Mediagazer: 2012 political TV ads: The rush is on (Politico)

1:10 PM ET, May 18, 2012

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, DealBook, @stevebuttry and New York Times

Omaha World-Herald:

Deal shows Buffett's faith in community newspapers — Warren Buffett came through with cash when the nation's biggest banks were teetering. — Now, some observers say, he's doing the same for newspapers, although Buffett maintains that his fledgling network of community newspapers …

Discussion: Poynter

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:
Why Warren Buffett is buying newspapers

Discussion: The Rural Blog, Newsonomics, Wall Street Journal, Erik Wemple, Omaha World-Herald, Gawker, Poynter and Tampa Bay Times

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 …

Discussion: BAGnewsNotes, Media Nation, The Huffington Post, ABCNEWS, Globe and Mail, Mother Jones, New York Times, Politico, Politicker, The Daily Beast, Media Matters for America, The Caucus and Capital New York

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: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, DealBook, TechCrunch, AllThingsD, Business Week, Hillicon Valley, PR Newswire, Poynter, @brianstelter, The Atlantic Online and The Kernel

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: VentureBeat, paidContent, Techland, TechnoBuffalo, Android Phone Fans and CNET

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 Erik Wemple

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: DigiCareers, eMarketer, WebProNews and MediaPost

Josh Stearns / MediaShift:

The First Amendment Should Protect Everyone's Right to Record — Since September, police have arrested dozens of journalists and activists around the country for the “crime” of trying to document political protests in public spaces. People using smartphones and mobile devices are changing the way we record and share breaking news.

Discussion: The Daily Beast

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, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Washington Post

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 …

Politico:

2012 political TV ads: The rush is on — With nearly six months left before Election Day, national party committees have already reserved more than $72 million in television airtime for a fall campaign that's shaping up as a Super Bowl-like spectacle of political advertising.

Discussion: Media Decoder

James Rainey / Los Angeles Times:

Los Angeles Times receives $1-million grant from Ford Foundation — The funds will help The Times expand coverage of key areas, including immigration and ethnic communities in Southern California. — The main entrance of the Los Angeles Times building (Los Angeles Times / April 30, 2012)

Discussion: Poynter, LA Observed, The Informer, @jayrosen_nyu, @michelemclellan, @ckrewson, @ckrewson, Politico and @jayrosen_nyu

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

Sir Harold: ‘Fatal miscalcuation’ over Murdoch's 1981 bid — Speaking about Rupert Murdoch's bid for the Times and the Sunday Times Sir Harold Evans also described the revelation of a meeting between Margaret Thatcher and Murdoch in 1981 as ‘astonishing’ — Sir Harold Evans …

Discussion: Press Gazette, Guardian and Telegraph