Mediagazer: Matter had over 10K paying readers but paywall wasn't right model, says co-founder (Lyra McKee/The Muckraker)

11:20 PM ET, December 9, 2013

Top News:

J.K. Trotter / Gawker:

Fox News Paid Fired Executive $8 Million to Keep Quiet — Roger Ailes' secrets command a heavy price. Last week, the New York Times reported that Fox News had reached an out-of-court settlement with Brian Lewis, the former Roger Ailes aide who was abruptly fired in late July.

Discussion: Erik Wemple, @will_bunch, Variety, @dylanbyers, @davidfolkenflik, @stevesilberman, @dangillmor, PRNewser, @davidfolkenflik, @gabrielsnyder and The Huffington Post

Bloomberg:

AllThingsD Editors Are Said to Complete NBCUniversal Deal — AllThingsD editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, who are leaving News Corp. at the end of the year, completed a deal with NBCUniversal for a news and conference business that will bring their current staff to a newly named website …

Discussion: Betabeat, @bloombergnews, @crayton_h, @markgurman, @jyarow, Politico, @hriefs, bizjournals, PandoDaily and Talking Biz News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Swisher/Mossberg venture, “Revere Digital”, plans to announce another partner January 2

Discussion: Deadline.com, @qhardy and @fmanjoo

New York Times:

If a Story Is Viral, Truth May Be Taking a Beating — Truth has never been an essential ingredient of viral content on the Internet. But in the stepped-up competition for readers, digital news sites are increasingly blurring the line between fact and fiction, and saying that it is all part …

Discussion: @magicofpi, @saramorrison, @jswatz and @pkafka

PJ Vogt / On The Media:

Today's hoax: the screaming Google employee — Last week, we threw up our hands in the face of the endless deluge of viral hoaxes. Then, we tried to make peace with living in a fake world and even found a lie that we liked. Well, it's Monday, and just like you and I, viral internet hoaxes are clocking in for their workweek.

Discussion: sfbg.com, Business Insider, Digits, Valleywag, New York Magazine, CNET, TechCrunch, @susie_c, @tcarmody, @susie_c and @juliacarriew

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Scripps Buys Newsy For $35M To Expand From TV And Newspapers To Digital Video — Another exit for a new media startup into the arms of the old media industry: E.W. Scripps, the storied owner of 19 local television stations and daily newspapers in 13 markets across the U.S. …

Discussion: The E.W. Scripps Company, Lost Remote, Variety, @newsyvideos, @zachtoombs, @stlarchangels, Poynter, MediaPost, @wadefoster, @michaelroston, @laurenzima, @davidherzog, Folio, NetNewsCheck Latest, The Commercial Appeal and Gigaom, Thanks:@steverubel

Lyra McKee / The Muckraker:

Matter had over 10K paying readers but paywall wasn't right model, says co-founder — In 2012, tech journalists Bobbie Johnson and Jim Giles raised over $140,000 on crowdfunding site Kickstarter for their new publication, Matter. The idea was simple: a digital publishing house that produced in-depth …

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu and @niemanlab

Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:

Publishers Nervously Await The Facebook “Correction” — Traffic is up, and things are going great. And now some people are starting to worry. “We got the sense they didn't even really know how this massive beast they have actually works ... that they can make or break entire companies.”

Discussion: Gigaom, @mckaycoppins, @cwarzel and Poynter

Robinson Meyer / The Atlantic Online:
Why Are Upworthy Headlines Suddenly Everywhere?

Discussion: Forbes, @freddoso, @marginalutility, LA Observed and @mallarytenore

Joan E. Solsman / CNET:

Time Warner Cable to add another app platform: Apple TV? — NEW YORK — Time Warner Cable incoming Chief Executive Rob Marcus said the company this week will add another platform to the list that can access its TWC TV app, which enables subscribers to stream live channels and watch videos on demand.

Discussion: The Verge, Variety, App Advice and Electronista

Reuters:
Time Warner Cable incoming CEO says in no rush to sell company

Discussion: Gigaom and AdAge

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Layoffs ahead at Time Inc. — Time Inc. staffers were informed today that layoffs lie ahead in the New Year, Capital has learned. — The publishing giant has implemented cuts in recent years while aiming to rein in costs. Just under a year ago, 500 jobs were slashed from the company …

Discussion: Media & Entertainment, @tmcgev and The Huffington Post

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Confirmed: Flipboard Raises Another $50 Million To Close Out Its Series C Round — Flipboard has confirmed that it raised an additional $50 million, which will close out the Series C round of financing that it brought on in September. In addition to the new funding, Flipboard is also announcing …

Discussion: AllThingsD, Forbes and VentureBeat

Courthouse News Service:

NYT reporters sue Homeland Security for files on their interrogations at JFK airport this year — Homeland Security Stiffs Times Reporters — MANHATTAN (CN) - Two New York Times reporters sued the Department of Homeland Security for records on their interrogations at JFK Airport this year.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, @emptywheel, @alexbkane, @cpjinternet, @mikescarcella and @freedomofpress

Steve Volk / Philadelphia Magazine:

George Norcross Now the Majority Owner of Inquirer, Daily News, Philly.com — In a move that has deep ramifications for Philadelphia's entire media ecosystem, George Norcross III has become the majority owner of the Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com. — Norcross is expected to announce …

Discussion: @davidwchen, @phillymag, @abeaujon and Talking New Media

Agence France Presse:

Two Spanish journalists held by Al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria — Madrid (AFP) - A radical group linked to Al-Qaeda kidnapped two Spanish journalists reporting in Syria in September and is holding them captive, El Mundo newspaper reported on Tuesday. — El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa …

Discussion: @estheralvarado, @jcstearns, @inigogilmore, @lizsly, @manulucas77, La Prensa and @antderosa

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Jeffrey Rothfeder out as editor of International Business Times — Jeffrey Rothfeder, editor-in-chief of The International Business Times, is leaving leave the budding business news website next month, Capital has learned. — Sources familiar with the matter said Rothfeder will be out as of the end …

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

In suburban D.C., a network of hyperlocal news sites expands and bets on local advertising — When the Curbed network of websites — local outlets focused on dining, real estate, and fashion — was bought by Vox Media last month for around $20 or $30 million, Digiday's Josh Sternberg asked …

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

AP reporter finds bodies in Malian desert — Associated Press West Africa bureau chief Rukmini Callimachi and her colleagues spent six months tracking down “what we would rather not have found: six bodies in the desert, including that of a 70-year-old grandfather who had become a symbol of the killings,” she writes.