Mediagazer: Iranians Gain Access to Facebook and Twitter (Thomas Erdbrink/New York Times)

9:05 AM ET, September 17, 2013

Top News:

Thomas Erdbrink / New York Times:

Iranians Gain Access to Facebook and Twitter — TEHRAN — Internet users in Iran were surprised on Monday to find that they could access Facebook and Twitter without having to evade the government's firewall, which had blocked direct access to the Web sites for years.

Discussion: The Verge, qz.com, GigaOM, Reuters, AllThingsD, @mixedberry, @katrinanation, @zenjournalist, Business Insider and New York Magazine

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

News outlets often stumble in quest for speed and accuracy — So much was misreported in the first few hours after the shooting rampage at Washington's Navy Yard. — Initial reports said that as many as three gunmen were involved. Then two. Then one. Then back to three. That four people were dead.

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @jfdulac, @farhip, @romenesko, @mg_thereporter, USA Today, @tanyavea and PandoDaily

Will Oremus / Slate:

NBC, CBS Remind Us You Don't Have to Be on Reddit or Twitter to Misidentify a Mass Killer — Lest we think that Redditors, tweeters, and bloggers have a monopoly on rushing to judgment when tragedies are unfolding, a pair of network news stations today provided a reminder that premature reports are as old as the news itself.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Switch, GigaOM, CNET, Poynter, SocialTimes, Politico, @timkarr, Mediaite, Mashable, USA Today and @willoremus

Vindu Goel / New York Times:

For Twitter, Key to Revenue Is No Longer Ad Simplicity — SAN FRANCISCO — When it comes to making money, Twitter is all about keeping it simple. There are no banner ads, no dancing animations, no ads inserted between screens that you must click to get past.

Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:
Twitter's Third Act: A New Design to Court the Mainstream

Discussion: Business Insider, VatorNews, @pkafka, AppleInsider, @mercerccj, Fast Company, Yahoo! News, @vvbellur, @niemanlab, MacRumors, App Advice, @crowdbooster, VentureBeat, CNET, Pocket-lint, GigaOM and @miriamgottfried

Lizzie Widdicombe / New Yorker:

Bryan Goldberg's adventures in women's publishing. — This spring, Jenny Hollander, a twenty-three-year-old Columbia Journalism School student, sent out her résumé for summer internships. “Where didn't I apply?” Hollander, who is from the U.K., said recently.

Discussion: Salon, The New Republic, Gawker, @monikabauerlein, @tasneemraja, @tcarmody, @alexhern, @mbaratz, Mashable, @nicknotned, @scalzi, @mbaratz, @whet, @newyorker, Betabeat and The Huffington Post

Barry Levine / CMSWire.com:

Adobe, Major Magazines Release New Industry-Standard for Digital Readership — As magazines go digital, how is readership measured? This week, Adobe, the Association of Magazine Media (MPA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) is answering that question with the announcement …

Discussion: Folio, NetNewsCheck.com and Talking New Media

Geoffrey York / Globe and Mail:

Why China is making a big play to control Africa's media — When one of South Africa's biggest newspaper chains was sold last month, an odd name was buried in the list of new owners: China International Television Corp. — A major stake in a South African newspaper group might seem …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, @digitaldjeli and @rajunarisetti

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

Guardian Story on Israel and N.S.A. Is Not ‘Surprising’ Enough to Cover — Many Times readers have been writing to me for several days about a story The Guardian broke last week, describing how the United States routinely shares with Israel intelligence information that the National Security Agency gathers on American citizens.

Zachary M. Seward / Quartz:

In a year, Netflix's competition shifted from Hulu to HBO to everything — Netflix recently updated its “long-term view,” the company's refreshingly candid assessment of its place within the internet video industry. Which means, if you care about Netflix, you should go read it now.

Discussion: @nickblunden, @jeremyzilar, @jessicalessin, The Verge and Netflix

Online News Association:

2013 Online Journalism Awards finalists announced — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Finalists for the 2013 Online Journalism Awards, many pushing the envelope of innovation and excellence in digital storytelling and distribution, were announced today by the Online News Association and its academic partner …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, @joykliu, @niemanlab and The Wrap

John Herman / BuzzFeed:

What Ever Happened To GOOD? — Remember GOOD magazine? Its parent organization has a new partner. The military. — This press release arrived in my inbox with a clang. — GOOD, an organization most commonly associated with its short-lived, ultra-conscious, proudly left-wing magazine …

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, @normative, @daveweigel, @rosiegray, @clarajeffery, @jcstearns and @felixsalmon

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Instead of shoehorning it in, NowThis News is building video content that fits in where the audience lives — If you were being lazy, you might call NowThis News the BuzzFeed of web video. After all, it's a born-online media company, going after digital natives with a strategy heavy on social and mobile.

Discussion: @thebeff, @aaronmedwards, @niemanlab, SocialTimes and BuzzFeed

Greg Sandoval / The Verge:

Eclipsed by rivals, Rhapsody reduces staff and ousts key managers — Rhapsody's managers were right in predicting more than a decade ago that consumers would one day flock to subscription music services. The only problem is, Rhapsody isn't one of the services they're choosing.

Discussion: @jherskowitz, PR Newswire, @pkafka, CNET, New York Times and @sandonet

Jasper Jackson / TheMediaBriefing:

How does the music industry get people to pay for digital content? — Music and news are very different businesses, but the digital age presented them both with a very similar problem: how do you get someone to pay for something they can get for free? — It's a question the music industry …

Discussion: eMedia Vitals and @rajunarisetti