Mediagazer: Lessons from journalism startup Matter: Paywalls make growing readership difficult (Mathew Ingram/Gigaom)

4:50 PM ET, November 28, 2013

Top News:

Mathew Ingram / Gigaom:

Lessons from journalism startup Matter: Paywalls make growing readership difficult — When journalism startup Matter launched a year ago, it was one of the most highly-funded media projects on Kickstarter, having pulled in more than $140,000 in donations — almost three times what it initially set out to raise.

Discussion: Medium, Poynter and @raju

John Plunkett / Guardian:

'BBC should open more shows up to indies if it doesn't subsidise Channel 4' — Up to 75% of BBC's shows should be available to independent sector if it wants to defend licence fee, says All3Media chairman — All3Media chairman Steve Morrison has said the BBC should make up to 75% …

John Plunkett / Guardian:
BBC chief wants corporation to be ‘less British’ defending the licence fee

Discussion: @jamescridland and bbc.co.uk

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Harding hires former Times deputy as managing editor of BBC news — Keith Blackmore was deputy editor of Times under Harding, who has also hired Jonathan Munro of ITV News — James Harding has hired his former Times deputy, Keith Blackmore, to be managing editor of BBC news and current affairs.

Andy / TorrentFreak:

Unpublished Salinger Books Leaked to Private File-Sharing Site — From very early in its life the Internet became a mine of amazing things, but while accessing information was relatively easy for most, becoming a publisher was a different matter. — Soon enough regular people learned …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Verge, Los Angeles Times and Daily Dot

A. O. Scott / New York Times:

The Big Picture Strikes Back — Like a character who develops a discreet but noticeable cough at the end of the first act, the movies have been dying for a long time. The latest chapter in their decline — which began, depending on who is telling the story, with the introduction of sound …

Kelefa Sanneh / New Yorker:

Why blockbusters still rule the entertainment industry. — In 1976, a music executive named Walter Yetnikoff launched a campaign that came to be known as Walter's War. He had recently become president of CBS Records, the parent company of Columbia Records, and resolved to rally his troops by providing them an enemy.

Discussion: @donetodeath

Megha Rajagopalan / Reuters:

China's rumor crackdown has ‘cleaned’ Internet, official says — (Reuters) - China's campaign against online rumors, which critics say is crushing free speech, has been highly successful in “cleaning” the Internet, a top official of the country's internet regulator said on Thursday.

Paul Steiger / ProPublica:

Why Reporters in the U.S. Now Need Protection — Last night, ProPublica founder and executive chairman Paul Steiger received the Burton Benjamin Memorial award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Here are his remarks. — In recent days I thought a lot about the 16 previous recipients …

Discussion: Poynter, @franklomonte, @davidbarstow and @jcstearns

BBC:

Japan approves new state secrecy bill to combat leaks — The lower house of the Japanese parliament has approved a state secrecy bill that imposes stiffer penalties on civil servants who leak secrets and journalists who try to obtain them. — The move had been criticised by reporters …

Discussion: ABC, Daily Maverick and Global News

Gavin J. Blair / Hollywood Reporter:

Amazon Launches Online Video Service in Japan — More than 26,000 imported and local films and TV shows are available on the Instant Video platform that will compete in the crowded Japanese Web video market. — TOKYO - Amazon Japan launched its ‘Instant Video’ online platform Tuesday …

Discussion: The Next Web, TechCrunch, Home Media Magazine, The Verge, Engadget, Electronista and Gigaom

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

BT to add music service to TV offerings — Music streaming and karaoke offering backed by Universal Music — BT is to launch a music streaming and karaoke service backed by the world's largest music company, Universal Music. — The service will initially offer the equivalent …

Discussion: Variety

BBC:

Tehelka's Shoma Chowdhury quits over sex assault controversy — The managing editor of a top Indian magazine has resigned days after her boss was accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague. — Shoma Chowdhury of Tehelka magazine said it was a “damaging time” for the publication …

Discussion: @andrewbuncombe and India Real Time

Violet Blue / ZDNet:

Despite US opposition, UN approves rights to privacy in the digital age — Summary: Despite last week's US-led opposition to the United Nations' “Rights To Privacy In The Digital Age,” the resolution put forward as a reaction to US surveillance activities was passed. — Violet Blue

Discussion: United Nations, Scoop, @violetblue, The Nation, english.cntv.cn and Softpedia News