Mediagazer: Eugene C. Patterson, Editor and Civil Rights Crusader, Dies at 89 (Robert D. McFadden/New York Times)

10:45 AM ET, January 14, 2013

Top News:

Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:

MIT Responds to Death of Activist Aaron Swartz, Begins Internal Investigation — Two days after Internet activist Aaron Swartz took his own life, the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has issued a public response and will launch an internal investigation looking …

Discussion: New York Times, MIT, The Verge, CNET, MetaFilter, Media News, MIT's Student Newspaper, VentureBeat, Crooked Timber and @biellacoleman

Wall Street Journal:

Legal Case Strained Troubled Web Activist — Just days before he hanged himself, Internet activist Aaron Swartz's hopes for a deal with federal prosecutors fell apart. — Two years ago, the advocate for free information online, who was known to have suffered from depression …

Discussion: TIME, WebProNews, Digits and The Verge

Alex Stamos / Unhandled Exception:

The Truth about Aaron Swartz's “Crime” — I did not know Aaron Swartz, unless you count having copies of a person's entire digital life on your forensics server as knowing him. I did once meet his father, an intelligent and dedicated man who was clearly pouring his life into defending his son.

Jay Rosen / Quote and Comment:
“If someone is in need of knowledge and you can provide it, but you don't, you are guilty …

Discussion: TechPresident, Poynter and New Yorker

Micah Allen / Neuroconscience:
Researchers begin posting article PDFs to twitter in #pdftribute to Aaron Swartz

Discussion: Science Citizen, @drjaxon, Aid Economics, @youranonnews, @venturejessica, @sarahkendzior, @jayrosen_nyu, Gizmodo and New York Magazine

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

New York Times to launch electronic corrections form — The New York Times website is to launch a new electronic corrections submissions form, to try and improve the reader's ability to report an error. Speaking to Journalism.co.uk for a podcast on best practice in online corrections …

Christine Haughney / New York Times:

Condé Nast Contracts Cut Author's Share in Film Deals — It's a dream tucked in the backs of many journalists' minds: the article they write becomes a blockbuster movie and they reap a healthy share of the profits, a walk on the red carpet and — who knows? — maybe even an Oscar.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

Robin Roberts Plans February Return to ‘Good Morning America’ — Robin Roberts, the “Good Morning America” host who signed off the show last August to receive treatment for a life-threatening bone marrow disorder, says she intends to return to work in February.

Discussion: Politico and The Wrap

Keith Stuart / Guardian:

News as games: immoral or the future of interactive journalism? — Apple's decision to reject an iPhone game exploring the conflict in Syria reflects wider unease about playing with news — Picture this. One morning, you visit the Guardian home page to find a headline article about …

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:

Eugene C. Patterson, Editor and Civil Rights Crusader, Dies at 89 — Eugene C. Patterson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of The Atlanta Constitution during the civil rights conflicts of the 1960s and later the managing editor of The Washington Post and editor of The St. Petersburg Times in Florida …

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times, mediabistro.com, Poynter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Prof Chris Daly's Blog, Poynter, Tampa Bay Times and The Huffington Post

Christopher Zara / International Business Times:

The Year Of Kickstarter Journalism: Crowdfunding Is Doing What The News Industry Can't — As the publishing industry struggles to figure out a sustainable business model in the digital age, crowdfunded journalism projects have been taking off in droves on Kickstarter, where more and more …

David Carr / New York Times:

Guns, Maps and Data That Disturbs — Should data have a conscience? — As a journalist, I am trained as an absolutist in matters of open data. Public records should be just that, public, and as agents of transparency, news media outlets should help cast sunlight on those records.

Discussion: BuzzMachine

Liz Alderman / New York Times:

Journalists in Greece Are Becoming Targets — The Greek police on Saturday were looking for the people responsible for detonating makeshift bombs at the homes of five journalists in Athens, the latest in a series of actions taken against reporters in Greece that have raised questions about a deteriorating climate for media freedom.

Discussion: RTÉ, Big News Network.com and BBC

Cornelius Rahn / Bloomberg:

News Corp. Wins Control of German Unit After Failed BSkyB Bid — Sky Deutschland AG (SKYD) agreed on a $1 billion financing deal with shareholder News Corp. (NWSA) and a group of lenders that allows Rupert Murdoch's company to increase its stake in the German pay-television unit to 54.5 percent.

Discussion: Deadline.com