Mediagazer: Citizen ‘journalism’ ran amok in Boston crisis (Newsosaur/Reflections of a Newsosaur)

4:50 PM ET, April 22, 2013

Top News:

Ali Velshi / Quartz:

Ex-CNN anchor: Twitter is merciless when media lag, ruthless when they're wrong — For a time, Gabrielle Giffords was dead. So was Newtown, Connecticut, shooter Adam Lanza's father. Or maybe it was his brother in Hoboken, New Jersey. All three, as we now know, are alive. Two of them weren't even shot.

Discussion: Capital New York, Quartz and Felix Salmon

Bill Grueskin / Columbia Journalism Review:

In defense of scoops — Their reputation took a beating in Boston, but there are reasons to value the news scoop, and they go beyond ego and institutional pride — The press services standardize the main events; it is only once in a while that a great scoop is made.

Discussion: Mediaite

The Huffington Post:

Final Act Of Boston Manhunt Drew Millions — NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 42 million people watched the last hour of Friday's manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect on television. — That was the Nielsen company's estimate Monday of the number of people watching ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN …

Discussion: Mediaite

David Carr / New York Times:
In Boston, CNN Stumbles in Rush to Break News

Discussion: Poynter, NYT Bits, Columbia Journalism Review, Deadline.com, BuzzMachine, TVNewser, New York Magazine, Kirk LaPointe's …, Chickaboomer, Prof Chris Daly's Blog, FishbowlNY, Brian Solis, Alexia Tsotsis, Storyful Blog, @jayrosen_nyu and Los Angeles Times

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

Matthew Keys on Reuters firing: ‘I assume they were looking for an out’ — Matthew Keys said his firing from Reuters “wasn't unexpected” — and while the company told him they “did not agree with” some of the coverage he did on his own about the Boston bombings and did not mention the indictment against him …

Discussion: Politico, FishbowlNY, @thematthewkeys, Big News Network.com, @joepompeo, @thematthewkeys, The Huffington Post, @edgecliffe and New York Times

Philip Bump / The Atlantic Wire:

Reuters Fired Its Indicted Social Media Editor After Bad Social Media Editing — Thomson Reuters could handle its deputy social media editor, Matthew Keys, being indicted on federal hacking charges. But after a week in which he was harshly criticized for inaccurate tweets to his 35,000-plus followers …

Cotton Delo / AdAge:

Tumblr Launches Mobile Ads Today In Big Revenue Push — Users of iOS and Android Apps Will See Up to 4 Ads Per Day — Tumblr is launching its mobile ads today, marking the first time the 6-year-old startup is placing ads that look and feel like regular posts on the blog network.

Discussion: Tumblr Staff, VentureBeat, Betabeat, CNET, paidContent, The Verge, Valleywag, App Advice, Mashable, WebProNews, TUAW, Complex and IntoMobile

Newsosaur / Reflections of a Newsosaur:

Citizen ‘journalism’ ran amok in Boston crisis — With an entire city on lockdown and the whole world watching, crowd reporting on the drama in Boston last week reached critical mass. Now, we are facing a critical mess. — Armed with iPhones, empowered by Twitter and amplified …

Chloe Albanesius / PC Magazine:
Reddit on Marathon Bomber Crowd Sourcing: We Were Wrong

Discussion: reddit, CNET, VentureBeat, Boston Herald and TrustedReviews

Bloomberg:

Time Warner-CBS Seen Candidate for Merger: Real M&A — Time Warner Inc. (TWX) and CBS Corp. (CBS) have flirted for years. A marriage now may make more sense than ever. — CBS shares, while trading near the highest price since the company and Viacom Inc. split seven years ago …

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:

Netflix Adds 3 Million Subscribers, Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion — Netflix's rebound continues, as its share price climbs past $170 — Netflix generated more than $1 billion in revenue in the first fiscal quarter of 2013, exceeding analysts' expectations for its financial results …

Discussion: AllThingsD, VentureBeat, VentureBeat and Home Media Magazine

Sam Biddle / Valleywag:

Sorry to Disrupt: Valleywag Is Back — You're doing it again. It's only been a few years since we last met here, but you, Valley venture capitalist and Alley opportunist, are worse than ever. There will come a day when all the coddling and cheerleading you've become accustomed to curdles …

Discussion: Gawker, @samfbiddle and @davemcclure

Jim Romenesko:

Chicago Tribune sends pizza to Boston Globe newsroom — According to a Globe tweet, the Tribune told Globe journalists that “we can't buy you lost sleep, but we can pick up your lunch.” The Globe's response: “Classy to the core.” — * Check out the pizzas in the Globe newsroom (vine.co) |

Discussion: FishbowlNY, @meghanncir, @elgray and @jeffjohnroberts

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Pranksters insert ‘apology’ letter into copies of New York Post — The art and culture site Animal inserted a letter purporting to be from New York Post Editor Col Allan into some copies of the paper Friday. A video outlines the prank: — “This week, the New York Post has acted recklessly …