Mediagazer: MSNBC President Phil Griffin on Whom He'd Poach From Fox News and Why Obama Avoids the Network (Q&A) (Marisa Guthrie/Hollywood Reporter)

6:55 PM ET, October 3, 2012

Top News:

Caitlin Johnston / Poynter:

What BuzzFeed's evolution says about the future of longform journalism — It's not often that a job posting creates such a tizzy. But BuzzFeed's search for a longform editor signifies more than just a new hire. — The announcement, which spawned headlines such as “BuzzFeed (yes, BuzzFeed) …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Financial Times sale could raise £1bn — Pearson could offload the Financial Times for as much as £1bn in a “trophy hunt” by potential buyers, after the head of the company's education division was announced as the new chief executive, replacing Dame Marjorie Scardino.

Discussion: @emilybell and @hblodget

Guardian:

Pearson chief executive Marjorie Scardino to step down — Dame Marjorie Scardino, one of the UK's highest-profile female corporate leaders, is to step down as chief executive of Financial Times and Penguin owner Pearson at the end of 2012, and will be replaced by the head of its international education division, John Fallon.

Discussion: paidContent, Media Week and AdAge

Kate Holton / Reuters:
Pearson CEO Scardino's departure could lead to FT sale

Discussion: @eileentso

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Fact-checking will play prominent role in tonight's debate — Along with many other news organizations, The New York Times is marshaling a small army of red pencilers for Wednesday night's debate. Public Editor Margaret Sullivan writes about the preparations:

Discussion: The Hill, The Public Editor's Journal, CJR, Washington Post, mediabistro.com and The Huffington Post

Brendan Nyhan / CJR:
Breaking the pack journalism paradigm

Discussion: TVNewser, Associated Press, New York Times and Mother Jones

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Former BBC Radio 1 boss ‘knew about Jimmy Savile sex abuse claims in 1970s’ — The former head of Radio 1 knew in the early 1970s about accusations of sexual abuse involving Sir Jimmy Savile, an ex-press officer for the station has claimed. Rodney Collins said on Wednesday that an ex-Radio 1 controller …

Discussion: PressGazette, Telegraph, BBC, Digital Spy and BBC

Josh Halliday / Guardian: Jimmy Savile abused me as a child, says new accuser

Joe Eskenazi / SFWeekly:

Top 5 Ways Bleacher Report Rules the World! — LAST YEAR, sportswriter King Kaufman stepped up to the lectern at a symposium held on the Google campus. In a 14-year haul at Salon.com, Kaufman earned a reputation as one of the best and most cerebral sports journalists on the Internet.

Discussion: FishbowlNY and Deadspin

Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:

MSNBC President Phil Griffin on Whom He'd Poach From Fox News and Why Obama Avoids the Network (Q&A) — “We are not going to do an easy interview, and President Obama knows it,” he says. — Like many political junkies, Phil Griffin starts his day with Morning Joe, which he watches while running three miles on the treadmill.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite and Inside Cable News

Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:

Where to watch the first 2012 presidential debate live online — This Wednesday, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are going to face off in the first of three televised presidential debates. The two candidates will meet at the University of Denver to answer questions around foreign policy …

Discussion: TVNewser, Mediaite, PC Magazine, B&C, 10,000 Words, Mashable!, O'Reilly Radar, The Week, The New Yorker Blog, The Huffington Post and Ask the Author

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Google rebooting content micropayments initiative under Wallet — After retiring its experimental OnePass news payments system this spring, Google is now going ahead with a fuller version of its content micropayments platform under the Google Wallet moniker.

Dominic Rushe / Guardian:

Rupert Murdoch faces shareholder revolt at News Corp annual meeting — Shareholders have stepped up their campaign to remove Rupert Murdoch as chairman of News Corporation ahead of the media company's annual meeting this month. Hermes, a British fund manager that controls £24.8bn assets …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Dylan Byers / Politico:

The Drudge hype falls flat — DENVER, Colo. — One night before the first presidential debate, conservatives Matt Drudge, Sean Hannity, and Tucker Carlson hyped footage of a five-year-old speech by then-Sen. Barack Obama, widely covered at the time, in which the presidential candidate suggested …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Politico, Guardian, Washington Post, @mlcalderone, Politicker, Election 2012, The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Reuters:

Guarantors ask London court to halt Assange bail payout — (Reuters) - Nine people who put up bail guarantees for Julian Assange argued in court on Wednesday they should not be forced to pay after the WikiLeaks founder sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.