Mediagazer: Journalists reluctant stars in 2012 ads (Keach Hagey/Politico)

12:05 PM ET, February 2, 2012

Top News:

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Fourth quarter earnings report shows New York Times Co. sites have 406,000 digital subscribers — Nearly one year after introducing a new digital subscription plan, The New York Times Co. websites have about 406,000 paid subscribers. That's 390,000 for the Times and the International Herald Tribune …

Discussion: mediabistro.com, paidContent, JIMROMENESKO.COM and AllThingsD

Amy Chozick / New York Times:

Quarterly Profit Falls 12.2% at Times Co. — The New York Times Company reported on Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit declined 12.2 percent as rising subscription and digital advertising revenue at its largest newspapers could not offset the continued drop-off in print advertising.

Discussion: New York Magazine, @nytprguy, The Huffington Post, Nieman Journalism Lab and @brianstelter

Joe Pompeo / @joepompeo: Arthur Sulzberger Jr. says New York Times CEO search is “in its early stages.”

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

Facebook and Don Graham Have Been Very Good to Each Other — Don Graham. Image by Getty Images via @daylife — We already knew that Washington Post Co. chairman Don Graham and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg were very special friends. Now, thanks to the social networking giant's IPO filing, we know just how special.

Discussion: Deal Journal, Forbes and The Not-So Private Parts

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:
Facebook wants to rewire the way the world works

Discussion: rbr.com, Forbes, MediaFile, Fast Company, Media Decoder, The New Yorker Blog, DealBook, CNET, Media News, New York Times, Bloomberg, memeburn, Mashable!, Future of Journalism and eMedia Vitals, more at Techmeme »

Ryan Chittum / CJR:
The Old-School Value of Facebook

Discussion: Fast Company, Forbes, AllThingsD, Softpedia News, GigaOM, WWD Media Headlines, Top Digital Journal News, Home Media Magazine, AdAge, Media Week, Adweek, MediaFile, Future of Journalism, The Atlantic Online, Gawker and Guardian, more at Techmeme »

Wired.com:
Facebook's $5 Billion IPO: The Next Google? Or The Next Groupon?

Discussion: PC Magazine and Guardian, more at Techmeme »

David Benoit / Deal Journal:
Netflix & Wash Post Bought $8M Combined In Facebook Ads Last Year

Discussion: Poynter

The Onion:

‘Huffington Post’ Employee Sucked Into Aggregation Turbine — Horrified Workers Watch As Colleague Torn Apart By Powerful Content-Gathering Engine — NEW YORK—Shocked and saddened witnesses at the Huffington Post's news-aggregation facility have confirmed that employee Henry Evers, 25 …

Martin Evans / Telegraph:

Police investigating allegations of email hacking at The Times — The Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations of email hacking at the Times Newspaper, sources have revealed. — It is understood the investigation relates to claims that a former reporter at the Murdoch owned newspaper hacked …

Discussion: New York Times, @tom_watson, Daily Mail and Guardian

Reuters: INSIGHT-Inside Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper clean-up operation

Guardian:
Times editor faces Leveson inquiry recall over Nightjack email hacking

Discussion: Poynter and Tom Watson MP

Roy Greenslade / London Evening Standard:
Arrests leave Sun journalists feeling cast off by Rupert

Discussion: Guardian

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Tumblr Hires Writers to Cover Itself — The popular social blogging site Tumblr is hiring writers and editors to cover the world of Tumblr. — Chris Mohney, a senior vice president for content at BlackBook Media, will be the site's editor in chief. Jessica Bennett, a senior writer …

Discussion: The Next Web, FishbowlNY, The FJP, PC Magazine, Fast Company, Marketing Pilgrim, Business Insider and eMedia Vitals

Alex Leo / Reuters:

Introducing Reuters Social Pulse — Today we launched Social Pulse, our new social media hub on Reuters.com designed to show you the most talked-about news, companies and influencers across the Web. — The first thing you'll see on the page is the news most popular in Reuters social network.

Discussion: AdAge

Drew Olanoff / The Next Web:

Remember that Gawker redesign? A year's worth of data says it worked — On Feburary 7th, 2011, the entire Gawker Media style changed from a typical one you'd see on a blog to a hipper more programmed feel. The design focused on a top story and then listed out others along the side in a static bar.

Discussion: Poynter, more at Techmeme »

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Networks Resort to Trickery in an Attempt to Lift Ratings — Viewers who tuned into ABC's “Good Morning America” during the last week of 2011 would have found the same mix of news, gossip and soft features at the usual time of the morning. — But as far as Nielsen ratings were concerned …

Discussion: Media Buyer Planner and Chickaboomer

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Axel Springer Takes A Slice Of Airbnb In Exposure Deal — Apartment-letting site Airbnb will get investment, endorsement and distribution from the publisher of Europe's most-read newspaper. — Axel Springer, which publishes Bild and is led by CEO Mathias Döpfner, says it has made a “minor investment” in the site.

Jeanine Poggi / AdAge:

Is Netflix Kids' Streaming Part of Nickelodeon's Ratings Drop? — Netflix Users Streamed 2 Billion Hours in the Fourth Quarter — Netflix is adamant that its streaming service will not cannibalize the cable industry, but Nickelodeon's recent ratings decline may provide the first suggestion …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Company Town, Bloomberg, Multichannel and Media Decoder

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
Viacom Says Netflix Isn't Hurting Nickelodeon Ratings

Discussion: Company Town

Rick Edmonds / Poynter:

Are investors choosing Journal Register over Philadelphia's Inquirer, Daily News? — I was as puzzled as the next guy when I learned Sunday that the Philadelphia Media Network, publisher of the city's two dailies, is on the auction block. This comes a mere 17 months since a group …

Dan Reimold / MediaShift:

Romenesko Gets His Mojo Back After Leaving Poynter — Jim Romenesko is having a good time. Lately, the “journalism evangelist,” “KING of the blogosphere,” and “go-to source for news about the news” has been waking up earlier, posting more often, and featuring content he had not felt free to publish for more than a decade.

Discussion: Poynter, Thanks:@beet_tv

Talia Buford / Politico:

Josh Fox arrested at hearing — Photo courtesy of the office of Rep. Paul Tonko — Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Josh Fox was arrested Wednesday morning after attempting to film a House Science Committee hearing on hydraulic fracturing. — Fox was led out in handcuffs …

Discussion: The Wrap and Mediaite

Zach Carter / The Huffington Post:
‘Gasland’ Journalists Arrested At Hearing By Order Of House Republicans

Discussion: Politico, The Politico, AlterNet.org, FishbowlDC, Mediaite and The Newspaper Guild

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
Times and 12 other news organizations write another letter to the NYPD, calling for answers …

Discussion: Media News, The Atlantic Wire, Gothamist and Future of Journalism

Steven Greenhouse / Media Decoder:

Former Intern Sues Hearst Over Unpaid Work and Hopes to Create a Class Action — 5:23 p.m. | Updated A former unpaid intern for the fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, accusing its parent company, the Hearst Corporation, of violating federal and state wage …