Mediagazer: Alex Marunchak and Jonathan Rees held as part of Operation Kalmyk (Guardian)

7:15 AM ET, October 2, 2012

Top News:

Washington Post Co. buys hospice firm Celtic Healthcare — The Washington Post Co. said Monday that it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Celtic Healthcare, a provider of skilled home health-care and hospice services in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions.

Discussion: Guardian, New York Magazine, The Wrap, Gawker, @jeffsonderman, The New York Observer, JIMROMENESKO.COM, @jcstearns, @jeffjarvis, @scottrcrawford and The Newspaper Guild

Rick Edmonds / Poynter: Washington Post buys hospice company

Guardian:

Alex Marunchak and Jonathan Rees held as part of Operation Kalmyk — Scotland Yard officers investigating alleged computer hacking have made two further arrests, understood to be former News of the World journalist Alex Marunchak and private investigator Jonathan Rees.

Discussion: PressGazette and BBC

James Ball / Washington Post:

Video emerges of Austin Tice, U.S. journalist who disappeared in Syria — Video footage has emerged showing U.S. freelance journalist Austin Tice being held by a group of masked men toting assault rifles in the first direct evidence of his condition since his disappearance in mid-August.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, The Lede, McClatchy Washington Bureau, New York Times, Boing Boing, Business Insider and @blakehounshell

Jim Romenesko:

Report: Over 100 layoffs at Syracuse Post-Standard — Longtime #Syracuse Post Standard columnist Dick Case among those let go. One worker says 110 total layoffs at the paper. (Michael Benny is a Syracuse TV news anchor.) The Syracuse Press Club's reaction: The Syracuse Press Club …

Discussion: Poynter

John Paul Titlow / ReadWriteWeb:

How Journalists Are Using SoundCloud — Musicians and remixers were among the first to settle into SoundCloud, but the social audio-sharing service has been expanding in new directions. The company is sharpening its focus on providing a hub for radio-style journalism and commentary with an interactive twist.

Michael Wolff / Guardian:

What the New York Times really lost with the passing of Arthur O Sulzberger — Arthur Ochs “Punch” Sulzberger, the former publisher and chairman of the New York times, whose death at 86 is getting head-of-state treatment (at least by the New York Times), was a very nice, old-fashioned and …

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Post reporter David Finkel among 23 awarded MacArthur grants — David Finkel, a Washington Post journalist whose immersive reporting has produced illuminating stories about the toll of war on American soldiers and the struggles of refugees around the world, has been named one of 23 MacArthur Fellows …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

For 2012 Presidential Debates, Campaigns Speed Up The Spin — NEW YORK — When President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney leave the debate stage at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, many of the 3,000 journalists churning out stories in the University of Denver's Hamilton Gymnasium will head to the spin room …

Discussion: TVNewser

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:

Following Criticism, WSJ Identifies Writer Max Boot As A Romney Adviser — Following criticism of its disclosure practices, The Wall Street Journal identified frequent writer Max Boot as an adviser to Mitt Romney's campaign in a recent book review he wrote for the paper.

Discussion: Politico

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

Gawker's Ad Haul Leans on Standard Ads — Gawker head honcho Nick Denton yesterday tooted the company's horn for bringing in $2 million in revenue in one day. Not bad for a publication that claims to eschew traditional banner ads. — Yet for a publisher that believes banners are on the way out …

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

The Guardian and Tumblr will ‘live-GIF’ first presidential debate — The animated GIF will be further enshrined as a reporting tool during the first presidential debate Wednesday, when “four GIF-making all-stars,” as a press-release puts it, will join Guardian reporter Adam Gabbatt to live-blog …

Discussion: Tumblr Staff, The Atlantic Wire, @michaelroston, The Verge and AllThingsD

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Penn State student journalist suspended for fabrication, plagiarism — Penn State's student newspaper has suspended a writer who fabricated and plagiarized quotes by Sue Paterno in a story about the opening of a center on campus named for her. Paterno is the widow of former coach Joe Paterno …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Gordon Rayner / Telegraph:

Counter-terrorism officer appears in court over ‘leaks to News of the World’ — One of Scotland Yard's most senior counter-terrorism officers appeared in court charged with misconduct in public office after allegedly offering to provide information to the News of the World.

Discussion: Guardian