Mediagazer: Ecuador's leader says open to talks with Britain on Assange (Eduardo Garcia/Reuters)

1:40 PM ET, August 22, 2012

Top News:

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Tina Brown stands by Niall Ferguson — Newsweek editor Tina Brown is standing by Niall Ferguson following his controversial cover story about President Obama's handling of the economy, even as she said that she did not agree with many of the opinions he voiced in the article.

Discussion: Forbes, Mediaite and FishbowlNY

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

Newsweek ditched its fact-checkers in 1996, then made a major error — “We, like other news organisations today, rely on our writers to submit factually accurate material,” Newsweek spokesman Andrew Kirk told Politico's Dylan Byers. — Byers had asked whether Newsweek has fact-checkers.

Discussion: @craigsilverman, @juliemmoos, bookforum.com, The Week, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Business Insider, Guardian, PopWatch and The Maddow Blog

Paul Krugman:
Kinds Of Wrong — Looking at the comments on my Niall Ferguson …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Canadian Magazines, CJR, GigaOM, The Atlantic Wire, @juliemmoos, FAIR Blog, SECONDED, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic Online and Pressing Issues

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Newsweek: Niall Ferguson story ‘opinion’

Discussion: The Big Picture and The Daily Beast

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Niall Ferguson ducks, nitpicks, vilifies

Discussion: @evgenymorozov, @jonathanshainin, Bloomberg and Capital New York

Charlie Warzel / Adweek:
‘Newsweek’ Tumblr Adds to Publication's Woes

Discussion: Mashable!, Mediaite, Daily Dot and Poynter

Tom McGeveran / Capital New York:
Is Tina Brown serious about Newsweek anymore?

Discussion: Erik Wemple, The Huffington Post, Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day, The Daily Beast and Politico

Rob Wong / Hulu Blog:

Launching a New Hulu: A Fresh Look for the Shows You Love — In 1992, the great comedian Phil Hartman threw on his Arkansas sweatshirt and walked into a McDonald's. He was on the set of “Saturday Night Live” and doing his best Bill Clinton impression, continuing the show's grand tradition of Presidential lampoons.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, CNET, VentureBeat, Neowin, Digital Media Wire, GigaOM, Fast Company, The Verge, The Next Web, WebProNews and 9to5Mac

Eduardo Garcia / Reuters:

Ecuador's leader says open to talks with Britain on Assange — (Reuters) - Ecuador is ready to negotiate over the fate of Julian Assange if Britain withdraws a threat to raid its embassy in London where the WikiLeaks founder has sought refuge, President Rafael Correa said on Tuesday.

Discussion: Guardian, Gawker and New York Times

Laurie Penny / The Independent:

If you really believe in WikiLeaks, you must want Assange to face up to justice — Which would you rather have - women's rights or freedom of speech? Standing outside the Ecuadorian Embassy on Sunday, listening to various venerable activists give rousing speeches, that's the choice that seemed …

Discussion: @pennyred, @pennyred and @pennyred

Guardian:

Syria: footage released of journalist Mika Yamamoto's final hours - video — Colleagues of Mika Yamamoto, Japan Press's war correspondent who was shot dead during a gun battle between Syrian forces and rebels in Aleppo on Monday, release footage of her final hours, including the last events she filmed.

Discussion: Reuters and The Huffington Post

The Daily Telegraph: Husband of Japanese journalist killed in Syria speaks of attack

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Media General President & CEO Morton to retire — Marshall N. Morton will step down as CEO of Media General at the end of 2012, the company announced Wednesday. George L. Mahoney will replace him. Mahoney, the company's release says, “has been responsible for Media General's digital media …

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times, NetNewsCheck Latest, Broadcasting & Cable and Reuters

Amy Chozick / Media Decoder:

Donations by Media Companies Tilt Heavily to Obama — Wall Street may lean Republican this presidential election cycle, but the New York media world is staunchly Democratic. — All the major media companies, driven largely by their Hollywood film and television businesses …

Discussion: Business Insider, New York Times and New York Magazine

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

David Catanese, Politico Reporter, Apologizes For Todd Akin Tweets — NEW YORK — Politico reporter David Catanese apologized Tuesday night for tweeting in defense of Republican Rep. Todd Akin two days earlier, following the Missouri Congressman's controversial comment about “legitimate rape.”

Discussion: Mediaite

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:

ABC News, Univision, Al Jazeera Among Partners In YouTube ‘Election Hub’ — YouTube is launching a 2012 “Election Hub” that will feature the latest political highlights, breaking news and videos. To fill the hub with content, YouTube has partnered with a slew of media companies …

Discussion: VentureBeat, YouTube Blog, Multichannel, Engadget, PC Magazine, ABCNEWS and Hillicon Valley

Dylan Byers / Politico:

President spurns MSNBC for CNN: Obama, Romney sit for pre-convention docs — Later today, CNN will announce plans to air 90-minute documentaries on Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama prior to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions — and unlike MSNBC, which is airing similar …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Joe Flint / Los Angeles Times:

‘Nightline’ gets stay of execution, but for how long? — ABC “Nightline” anchor Terry Moran. — ABC News executives are breathing a sigh of relief that “Nightline” wasn't canceled outright even though the network is moving Jimmy Kimmel into its time slot

Discussion: Media Decoder, Change of Subject and Poynter

Jeff John Roberts / GigaOM:

Aereo sues to squash copycat BarryDriller — Broadcasters and Barry Diller are locked in lawsuits over Aereo, a service that lets subscribers watch TV on Apple products like the iPhone or iPad. The two sides appear to have found common ground, however , in their desire to shut down an Aereo competitor.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and Radio & Television …

Hazel Sheffield / CJR:

Local news sites form new trade association — “We are the future” says LION chairman Dylan Smith — Next month, at the annual Block by Block conference for local news sites, around 100 independent publishers will celebrate the launch of a new nonprofit trade group that will offer support for the growing hyperlocal news industry.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest and Street Fight

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

After Tony Scott error, will news orgs now think twice about following ABC News scoops? — Earlier today ABC News reported that Diana Nyad was pulled from the water during her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. After a Poynter colleague tweeted the story, she received a DM from another journalist.

Discussion: Business Insider, ABCNEWS, TVNewser and Media Decoder