Mediagazer: WTF? The University of California sides with publishers against the public (Michael Eisen/it is NOT junk)

12:20 PM ET, April 23, 2013

Top News:

Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:

Amazon Broadens Its Terrain — David Blum does not have a regular table at the Four Seasons or host celebrity parties at the top of the Standard Hotel. — He does not get a lot of fawning press. After he was fired by The Village Voice and left The New York Press, Gawker Media in 2009 pronounced him …

Jack Shafer:

In defense of journalistic error — Hilary Sargent, who does business on the Web as Chart Girl, compiled the best early guide to the journalistic mistakes made on the afternoon of April 17, as broadcasters and wire services moved their conflicting and error-studded reports about the status of the Boston Marathon bombing dragnet.

Discussion: Politico, Poynter, TVNewser, New York Times, Business Insider, The Week, The Huffington Post, Reflections of a Newsosaur, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, The Newspaper Guild, Columbia Journalism Review, Quartz and Chickaboomer

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:

New York Times lifts paywall for video, plans ‘franchises’ — The New York Times is no longer restricting non-subscribers' access to its video content. The move, which comes as the Times tightens other parts of its paywall, is part of the paper's plans to expand its brand in the video space.

Discussion: The New York Times Company, FishbowlNY, VentureBeat and The Next Web

Nick Summers / The Next Web:

Aereo will launch its controversial antenna and Internet-based TV service in Boston on May 15 — Aereo has announced today that it will be rolling out its controversial Internet-based television service in Boston on May 15. — Consumers who choose to pre-order will be able to access …

Discussion: Market Wire, TechCrunch, Betabeat, paidContent and VentureBeat

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

New Washington Post reader representative explains why he won't be the paper's ombud — Doug Feaver has no illusions about his new job. — “My primary mission is to respond to readers,” says the Washington Post's new reader representative. — In other words, he is not an ombudsman.

Michael Eisen / it is NOT junk:

WTF? The University of California sides with publishers against the public — The University of California system spends nearly $40 million every year to buy access to academic journals, even though many of the articles are written, reviewed, and edited by UC professors.

Mat Honan / Wired:

The One Function Twitter Desperately Needs — A staggering amount misinformation spewed out of Twitter last week in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. There were reports of suspects being killed when they were very much alive, reports of arrests made while suspects were on the run …

Adam Weinstein / Columbia Journalism Review:

Making ‘investigative a priority’ in south Florida — How the Sun Sentinel assembled a Pulitzer-worthy “I Team” in the middle of Hurricane Tribune — FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — “I've been here before,” I told the assistant as she picked me up at the elevator landing just outside the South Florida Sun Sentinel's newsroom last Wednesday.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Daily Pulp and The Week

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Netflix Surpasses HBO in U.S. Subscribers … Netflix reported 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, surpassing HBO for the very first time. — Netflix, which ended 2012 with 27.15 million domestic subs, added just over 2 million subs, according to 1Q results issued Monday.

Discussion: Betabeat, Forbes and WebProNews

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:
Netflix Adds 3 Million Subscribers, Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion

Discussion: AllThingsD, Business Insider, MacRumors, Reuters, VentureBeat, Broadcasting & Cable, NetNewsCheck Latest, paidContent, Home Media Magazine, VentureBeat and The Verge

Ed Bark / New York Times:

Brian Stelter's ‘Top of the Morning,’ on Talk Show Wars — Brian Stelter's book on the nefarious network morning show wars ends up being like a breakfast made not quite to order. — The eggs over easy have one hard yolk, and the bacon's a little limp. The toast is well-buttered but burned, and the coffee's short on heat.

Discussion: TVNewser and FishbowlNY

Jessica Guynn / Los Angeles Times:

Twitter eyes TV, lands major advertising deal in run-up to IPO — Twitter has reportedly reached an advertising deal with Publicis' Starcom MediaVest Group worth hundreds of millions of dollars over multiple years. (Bob Daly / For The Times / April 22, 2013)

Discussion: Financial Times, VentureBeat, Business Insider, CNN, Quartz, AdAge, The Next Web, CNET and AllThingsD

John Plunkett / Guardian:

BBC appoints Danny Cohen as new director of television — Current BBC1 controller, whose credits include Call the Midwife, will oversee the corporation's four main channels — BBC1 controller Danny Cohen has been confirmed as the corporation's new director of television.

Discussion: Deadline.com, Metro.co.uk, Hollywood Reporter, MediaTel, The Drum, BBC and Radio Times

Jennifer Saba / Reuters:

Gannett reports higher revenue, profit — (Reuters) - Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N) reported higher first-quarter revenue and profit on Tuesday on the strength of its TV stations and digital revenue from subscriptions to its newspapers. — Gannett, which is the largest newspaper chain in the United States …

Discussion: Poynter and USA Today