Mediagazer: How Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger negotiated release of imprisoned journalist (Andrew Beaujon/Poynter)

1:10 AM ET, January 28, 2013

Top News:

Julie Moos / Poynter:

Obama: ‘One of the biggest factors is going to be how the media shapes debates’ — In an interview with The New Republic's Franklin Foer and Chris Hughes, President Obama “asked us in granular detail about the health of the media business.” Specifically, he “wanted to know if The New Yorker …

Discussion: New Republic, Politico, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, NewsBusters, Pressing Issues and @yappelbaum

Christine Haughney / Media Decoder:

Newspapers Vie for Reality Show — Who knew that ink-stained newsmen and newswomen would be so eager to break into show business? — In the 10 days after NBC put out a casting call for small-town newspapers to participate in a reality television show, the network received more than 150 responses from newspapers across the nation.

Discussion: Pressing Issues

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

Truth, Money, Right, Wrong — Yesterday I wrote about the ongoing CNET editorial independence issue. I said that the editors and journalists at CNET were part of the problem, and suggested that they either publish their (assumed) dissent, or resign, or both.

Discussion: @brianstelter, @arrington and @tcarmody

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
“We Are Supposed To Be Truth Tellers”

Discussion: Forbes, Talking Biz News, parislemon, @joshuatopolsky, The Verge, Beyond Search, @bendreyfuss, The Uptake, Techi.com, Boing Boing and @jbrodkin

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Time Inc. Braces for Layoffs This Week — Here comes the news that Time Inc. employees have been dreading for months: Sources say the world's largest magazine publisher is expected to begin a significant round of layoffs this week. — I don't have more details about the coming cuts.

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Rupert Murdoch endorses Piers Morgan … Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, pro-Piers Morgan. — News Corp chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch has issued an endorsement of Piers Morgan, the CNN host who has spent the last six weeks advocating for increased gun control, a cause Murdoch supports.

Discussion: @rupertmurdoch, @piersmorgan, The Huffington Post and Mediaite

Adrienne LaFrance / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Lessons from The New York Times' app graveyard: When an app has an expiration date — The election is over. Even the inauguration is over. So it makes sense, perhaps, that The New York Times this week discontinued its Elections 2012 mobile app. — The Times launched the app some 13 months ago …

Matt Smith / Reuters:

Twitter launches advertising services in Middle East — Twitter Inc launched advertising services in the Middle East and North Africa on Sunday as the social media firm seeks to exploit a tripling of its regional subscriber base following its widespread use during the Arab Spring protests.

Discussion: TechCrunch

Peter Finn / Washington Post:

FBI is increasing pressure on suspects in Stuxnet inquiry — Federal investigators looking into disclosures of classified information about a cyberoperation that targeted Iran's nuclear program have increased pressure on current and former senior government officials suspected of involvement …

Discussion: Guardian, @mikko and @trevortimm

Erik Wemple:

Roll Call's six-year strategic response to Politico — On a Friday in late October 2010, the staff of CQ Roll Call gathered in an unfinished commercial space at 77 K St. NE. There were folding chairs and speakers on sticks on a floor that employees would later occupy to accomplish …

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

How Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger negotiated release of imprisoned journalist — In an excerpt from his new autobiography, Guardian Editor-in-Chief Alan Rusbridger recounts “three of the more surreal days in my life” — when he went to Libya to negotiate the release of an imprisoned journalist …

Saeed Kamali Dehghan / Guardian:

Iranian journalists arrested in raids on newspapers — Sources say reformist newspapers targeted by group of plain-clothes officials who ransacked offices and filmed staff — Security officials in Iran have raided at least four newspapers and arrested several journalists in what appears …

Stephanie Hanes / Washington Post:

Stanley Karnow, journalist and Vietnam historian, dies — Jacquelyn Martin/AP - Author and journalist Stanley Karnow, seen here in his Potomac, Md., home, died Jan. 27. He was 87. — Stanley Karnow, an author and journalist who wrote one of the seminal histories of the Vietnam War and won …

Discussion: New York Times, Big News Network.com and Reuters