Mediagazer: Left Alone by Its Owner, Reddit Thrives (David Carr/New York Times)

For conventions, TV viewing down, social media up — CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When it comes to following political conventions, Twitter may soon trump television. TV viewership for last week's Republican National Convention dropped sharply from 2008, suggesting interest in this presidential race falls short of some past contests.

Discussion: Poynter and CBS News

John Aloysius Farrell / National Journal:

Why, Exactly, Are 15,000 Journalists in Charlotte? — Emily Ramshaw didn't hesitate when asked why she was on her way to North Carolina on Friday to cover the Democratic convention as a one-woman bureau for The Texas Tribune. “You can cover the big speeches on TV,” Ramshaw said, but …

Chris Ariens / TVNewser:
Based on His Experience at the RNC, Network Producer Cancels Plans to Cover the DNC

Discussion: The Huffington Post and SocialTimes

Dylan Byers / Politico:
DNC 2012: Press puts a new spin on Obama

Discussion: Hot Air, CNN, New York Times, Erik Wemple and Big News Network.com

Media Decoder:

New Editor at Cosmopolitan: Joanna Coles Replaces Kate White — In January, Kate White the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, went to David Carey, the president of Hearst Magazines, and told him she was thinking about retiring after 14 years on the job. Given the importance of the franchise to the company …

Discussion: New York Magazine, AdAge, Guardian, Folio, FishbowlNY and WWD Media Headlines

Martin Evans / Telegraph:

More than 1,000 people identified as victims of hacking — More than 1,000 people have been identified as likely victims of hacking, the police officer leading the investigation into the scandal said today. Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Sue Akers, told the Home Affairs Select Committee …

Jason Deans / Guardian:
Phone hacking investigations and prosecutions ‘could take three years’

Discussion: @lisaocarroll

David Carr / New York Times:

Left Alone by Its Owner, Reddit Thrives — There are many ways to measure the traction of a social media platform: time spent, page views or unique users. But it might be useful to add one more metric: if the leader of the free world stops by to answer questions from your users, you're probably doing O.K.

Discussion: NYConvergence.com, eMedia Vitals and Business Insider

Stephanie Gaskell / Politico:

Syria: The search for Austin Tice — Czech diplomats are working on behalf of the United States to find the whereabouts of an American journalist and former U.S. Marine who went missing in Syria more than three weeks ago. The State Department asked Czech diplomats, who are the “protecting power” …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Reporters: We loathe 2012 campaign — Is that all there is? — Presidential campaigns are supposed to be the greatest show in American politics—infused with big ideas and historical import. Yet after 16 months enduring a Republican primary and then a two-man contest so far defined by gaffes …

Discussion: TVNewser, Tampa Bay Times, Poynter, @juliemmoos, Erik Wemple, Mediaite and The Huffington Post

Alex Wilhelm / The Next Web:

Pro-Assad hackers have taken over Al Jazeera's homepage to protest its coverage — Pro-Assad hackers have taken over Al-Jazeera's homepage to protest its coverage

Sarah Lacy / PandoDaily:

Don't Want to Be Mistaken for a Prostitute? Don't Get into Samsung's Creepy Limo — We're getting close to a decade into tech blogging — one of the least filtered, most revenge-seeking forms of journalism ever created. Most of the PR angst in this era has centered around how you handle angry bloggers.

Karan Bajaj / KaranBajaj.in: Clearing the air around Samsung Mob!lers vs Indian bloggers fiasco

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Twitter Is Looking For A Data Editor To, Um, Tell Compelling Stories Based On Its Data — Twitter has a fair number of open jobs available, but this one caught our eye: The startup is looking for a data editor to make sense of and tell stories around its user data.

Ed Pilkington / Guardian:

Bradley Manning's lawyer demands sentence cut — The civilian lawyer of Bradley Manning, the US soldier suspected of transferring hundreds of thousands of state secrets to WikiLeaks, is demanding that at least seven years be lopped off any sentence he might be given on grounds that he was improperly treated while in military custody.

Discussion: Guardian

Anne Eisenberg / New York Times:

‘Good Girls’ Fight to Be Journalists — WHEN I graduated from college, before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 took effect, sex discrimination was legal. I wanted to write for a newspaper or newsmagazine, but despite an armload of credentials and skills, I soon learned the score …