Mediagazer: Exclusive: Did White House “spin” tip a covert op? (Mark Hosenball/Reuters)

3:27 AM ET, May 19, 2012

Top News:

So Warren Buffett likes newspapers again? — Just because Warren Buffett blew $142 million in cash on 63 daily and weekly Media General newspaper titles yesterday doesn't mean that newspapers are back. All it means is that an old cow that's still a milker has been moved to a neighboring farm's pasture …

Discussion: Newsonomics and Wall Street Journal

Dan Conover / Xark!:
What if we give it away? (w/apologies to REM)

Discussion: The Buttry Diary, @jayrosen_nyu, @stevebuttry, DealBook and Tampa Bay Times

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: Bloomberg, Lost Remote, CNET, Forbes, Business Insider, GigaOM, BuzzFeed, The Atlantic Online and CNN

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: Los Angeles Times, DealBook, The Firewall, ReadWriteWeb, Bits, Adweek, Business Week, AllThingsD, @brianstelter, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Kernel, Hillicon Valley and PR Newswire

Erik Wemple:

CSIS to investigate Arnaud de Borchgrave's writings — The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said this afternoon that it will investigate the work of Arnaud de Borchgrave, one of the think tank's program directors and a columnist for the Washington Times and United Press International.

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

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: Mediaite and @adrianchen

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 …

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

A kinder, gentler DRM? — With Harry Potter fan site and e-bookstore Pottermore.com now using watermarking instead of heavyweight DRM on all the Harry Potter e-books, anti-DRM arguments are growing louder. Now the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the organization that oversees …

Discussion: TeleRead and International Digital …

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: @mikeriggs and Capital New York

Financial Times:

Murdoch quashes talk of UK paper spin-off — By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York and Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles — Rupert Murdoch has moved to quash discussions within his own company about selling its tainted UK newspaper business, saying News Corp remained “firmly committed” …

Discussion: Jon Slattery and Telegraph

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, Android Phone Fans, Techland, VentureBeat, TechnoBuffalo, paidContent, Digital Spy and CNET

Bloomberg:

‘Pan Am’ May Fly Again As Web Revives Canceled TV Shows — In the world of television, canceled doesn't mean what it used to. — The four major U.S. networks this week unveiled 31 new shows for 2012-2013, meaning at least that many won't be back. Some, like CBS's “A Gifted Man,” failed to win viewers.

Discussion: Variety and Radio & Television …