Mediagazer: Politico gives anonymous source insulting power (Erik Wemple)

8:25 PM ET, December 14, 2012

Top News:

Jeff Sonderman / Poynter:

News orgs circulate Facebook profile, photos of unconfirmed shooter — Reporters and producers around the country, frantically searching for information online about the alleged school shooter, Ryan Lanza, found what seemed like a match. Lanza, 24, is believed responsible for the deaths …

Spencer Ackerman / Wired:

Internet Identifies, Threatens Wrong Man as Newtown Shooter — In the media's rush to find out information on the suspected Newtown, Conn., school shooter, numerous news outlets misidentified a Facebook page belonging to someone with a similar name. Denunciations and even death threats quickly accumulated.

Discussion: Fast Company, Tampa Bay Times, bigstory.ap.org, New York Post, Hartford Courant, Mediaite, Guardian and Daily Download

Rebecca Greenfield / The Atlantic Wire:

Why Are CNN and NBC Interviewing the Students of Sandy Hook Elementary? — One of the many tragedies to come out of Friday's mass shooting in Connecticut is the way information has actually come out of it. Sadly, some of the best sources of information for what happened inside Sandy Hook Elementary before …

Discussion: New Jersey Online, The Wrap, Poynter, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Politico, Gawker, @dougdalena, TIME and @bobbymacreports

Erik Maza / WWD:

Fox News' Reporting Blunder — OOPS, AGAIN: On Friday afternoon, the folks at Fox News went on breaking news mode. They busted out a bright yellow “alert” scroll, and switched gears to focus on the developing news of a shooting in Connecticut. On cable news and online …

Discussion: Gawker

Politico:

MSNBC launches the gun control conversation — In the wake of recent shootings, from Aurora to Kansas City, many have argued that it is not the time to talk about gun control. — But as the death toll from today's tragic shooting in Netwown, Conn., was rising, MSNBC and others …

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Daily Download, TVNewser, Politico, @chrisjortiz, @alexkoppelman, ANIMAL, @jonathanshainin, @alexkoppelman, @bydanielvictor, Mediaite and Alexia Tsotsis

John Koblin / Deadspin:

In Wake Of School Massacre, ESPN Tells Staff To Stop Tweeting About Sports Until Sunday, Refrain From Using The Word “Shooter” — Here's the email from ESPN senior vice president and executive producer Mark Gross to staff, regarding the shootings in Newtown, Conn. Newtown is 30 miles from ESPN headquarters in Bristol.

Jack Mirkinson / The Huffington Post:
Connecticut Shooting Media Coverage Follows Tragically Familiar Script

Discussion: @rossneumann and @daweiner

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Tote Bag, Anyone? Slate Considers Membership Model as Way to Get Readers' Cash — Would you pay for face time with Farhad? (Photo credit: Wikipedia) — Add Slate to the list of news organizations with a sudden interest in getting online readers to contribute some cash rather than leaving the whole thing to advertisers.

Discussion: @jeffbercovici, @jacobwe, @thejongardner, JIMROMENESKO.COM and @rafat

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

The Daily Says — And Sings — Goodbye — The Daily, Rupert Murdoch's attempt to make a tabloid newspaper for the iPad age, shuts down this week. Anyone — and everyone — can tell you why The Daily didn't work, and they've already done so. — So instead, watch this video …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM and The Atlantic Wire

Martin Belam / currybetdotnet:

The rise and #fail of the Guardian Facebook app — This week the Guardian has announced they are changing the way that they integrate with Facebook, by closing the app that I helped design and launch. It is the perfect moment to reflect on what did and didn't work, and why the app was designed as it was.

Discussion: SocialTimes, AndyDickinson.net, Inside Facebook, Guardian, neurope.eu, sbs.com.au, Journalism.co.uk, The Verge and GigaOM

Lauren Indvik / Mashable!: Washington Post Moves Social Reader Off Facebook

Charlie Warzel / Adweek:

This is What Newsweek's Digital Future Will Look Like — It's been quite a year for Newsweek. — As the magazine plans for its transition to a digital-only future, you can count the remaining print editions of the storied publication on one hand. It's without question that this fall …

Discussion: @jorcohen

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

Around the World in 80 Ways: Huffington Post Now Lands in Japan — As part of what is beginning to feel like a global takeover, the Huffington Post Media Group said it will be launching a Japanese-language version of the service in that country. — The AOL-owned content arm will be partnering …

Discussion: Guardian, The Huffington Post, FishbowlNY and paidContent

Don Kaplan / NY Daily News:

Jeff Zucker is looking for something funny: late-night satire for CNN — Network source: New chief wants ‘smart, funny comics like Jon Stewart’ — Jeff Zucker (r.), shown here with Phil Kent, wants to broaden CNN's appeal & enjoys ‘infotainment.’ — CNN's new chief is looking to liven …

Discussion: Splitsider and The Huffington Post

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Internet may soon beat TV as main source of national news — Internet users already rely more on the network than newspapers and magazines for their national news. Now the net is also on the verge of overtaking television, according to research. — In fact, more connected Italians already …

Discussion: Journalism.co.uk and NetNewsCheck Latest

Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:

Bloom is off the rose for Time Inc. CEO Lang — The honeymoon appears to be over for Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang. — As employees await a new round of cuts that seems all but certain to shake the nation's largest publisher in mid-January, morale is plunging.

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, Guardian, Baltimore Sun and JIMROMENESKO.COM