Mediagazer: GNM journalists agree industrial action vote if compulsory job cuts go ahead (Josh Halliday/Guardian)

5:30 AM ET, December 14, 2012

Top News:

Sam Kennedy / Morning Call:

Warren Buffett eyeing Allentown Morning Call? — Ownership of Lehigh Valley newspaper in question, and one of the world's richest men has something to say about it. Tribune Co.'s imminent emergence from an epic bankruptcy has fueled a flurry of speculation about the future …

Discussion: Poynter and JIMROMENESKO.COM

Edmund Lee / Bloomberg:

Buffett Is Latest Billionaire to Struggle With Newspaper Revival — Warren Buffett, the investor famous for betting on aging industries like railroads and insurance, is now trying to pull off something other billionaires have tried and failed to do: save the newspaper business.

Thanks:@jaredbkeller

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

DealBook Conference Was Impressive, Lucrative and Chummy — There was a lot happening at the inaugural DealBook conference on Wednesday — and much of it was undeniably impressive. — Here is what the invitation-only conference had going for it: Big Wall Street names, flashy graphics …

Discussion: Felix Salmon, @pkedrosky, @davewiner, @brianstorms, @fmanjoo, @romenesko and Pressing Issues

Rebecca Theim / Cleveland Scene:

8 Things Cleveland Can Expect from The Plain Dealer's “Press-Ageddon” — When former journalists and alumni of the New Orleans Times-Picayune heard the news about the imminent changes at The Plain Dealer, our hearts broke for Cleveland. — Both newspapers are owned by New York-based Advanced Publications …

Discussion: CJR

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Times-Picayune says circulation is up since it cut staff, print frequency — WWNO — On the New Orleans radio show “Out to Lunch” Monday, Nola.com business manager David Francis said The Times-Picayune's print circulation has gone up since it cut print frequency.

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:

Guardian kills its Facebook social reader, regains control over its content — A little over a year ago, a big topic of discussion in the newspaper business — apart from the ongoing cataclysmic decline in print advertising revenue, of course — was how to leverage Facebook as a platform for content …

Discussion: currybetdotnet and Guardian

Steve Buttry / The Buttry Diary:

I am so tired of the paywall argument — I truly meant it more than three years ago when I said in this blog that I wanted to move on from the paywall argument. This issue and the attention it commands are perhaps the most consistent sign I see that the newspaper industry is stuck in the past.

Ryan Chittum / CJR:
Paywall illogic — Steve Buttry distorts our arguments—and the evidence

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

“Mobile Video” Means “Video You Watch at Home” — Yes, you can use your iPhone to watch movie clips and music videos while you're in a car or on your way to work. — But you're probably using it watch stuff when you're sitting on your couch or in your bed.

Discussion: VentureBeat

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

NY Times Describes ‘Torture’ More Under Obama — The New York Times, which tied itself in linguistic knots during the Bush years to avoid describing waterboarding as torture, splashed this headline on Thursday's front page: “Portrayal of C.I.A. Torture in Bin Laden Film Reopens a Debate.”

Kira Bindrim / Reuters:

The New York Times and print pressures — In a moment of dubious etiquette, venture capitalist and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen said at a New York Times conference this week that the company should dismantle its print operations not in ten years, or five, but “as soon as possible.”

Discussion: Reuters

Dan Sabbagh / Guardian:

BBC boss unaware of Newsnight's McAlpine report problems for 24 hours — Former director general George Entwistle contacted BBC Trust chair Lord Patten the day after Guardian article was published — Former BBC director general George Entwistle told the BBC Trust at the critical meeting …

Mark Sweney / Guardian: Entwistle resignation meeting minutes barely mention plan to pay £450,000

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

GNM journalists agree industrial action vote if compulsory job cuts go ahead — NUJ ballot backed by 400 staff as company moves to reduce annual editorial budget by £7m — Guardian News & Media journalists have voted to ballot for industrial action should the company go ahead …

Discussion: Media Week

Publishers Weekly:

New York Times Launches E-Book Programs — The New York Times today announced the launch of two publishing programs—New York Times short e-books co-published with the digital startup Byliner, and TimesFiles with Vook. — In collaboration with Byliner, The Times will co-publish up to a dozen …

Discussion: The Wrap, paidContent, Fast Company, GalleyCat and PRWeb

Alison Langley / CJR:

Europe's newspapers are dying too — The implosion of the newspaper industry, long a dreaded topic in the US, has finally hit the continent — The staff of Financial Times Deutschland appeared on the back page of the newspaper on Friday, in a deep bow. Below the photo was an apology, translated here from German:

Press Gazette:

Amid ‘dismay’ from Times journalists over Harding exit - News Corp mulls seven-day operation — News International is understood to have taken legal advice about merging The Times and Sunday Times into a seven-day operation. — The Times reports the development today in a report …

Discussion: George Brock and The Daily Beast