Mediagazer: Despite US opposition, UN approves rights to privacy in the digital age (Violet Blue/ZDNet)

8:40 AM ET, November 28, 2013

Top News:

Top-Secret Document Reveals NSA Spied On Porn Habits As Part Of Plan To Discredit ‘Radicalizers’ — WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has been gathering records of online sexual activity and evidence of visits to pornographic websites as part of a proposed plan to harm the reputations …

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 — Tony Hall says the broadcaster must be more aggressive in promoting its cause before charter and licence fee renewal — Read Tony Hall's Voice of the Listener and Viewer speech

Discussion: bbc.co.uk

Wall Street Journal:

Charter Arranging $25 Billion in Debt for Time Warner Cable Bid — Debt Will Allow Charter To Include Large Cash Consideration — Charter Communications Inc. is arranging about $25 billion of debt financing as it pursues an acquisition of Time Warner Cable Inc., allowing it to include …

Discussion: Deadline.com

Liana B. Baker / Reuters: Incoming Time Warner Cable CEO could exit with $50 mln-plus after deal

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: @jcstearns and @davidbarstow

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, Reuters and Global News

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, english.cntv.cn, The Nation, Softpedia News and Guardian

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

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

‘60 Minutes’ and Benghazi: Five hard realities — Today, CBS News distributed a summary of findings from an internal investigation into the discredited Oct. 27 “60 Minutes” report on Benghazi. The investigation was conducted by Al Ortiz, executive director of standards and practices at CBS News …

Discussion: McClatchy Washington Bureau, @abeaujon, Kirk LaPointe's …, The Huffington Post and New York Times

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Norman Pearlstine Defends Lara Logan, Suggests Editor More To Blame For Benghazi Story

Discussion: TVNewser, NPR, Poynter and Committee to Protect …

Reuters:

Vietnam announces big fines for social media ‘propaganda’ — HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam will hand out fines of 100 million dong ($4,740) to anyone criticizing the government on social media, under a new law announced this week, the latest measure in a widening crackdown on dissent by the country's communist rulers.

Discussion: VentureBeat

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

YouTube may be getting ready to launch its music subscription — There have long been rumors that Google is planning to launch a separate music subscription service for YouTube, and it looks like those plans are now starting to come together: The folks over at Android Police found a number …

Discussion: CNET, Android Police, Telegraph, Softpedia News and The Verge

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Telegraph group shelves ‘five pillars’ restructure plan — The Telegraph Media Group's planned reorganisation, known as “five pillars”, has been put into cold storage. — News of the initiative was reported by Media Guardian in September the day after TMG announced the appointment …