Mediagazer: Amazon Studios taps the Onion, Daily Show writers, others for comedy pilots (Laura Hazard Owen/GigaOM)

1:50 PM ET, December 20, 2012

Top News:

Gerard Baker lines up his new masthead at ‘The Wall Street Journal,’ names Murray, Blumenstein deputies — Gerard Baker, the recently-named top editor at The Wall Street Journal and editor-in-chief of Dow Jones is lining up his senior editorial team. — Baker, who was installed …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, FishbowlNY and Forbes

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Pollard report: BBC News deputy Stephen Mitchell retires without payout — Mitchell was only executive to part company with corporation in wake of criticism of his role in Jimmy Savile debacle — Stephen Mitchell, the deputy director of BBC News, is the only executive to part company …

Josh Halliday / Guardian:
BBC director of news returns with rallying memo to crisis-hit staff

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Guardian

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

‘Daily News’ cuts a big chunk of photographers from its roster — The Daily News is disbanding its pool of photo permalancers, employees who work full-time hours for the tabloid on set day-rates but are not salaried employees with benefits, Capital has learned.

Chris O'Shea / FishbowlNY:

Atlantic Media Revamps Site, Changes Logo — Out with the old, in with the new. Atlantic Media has revamped its website and updated its clunky old logo (pictured, right), in an effort to show that the company is “digital first.” The company behind The Atlantic, The Atlantic Wire …

Discussion: Folio, FishbowlDC, SocialTimes and TVSpy

Laura Hazard Owen / GigaOM:

Amazon Studios taps the Onion, Daily Show writers, others for comedy pilots — Amazon Studios, Amazon's film production division, will produce pilots for six original comedy series, the company announced Thursday — including shows from the Onion, “Doonesbury” writer Garry Trudeau and Daily Show writer David Javerbaum.

Discussion: The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, TechCrunch, Amazon.com, Home Media Magazine, GalleyCat, AllThingsD, CNET, GeekWire and The Next Web

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

White House Reporters Defend Fiscal Cliff Questions After Obama's Gun Pledge — NEW YORK — After President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to push concrete proposals on reducing gun violence next month, the White House press corps began asking questions — about the fiscal cliff negotiations.

Discussion: Daily Download

Ben Sisario / Media Decoder:
At News Conference, Reporters Skip Past Gun Control and Face Instant Criticism

Discussion: Mediaite, GalleyCat, Erik Wemple, New York Times, Lynn Sweet, Daily Download, Chickaboomer, Globe and Mail, Politico, The Daily Beast, Mediaite, The Huffington Post and The Caucus

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

Paywalls Don't Bump Ad Prices — The bet on paywalls, meters and other methods of charging for access to digital content is that the revenue generated directly from consumers will outpace an expected decrease in ad revenue. — The other assumption is that a publisher's paying audience …

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

With 2 Billion Video Views A Month, Maker Studios Raises $36 Million Round Led By Time Warner — There's more big money going into video startups: Maker Studios, which ranks among the top networks of creators publishing on YouTube, announced today that it has closed a $36 million round of financing led by Time Warner Investments.

Discussion: The Wrap, AllThingsD and Los Angeles Times

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

David Cameron considers royal charter on press backed by legislation — Government proposes regulator under charter but says it will need two laws to make it work, ministers confirm to Hacked Off — David Cameron is considering two pieces of legislation and a royal charter to set up a new press watchdog …

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

Fox News Spikes Pro-Gun Column; Writer Told Issue Is ‘Too Sensitive’ — FoxNews.com contributor John Lott, the author of More Guns, Less Crime, was racing between television appearances on the afternoon of December 19. “Today has been nuts,” the gun-rights activist told me by phone.

Discussion: Runnin' Scared

Jim Romenesko:

‘Fox Mole’ Joe Muto wants people to read his book ‘and laugh their asses off’ — On April 10, Gawker introduced a new columnist: The Fox Mole. The plan was for him to provide Gawker with “regular dispatches from inside the organization,” but then Roger Ailes & Co. “nailed” him.

Alexander C. Kaufman / The Wrap:

Stunning First Title in NY Times' New E-Book Series Launches Online — The New York Times released the first chapter of “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek” — the inaugural title in its new e-book series with Byliner — online on Thursday. — The six-part story by reporter John Branch follows …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, FishbowlNY and Gawker

Steven Greenhouse / Media Decoder:

‘Charlie Rose’ Show Agrees to Pay Up to $250,000 to Settle Interns' Lawsuit — Charlie Rose and his production company have agreed to pay as much as $250,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by a former unpaid intern who claimed minimum wage violations.