Mediagazer: Person behind @Wendi_Deng acct claims to me he is British male in London & was “completely utterly shocked” when Twitter verified (Josh Halliday/@joshhalliday)

2:25 PM ET, January 3, 2012

Top News:

Alexia Tsotsis / TechCrunch:

This Month's Apple Event To Focus On Publishing And iBooks — Apple will be holding a product event later this month in New York, Kara Swisher is reporting, and we've confirmed independently with a source. — According to the source the event will not involve any hardware at all and instead …

Discussion: Good E-Reader, GeekWire, Poynter, CNET, eBookNewser, Techland, GigaOM, Gadget Lab, Jacket Copy, Forbes, 9to5Mac, ZDNet, Softpedia News, MacStories, WebProNews, BGR, TUAW, MacRumors, Business Insider and Electronista, more at Techmeme »

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Not the iPad 3 or New TV — But Apple Planning Media-Related Event in the Big(ger) Apple This Month — According to sources close to the situation, Apple is planning an important — but not large-scale — event to be held in New York at the end of this month that will focus on a media-related announcement.

Gordon MacMillan / The Wall:

Is the Sun looking at charging for content again? — Is News International looking again at charging for content from The Sun? I blogged last year that News International had ditched the idea of putting up a paywall for The Sun, but an archive website has now appeared offering access to historical Sun content for 50p an article.

Discussion: @leonwatson

Josh Halliday / @joshhalliday:

Person behind @Wendi_Deng acct claims to me he is British male in London & was “completely utterly shocked” when Twitter verified

Discussion: CNET and Guardian, more at Techmeme »

Guardian: Wendi Deng Twitter account is a fake

Ingrid Lunden / paidContent:
Updated: Will The Real Wendi Deng Murdoch Please Stand Up?

Discussion: Fast Company and New York Magazine

Don Van Natta Jr / New York Times:

9/11 Relatives Who Suspect Hacking Await Answers — Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, relatives of some of the victims began suspecting that someone was eavesdropping on their telephones. — Some heard mysterious clicking sounds on their home and mobile phones.

Discussion: New York Magazine

Katherine Rushton / Telegraph:

Murdoch hacking warning admission won't lead to review by BSkyB board — Murdoch hacking warning won't lead to review by BSkyB board — The BSkyB board does not regard James Murdoch's admission that he was warned of the extent of phone hacking in 2008 as “material”, sources at the company have claimed.

Michael Powell / New York Times:

Gotham: At Wall Street Protests, Clash of Reporting and Policing — In late November, the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, ordered every precinct in his domain to read a statement. Officers, the commissioner said, must “respect the public's right to know about these events and the media's right of access to report.”

Discussion: New York Magazine and Gothamist

Alan D. Mutter / Reflections of a Newsosaur:

Newspaper shares plunged 27% in 2011 — In a year when the stock market flailed mightily to end up almost exactly where it started, the shares of the publicly traded newspaper companies plummeted an average of 27% in 2011. — Of the 11 publicly held newspaper companies, the stock of only one …

Financial Times:

Huffington Post targets global expansion — The Huffington Post is aiming to double its global audience in the next two years through partnerships with newspapers that are still struggling to understand the web, according to the executive in charge of the website's international expansion.

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

The Long Goodbye: Mediaite Staff Toasts (And Roasts) Managing Editor Colby Hall — You may or may not have heard yet, but Mediaite is losing Colby Hall, the only Managing Editor it has ever known. While Hall and Mediaite founder Dan Abrams have already had their say, the well-oiled cogs …

Discussion: The New York Observer

Brian Stelter / The Caucus:

Taking to Twitter, Murdoch Signals Support for Santorum — The media mogul Rupert Murdoch signaled his support for Rick Santorum on Monday evening, calling him the “only candidate with genuine big vision” for the United States. — His comments were significant not only because Mr. Murdoch …

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, Media Decoder, msnbc.com, The Atlantic Wire, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, ABCNEWS, New York Magazine, Telegraph and theweek.co.uk

Julie Moos / Poynter:
Des Moines Marriott a ‘Star Wars’ bar scene for journalists covering Iowa Caucus

Discussion: Capital New York, The Atlantic Online, KTIV-TV, GigaOM, Lens, Vanity Fair, Via Meadia and Hit & Run

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Hearst U.S. Digital Biz ‘Solidly Profitable For The First Time’ In '11 — In a New Year letter to employees, Hearst president David Carey reiterated that the company's target this year is to reach over 1 million paid digital subscribers per month. — The full letter:

Discussion: MinOnline, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Folio

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Tom Freston's $1 Billion Revenge: Ex-Viacom Chief Helps Vice Become the Next MTV — Tom Freston is Vice's growth guru and not-so-secret weapon. Credit: Ben Baker/Redux — This story appeared in the 1/16/12 issue of FORBES. — Shane Smith is trying to order drinks. It's not going well.

Discussion: Forbes and mediabistro.com

Jim Romenesko:

San Diego Union-Tribune becomes U-T San Diego — From the rebranding memo/FAQ to employees: … The San Diego paper was recently acquired by hotel owner Doug Manchester, who says he aims to make a “good” paper “great” by implementing changes that include a new dress code. — The full memo:

Discussion: LA Observed and FishbowlLA