Mediagazer: Free is not the magic number: New trends in ebook pricing (Laura Hazard Owen/paidContent)

9:55 AM ET, May 31, 2013

Top News:

Attorney General Holder Pledges Shift on Probes Involving Media — Attorney General Eric Holder told news editors in a private meeting Thursday that he is committed to changing Justice Department guidelines on investigations involving journalists, in the wake of recent controversies …

Discussion: TVNewser, Mediaite, Politico, Law Blog and New York Magazine

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Holder May Rein In Prosecutors On Leaks — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., under fire over investigative tactics in leak cases, has opened internal discussions over tightening rules on when prosecutors may seek phone logs and other information that could identify reporters' sources …

Jade Walker / The Huffington Post:

White House Press Corps Website, Twitter Feed Appears To Have Been Hacked — The White House Press Corps homepage and Twitter feed appears to have been hacked early Friday. — Just before 2 a.m., tweets began flowing into @whpresscorps, complaining about bias in the media.

Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
7 Reasons Why the Media Shouldn't Keep Eric Holder's Secrets

Discussion: Mediaite, FishbowlNY and RT

Chicago Business Journal:

Guild representing laid-off Sun-Times photographers plans complaint to NLRB … After the Chicago Sun-Times laid off their entire photography staff, the Newspaper Guild representing some of those employees said it plans to file a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Discussion: Associated Press

Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
Chicago Sun-Times lays off its photo staff

Mark Decambre / New York Post:

Bloomberg CEO frustrated he can't hold top editor more accountable for spying scandal — Bloomberg LP CEO Dan Doctoroff has privately expressed frustration with founding Editor-in-Chief Matt Winkler's Teflon status in the fallout from the company's spying scandal.

Nick Summers / The Next Web:

News Corporation takes on LinkedIn with WSJ Profile, a social network for The Wall Street Journal — Following its catastrophic failure with Myspace, News Corporation is preparing to dive back into the social networking game through an expansion of The Wall Street Journal website.

Discussion: bizjournals, bizjournals, Ubergizmo, Pulse 2.0, Fast Company, Gizmodo, Engadget and Business Insider

Sarah Lyall / New York Times:

BBC Faces New Allegations of Sexual Abuse — LONDON — Since the case involving the television personality Jimmy Savile came to light in October, the British Broadcasting Corporation has received 152 new allegations of sexual abuse and harassment by 81 current and former employees, the broadcaster said Thursday.

Discussion: Metro.co.uk, Daily Express, Daily Express, The Independent, Hollywood Reporter, London News, The Drum, presstv.ir and Telegraph

Alex Ben Block / Hollywood Reporter:

Hollywood YouTube Channels Hit With Hidden Cost — A 2010 law requiring closed captioning on all TV programming that airs online means an unexpected outlay of big bucks: Says producer Roger Corman, “We have no choice.” — A version of this story first appeared in the June 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Jasper Jackson / The Media Briefing:

Smart marketing or a waste of time? #Guardiancoffee and five more media brand extensions — The Guardian's Coffee shop offically launches later today but it's already creating a storm on Twitter, couldn't be much more fitting with the liberal newspaper group's brand ethos.

Discussion: VICE, eMedia Vitals, Eater National, @fleetstreetfox and The Commentator

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, @mehpatrol, @jaysonrodriguez, @katieaprincess, @evanryt and FishbowlNY

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Free is not the magic number: New trends in ebook pricing — Ebook pricing strategies are changing fast as the market evolves and retailers and publishers amass more data. Here are some new tips. — Ebook pricing strategies are changing rapidly as the digital market grows.

Discussion: TeleRead