Mediagazer: Controversial Journal Inquirer editor: ‘If my opinion is so wacky, why bother with it?’ (Jim Romenesko)

4:55 PM ET, October 4, 2013

Top News:

Twitter Close to Picking High-Profile Head of News to Make Even Nicer With Media Types — Twitter, which made some sort of financial news yesterday, is close to tapping a person to become its head of news, according to sources close to the search. — Sources said that the San Francisco …

Discussion: @rubinafillion

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Twitter's ‘head of news’ position up in the air as company files to go public — One of the hottest journalism jobs on the market in recent months has been “Head of News and Journalism Partnerships” for Twitter, which is on the road to an initial public offering.

Discussion: @taylorlorenz and @rajunarisetti

Quartz:

Twitter's average ad revenue per user was $0.55 in Q2 2013, compared to $1.41 for Facebook — Twitter didn't disclose its average revenue per user, but we've calculated it for you, anyway — Ahead of Twitter's IPO filing, the key figure anticipated by investors was the company's average revenue per user.

Discussion: GigaOM, Forbes, CNNMoney.com, @mindtwisterdean, Wonkblog and Tom Simonite

Gerry Shih / Reuters:
Twitter reveals rip-roaring growth, big losses ahead of IPO

Discussion: @mathewi and Kirk LaPointe's …

Mathew Ingram / GigaOM:
Twitter files to raise $1B, company is not profitable, will trade under ticker TWTR

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:
How Twitter's Ad Business Went From Zero to $500 Million in Less Than Four Years

Discussion: Media Money …, Softpedia News, Forbes, TechCrunch, @pkafka, NYT Bits, ZDNet and @sbermo

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Jim Impoco aims for ‘must-read’ status with new Newsweek — Jim Impoco became the latest editor of Newsweek just three weeks ago, after IBT Media bought the dying digital-only title from Barry Diller's IAC Interactive. In that time he's hired nearly two dozen staffers …

Discussion: The New York Observer, @mlcalderone, @jayrosen_nyu, @niemanlab, FishbowlNY and The Huffington Post

Economist:

What newspapers can learn from television — LAST November Mike Darcey, then a top executive at BSkyB, a British satellite-television company, received a phone call from Rupert Murdoch, the boss of News Corporation. Mr Murdoch wanted him to run News UK (formerly News International) …

Discussion: @rajunarisetti and @niemanlab

Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:

A few years ago, the idea of a World After Advertising seemed odd for newspapers. Today, it seems like a rapidly approaching reality. — HAMBURG — In 2011, a German regional media group sponsored the World After Advertising conference in Dusseldorf, at which I spoke. The title seemed a little odd back then.

Discussion: @ryanchittum, @niemanlab and Big News Network.com

Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:
With print advertising in decline, German newspapers look toward digital business models

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, @rajunarisetti and @stevebuttry

Jethro Nededog / The Wrap:

Fusion Names Univision's Isaac Lee as CEO — See press release below: — Fusion today announced that veteran journalist Isaac Lee will become Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. In this new role Mr. Lee, who will continue to serve as President of Univision News …

Discussion: Radio & Television …, TVNewser and Variety

Leonard Downie Jr. / Washington Post:

In Obama's war on leaks, reporters fight back — Leonard Downie, a former executive editor of The Washington Post, is the Weil family professor of journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. This article is based on his report “The Obama Administration and the Press …

Discussion: @poynter, Poynter, @jeremiahg, @dabeard, @jenvalentino, @billadairduke and @sulliview

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

HBO COO Eric Kessler to Exit — Execs was at HBO for 27 years — Editor-in-chief: Digital — @awallenstein — HBO COO Eric Kessler is exiting the company, the network announced Friday. — The position is being eliminated. All executies who reported to Kessler are now reporting to CEO Richard Plepler.

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

Kevin Anderson / Strange Attractor:

ProPublica, This American Life and acetaminophen: $750,000 to state the obvious — ProPublica and This American Life, both which I love, are making some waves for a story highlighting the risks of taking too much acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in the UK).

Discussion: @ryanchittum and The Atlantic Online

Erik Wemple:

Is Politico's ‘Playbook’ a portable commodity? — Fourth in a multi-part series — Last month, Politico broke some news about itself. It was purchasing Capital New York, a website that covers politics, culture and media in its namesake city. When it came time to announce the decision …

Discussion: @joshrobin, @carr2n and @erikwemple

Laura Hazard Owen / GigaOM:

Apple officially appeals in ebook pricing case — Apple has filed its appeal against federal judge Denise Cote's verdict in the ebook pricing case. Apple seeks to overturn Judge Cote's July verdict that it was guilty of conspiring with publishers to fix ebook prices, as well as the September 6 injunction …

Discussion: CNET, AllThingsD, AppleInsider, The Verge and SlashGear

Lacey Rose / Hollywood Reporter:

CBS Extends David Letterman Contract Through 2015 — The late night host will stay on at the network, as competitor NBC moves Jimmy Fallon into Jay Leno's desk. — David Letterman is staying put at CBS. — Despite long-gestating rumblings that the late night veteran was readying for retirement …

Discussion: The Wrap, New York Times and Los Angeles Times

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Instagram Launches Ads, Promises, 'We'll Start Slow' — The honeymoon's over for Instagram users. The long-promised introduction of advertising to the photo-based social network is upon us. — “In the next couple months, you may begin seeing an occasional ad in your Instagram feed …

Discussion: Mashable, ABC News, CNET, PC Magazine, VatorNews, Softpedia News, Businessweek, BBC, Inside Facebook, BtoB Magazine, TechCrunch and Valleywag

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

In Leaked Video, Egyptian Army Officers Debate How to Sway News Media — CAIRO — A leaked video of senior Egyptian Army officers debating how to influence the news media during the months preceding the military takeover offers a rare glimpse of the anxiety within the institution at the prospect of civilian oversight.

Discussion: @robsatloff, @mlcalderone and @shibleytelhami

Henry Blodget / Business Insider:

Business Insider's Blodget muses about a Buzzfeed merger but rejects it for now — ‘Should Buzzfeed And Business Insider Merge?’ — Someone asked me a question on Quora: — “Should Buzzfeed and Business Insider merge?” — I can't remember my Quora password, so I figured I would just answer the question here.

Discussion: @taylorlorenz

Jim Romenesko:

Controversial Journal Inquirer editor: ‘If my opinion is so wacky, why bother with it?’ — Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer managing editor Chris Powell was blasted earlier this week after he wrote that “newspapers cannot sell themselves to households headed by single women who have several children …

Discussion: Hartford Courant and The Huffington Post