Mediagazer: The Times Names a New Deputy Managing Editor (Amy Chozick/Media Decoder)

Amy Chozick / Media Decoder:

The Times Names a New Deputy Managing Editor — The New York Times said Tuesday that it was promoting its longtime design director, Tom Bodkin, to deputy managing editor, the latest change to the masthead since Jill Abramson took over as executive editor in September.

Discussion: The Wrap, JIMROMENESKO.COM, FishbowlNY and The Huffington Post

Tanzina Vega / Media Decoder:

Times Co. Agrees to Sell Regional Newspaper Group — Updated The New York Times Company announced on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement to sell the company's Regional Media Group to Halifax Media Holdings, of Daytona Beach, Fla., for $143 million in cash.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Reuters and The Boston Globe

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

New York Times Staffers Express ‘Profound Dismay’ With Management — NEW YORK — New York Times staffers unhappy with management are letting publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. know it. In recent days, more than 270 current and former Times employees have signed an open letter expressing their …

Discussion: saveourtimes.com, The Wrap, FishbowlNY and Subtraction.com

Jim Romenesko:

FAQ for NYT Regional Media Group employees — The New York Times Co. announced this afternoon that it's selling its Regional Media Group newspapers to Halifax for $143 million. Here's the letter that regional media group employees received along with an FAQ. Here's one question and answer:

CNN:

Swedish journalists receive 11 years in jail — (CNN) — Two Swedish journalists who were found guilty in Ethiopia of supporting terrorism were sentenced to 11 years in jail Tuesday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said. — “Our belief was that the court would think they were journalists and they would be released.

Discussion: Erik Wemple

Darren Murph:

Chris Grant is leaving Joystiq, and other crazy clarifications / confessions — It's true. One of the most upstanding people I've ever had the pleasure to work alongside of is leaving Joystiq at the end of this year, and he's taking two of his confidants with him.

Discussion: VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »

Kevin Lincoln / Business Insider:

AOL Loses Another Star Editor To Jim Bankoff's Growing Media Empire — Chris Grant, the editor-in-chief of AOL gaming website Joystiq, is leaving with two staffers to start a gaming vertical at Vox Media, according to Engadget managing editor Darren Murph. — Murph posted the news on his blog …

Discussion: Joystiq

Arik Hesseldahl / AllThingsD:

Obama Likes the Internet, So He'll Probably Veto SOPA if It Gets That Far — Unless there's a really big shift in sentiment among members of Congress on both sides of the ideological aisle, some version of the Stop Online Piracy Act is going to be passed by Congress sometime in 2012.

Discussion: Politico and ZDNet

Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:

DigiTimes: Apple iTV to launch as 32- and 37-inch models in summer 2012 — Citing their usual industry sources within the Asian supply chain, DigiTimes claimed Dec. 27 that Apple is prepping an HDTV for a summer 2012 launch that will be initially available in 32-inch and 37-inch variants.

Discussion: Forbes, DigiTimes, GigaOM, PC Magazine, AllThingsD and Future of Journalism, more at Techmeme »

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

Afghanistan Low on News Agenda — The 10-year-old war in Afghanistan remained just a blip on the American news media's radar in 2011. — Of all the news content in newspapers and on the Web, television and radio this year, Afghanistan accounted for about 2 percent of coverage …

Discussion: Forbes and The Politico

Hermione Way / The Next Web:

‘Olive’: The first cinema film shot on smartphone, but will it democratize Hollywood? — Last week I was invited to a private screening of Olive - The first cinematic-quality feature film to be shot entirely on a smartphone. First-time director Hooman Khalili used a Nokia N8 cellphone …

Jim Romenesko:

New York Times drops many podcasts — “The New York Times has decided to get out of the podcast business,” listeners of The Caucus podcast were told last week. That's not exactly right, I'm told. “Yes, we're re-evaluating our podcast schedule for the coming year,” a Times spokeswoman tells me.