Mediagazer: Aaron Kushner: 'We don't like negative political advertisements' (Andrew Beaujon/Poynter)

4:45 PM ET, February 27, 2013

Top News:

Marin Cogan / New Republic:

House of Cads — The psycho-sexual ordeal of reporting in Washington — e've all done it," begins one of the spicier dialogues in the new Netflix political thriller, “House of Cards. ” Janine Skorsky, a veteran political reporter, is revealing to her young colleague, Zoe Barnes …

Discussion: Poynter, New York Magazine, City Desk, @monikabauerlein, @mthomps, @ninaburleigh, @mikemadden, @jeffjohnroberts, @lydiadepillis, @jrboh, @dina_maron, @janinegibson and The Huffington Post

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:

New York Times gives Starbucks visitors 15 free stories a day — Caffeine-addicted New York Times fans are in luck — the paper is offering 15 free articles a day to those who surf its website while sitting in a Starbucks. This is just the latest example of how news brands are using …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, NetNewsCheck Latest, FishbowlNY, Fast Company, Mashable! and The New York Times Company

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

New research details how journalists verify information — Stop a journalist on the street and ask her to list the fundamentals of the job and you're almost certain to hear mention of accuracy. — In “The Elements of Journalism,” Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel wrote that journalism's “essence is a discipline of verification.”

Peter Osnos / The Atlantic Online:

The Enduring Myth of the ‘Free’ Internet — We somehow have come to believe that information is free, but people with Internet access pay substantial sums to get it — sums many can't afford. — The mantra of a “free” Internet has shaped the prevailing view of how we access information and entertainment in the digital age.

Discussion: @b_resnick

Ana Marie Cox / Guardian:

Jackass journalism and the Breitbart bratpack — A year's passed since Andrew Breitbart died, but his combative conservativism lives on with the minions of his ‘media of mean’ … So says Michael Goldfarb, founder of the Washington Free Beacon, basking in the predictable reaction to an article …

Discussion: RedState and Politico

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Now on ‘Idol,’ Viewers Can Tweet While Contestants Sing — These days, as more people watch television with a phone in hand or a computer in lap, it's de rigueur for a network to have a Twitter hashtag on the screen. Television producers and stars — at least the ones with thick skins …

Discussion: The Verge

Alexander C. Kaufman / The Wrap:

SEC Investigating Guggenheim Partners' Relationship With Michael Milken — Guggenheim Partners, the multi-billion-dollar firm that owns the Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Dodgers, is facing a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its relationship with former junk-bond …

Discussion: Fortune, Fortune, Bloomberg, Forbes and Los Angeles Times

Matthew Creamer / AdAge:

Built for Newsprint, The Onion Finds New Life In Social, Video — Why The Satirical News Brand Is Getting the Last Laugh — “Area Writers Choose Life of Poop-Smeared Bum Rather Than Move to Chicago” — So maybe it's not up to snuff as an Onion headline, but you can't blame a guy for trying …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

CJ Lotz / BuzzFeed:
Former Onion Staffers Denounce CEO's Apology For Quvenzhané Wallis Tweet

Discussion: The Onion, Hollywood Reporter, Reluctant Habits, Forbes, Mediaite, NPR, mediabistro.com, FishbowlDC and Guardian

Jennifer Van Grove / CNET:

Yelp: We compete with print — not Google or Facebook — The business reviews site thinks that Internet businesses may pose a threat to its local advertising business — in 10 years. — Google, who? Facebook, huh? Yea, that's right. The Internet behemoths don't pose any threat …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, Business Insider and Street Fight

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Aaron Kushner: 'We don't like negative political advertisements' — The Orange County Register banned “ads that challenge politicians by name” following complaints from local politicos, Adam Elmahrek reports. Anaheim city councilmembers Kris Murray and Gail Eastman were “infuriated” …

Discussion: Voice of OC, Wall Street Journal and FishbowlLA

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

News Corp PAC gave more to Democrats than Republicans in 2012 — News Corp's political action committee gave 52 percent of its donations during the 2012 election cycle to Democratic candidates, reports Dave Levinthal. The donations provide “a notable, if not striking contrast with Fox News' conservative reputation,” Levinthal writes.

Discussion: The Center for Public …, Mediaite and OpenSecrets.org

David Carr / New York Times:

Giving Viewers What They Want — In the television business, there is no such thing as a sure thing. You can have a gold-plated director, a bankable star and a popular concept and still, it's just a roll of the dice. — Or is it? — In any business, the ability to see into the future …

Ed Pilkington / Guardian:

Bradley Manning court papers released after Pentagon bows to pressure — Decision to post 84 documents provides first crack in the army's public information blackout during WikiLeaks trial — Read the Manning trial documents released by the Pentagon — The Pentagon has acceded to pressure …