Mediagazer: How hedge funders are like journalists - and why we're hated (Michael Wolff/Guardian)

5:20 AM ET, November 30, 2012

Top News:

Michael Wolff / GQ.COM:

How Leveson failed — Oh, for God's sake seems to me the fairest response to the Leveson report. — After nine months of hearings, the inquiry calls for a goopy, bureaucratic, obfuscating oversight board, which could be perilous to the freedom of the press or as likely toothless.

Discussion: Guardian

Committee to Protect Journalists:

In UK, Leveson recommendations undermine free press — The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by recommendations to adopt government regulation of the press resulting from the United Kingdom's Leveson inquiry report issued today. — “A media regulatory body anchored …

Discussion: Guardian, Daily Mail, Liberty, Telegraph and Jon Slattery

Guardian:
Leveson report: the speed read

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk

Guardian:
Leveson report calls for new press law

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Make CNN The Google Of News: Radical Unsolicited Advice For Jeff Zucker — What business is CNN in? Is it the business of informing viewers of what's happening in the world? Or is it the business of keeping them looking at a screen long enough to show them several commercials?

Joe Flint / Los Angeles Times:
New CNN chief Jeff Zucker wants more passion, vitality from network

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and Politico

Rebecca Dana / The New Republic:
Jeff Zucker Is Just What CNN Needs: A Theatrical Tyrant

Discussion: TVNewser, Media Decoder and Inside Cable News

James Ball / Guardian:

Leveson's distinction between web and print news ‘will undermine regulation’ — Academics say Lord Justice Leveson has missed opportunity by devoting just one page of report to internet — Online journalists and academics have warned that the Leveson report's attempts to draw a distinction between …

Discussion: BBC, paidContent, currybetdotnet, New York Magazine and Tech Europe

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Leveson: Social media and blogs aren't popular enough to carry proper news — The UK's big inquiry in to the culture, practice and ethics of the “press” has recommended a new body to better self-regulate news media — but has overlooked blogs and social networks because they are neither popular nor newsy enough.

Discussion: Guardian

John Cook / Gawker:

A Conversation With Julian Assange — We've called him a “seed-spilling sex creep,” a “pale nerd king,” and “a real-life The Matrix extra,” so we figured it was about time to talk to Wikileaks founder and megalomaniacal Bond villain Julian Assange. In order to promote his new book …

Discussion: Democracy Now

Reuters:
Ecuador says WikiLeaks' Assange suffering lung problems

Discussion: Guardian

Naazneen Karmali / Forbes:

Indian Billionaire Battle Exposes Nexus Between Business And Media — Two senior journalists working for Zee TV, owned by billionaire media magnate Subhash Chandra were arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to extort close to $20 million in advertisements from Jindal Steel & Power …

Jeff John Roberts / GigaOM:

Techmeme founder: Give me human editors and the New York Times — Gabe Rivera is a quiet high priest of the tech and media world whose websites, Techmeme and Mediagazer, use algorithms to pluck headlines and shape news coverage. But Rivera himself holds some very traditional views …

Discussion: The Content Strategist, emmalarkins.blogspot.com.au and AdExchanger

Michael Wolff / Guardian:

How hedge funders are like journalists - and why we're hated — The effort to get Steven A Cohen for insider dealing reveals the irony of the information age: we criminalise those who trade in it — If you're a journalist with any kind of honesty and ambition, I don't see how the dubious tactics …

Discussion: Talking Biz News

Janko Roettgers / GigaOM:

Scoop: Key pricing and launch details of Redbox Instant revealed — The online video joint venture Redbox Instant by Verizon is set to launch sometime before the end of the year. The service is currently being tested in private beta, and Verizon and Redbox have kept mum on some key details.

Discussion: Engadget and CNET

Bryan Bishop / The Verge:

New Comcast IPTV set-top box hits the FCC, could be released next year — Products like Dish's Hopper and Joey are letting customers watch programming on multiple TVs without the need for full DVRs in every room, and a new set-top box has hit the FCC that could represent Comcast's latest move in that same direction.

Discussion: Cable Television News

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

SCOTUSblog tries again to get credentialed to cover the Supreme Court — SCOTUSblog has again applied for press credentials to the U.S. Senate's Daily Press Gallery, the first step for the blog gaining its own press credentials to cover the U.S. Supreme Court.

Discussion: Business Insider and Opinionator

Rowena Mason / Telegraph:

David Cameron defies Leveson over press laws — David Cameron is prepared to block Lord Justice Leveson's key recommendation of new laws to regulate newspapers over fears it could undermine freedom of speech — The Prime Minister said he has “serious misgivings and concerns” …

Discussion: Number 10 and Guardian