Mediagazer: Citizen journalist killed in Syria ‘Bermuda Triangle’ (Serene Assir/Agence France Presse)

7:35 AM ET, September 21, 2012

Top News:

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

In New Policy, The Times Forbids After-the-Fact ‘Quote Approval’ — The New York Times is drawing “a clear line” against the practice of news sources being allowed to approve quotations in stories after the fact. — The practice, known as quote approval, “puts so much control over the content …

Discussion: Media Decoder, Politico, Poynter, JIMROMENESKO.COM, @juliebosman, @sulliview, The Huffington Post, @jbflint, Guardian, Rehak/Stuebing Mostly Media, Kirk LaPointe's …, New York Magazine, @hblodget, Prof Chris Daly's Blog and Pressing Issues

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

New York Times bans quote approval, kind of — The New York Times has banned quote approval, the disturbing trend in which reporters allow flacks to adjust and sign off on quotes prior to publication. Here's the memo … Fantastically productive new public editor Margaret Sullivan applauds the move …

Discussion: @kegill and @moorehn

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:

Universal wins EU approval for EMI buy, must sell assets — (Reuters) - Vivendi's Universal Music Group clinched EU regulatory approval on Friday to buy EMI's recorded music unit for $1.9 billion after agreeing to sell record labels that bring in nearly a third of the British company's revenues.

Discussion: EU Press Room, Bloomberg and BBC

Zach Carter / The Huffington Post:

Universal-EMI Merger Could Yield New Mega-Label To Threaten The Future Of Music — WASHINGTON — Today, music lovers have more ways than ever before to access their favorite songs and discover artists they've never heard of. Can't live another minute without “Call Me Maybe”?

Brett Sokol / The Awl:

One Town, Two Newspapers: Will the Real Digital Innovators Please Stand Up? — Another day, another newspaper bankruptcy. This time it was the Journal Register national chain, home to eighteen small dailies including the New Haven Register, and now operating under the seemingly sexier-sounding name of Digital First Media.

Rick Edmonds / Poynter: Journal Register likely to reduce print frequency at some papers

Andrew Phelps / Nieman Journalism Lab:

NPR's Todd Mundt says public radio needs to innovate or die — NPR has become a poster child for legacy news organizations' ability to reinvent themselves for the digital age: Its website and mobile apps are used by millions of people, NPR Music is a runaway hit, office hack days are a model …

Jessica Wohl / Reuters:

Exclusive: Wal-Mart stops selling Amazon Kindles — (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc will no longer sell Amazon.com Inc's Kindle products, making it the second major chain to stop selling Amazon's devices, as the world's largest retailer makes a bet that consumers are more interested in other gadgets.

Discussion: TechCrunch, GeekWire, PandoDaily, AllThingsD, VatorNews, PC Magazine, Kindle Review, WebProNews, Wired, iDownloadBlog.com, 24/7 Wall St., Engadget, App Advice, Mashable!, The Verge, GalleyCat, Forbes, CNET, GigaOM and AppNewser

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

James Murdoch ‘set for top Fox Networks job’ — Rupert Murdoch's second son is being lined up to run News Corp's Fox TV businesses in the US, according to a report — James Murdoch is reportedly being lined up to run News Corporation's Fox TV business in the US despite being sharply criticised …

Discussion: Financial Times

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian: NI chief tries to boost Sun morale

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:
BSkyB: Ofcom's ruling in depth

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Time Warner CEO Explains Why He Doesn't Care About Selling HBO To Cord-Cutters (Or Old Folks) — If cord-cutters were a political party, the first plank of their platform would be the right to subscribe to HBO directly over the internet without signing up for cable or satellite TV service.

Discussion: Deadline.com, Cable Television News, Media & Entertainment and Home Media Magazine

Joe Flint / Los Angeles Times:
HBO CEO Bill Nelson retiring, Richard Plepler to succeed him

Discussion: The Wrap and Media Decoder

Nieman Journalism Lab:

Four reasons why an open-source newsroom is harder than it looks: Lessons from Al Jazeera — Editor's Note: Nikki Usher and Seth C. Lewis are academic researchers studying the intersection of journalists and technologists, or “hacks and hackers.” The latest part of their work included Usher's …

Serene Assir / Agence France Presse:

Citizen journalist killed in Syria ‘Bermuda Triangle’ — BEIRUT — A citizen journalist who used the name Abu Hassan to report from the central Syrian city of Hama was burnt to death after regime forces targeted his home in an assault, an activist told AFP on Thursday.

Discussion: Guardian

Ryan Kim / GigaOM:

ESPN builds a Twitter-style firehose for sports news — ESPN is giving sports fans a way to hook up to its firehose of content with a new Twitter-style stream called SportsCenter Feed. The sports cable and online network is amassing almost every bit of content it pushes out over ESPN.com …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Mashable! and WebProNews

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

News Corp. President Signals Coming Fight Over Fox News Fees — Chase Carey tells the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference about highlights from the company's TV channels units, including Fox News retrans negotiations, Latin America and sports. — News Corp. president and COO Chase Carey …

Stefan Simons / Spiegel Online:

‘A Drawing Has Never Killed Anyone’ — The editor in chief of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo insists that their publication of Muhammad caricatures was no provocation, but a signal that free speech is alive and well in the country. Come what may, the magazine won't stop criticizing whatever it wants, he says.

Discussion: Reuters

eMarketer:

Google to Become US Display Ad Leader — Strong growth for Facebook and Google expected as others see shares shrink — Google will earn more US display advertising revenues than any other company this year, topping the market with a 15.4% share, according to new estimates by eMarketer.

Discussion: mnilive.com, PC Magazine, Mashable!, Marketing Pilgrim, Softpedia News, Forbes and GigaOM

New Orleans Times-Picayune:

NOLA Media Group will open Baton Rouge office, expand reporting and sales staffs — Baton Rouge will have a new source for digital and print news this fall as NOLA Media Group will open a new bureau in downtown Baton Rouge, the company announced Thursday. With this move, NOLA Media Group seeks …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:

Second Israeli Video Provider to Drop CNN International — Israeli satellite TV company YES is planning to drop CNN International December 31, unless a new arrangement between the two companies is reached. YES controls approximately 39% of Israel's multichannel video marketplace, so the loss would be a substantial one.

Discussion: Ynetnews, Israel Today, Mediaite and GalleyCat

Jim Romenesko:

Groupon loses managing editor to Sun-Times parent Wrapports — Brandon Copple, who left Crain's to join Groupon as managing editor in 2010, has been hired by Sun-Times owner Wrapports to oversee a new venture that will create sports and business media products.

Discussion: AllThingsD