Mediagazer: CNN in Talks to Acquire Mashable, Sources Say (Brian Stelter/Media Decoder)

4:45 PM ET, March 12, 2012

Top News:

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

CNN in Talks to Acquire Mashable, Sources Say — AUSTIN, Tex. — CNN, a unit of Time Warner, and Mashable are in advanced talks that may lead to an acquisition of the social news Web site, three people with knowledge of the talks said. — Mashable, which specializes in stories about technology …

Matt Burns / TechCrunch:

Pete Cashmore Denies CNN Acquisition Rumor To Mashable Staff — The hot SXSW rumor is that CNN is looking to acquire Mashable for some $200 million. But right now it's just that: a rumor. In fact we just heard from a trusted Mashable staffer that founder and CEO Pete Cashmore is denying the reports to senior level Mashable editors.

Discussion: The Wrap, Forbes and Business Insider

Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:

CNN Mashing Up With Mashable? Not So Fast — CNN might yet end up as the owner of Mashable but it's not imminent despite a single-source report from Felix Salmon at Reuters. — Salmon reported late Sunday that CNN is buying Mashable, the consumer social media news site that has been branching …

Discussion: Guardian, Journalism.co.uk, ITProPortal, VentureBeat, Reuters and mediabistro.com

Brian Stelter / @brianstelter:
In email to staff, Pete Cashmore says it “isn't true” that @Mashable “will be acquired this week.” (Doesn't deny NYT report of talks w/CNN.)

Discussion: FishbowlNY

David Carr / New York Times:

A Code of Conduct for Content Aggregators — As words and articles became digitized over the last 15 years, they began to float, there for the plucking and replication elsewhere. Words like “curation” and “aggregation” became the language of the realm, sometimes used as substitutes for describing the actual creation of content.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, The Awl, Gizmodo, The Verge, The Atlantic Online, ReadWriteWeb, FishbowlNY, Boing Boing and MetaFilter

Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:

We Don't Need No Stinking Seal of Approval from the Blog Police — David Carr's column today is partly about a plan masterminded by Ad Age columnist Simon Dumenco to create, quote, a “Council on Ethical Blogging and Aggregation,” which will ostensibly serve as a sort of trade group or …

Discussion: @antderosa

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

New Internet TV Network to Feature Larry King — Carlos Slim Helú, the Mexican billionaire, is financing an Internet television network called Ora.tv that will feature Larry King, the former CNN interviewer, in a return to the interviewer's chair. — The network, to be announced on Monday …

Discussion: Forbes, Broadcasting & Cable, paidContent, Digital Media Wire, The Wrap, Fast Company, PopWatch, TVNewser, Chickaboomer, Media Network and Deadline.com

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Exclusive: Amazon Has Sold Over Two Million Kindle Singles — When Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) launched the Kindle Singles program a little over a year ago, nobody knew whether there was a market for e-books that are shorter than full-length books but longer than most magazine articles.

Discussion: mediabistro.com and eBookNewser

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Exclusive: How Much Do Kindle Singles Authors Make? — The top-ten list of bestselling Kindle Singles includes a number of big-name writers. But how is the format working for writers who don't have the brand of a Stephen King or Jodi Picoult? — In addition to sharing overall sales information …

Discussion: The Awl

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Sun on Sunday and rivals share sales uplift — News International launch receives 2% to 3% boost in third week, as Sunday Mirror and People circulations stabilise — Sales for the Sun's Sunday edition edged upwards towards 2.7m last week, with most of its competitors also lifting sales …

Natalie Peck / Hacking inquiry: Former Home Secretary rejected plans for full investigation into phone hacking, Leveson hears

Dan Sabbagh / Guardian:
Leveson may not endorse Hunt's PCC reforms

Discussion: Guardian

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
Leveson asked to publish Motorman files

Discussion: Editor's Blog, Journalism.co.uk and Crikey

Natalie Peck / Hacking inquiry: Leveson opens door for barrister to argue in favour of Motorman files disclosure

London Evening Standard: Boris deputy ‘pressured Met to limit phone hack inquiry’

CNN:

FCC should clear Limbaugh from airwaves — Limbaugh has long history of hate speech. FCC should ask: Are stations carrying him are acting “in public interest,” writers say. — Editor's note: Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem are the Co-Founders of the Women's Media Center.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Chickaboomer

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
EXCLUSIVE: 141 Companies Drop Advertising From Rush Limbaugh

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Robin Wauters / The Next Web:

Building a digital media empire: SB Nation and The Verge owner Vox Media raises $17 million — Online media publisher extraordinaire Vox Media, which owns and operates fast-growing tech news site The Verge, sports blog network SB Nation and an upcoming game industry news outlet tentatively named Vox Games …

Jason Del Rey / AdAge: Behind the Birth of a Sports-Media Bet for the YouTube Era

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:

Aereo files countersuit against broadcasters — (Reuters) - Aereo Inc, a new online television service backed by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, has filed a countersuit against several broadcasters, seeking a declaration that it does not infringe their copyrights.

Ari Levy / Bloomberg:
IAC Chairman Diller Sees Aereo TV Service in Up to 100 Cities Within Year

Discussion: Betabeat, Adweek and Bloomberg

Joanna Walters / Guardian:

Marie Colvin: mourners say farewell to ‘talented, compassionate’ war reporter — Rupert Murdoch among those at Long Island funeral for war correspondent who was killed trying to escape Homs shelling — Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times war correspondent whose reputation for covering difficult stories …

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
As Marie Colvin is laid to rest, news organizations assess the dangers of reporting from inside Syria

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Reuters and Washington Post

Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:

NY Times Editor Jill Abramson Stays Humble at SXSW — Here's one way to gauge how big SXSW Interactive has gotten: The executive editor of The New York Times is taking three days off from overseeing All The News That's Fit To Print to come down to Austin, give a talk and take in a few panels — and maybe to catch a Jay-Z show.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Poynter