Mediagazer: Wikipedia locks possible VPs' pages (Dylan Byers/Politico)

3:40 AM ET, August 9, 2012

Top News:

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

News Corp writes $2.8 billion off its publishing activities — Suddenly, you can see why News Corp is eager to split its news, TV and movie businesses in two... Operating income in the group's existing “publishing” division - comprising Dow Jones, WSJ, The Daily, New York Post …

Discussion: Home Media Magazine

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

News Corp. Takes $2.8 Billion Charge — News Corp. missed its quarterly numbers today by reporting adjusted earnings of 32 cents a share on revenue of $8.4 billion; the Street was expecting 32 cents and $8.7 billion. — More interesting is the $2.8 billion “non-cash impairment charge” …

Discussion: MarketWatch, TheAustralian, Wall Street Journal, @edmundlee, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Fox Business, CNBC, Capital New York, Forbes, The Wrap, Guardian, Broadcasting & Cable, TechCrunch, @davidfolkenflik and Media Money …

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

In earnings call, News Corp. executive says they are ‘on course’ with breakup plan — News Corp. is “on course” with its plan to split up its publishing and entertainment assetts, according to president and chief operating officer Chase Carey. — But when he addressed Wall Street analysts …

Reuters:
News Corp posts higher profit on cable, movies

Discussion: Bloomberg

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

The New York Times Is About to Say Goodbye to About.com — The New York Times' time with About.com may be coming to an end. The paper has been looking to get rid of the struggling Web site, which produces high-volume, low-cost content, and has a deal in place to sell it to Answers.com.

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes: NY Times Co. Stock Trading Up On About.com Sale Report

Liz Cox Barrett / CJR:

NYT uses false balance while reporting on false balance — Wonder if the “news media critic in chief” spotted that? — From today's New York Times, we learn that “Obama Is An Avid Reader, and Critic, of the News,” as the headline on Amy Chozik's piece has it.

Amy Chozick / New York Times:
Obama Is an Avid Reader, and Critic, of the News

Discussion: Poynter, thenation.com/blogs/180, Media Decoder, NewsBusters.org blogs, TVNewser, The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post, The Raw Story and Prof Chris Daly's Blog

Victor Fiorillo / Philly Magazine:

$28 Million In Cuts Proposed at Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News — Today, the leadership of the Newspaper Guild, the union that represents many employees of the Inquirer, Daily News, and philly.com, sent the following email to its members, making it clear that recent slashes to personnel were just the beginning:

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

Washington Post's TruthTeller project hopes to birth real-time fact-checking — Steven Ginsberg saw the future of fact-checking while listening to a politician tell lies in Iowa last summer. — “It was one of those small parking lot affairs outside a sports bar and the candidate …

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Bloomberg News Doubles Staff For 2012 Political Conventions — NEW YORK — Al Hunt, Washington editor of Bloomberg News, said he still gets “excited” heading to the political conventions — even after covering 19 previous Republican and Democratic gatherings over the past 40 years.

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Al Gore to host conventions for CurrentTV

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Steve Myers / Poynter:

New York Times news apps team ventures into product development with Olympics syndication — The New York Times has built an impressive online home for its Olympics coverage, with instantly-updated results, medal counts, athlete bios, and of course stories and photos.

Discussion: @zimbalist

Linda Holmes / NPR:
Good Business, Bad Quality: How NBC Is Both Right And Wrong On The Olympics

Discussion: business.time.com

Eric Pfanner / New York Times:
BBC's Olympics Broadcasts Focus on Live Coverage

Discussion: Search Engine Land

Jennifer H. Svan / Stars & Stripes:

Delayed Olympic coverage irks AFN viewers — KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Michael Phelps concluding his record-setting Olympic career and Usain Bolt blowing away the competition on the track are among the highlights so far of the 2012 Summer Olympics broadcast on AFN Europe.

Discussion: Deadspin

Aaron Mesh / Willamette Week:

Stop the Presses — The Oregonian may not be a daily newspaper much longer.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, The Newspaper Guild and Poynter

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Wikipedia locks possible VPs' pages — Tech President's Micah Sifry, who introduced the idea that Wikipedia revisions could help predict Mitt Romney's selection of a running mate, reports that Wikipedia has put a lock on the pages of the leading veep candidates following a segment on the topic by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.

Discussion: Daily Mail, New York Magazine, The latest episodes …, Mediaite and Drudge Report

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Survey: Americans hate the political media — Public Policy Polling has surveyed 1,000 people for the latest Daily Kos/SEIU weekly poll and found that if there's one thing Americans can agree on, it's their hatred of the political news media. — Per the survey, 78 percent of those polled …

Austin Carr / Fast Company:

Rhapsody President: Spotify Hasn't Won — Last week, Spotify revealed that it had grown to 15 million active users of its ad-supported music service. That's great news for cofounder Daniel Ek, but for Spotify's competitors in the space? Not so much. — Rhapsody declined to provide …

Alexander Abad-Santos / The Atlantic Wire:

Lolo Jones, We (The Media) Totally Had Your Back — Lolo Jones is complaining today that the media “ripped her to shreds.” The thing is, it didn't. Well technically, one New York Times writer did try to rip her to shreds. And unfortunately, that's the story she's running with.

Discussion: msnbc.com, Media Decoder, @profsamuels_nyu and Poynter

Peter Jukes / The Daily Beast:

Elton John sues the Times for Libel — Adding to Murdoch's woes, the singer sues the media mogul's flagship paper for libel. Peter Jukes reports. — Rupert Murdoch's luck in London seems have run out. After some seventy arrests associated with phone hacking [LINK ON PHONE HACKING …