Mediagazer: Drop in defamation cases may be due to Leveson inquiry (Josh Halliday/Guardian)

1:40 PM ET, September 3, 2012

Top News:

Brad McCarty / The Next Web:

Here's how Samsung flew bloggers halfway around the world, then threatened to leave them there — Let's pretend that you're a blogger. You're given the chance to review new, hot hardware from a major company. All that's required is that you participate in some tasks, but these tasks would fit into your coverage so you agree.

Discussion: BGR India, Amit Bhawani Tech Blog, Guardian, Betabeat, Softpedia News, @joshuatopolsky, Guardian, CNET, @bradmccarty, @clintonjeff and The Loop

Karan Bajaj / KaranBajaj.in:

Clearing the air around Samsung Mob!lers vs Indian bloggers fiasco — It all started this morning when a close friend Nimish Dubey tagged me on Facebook with a link to The Next Web's story on how Samsung took two Indian bloggers to IFA, Berlin and then threatened to leave them there without return tickets and hotel.

Brad McCarty / The Next Web:

Samsung “deeply apologizes” to Indian blogger: We put you through undue hardship — Following our report chronicling the treatment of two Indian bloggers attending the IFA trade show in Berlin, Samsung has issued a response to the accusations that it forced bloggers to operate as Samsung representatives against their will.

Discussion: PandoDaily

Sasha Issenberg / Campaign Stops:

Why Campaign Reporters Are Behind the Curve — It becomes popular around this time of year to lament the fact that media coverage treats the presidential campaign as little more than a “horse race.” Journalists, this line of argument goes, choose to fixate on which candidate is a superior campaigner …

Discussion: Politico and @jayrosen_nyu

Somini Sengupta / New York Times:

Twitter's Chief Lawyer Defends Free Speech With Revenue in Mind — SAN FRANCISCO — Alexander Macgillivray, Twitter's chief lawyer, says that fighting for free speech is more than a good idea. He thinks it is a competitive advantage for his company. — That conviction explains why he spends …

Discussion: GigaOM

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

World Press Trends: 2.2% of newspaper ad revenues from digital — The annual World Press Trends survey by the World Association of Newspapers and Publisher (WAN-IFRA) has highlighted a “lack of intensity” in digital news consumption, which it says is being shown in the digital revenue shares reported by newspapers.

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

A Reporter Who's Part of the Story — TAMPA, Fla. — There were no fewer than five people pointing cameras at the man who from a distance resembled a scarecrow: tall and broad-shouldered with long, long arms. Enlarge This Image Todd Heisler/The New York Times Carl Cameron …

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Drop in defamation cases may be due to Leveson inquiry — The Leveson inquiry into press standards helped drive the number of defamation cases against British newspapers and broadcasters to a five-year low in the 12 months to May 2012, according to a leading legal publisher.

Nicholas Watt / Guardian:

UK tells Ecuador Assange can't be extradited if he faces death penalty — William Hague says Wikileaks founder could only be sent to US if both Britain and Sweden believe human rights would not be breached — Britain has assured Ecuador that Julian Assange has a double guarantee …

Allison Goldstein / American Journalism Review:

Adding a Player-Coach to the Lineup — Thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation, the Washington Post is beefing up its government accountability reporting. Miami Herald veteran Mike Sallah will be in the middle of the action. Thurs., August 30, 2012. — Editorial assistant Allison Goldstein …

Megan Garber / The Atlantic Online:

Want to Watch the Paralympics? Now You Can—Not on NBC, but on YouTube — Where NBC falters, YouTube steps in. — When we talk about why we love watching the Olympics, we usually talk not just about competition, but about human interest. We're drawn to stories of athletes struggling and striving and persevering.

Discussion: Guardian, Mashable! and The Verge

Sherry Ricchiardi / American Journalism Review:

Playing Defense — With digital information so vulnerable to theft, it's imperative for journalists to be proactive in protecting confidential sources and data. But too few people are taking the threat seriously. — AJR senior contributing writer Sherry Ricchiardi (sricchia@iupui.edu) …