Mediagazer: In News Coverage and Editorials on Syria, How Much Skepticism in The Times? (Margaret Sullivan/The Public Editor's …)

7:40 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, Business Insider, The Independent, Politico, New York Magazine, Softpedia News, @harrisj and @jayrosen_nyu

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

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

Discussion: @biancajagger, @jimsharpe, @sueanneshirzay, @jesselynradack, @paleofuture, @jayrosen_nyu, @mattwaite, @younggraylady, @katz and @nycjim

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

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

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

Discussion: @buzzfeedben, @rosiegray and @buzzfeedben

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

Discussion: @megclement

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

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

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.

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:

Network Correspondents Converge On Syria And Surrounding Countries — All eyes are turning to Syria, as escalated rhetoric suggests that a U.S. attack could be imminent. Unlike Iraq, which saw correspondents reporting while embedded with U.S. troops or from the balcony of their hotels …

Discussion: @yancyfaith, FishbowlDC and FishbowlNY

Sara Morrison / The Wrap:
Syria Crisis: How the Networks Are Covering

Discussion: Mediaite, The New Yorker Blog, Hollywood Reporter and @saramorrison

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

Discussion: @syriatracker, KPBS San Diego, Wonkblog, @millermena, Kirk LaPointe's … and The Huffington Post

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

insideradio.com:
Townsquare Media buys 53 stations from Cumulus.

Discussion: radioworld.com and AllAccess.com

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:
Looking To Radio's Future, Cumulus Media Buys Syndicator Dial Global

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Billboard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Businessweek and Benzinga

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: Wall Street Journal 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, @daschles and @colrichardkemp

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

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

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

Jim Romenesko:

[UPDATED] 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. [My error: My original post had OF, not FOR.]

Discussion: @scottleadingham and @justinsilverman

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

Dallas Morning News:

Time Warner customers to get Longhorn Network in time for Texas' kickoff — Texas head football coach Mack Brown answers question from the media on the new Longhorn Network studio desk. ESPN in conjunction with the University of Texas show off their new Longhorn Network production offices …