Mediagazer: A Shocking Expose of China's Black PR Industry Implicates Government Officials, is Quickly Deleted from the Web (C. Custer/Tech in Asia)

6:55 AM ET, February 19, 2013

Top News:

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

Problems With Precision and Judgment, but Not Integrity, in Tesla Test — As promised, I've spent the past several days looking into the reporter John M. Broder's test drive of the celebrated electric car known as the Tesla Model S. The article, which focused on two new “superchargers” …

Discussion: SlashGear, The Wrap, Engadget, Rehak/Stuebing Mostly Media, @sulliview, @dirkliedtke, @moorehn and @jeffjarvis

Andy Plesser / Beet.TV:

Vivian Schiller: NBC News is Readying “Rich Journalism Destination” — NBC News is in the midst of the “reinvention” of its Web site which will launch this spring as a “rich journalism destination,” with enterprise, investigative reporting and a significant increase of “Web native video” …

Thanks:@beet_tv

Columbia Journalism Review:

Where the jobs are — How WYNC's data journalism efforts show new opportunities for journalists — There are probably few things that intimidate journalists like reams of data. Unemployment might be high on that intimidation list, but you could argue that that's a numbers issue, too.

C. Custer / Tech in Asia:

A Shocking Expose of China's Black PR Industry Implicates Government Officials, is Quickly Deleted from the Web — Almost everyone knows about the public relations industry, but fewer people know about what in China is referred to as Black PR, the underground internet industry that has evolved with the spread of web 2.0 through China.

Discussion: @herecomesnow, @mcfeelyp and The Next Web

David Carr / New York Times:

Logging Off to Trace a Web Photo to Its Source — When photographs of spontaneous events miraculously appear on the Web, it generally prompts two responses: wonder and skepticism. — So it was with an image of exploding manhole covers in Omaha that took over the Web last month.

Discussion: The Buttry Diary, Media Decoder and Capital New York

Brent Lang / The Wrap:

Amazon Shake-Up: Anthony Bay Out as Head of Video Division (Exclusive) — Amazon is shaking up its video services, as two top executives are leaving the e-commerce powerhouse, TheWrap has learned. — Anthony Bay, global head of the company's digital video division, will leave Amazon …

Discussion: Home Media Magazine and NetNewsCheck Latest

Paul Sawers / The Next Web:
Amazon-owned LoveFilm's MD Jim Buckle to step down after a year in position

Discussion: Accountancy Age

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

BuzzFeed uniques up 47% as New York Times profiles Editor Ben Smith — Douglas Quenqua profiled BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith in The New York Times' Styles section Sunday, an infraction that cannot go unremarked. — Quenqua “labors on the misapprehensions that Smith invented blogging …

Discussion: Gawker

Tim Carmody / The Verge:

Why Intel could be the company to finally crack internet TV — Everyone else has tried, now it's the chipmaker's turn — Intel? Really? There were rumors and reports for months that Intel was mounting a play for internet TV, but there was always an element of implausibility to them.

Discussion: Forbes

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:

The Need for a Digital “New Journalism” — The survival of quality news calls for a new approach to writing and reporting. Inspiration could come from blogging and magazine storytelling and also bring back memories of the 70′s New Journalism movement. — News reporting is aging badly.

Discussion: @bobbiejohnson, Kirk LaPointe's …, @rafat, @_arianna, @rajunarisetti, @konradweber, @zimbalist, @noruweijin, @kcorrick, @wblau and @moorehn

Shane Hickey / Guardian:

Irish publishing group ousts Australian — Brett Chenoweth's resignation as chief executive comes after the board said it had ‘lost confidence’ in his leadership ability — The chairman and chief executive of the Australian arm of Independent News and Media (INM) have been ousted …

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

As BBC strikes, Brits trust journalists less than Americans do — Good news for British journalists: At least you're not politicians. Those public servants were the only group trusted less by Britons than members of the press, according to an Ipsos MORI poll published Friday.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Guardian and The Independent

Jasper Jackson / TheMediaBriefing:

From blog to B2B platform: Business of Fashion lands $2.1 million VC funding — Why are some of the biggest names in venture capital pumping $2.1 million (£1.35 million) into a fashion blog called Business of Fashion? Because it's got all the ingredients to become a successful publishing business catering to a niche audience.

Martin Bryant / The Next Web:
Risk of a ‘Pando problem’? The Business of Fashion blog lands $2.1m from LVMH, Index Ventures and more

Discussion: PandoDaily, BoF, Guardian and growthbusiness.co.uk

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Jimmy Savile scandal: judge's review contacted by more than 425 people — Dame Janet Smith's investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC over five decades highlights scale of allegations it covers — The judge-led investigation into sexual abuse at the BBC in the Jimmy Savile era …

Discussion: Digital Spy