Mediagazer: Lessons learned from a letter to curmudgeons (Steve Buttry/The Buttry Diary)

10:10 PM ET, April 9, 2012

Top News:

Seymour M. Hersh / The New Yorker:

Scooped by Mike Wallace — Mike Wallace, who died on Sunday, was a superb role model. His success came the hard way—he was self-made, with a relentless determination to tell the truth to power and to find truths where others could not. In that sense, he made it easier for the rest of us.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Washington Post, The Awl, Michigan Daily, FishbowlDC, Phlog, What's Trending …, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Gothamist, Forbes and Poynter

Sharon Waxman / The Wrap:
Remembering Mike Wallace's dark secret — depression

Discussion: The Week, TVNewser, The New Yorker Blog and CBS News

Dave Levinthal / Politico:

Netflix forms PAC — In yet another move to boost its Washington profile, Netflix has formed a political action committee, new federal records indicate. — Called FLIXPAC, the committee may now make contributions donations directly to federal candidates — up to $5,000 per election.

Discussion: David Thier, AllThingsD, The Raw Story, PC Magazine, Mashable!, The Next Web, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, UPROXX, VentureBeat, GigaOM, Techdirt, WebProNews, Forbes, Hillicon Valley and Mediaite

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Former Gawker editor Remy Stern will take the reigns at ‘Post’ website — Remy Stern, who left Gawker late last year after Nick Denton installed A.J. Daulerio as editor-in-chief, has a new gig: He's joining the New York Post as a digital consultant. “Remy will help shape …

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

Limbaugh to Leave AM Station in Philadelphia — “The Rush Limbaugh Show” is leaving the dominant conservative talk radio station in Philadelphia, one of the biggest radio markets in the country. — In its place on the station, WPHT, will go “The Michael Smerconish Show,” hosted by Mr. Smerconish, a native of the city.

Discussion: Mediaite, Media Matters for America and ThinkProgress

Ned Martel / Washington Post:

Cable talkers' latest status symbol: A studio at home — Of the many categories of waste in American politics, consider the resources that go into cable-TV live shots. Thousands of barrels of fossil fuel are expended hauling a person to where the cameras are or a camera to where the person is.

Discussion: TVNewser and New York Magazine

Chris Francescani / Reuters:

Trayvon Martin call was “mistake, not deliberate”: NBC — (Reuters) - NBC News' decision to air an edited call from George Zimmerman to police in the moments before he shot Trayvon Martin was “a mistake and not a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call,” according the president of network's news division.

Discussion: Mediaite, Erik Wemple, The Daily Caller and The Week

Alan D. Mutter / Reflections of a Newsosaur:

Publishers lost $27 in print for every digital $1 gain — The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism generated gasps when it reported that newspapers are losing $7 in print advertising for every $1 of digital revenue that they gain. But the situation is even worse.

Discussion: Poynter

Steven Musil / CNET:

Daisey revealer gains access to Foxconn factory floor — Rob Schmitz, the public radio journalist who exposed Apple commentator Mike Daisey's fabrications regarding working conditions at a Chinese electronics factory, has become only the second Western journalist to be granted access to Foxconn's factory floor.

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

Accused of plagiarism, Fast Company blogger says he meant to steal from someone else — A cop walks around a corner and catches a man smoking a joint. — “Really sorry, officer,” he says, stubbing it out, “but I swear I was just smoking it for a friend.” — No, that doesn't make a lot of sense, and it doesn't mitigate the crime.

Discussion: Gawker

Steve Buttry / The Buttry Diary:

Lessons learned from a letter to curmudgeons — Friday's letter to newsroom curmudgeons resulted in my busiest day ever on this blog, 4,882 views, smashing my previous record by 58 percent. After less than 72 hours online, the post is already my fourth most-viewed post in three-plus years blogging here.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Reuters:

TV cameraman shot dead on Lebanon-Syria border — (Reuters) - Syrian soldiers shot dead a cameraman working for Lebanon's Al-Jadeed television channel on Monday near the border between the two countries, the television channel said. — It said cameraman Ali Shaaban was on the Lebanese side …

New York Times:

Supremacy in Jeopardy for ‘Today’ — These days, the effervescent smiles on the “Today” show, America's most popular morning television companion, are concealing anxiety. — A few remote control clicks away on “Good Morning America,” the smiles may look the same, but they hint at something very different: hope.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, TVNewser and @romenesko