Mediagazer: Scripps paid former head of newspaper division $4.4M severance (Dan Monk/Cincinnati Business Courier)

11:40 AM ET, March 29, 2012

Top News:

Federal police join News probe — The Australian Federal Police has revealed it is working with UK police investigating the News Corporation phone hacking scandal in a statement hours after The Australian Financial Review exposed News's role in high-tech piracy that sabotaged its pay TV rivals …

Discussion: @davidfolkenflik and Digital Spy

Sandra Laville / Guardian:

Dick Fedorcio resigns after Met opens disciplinary action — Scotland Yard's head of communications, Dick Fedorcio, has resigned immediately after the force opened disciplinary proceedings against him. An inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) into Fedorcio's award …

Discussion: @dvnjr and @dvnjr

Ben Dowell / Guardian:

Rupert Murdoch blasts ‘lies and libels’ — Rupert Murdoch has launched a fightback on Twitter against what he described as “lies and libels” against News Corporation, attacking “enemies” including “old toffs and rightwingers”. The media mogul tweeted three times in the early hours …

Discussion: The New York Observer and Guardian

Dina Rickman / Huffington Post UK:

Leveson Inquiry: Kit Malthouse Reveals £40m Cost Of Phone Hacking Probe — The deputy mayor of London has defended his questioning of police spending on phone hacking, saying Scotland Yard already struggles to fund its fight against serious crime and spends less money per year tackling child abuse.

Guardian:
Daily Mail made 1,728 potentially illegal requests to private detective

Discussion: Press Gazette

Mike Shields / Adweek:

Google Unveils New Revenue Option for Web Publishers — Google has long been accused of being a content stealer, and/or a value-destroyer in certain publishing circles. Mark Cuban, the outspoken head of HD Network and the Dallas Mavericks, has referred to Google derisively as a “vampire” …

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Google Partners With Pandora, AdWeek, NYDN On New Paywall ‘Substitute’ — Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is rolling out a new product, “Google Consumer Surveys,” that lets publishers monetize content through “microsurveys” created by companies that want to carry out inexpensive market research.

Discussion: Adweek and mediabistro.com

Dylan Byers / Politico:

WaPo names John Temple managing editor — The Washington Post has named John Temple, former editor and publisher of Rocky Mountain News, as managing editor, confirming Keach Hagey's report here yesterday. — From the Post's press release:

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM and Poynter

The Daily Texan:

Apology from The Daily Texan Editorial Board — Update: The cartoon was taken down from The Daily Texan website. On Tuesday, a cartoon ran on the Opinion page of The Daily Texan that offended many readers, and we sincerely apologize for our decision to run it.

Discussion: Gawker, Inside Higher Ed and Gawker

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Barnes & Noble Incorporates In Germany, Closest Sign Yet Of European Nook Launch — Just as Amazon is launching a new Kindle (but not the Fire tablet, yet) in Europe, one of its big competitors is taking one more step in its bid to enter the European market: Barnes & Noble has incorporated a new company …

Discussion: Betabeat, Softpedia News and Engadget

Bloomberg:

News Corp. Said to Plan U.S. Sports Network to Rival ESPN — Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWSA) is taking steps to start a national U.S. sports network on cable television aimed at challenging Walt Disney Co. (DIS)'s ESPN, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

Discussion: Company Town, FishbowlNY, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Wrap, The Atlantic Wire, Deadline.com, Business Insider, @pkafka, PBS, The Huffington Post, Politico, AllThingsD, Guardian and msnbc.com

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

For a Week, Couric Will Co-Host ‘Good Morning America’ — Katie Couric, during an earlier appearance on “Good Morning America,” which she will co-host next week. — Next week, Katie Couric will co-host the news on ABC's “Good Morning America.” — It's a one-week role for the former co-host of …

Discussion: @learmonth

Dan Monk / Cincinnati Business Courier:

Scripps paid former head of newspaper division $4.4M severance — The man who once ran E.W. Scripps Co.'s newspaper division got more than $4.4 million in cash and stock awards after leaving the company last May. Details on severance payments to Mark Contreras were disclosed in the Scripps …

Discussion: The Newspaper Guild