Mediagazer: Facebook adjusts newsfeed algorithm; online publishers report increase in referral traffic (Jack Marshall/Digiday)

3:15 AM ET, December 3, 2013

Top News:

Exclusive: Chinese authorities conduct unannounced ‘inspections’ of Bloomberg News bureaus — The unusual visits follow a controversy about an investigative article involving a Chinese billionaire. — FORTUNE — In what appears to be a conspicuous show of displeasure …

Discussion: @danprimack, New York Magazine, emptywheel, @romenesko, Business Insider and Talking Biz News

Jim Waterson / BuzzFeed:
Bloomberg's Robert Hutton excluded from a press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

Discussion: Guardian

Alex Litel / The Wire:

A BuzzFeed in a Box: The Person Behind ViralNova — ViralNova came out of nowhere. A collection of image-heavy, emotionally manipulating posts unabashedly in the style of BuzzFeed and Upworthy, the site launched in May with stories like “14 Photos That Will Warm Your Heart” and “Lioness Saves Her Cub Trapped on a Cliff.”

Discussion: Poynter, Business Insider and Digits

Lucia Moses / Adweek:

After New York Magazine Cuts Frequency, Will Other Weeklies Follow? — New York magazine surprised the media world with its announcement it will go twice-monthly, but the high printing and distribution costs associated with publishing a weekly magazine aren't lost on other titles.

Discussion: Publishing Executive …, The Dish, Gawker and New York Times

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Comcast, Nielsen Unveil Plan to Get More Ad Money From Video On Demand — Placing current ads alongside older episodes could help Big TV recapture some of its eroding audience — More couch potatoes have turned to the TV-watching behavior known as “catch-up viewing.”

Discussion: Associated Press, @jessicalessin and MediaPost

Casey Newton / The Verge:

Dropping the needle: the life and death of Turntable.fm — Meet me in the club, it's going down — Tonight at 10PM EST, the virtual DJs at Turntable.fm will be escorted off the stage for the last time. Two and a half years after founders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein captivated music fans …

Discussion: @ashleymayer, @trakkstar and Mashable

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:

The Chernin Group Buys Stake in Anime Site Crunchyroll to Build New Online Video Power — The Chernin Group has acquired a majority stake in Crunchyroll, a popular site for people to watch anime online, the company announced on Monday. TCG will now build Crunchyroll into a leading provider …

Discussion: Variety, AllThingsD, Reuters, Gigaom, Home Media Magazine and TechCrunch

Rafat Ali / LinkedIn Today:

Here Come The Mediata Startups — In the history of the Internet and online media, Politicalbase will remain an obscure footnote, remembered by only five people, three of which were likely the creators of it. It was launched in 2008 by Shelby Bonnie's post-CNET company and was dead soon after.

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, @wjeffreybrown, @crovitz, @samshankman, @maits, @erickschonfeld, @rafat, @jeremycaplan and @rafat

Charles Davis / VICE:

The exploited laborers of the liberal media — I was 21 years old when I took out my earring, combed my hair, and tried concealing my distaste for power and Washington, DC, in order to ask questions at press conferences. It was the summer of 2006, and I had just left college to go work for a small …

Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:

Turning to Public to Back Investigative Journalism — If you suspect your local town government is corrupt, would you pay a journalist to investigate? — Uncoverage, a website that will be announced on Monday, will test whether the public cares enough about investigative journalism to pay for it.

Discussion: @dicktofel, @laurarenamurray, @qounsel, @digidave and Kirk LaPointe's …, Thanks:@blake

Ben Emmerson / Guardian:

It's outrageous to accuse the Guardian of aiding terrorism by publishing Snowden's revelations — Alan Rusbridger is being grilled by MPs - but he has published nothing that could be a threat to national security — The Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, is due to appear before the House …

Discussion: Guardian, Gigaom, @solle, The Drum, The Verge, TheHill and Committee to Protect …

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:

Mobile Trends to Keep In Mind — For publishers, developing an all-out mobile strategy has become both more necessary and more challenging. Today, we look at key data points and trends for such a task. — #1 The Global Picture — 1.7bn mobile phones (feature phones and smartphones) were sold in 2012 alone

Discussion: ReadWrite, @raju, @leliosimi and @lnrnewsstats

Darren Boyle / Reuters:

Michael Gillard scoops Journalist of the Year at second annual British Journalism Awards — Michael Gillard of The Sunday Times has been awarded the prestigious Journalist of the Year award at the second annual British Journalism Awards 2013. Some 150 people attended the celebration …

Discussion: @misterscoop and Guardian

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

For many women journalists, workplaces are dangerous, study says — The majority of abuse, threats and harassment facing women in the media comes not from the work they do, but from the places they work. In a study released Monday from the International News Safety Institute …

Discussion: International News …, FishbowlNY, @kristenhare, @poynter, The Huffington Post and The Newspaper Guild

Katy Bachman / Adweek:

IAB Sorts Out Native Ahead of FTC Workshop — Timed to coincide with the Federal Trade Commission's workshop this week on native advertising, the Interactive Advertising Bureau plans to release a prospectus on the industry's hottest ad format. The report is the digital community's first pass …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Thanks:@steverubel

Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
An early indicator that the FTC is considering regulating native advertising

Discussion: TheHill, Federal Trade Commission, Calendar and @rickedmonds

Peter Horrocks / BBC:

A BBC bureau for Burma — This weekend I received news I never thought I'd hear. The Myanmar Ministry of Information announced that the BBC, along with three other international news agencies, had been given official permission to open a news bureau in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

Discussion: ATV Today

Borys Kit / Hollywood Reporter:

Lionsgate in Early Talks to Pick Up Hillary Clinton Biopic ‘Rodham’ — James Ponsoldt, who directed “The Spectacular Now,” is helming the drama. — Lionsgate is in early talks to make Rodham, Temple Hill's and The Arlook Group's biopic of the former first lady, New York senator …

Discussion: Deadline.com

Jack Marshall / Digiday:

Facebook adjusts newsfeed algorithm; online publishers report increase in referral traffic — A Facebook Tweak Gives Publishers a Traffic Boost — Facebook has altered its newsfeed algorithm, which is turning out to be great news for online publishers: Major sites report more referrals …

Discussion: Facebook, The Next Web, TechCrunch, The Verge, AdExchanger, CNET, @simonowens, @richjm, @digiday and @kevglobal

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:

Tom Wheeler of F.C.C. Vows to Champion Competitiveness — WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said on Monday that he intended to aggressively promote and protect competition in the telecommunications industry, including making sure that smaller mobile phone companies …

Discussion: Variety, Broadcasting & Cable and PC World