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

4:45 PM ET, May 18, 2012

Top News:

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

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: Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider, GigaOM and The Atlantic Online

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, NetNewsCheck Latest, @jayrosen_nyu, @stevebuttry, DealBook and New York Times

Omaha World-Herald:
Deal shows Buffett's faith in community newspapers

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times, CJR, Poynter and Erik Wemple

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

Discussion: Forbes, NetNewsCheck Latest, PolicyMic, The Rural Blog, Omaha World-Herald, Newsonomics, Wall Street Journal, Gawker and Tampa Bay Times

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

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

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

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: Erik Wemple, Gawker, BAGnewsNotes, The Daily Beast, New York Times, Media Nation, The Huffington Post, Media Matters for America, Politicker, The Daily Beast, Politico, The Caucus and Capital New York

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

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 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 …

Discussion: Erik Wemple

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: Save the News and The Daily Beast

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