executive vice president and managing director of CNN on how the broadcaster coped during an extraordinary year for news — CNN correspondent David McKenzie in Somalia — It has been an extraordinary year for news.

Adam Penenberg / Fast Company:

Lessons From Serial Fabulist Stephen Glass On How Not To Reboot A Career — The writer who made up stories for The New Republic, Rolling Stone, Harper's and others (then tried to lie his way out) is fighting to become a lawyer in California. To the journalist who busted his original lies, Glass's tactics sound eerily familiar.

Brendan Nyhan / CJR:

When Newt Isn't Newsworthy — The problems with news pegs in campaign coverage — NEW HAMPSHIRE — Yesterday, former House speaker Newt Gingrich returned to New Hampshire for a foreign policy debate with former Utah governor Jon Huntsman. The trip marked Gingrich's first visit …

John Cook / Gawker:

Christopher Hitchens' Unforgivable Mistake — The outpouring of grief, goodwill, and teary encomia that has attended news of Christopher Hitchens' passing would—if he was anything like the persona he presented in print—have turned his stomach. He loathed sentiment, welcomed combat, and delighted in inflicting hard truths.

Discussion: The New Yorker Blog, New York Times, Slate, Erik Wemple, The Huffington Post, ArtsBeat, Washington Post and The New Yorker Blog

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

Defining journalism is a lot easier said than done — The ripples continue to spread from a recent Oregon court ruling involving a blogger who was sued for defamation, and argued she should be covered by the state's “media shield” law. The judge decided that she didn't qualify as a journalist …

Discussion: Future of Journalism and Free Press

Foster Kamer / Betabeat:

10 Questions for Drew Magary, the Most Actually-Read Writer on The Internet* — Drew Magary, The Most Actually-Read* Writer On The Internet. It's true. … Congratulations Drew. You're the most actually-read “Read Later” author on the internet. How does this feel? — I FEEL SO PRETTY.

Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:

Getting Detained and Gassed — Nothing like getting pulled into a police car to glimpse, through a haze of tear gas, hints of a police state. — The royal family in this American ally of Bahrain deserves immense credit for turning a desert island in the Persian Gulf into a modern banking center.

Nicholas Carlson / Business Insider:

EXCLUSIVE: Now We Know AOL's Patch Revenue - And It's Tiny — AOL's local business, Patch, will lose at least $100 million this year and generate paltry revenues, according to documents we've obtained from a source. — Analysts say that, during 2011, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong invested ~$160 million …

Discussion: The Wrap and Erik Wemple

Michael S. Schmidt / At War:

Secret Military Documents, Straight From an Iraqi Junkyard — BAGHDAD — Several weeks ago, we heard that a local businessman had purchased some trailers from a closing American base. — We were told the trailers were parked at a nearby junkyard, so one afternoon I headed out with our security team to find them.

Discussion: New York Times

Jolie O'Dell / VentureBeat:

Why did Universal get this video yanked off YouTube if it doesn't have a copyright claim? — Universal Music Group recently had a video removed from YouTube because... Well, that's a good question, actually. The video was removed without notice and without any copyright violations …

Discussion: Threat Level and Media Decoder

Jay Yarow / Business Insider:

ARRINGTON: Arianna Destroyed TechCrunch Because She Was Jealous Of All The Attention It Was Getting — Here's why TechCrunch imploded earlier this year, according to founder Michael Arrington, who has suddenly gone public with his side of the story. — Basically, Arrington …

Discussion: Future of Journalism