Top News:
Dan Conover / Xark!:
What if we give it away? (w/apologies to REM) — Today's news about the Media General/Berkshire Hathaway deal reveals just how dire things have become for our newspaper princes. Unable to turn their newspapers around, Media General has traded its print properties and a big chunk …
Discussion:
The Buttry Diary, @jayrosen_nyu, NetNewsCheck Latest, @stevebuttry, DealBook, Newsonomics, New York Times and Tampa Bay Times
RELATED:
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
Survey: 52% of media professionals abandon websites when they hit a paywall — A new survey found that more than half of media professionals polled immediately leave a website after encountering a paywall. One-quarter said they were unlikely to return to the site, and 63 percent …
Discussion:
NetNewsCheck Latest, DigiCareers, eMarketer and WebProNews
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
Facebook IPO may force journalists to consider their role in the social network's growth — Facebook's IPO just created a lot of billionaires. Probably not that many of them work in journalism. But journalists, Kristie Lu Stout argues, create part of Facebook's value.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Forbes, Bloomberg, GigaOM, Business Insider, PRNewser and The Atlantic Online
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Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:
Facebook's biggest problem is that it's a media company — There's been a lot of attention paid to Facebook's business model recently, especially with the news that General Motors has killed a $10-million advertising campaign devoted to the giant social network — not exactly a great sign …
Discussion:
The Firewall, Business Week, DealBook, Los Angeles Times, Adweek, Forbes, AllThingsD, Media Decoder, Bits, TechCrunch, @brianstelter, Hillicon Valley and PR Newswire
Mariah Blake / Salon:
Coverup at Washington Times — Editors knew there was an apparent plagiarist on staff but let him keep writing. An exclusive look inside the paper — During his long career, Arnaud de Borchgrave, a one-time Newsweek correspondent and editor, has earned his share of laurels.
Discussion:
Erik Wemple and DC Porcupine
Jason Del Rey / AdAge:
Amazon to Sell Ads on Kindle Fire Welcome Screen — If You Have $600K — Amazon Seeks Big Money as It Brings Advertising to Its Hottest Tablet — The Kindle Fire is Amazon.com's best-selling product, the company said in its first-quarter-earnings release. And it's being treated that way by the Amazon ad sales team.
Discussion:
Wired, NetNewsCheck Latest, Techland, TechnoBuffalo, VentureBeat, paidContent, Android Phone Fans and CNET
Michael Hastings / BuzzFeed:
Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban — Propaganda that was supposed to target foreigners could now be aimed at us. “Disconcerting and dangerous,” says Shank. — An amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda on American audiences is being inserted into the latest defense authorization bill, BuzzFeed has learned.
Discussion:
@adrianchen
The Huffington Post:
'Reporter's Privilege' Under Fire From Obama Administration Amid Broader War On Leaks — RICHMOND, Va. — The Obama administration Friday morning continued its headlong attack on the right of reporters to protect their confidential sources in leak investigations.
Discussion:
Capital New York and @mikeriggs
Tom McGeveran / Capital New York:
In a memo, Ricketts tells his news staff his politics have ‘absolutely no impact’ on their work — The ‘Ricketts’ playbook obtained by the ‘Times.’ — Late this afternoon, Joe Ricketts, the founder of AmeriTrade who was the subject of a front-page article in today's New York Times …
Tracie Powell / Poynter:
Amid diversity improvements at NPR, fear and challenges remain — As NPR struggles with declining revenue, the public radio organization will have to consider staff changes, but no programs have been targeted. — “The [Washington Post] article inaccurately singled out 'Tell …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Mark Hosenball / Reuters:
Exclusive: Did White House “spin” tip a covert op? — (Reuters) - White House efforts to soft-pedal the danger from a new “underwear bomb” plot emanating from Yemen may have inadvertently broken the news they needed most to contain. — At about 5:45 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 7 …
Steve Buttry / The Buttry Diary:
Aggregation guidelines: Link, attribute, add value — Aggregation has become a dirty word in much of journalism today. — Bill Keller, former editor of the New York Times, last year wrote: “There's often a thin line between aggregation and theft.” — Patrick Pexton, Washington Post ombudsman …
Discussion:
Erik Wemple