Mediagazer: Twitter General Counsel Alexander Macgillivray to Leave Company (Mike Isaac/AllThingsD)

4:30 PM ET, August 30, 2013

Top News:

David Barrett / Telegraph:

David Miranda was carrying password for secret files on piece of paper — A journalist's partner who was detained carrying thousands of British intelligence documents through Heathrow airport was also holding the password to an encrypted file written on a piece of paper, the government has disclosed.

Discussion: Joshua Foust, The Independent, Business Insider, Politico, New York Magazine, Softpedia News, @jayrosen_nyu and @harrisj

Robert Booth / Guardian:

UK took three weeks to act over data at New York Times, says Guardian — Alan Rusbridger hits back at Downing Street's claims in high court that it ‘urgently’ needed access to leaked GCHQ files — The British government took over three weeks to act on authoritative information …

Discussion: @rydermc, @fredriklaurin, The Switch, @jamesrbuk, @dangillmor, @ncilla, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, @kgosztola and Softpedia News

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:
UK asked N.Y. Times to destroy Snowden material

Discussion: @mattwaite, @jayrosen_nyu, @paleofuture, @younggraylady, @katz and @nycjim

Press Gazette:
High Court told Miranda was carrying ‘58,000 highly classified UK intelligence documents’

Discussion: The Independent, The Atlantic Wire, The Register, Bloomberg, Head of Legal, National Updates, The Verge and London24 News

George Brock / Guardian:
Does David Miranda count as a journalist? That's not the point

Discussion: @megclement

Rosie Gray:
British Embassy Approached New York Times About Snowden Documents

Discussion: @rosiegray, @buzzfeedben and @buzzfeedben

Associated Press:
Guardian strikes deal with gov't on material seized from partner of journalist

Discussion: @ggreenwald, Telegraph, RT, Guardian and Voice of Russia

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

In News Coverage and Editorials on Syria, How Much Skepticism in The Times? — Many Times readers are looking at recent news coverage of Syria, and editorials on the same subject, through the lens of another international conflict: the United States invasion of Iraq.

Discussion: New York Times, @aliabunimah, @kgosztola, @trevortimm, @dangillmor, @ledbetreuters, Pressing Issues, TIME, Truthout Stories, The Monkey Cage, Mother Jones, Business Insider, The Week, Salon and The Plum Line

Nora Caplan-Bricker / The New Republic:
A Guide to Syria's Best Citizen Journalism

Discussion: @syriatracker, Wonkblog, @millermena and Kirk LaPointe's …

Tom Fudge / KPBS San Diego: How Do You Create A Free Media Culture In Syria?

Committee to Protect Journalists / The Huffington Post: In hopeful sign, two journalists escape Syria

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

People Mag Prepares New Subscription Model — Time Inc. cash cow People is preparing to unveil a new pricing model designed to transform the way people think about subscriptions, according to people familiar with the publisher's plans. Other titles in the company are expected to follow suit.

Discussion: FishbowlNY

Erik Maza / WWD: Time Inc. CEO Laura Lang to Exit in September

Laura Hazard Owen / paidContent:

Digital now makes up 11.3% of Hachette's revenues worldwide, and 20% of Random House's — Digital now accounts for 11.3 percent of Hachette's sales worldwide, and about 20 percent of Random House's — Lagardére, parent company of book publisher Hachette, and Bertelsmann …

Discussion: Speakeasy, Media & Entertainment, GalleyCat, PublishersWeekly.com and Variety

Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter:
Germany's Bertelsmann Reports Record First-Half Operating Profit

Discussion: Bloomberg and Reuters

Ian Burrell / The Independent:

Censure for reporter over Gaza tweet sparks BBC rethink over social media — Governing body calls for rethink over use of Twitter but journalists worry about losing credibility — The censure of a senior BBC correspondent over his use of Twitter in covering the Middle East …

Discussion: @jeffjarvis, @scottbix, @colrichardkemp and @daschles

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

Rupert Murdoch's Pay for Latest Fiscal Year Dropped to $28.9 Million — UPDATED: The media mogul had made $30.0 million in the previous year before a 3.7 percent decline for the latest period ended June 30. — Rupert Murdoch's compensation for the latest fiscal year dropped 3.7 percent to $28.9 million.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline.com, The Wrap and FishbowlNY

Hannah Karp / Wall Street Journal:

Cumulus Radio Deal Could Crowd Clear Channel — Radio broadcaster Cumulus Media Inc. is close to acquiring one of the country's largest syndicators of radio programming, Dial Global Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that is likely to shake up the industry's competitive landscape.

Discussion: Forbes, NetNewsCheck Latest, Reuters, Radio Ink Magazine, AllAccess.com and @ethanwsj

Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:

Twitter General Counsel Alexander Macgillivray to Leave Company — Twitter's free speech defender is leaving the nest. — Alexander Macgillivray, Twitter's general counsel and chief navigator of its thorny digital First Amendment issues, is departing the company.

Discussion: bricoleur, Betabeat, CNET, TechCrunch, GigaOM, NYT Bits, Los Angeles Times, ReadWrite, The Verge, Mashable, Hillicon Valley, @trevortimm, @mikeisaac and Digits

Adrienne LaFrance / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Columbia is launching a new post-bac program to breed journalism unicorns — The journalism unicorn exists. I've seen one — even worked with one. Maybe you know the kind: a journalist who's as nimble and dynamic as a reporter as she is with coding. — Yes, journalism unicorns are out there …

Discussion: @sisiwei, @emilybell, @emilybell, @derekwillis, @greglinch, @kleinmatic and Tow Center for Digital …

David S. Cohen / Variety:

Closing Piracy Powerhouse Actually Hurt Movie Revenues — Only blockbusters benefitted from shutdown of Megaupload; grosses of mid-range pics declined — Closing the notorious piracy site Megaupload didn't help theatrical film grosses , according to a new study.

Discussion: @onthemedia and Digits

Jim Romenesko:

Society of Professional Journalists considers changing its name to Society for Professional Journalism — SPJ is considering changing its name from Society of Professional Journalists to Society for Professional Journalism. — Some at SPJ, according to a Romenesko tipster, favor …

Discussion: @justinsilverman and @scottleadingham

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Grazia publisher's profits fall by 75% — Bauer, which owns more than 20 titles in the UK including Empire, Q and Zoo, saw pre-tax profits collapse to £13.9m — Bauer, the publisher of titles including FHM, Heat and Grazia, has reported a 75% slump in profits for 2012 …