Mediagazer: Rupert Murdoch's Pay for Latest Fiscal Year Dropped to $28.9 Million (Georg Szalai/Hollywood Reporter)

1:30 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: Politico, Joshua Foust, Softpedia News, New York Magazine, Business Insider, @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: The Switch, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, @dangillmor, @jamesrbuk, @ncilla and Softpedia News

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

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

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

Discussion: @buzzfeedben and @rosiegray

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

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 — A LITTLE TOO LATE: In September, Laura Lang will formally leave her position as chief executive officer of Time Inc. Later in the month, she will be addressing a panel on leadership. — Lang lasted at Time Inc. for a little more than a year and a half …

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: GalleyCat, PublishersWeekly.com and Variety

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

Discussion: Bloomberg and Reuters

Nora Caplan-Bricker / The New Republic:

A Guide to Syria's Best Citizen Journalism — Well before the United States weighed an intervention, Syria had become the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Legacy media outlets have, understandably, sent fewer and fewer of their reporters into harm's way …

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

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

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, TechCrunch, GigaOM, @mikeisaac, @trevortimm and Digits

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, The Wrap, FishbowlNY and Deadline.com

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 …

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

Sara Morrison / The Wrap:

Tribune Co. Profit Plunges Sharply on Lower Broadcast Revenue, Print Ads — Parent company of the L.A. Times reports steep drop in income during three-month period — Beleaguered Tribune Co. issued another bruising financial report late Thursday, acknowledging a 61 percent income drop …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Business

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

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

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 …

David Tossell / NFL UK:

Channel 4 becomes exclusive terrestrial TV home of NFL in the UK — Channel 4 is to become the new UK terrestrial television home of the NFL and Super Bowl as part of a two-year agreement with the NFL. — In a deal that sees the station become the NFL's exclusive free-to-air TV partner in the UK …