Mediagazer: ‘New York Times’ Mobile Site Gets Much-Needed Upgrade (Lauren Indvik/Mashable)

6:15 PM ET, May 30, 2013

Top News:

Edmund Lee / Bloomberg:

New York Times Is Said to Consider More Sponsored Stories — New York Times Co. (NYT), looking to imitate the business models used by startups such as BuzzFeed Inc., is considering letting advertisers sponsor more stories on its website, two people with knowledge of the situation said.

Discussion: @peretti, @timmcguire, Adweek and paidContent

Jeff Jarvis / Medium:

In the End Was the Word and the Word Was the Sponsor's — Native advertising falls into the content trap — We used to know what ads were. They had borders around them — black lines in print, a rare millisecond of dead air on TV, the moment when the radio host's voice became even friendlier …

Richard Edelman / Edelman:
Show Me (a Little of) the Money

Thanks:@steverubel

Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:

Chicago Sun-Times lays off its photo staff — The Chicago Sun-Times has laid off its entire photography staff, and plans to use freelance photographers going forward, the newspaper said. About 20 full-times staffers received the news Thursday morning, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, Gawker, NPPA, The Wrap, AdAge, Top Digital Journal News, Forbes, @jvansack, @mattwaite, @anicabutler, @dancow, @nppalawyer, Mashable, @gailpennington, PetaPixel, Poynter, The Huffington Post and Change of Subject

RT:

US media execs rebuff Holder's closed-door wiretap scandal meeting — Several significant US news organizations reject the Department of Justice's proposal to discuss off-the-record ‘new guidelines’ in light of the reporter wiretapping scandal. Last week President Obama urged the DOJ to search a consensus with the media.

Discussion: Poynter, Politico, Mediaite, Business Insider, Fox News, @dylanbyers, @princeeditor, Los Angeles Times, @rubinreport, @nycjim, @mweinger and @mlcalderone

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Which Media Outlets Will Be At DOJ's Off-The-Record Meeting? — Media executives and editors are divided over whether to attend an off-the-record meeting this week with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss guidelines for dealing with journalists in leak investigations …

Discussion: Bloomberg, TVNewser, Human Events, Mediaite, Politico and The Hill

Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:

7 Reasons Why the Media Shouldn't Keep Eric Holder's Secrets — What “off the record” means and why it matters to you. — The dustup over whether journalists should meet privately with Attorney General Eric Holder is a forest-for-the-trees flap. — The existential issue still tangling Washington …

Discussion: Erik Wemple, BuzzFeed, FishbowlNY and New York Magazine

Janko Roettgers / paidContent:

Netflix wants to spend up to 15 percent of its content cash on originals — Netflix wants to triple its original content spend within the next few years, according to its Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos. — Netflix wants to spend up to 15 percent of its entire licensing budget …

Discussion: The Wrap

Mark Sweney / Guardian:
Netflix boss: BBC is holding back UK children's shows

Discussion: Home Media Magazine, Variety and Hollywood Reporter

Mark Sweney / Guardian:
BBC accused of acting like a ‘thug’ towards local papers

Discussion: Kirk LaPointe's …

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Spin lets its editor-in-chief go — Spin has parted ways with Editor-in-Chief Caryn Ganz. Jeff Leeds, the editorial boss of parent company SpinMedia, gave the news to staffers in a meeting Wednesday night in Spin's New York office. — Reached by phone, Ganz confirmed her departure …

Discussion: @chrisdeville, @katieaprincess, @evanryt, @jaysonrodriguez, FishbowlNY and @mehpatrol

Mallary Jean Tenore / Poynter:

Social media editor role is ‘more about an evolution than a contraction’ — Is the role of the social media editor really “dead”? Rob Fishman thinks so. In a widely circulated BuzzFeed piece published Wednesday, Fishman argues that newsrooms don't need social media editors like they used to.

Discussion: Soup, paidContent, Zombie Journalism, The Huffington Post, @antderosa, ReadWrite and @boyreporter

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

Is Quartz the Very Model of a Modern Publisher? — Eight months ago, Atlantic Media placed a bet that a digital-first, mobile-oriented publication geared to business executives on the go would be a hit. The results, so far, point to a publication on the rise.

Discussion: @zseward, @joshsternberg and eMedia Vitals

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:

Jeff Zucker on Cable News Rivals: ‘CNN Gets Held to a Higher Standard’ — The new head of CNN also defends the network against the charge that anchors didn't correct a mistaken Boston Marathon report quickly enough. — Jeff Zucker inferred Wednesday that he might be willing to cede …

Discussion: TVNewser, AllThingsD and Inside Cable News

Terry Heaton / Street Fight:

Report: Pureplays Using Legacy Media as a Farm System for Sales Staff — Local media companies need to do something to protect their digital sales assets or run the risk of losing them to pureplay* web companies. That's just one of the findings of a new study being released tomorrow by Borrell Associates …

Discussion: Radio & Television …, NetNewsCheck Latest and Radio Ink Magazine

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Month of Breaking News Lifts CNN and Fox, but Sinks MSNBC — A second straight month of big breaking events proved one thing: MSNBC is a television news channel that does not gain any advantage when news is being made. — CNN, meanwhile, is never stronger than when it can flex its news muscles.

Discussion: The Week and Deadline.com