Mediagazer: A Feature Film, Starring Google (Claire Cain Miller/NYT Bits)

12:40 AM ET, June 7, 2013

Top News:

Blogger, With Focus on Surveillance, Is at Center of a Debate — After writing intensely, even obsessively, for years about government surveillance and the prosecution of journalists, Glenn Greenwald has suddenly put himself directly at the intersection of those two issues, and perhaps in the cross hairs of federal prosecutors.

Discussion: Guardian, The Next Web, The Great Debate, The Huffington Post, Quartz, BBC, Stuff.co.nz, Hit & Run, National Updates, CNN, Hillicon Valley, Pressing Issues and The Huffington Post

Cord Jefferson / Gawker:

The New York Times Quietly Softened Its Scathing Obama Editorial — When the Paper of Record published a blistering editorial on President Obama's overbearing national security precautions today, one line stood out from the dozens of others as being the most vicious: “The administration has now lost all credibility.”

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Business Insider, VentureBeat and Mediaite

Julie Bosman / New York Times:

After His Fall, Jonah Lehrer Shops a Book on the Power of Love — Jonah Lehrer is attempting to re-enter the publishing world with a book that uses his journalistic misconduct as a case study of the mysterious and redeeming power of love. — In a 65-page book proposal obtained by The New York Times …

Discussion: Gothamist and GalleyCat

Daniel Engber / Slate:

Update: Jonah Lehrer Sold His New Book — “Woody Allen once remarked that ‘Eighty percent of success is showing up,’ ” wrote science journalist Jonah Lehrer in a 2009 article for the Boston Globe called “The Truth About Grit.” Citing the work of University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Publishers Lunch and FishbowlNY

Eliott C. McLaughlin / CNN:

Holder: Leaks probes target government officials, not reporters — (CNN) — The Justice Department will never prosecute journalists for doing their jobs, and recent probes into national security leaks targeted government officials, not reporters, Attorney General Eric Holder said in opening remarks to a Senate committee Thursday.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Mediaite, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, TVNewser, Yahoo! News and Guardian

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

NBC's Pete Williams: DOJ Will ‘Very Likely’ Investigate Guardian Scoop — NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Justice may try seeking out the source of a bombshell article that revealed National Security Agency surveillance of millions of Americans, according to NBC News Justice correspondent Pete Williams.

Eliza Kern / GigaOM:

What Digg's Google Reader replacement can teach us about the future of social news — Nothing rocked technology-oriented news junkies this year quite like the announcement that Google Reader will be shuttering its popular but apparently too-niche-to-continue product in July.

Discussion: Softpedia News

Christina Bonnington / Wired:
Why Google Reader Really Got the Axe

Discussion: iDownloadBlog.com, BGR, PhoneArena, WebProNews, The Verge, Business Insider and ParisLemon

Rachel Edidin / Wired:

Why Book Publishers Are Still Dragging Their Heels on Selling You E-Books — “Did you see anyone with bags?” My friend is looking around, increasingly frantic. “We need to find bags, right now.” — We've been at Book Expo America 2013 for an hour, and the stacks of books we're carrying are already beginning to overflow our arms.

Discussion: Statista, Kindle Review and GalleyCat

Nick Summers / The Next Web:
Barnes & Noble unveils NOOK Snaps, a selection of exclusive short reads for its tablets and ereaders

Discussion: Engadget, The Verge, Payments RSS and Ubergizmo

John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:

Amazon Demanded Same Terms From Publishers For Which Apple is Now On Trial — When Apple negotiated its e-book contracts with the five publishers with which it would ultimately launch iBooks, the company demanded a “most favored nation provision” that required publishers to match …

Discussion: GeekWire, Wall Street Journal and The Verge

Greg Sandoval / The Verge:
Apple tries putting Amazon on trial in ebooks antitrust case

Discussion: paidContent, The Verge, GeekWire and CNET

Kate Bulkley / Guardian:

How lucrative are second screen companion apps for TV broadcasters? — As Channel 4 announce the upcoming launch of the ‘4Now’ second screen companion app for iOS, Kate Bulkley examines the commercial models underpinning the move by broadcasters to recapture a distracted TV audience through apps

John Plunkett / Guardian: Channel 4 second-screen app 4Now to allow real-time viewer interaction

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Matt Drudge was right — Say the words “Matt Drudge” to any political junkie and you will get one of two responses. — The first will be strong disdain for Drudge's eponymously-named news site and its tilt toward outrageous headlines and conservative viewpoints.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Justin Ellis / Nieman Journalism Lab:

WBUR partners with Atavist to tell the story of Whitey Bulger and templatize feature presentation — There are stories, and then there's Whitey Bulger's story. A notorious Irish mobster whose criminal career in Boston inspired no shortage of books, movies, and rumor, Bulger now faces his day in court.

Discussion: Knight Foundation, Nieman Storyboard and Boston Globe

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD:

AT&T Discusses Entering Into a Joint Bid for Hulu With Chernin Group — According to sources close to the telecommunications giant, AT&T is in discussions with the Chernin Group about mounting a joint bid to acquire the Hulu premium video site. — It makes sense — in addition to its core phone business …

Discussion: Deadline.com, Variety, GigaOM, Forbes, Digital Media Wire, Los Angeles Times, Home Media Magazine, VentureBeat, BGR, CNET, Broadcasting & Cable, VatorNews and TechCrunch

Variety:

Zach Braff Kickstarter Success: Will Crowdfunding Transform Showbiz? — VIEW GALLERY — Film projects have pocketed $58 million on site over the past four years — Kickstarter has leveled the playing field for artists in need of funding. But the influx of pros like Zach Braff …

Rachel McAthy / Journalism.co.uk:

Why ProPublica turned to Kickstarter for intern investigation — ProPublica wants to crowdfund $22,000 to support a cross-country investigation and multimedia investigation on intern experiences — Read more — Other top stories — Also on Journalism.co.uk...

Maria Sacchetti / The Boston Globe:

Mass. pair sues New York Post over Marathon bombing portrayal — A Massachusetts teenager and his 24-year-old friend filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Post Wednesday in Boston, accusing the tabloid of falsely portraying them as suspects in the deadly Marathon bombings by plastering …

Discussion: Poynter, msnbc.com, The Week, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg, Guardian, Erik Wemple, The Verge, canada.com, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, FishbowlNY and Gothamist

Claire Cain Miller / NYT Bits:

A Feature Film, Starring Google — Coming soon to a theater near you: an advertisement for Google, in the form of a feature film. — “The Internship” is a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two washed-up, laid-off salesmen who get internships at Google.

Discussion: New Republic

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

DIY digital magazine platform Glossi adds new tools, with paid subscriptions coming soon — Digital magazine publishing platform Glossi rolled out new tools Tuesday, designed to let users create and distribute their magazines more easily. — When I was 12 or so, I subscribed to Sassy …

Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:

As Bradley Manning Trial Begins, Press Predictably Misses the Point — Well, the Bradley Manning trial has begun, and for the most part, the government couldn't have scripted the headlines any better. — In the now-defunct Starz series Boss, there's a reporter character named “Sam Miller” …

Michael Rondon / FOLIO:

National Geographic Aligns Print, Digital Content Teams — The latest in a line of integrations at Nat Geo. — The magazine has named Chris Johns xecutive vice president and group editorial director, in addition to continuing his role as editor in chief-a position he's held since 2005.

Richard Horgan / FishbowlLA:

The Orange County Register Goes Back to Its Roots — A pair of very powerful strands of history anchor the Orange County Register's re-launch today of the Santa Ana Register as a weekly community newspaper. — One is the fact this 108-year-old publication, rolled out in the fall of 1905 …

Christine Haughney / New York Times:

On Newsstands, Allure of the Film Actress Fades — Pity the poor Hollywood film stars: they can't open movies the way they used to and now they can't sell magazines. — Even a few years ago, the prize for a magazine editor was in luring an A-list Hollywood star onto the cover.

Discussion: FishbowlNY and Taylor Marsh