Mediagazer: Winning the Paywall Debate (Katelyn Belyus/Folio)

10:55 AM ET, September 26, 2013

Top News:

Rem Rieder / USA Today:

Rieder: Support crucial for non-profit journalism — Steve Waldman has a modest proposal for securing the future of non-profit news outlets. How about if companies that have flourished in the new economy — think Apple, Google, Verizon — stepped up to the plate and subsidized …

Discussion: Poynter, @jimmacmillan, @steve_katz, @noirinhegarty and Big News Network.com

Joshua Benton / Nieman Journalism Lab:

The Pulitzer Prize Board wants more entries in editorial writing, especially from online news sites — That's according to this open letter to news organizations from Paul Tash, the board's chair and chief executive of the Tampa Bay Times: … Tash notes that the field wasn't particularly crowded last year …

Matthew Zeitlin / BuzzFeed:

How Chrystia Freeland Hastened Reuters Next's Demise — The dynamo who left Reuters to run for a seat in Canada's parliament was both the motivating force behind the wire service's ambitious digital revamp and one of the primary reasons it was killed, current and former employees tell Buzzfeed.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, @jayrosen_nyu, @ezralevant, @jbenton, @ejanearmstrong, @bgrueskin, @oppoguy, @jaredbkeller and Talking Biz News

Nate Hoffelder / The Digital Reader:

Amazon Slayed a Negative 77 Indie Bookstores in 2012 — In certain circles Amazon enjoys a reputation as a slayer of all that is right and good and true. It doesn't matter whether the topic is publishing, bookstores, or literature, Amazon is responsible for its imminent death.

Discussion: TechCrunch, dallasmorningviewsblog …, qz.com, @janefriedman, The Daily Beast and Boing Boing

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Why Hulu Doesn't Have an Ad-Free Service Like Netflix — Yet — Acting CEO Andy Forssell says company will spend $750 million infusion from Disney, Fox and NBC on content and marketing — Hulu at some point expects to introduce a subscription video plan without any advertising — and compete more aggressively with Netflix.

Discussion: @brianstelter

Bryan Bishop / The Verge:

Time Warner CEO open to bundling online HBO subscription with broadband plans — Despite the rampant piracy of its shows and the proliferation of its streaming app across multiple devices, HBO has continued to rule out the possibility of an a la carte subscription for online viewers.

Discussion: Deadline.com, @reckless, @backlon, Home Media Magazine and Variety

Alex Sherman / Bloomberg: Malone Says Reaching Time Warner Cable Deal Still Makes Sense

Sam Thielman / Adweek:

The Web Is a Lab for Marketable TV Content, and Vice Versa — The lines between digital and linear distribution are a lot less blurry than advertised when it comes to the business models of cable television and the online space, but content is a different animal altogether.

Gloria Goodale / Christian Science Monitor:

Groups worry California anti-paparazzi law to protect kids could hamper legitimate news media — Is California going too far to protect celebrity kids from paparazzi? (+video) — A new California law toughens fines and jail time for paparazzi who harass children.

RIA Novosti:

Russian Court Arrests Photographer Over Greenpeace Protest … A court in northern Russia has put under arrest a prominent photographer who accompanied a group of Greenpeace activists during a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, as well as one of the activists themselves, Greenpeace said Thursday.

Discussion: RT, Associated Press, Guardian, Trust.org, TheAustralian and BBC

Library Journal:

Penguin Ebooks Return to OverDrive, Go National on Axis 360 — “Penguin will resume doing business with OverDrive as of this morning,” Penguin spokesperson Erica Glass told LJ on September 25. According to a blog post by Karen Estrovich, collection development manager for OverDrive …

Discussion: OverDrive's Digital …, paidContent, Melville House Books, Publishers Lunch, Dear Author, GeekWire, AppNewser and Digital Book World

Associated Press:

Belo shareholders approve $1.5 billion Gannett acquisition — DALLAS — Belo Corp. shareholders on Wednesday approved Gannett Co.'s proposed acquisition of the broadcast company. — The $1.5 billion deal, announced in June, still needs regulatory approval. It is expected to close by the end of the year.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, bizjournals, bizjournals, USA Today and PR Newswire

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Pinterest sees growing number of journalists using the site, makes related changes — Oh, How Pinteresting! — Pinterest introduced new article pins Tuesday; links to articles you've pinned can include a story's headline and byline, plus a description as well as a link.

Discussion: Audience Development and Forbes

Katelyn Belyus / Folio:

Winning the Paywall Debate — Paywalls have their detractors, but here's one publisher's case in favor. — We're doing something revolutionary at The Nation: we're finally testing different paywall strategies. Sharing this is like dumping my purse on the table of a restaurant—it's a mixed bag of embarrassment and pride.

Discussion: Poynter

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Hopster Promises Netflix for Kids, and No One Else — If you're a certain kind of parent, then you know that Netflix is a pretty excellent babysitter. But Netflix, and rival services like Amazon's Instant Prime, have lots of movies and TV shows that aren't aimed at kids.

Discussion: GigaOM and TechCrunch

Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:

Twitter Strikes Deal With NFL — Football League Will Produce Short, Ad-Supported Highlights Site — The National Football League has reached a deal with Twitter Inc. to make football highlights and other content available on the social- media service, the latest big partnership aimed …

Discussion: The Verge, Reuters, AdAge, AllThingsD, @besvinick, Engadget, Bloomberg, Mashable and CNET

Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times:

Internet radio services becoming more mainstream, survey says — More than half of online Americans now listen to Internet radio, and a lot of them do so through mobile devices including Apple Inc.'s iPhone. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg / September 17, 2013) — Internet radio's drumbeat is getting louder.

Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke / The New York Observer:

From Syria, On Spec: Wary of Staff in Harm's Way, Editors Leave War Coverage to $70 Stringers — Anna Therese Day had just returned from Northern Syria when The Observer met her at a coffee shop near Union Square on a recent afternoon. — A 25-year-old in pearl earrings and a filmy white top …

Discussion: @freeaustintice