Mediagazer: A brief history of Microsoft's e-reader efforts (Kevin C. Tofel/GigaOM)

7:20 AM ET, May 1, 2012

Top News:

Rupert Murdoch ‘not fit’ to lead major international company, MPs conclude — Rupert Murdoch is “not a fit person” to exercise stewardship of a major international company, a committee of MPs has concluded, in a report highly critical of the mogul and his son James's role in the News of the World phone-hacking affair.

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk, Press Gazette, paidContent, @dansabbagh, @skynewsbreak, @ravisomaiya, @dansabbagh and @tomjharper

Guardian:

Phone hacking: select committee report - live — MPs' verdict on News of the World phone hacking scandal expected to criticise James Murdoch, but fall short of accusing him of misleading parliament

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

The Digg Team Is Going To WaPo, But The Assets Aren't — Has The Washington Post acquired Digg, as reported in The Next Web? Sort of. — We're hearing that the Post has hired the Digg team, but is not acquiring the site or the technology. In other words, this is a talent acquisition …

Discussion: The Next Web

Drew Olanoff / The Next Web:

Rumor: Digg to be acquired by The Washington Post (updated: site will remain, tech team transfers) — With a history only fitting an Internet business, Digg has seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, and everywhere in between. — We've received a tips from multiple sources …

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Claire Atkinson / New York Post:

Hulu, networks to change model of free streaming — Viewers who stream network TV shows may soon discover the free ride is not so free. Hulu, which attracted 31 million unique users in March under a free-for-all model, is taking its first steps to change to a model where viewers …

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Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:

A brief history of Microsoft's e-reader efforts — Although Microsoft invested $300 million in a Barnes & Noble spin-off on Monday, this isn't the first time Microsoft played the e-book game. Typical for the company, it often has great ideas, but it errs on the timing.

Discussion: CNET, Digital Book World, Wired, paidContent and TechCrunch

Om Malik / GigaOM:
At $1.7 billion, Nook is worth more than Barnes & Noble itself

Discussion: DealBook and Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Sayantani Ghosh / Reuters:

Demand Media on M&A radar after failed buyout bid; shares soar — (Reuters) - Shares of Demand Media Inc (DMD.N) rose 31 percent on Monday, following reports that an offer to take the company private fell through over the weekend, fuelling hopes that the online content provider may be up for grabs.

New York Times:

Developers Are Working on Television Apps, but TV Industry Is Wary — The same consumers who delight in navigating the iPad still click frustratingly through cable channels to find a basketball game. Their complaint: Why can't television be more like a tablet?

Discussion: Company Town, Noted and The Verge, Thanks:@bgoodcam

Keith Matheny / USA Today:

College newspapers feel financial pinch — Editor Joseph Valdez says he has seen his newspaper's budget “cut drastically” the past two years. His print paper may soon be eliminated, as the push continues to take news to what many see as newspapers' ultimate destination: the Internet, with all of its uncertain profitability.

Discussion: College Media Matters

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Dan Rather: Mark Cuban Has The Guts My CBS Bosses Lacked — Don't make the mistake of thinking that Dan Rather's angry. Sure, almost eight years after the events that led to his forced departure from CBS News, and three years after his defeat in a $70 million lawsuit stemming from those events …

Discussion: The Atlantic Wire

Alexis Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:

Where Do All Those BuzzFeed Cute Animal Pictures Come From? — BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti discusses the copyright implications of all the adorable cats, disappointed otters, and worried monkeys that grace the site. — It all started when I was looking at a photograph of an otter that was …

Mike Allen / Politico:

Ben Bradlee, Sally Quinn defend Bob Woodward — Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn made strong statements of support for Bob Woodward and his Watergate reporting on Monday, moving to defuse damaging questions raised by a new article and biography that includes musing by Bradlee about whether some details had been embellished.

Discussion: Politico

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Himmelman, NY Mag defend Woodward-Watergate story

Discussion: New York Magazine and The Huffington Post

Jeff Himmelman / New York Magazine:
The Red Flag in the Flowerpot

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, Jack Shafer, Politico, Erik Wemple, Daily Mail, @benfenton, Capital New York, ABCNEWS, Guardian and The New York Observer

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Lawyer: Student likely owns falling bear photo, not newspaper — On Saturday the Associated Press issued a “photo elimination” of Andy Duann's falling bear pictures, advising its members to “eliminate from your systems and archives” AP's “Campus bear” photos shot by Andy Duann and credited …

Discussion: Mashable