Mediagazer: Al Jazeera faces criticism in Egypt over its coverage of Muslim Brotherhood (Paul Farhi/Washington Post)

6:50 PM ET, January 6, 2014

Top News:

Emily Bell / Guardian:

Native advertising is the new paywall in media economics - but is it here to stay? — Many digital publishers have placed it at the heart of their business strategy - but there are concerns over transparency — In 1917, the American Federal Trade Commission settled a case with the Muensen Speciality Co. …

Discussion: mUmBRELLA

Brian Morrissey / Digiday:

The New York Times Embraces ‘Organic’ Ad Strategy — This week, The New York Times takes the wraps off its first Web redesign in five years. Along with the new look, the paper is rethinking its ad strategy, embracing the current trend toward weaving ads more closely with editorial content.

Discussion: Financial Times, The Atlantic Online, Kirk LaPointe's … and @rosepowell

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:
Surviving 2014 — 2014 won't be an easy year for the digital news business.

Discussion: @yurivictor and @niemanlab

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

When a (Partial) Tweet Becomes an Ad, What Are the Rules? — The media world gets weirder every day, but this moment still stands out as something of a stunner - the kind of thing that merits a place on the eternal timeline of “How the Internet Flipped the Media World on Its Head.” — Picture it:

Discussion: The Wrap, Adweek, @davewiner, @vosdscott, @mathewi, @elanazak, @pkafka, @sulliview, PSFK, Re/code, Pressing Issues, Gothamist, ReadWrite, Deadline.com and Mediaite

Katie Roof / Fox Business:

Source: AOL Tried to Buy Business Insider for $100M+ — AOL Inc. (AOL) offered to purchase BusinessInsider.com, a popular business and technology news website, for more than $100 million but talks ultimately broke down when the two sides couldn't agree on price, the FOX Business Network has learned.

Discussion: Gawker

Eliana Johnson / National Review:

Rachel Maddow influencing MSNBC's editorial decisions, leading to falling ratings, say sources — Rachel's Show — MSNBC, the left-leaning cable-news network, has settled on one solution to its recent problems. It now has an executive reviewing scripts before they go on the air.

Discussion: TVNewser, @douthatnyt, Hot Air, PoliticusUSA, @stevekrak, @elianayjohnson, @mlcalderone, @richlowry, @huffpostmedia, @dorseyshaw, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and TheBlaze.com

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:
Rachel Maddow Calls National Review Profile ‘Categorically False’

Discussion: Erik Wemple

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney.com:

Mashable raises $13 million to launch expansion effort — Nearly a decade into its existence, the news Web site Mashable is taking on outside investors for the first time. — The site plans to announce on Monday that it has raised $13.3 million in an equity investment round led by Updata Partners.

Discussion: Folio, Mashable, TechCrunch, Capital New York, @mathewi, @benparr, @pkafka, @cdirusso, @adamostrow, @bahjournalist, @stacymartinet, @buzzfeedben, @brianstelter and @mashable

Jeff Bercovici / Forbes:

Entrepreneurs dominate Forbes 30 Under 30 Media list — 30 Under 30: These People Are Building The Media Companies Of Tomorrow — It used to be easy to find the most promising young talent in the media business. All you had to do was search among the interns at The New Yorker …

Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, FishbowlNY, Gigaom, @mikeisaac, @ryanlawler, @feministabulous, @connorsimpson, @jasonwstein and @jeffbercovici

Bloomberg:

Malone's Liberty Global Said Approaching Ziggo Agreement — Liberty Global Plc (LBTYA) is putting the final touches on an acquisition of Dutch broadband provider Ziggo NV (ZIGGO) as the cable company expands its European operations, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Discussion: Reuters and Gigaom

Maureen Farrell / Wall Street Journal:
John Malone's Next Chess Move to Take Control of Time Warner Cable

Discussion: Radio & Television … and MoneyBeat

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Al Jazeera faces criticism in Egypt over its coverage of Muslim Brotherhood — Ever since the military's ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July, Al Jazeera, the pioneering Arab-language news broadcaster, hasn't shrunk from calling his removal something the American government won't: a coup.

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Preparations begin for “blowback” against Gabriel Sherman's new Ailes book, out Jan. 21st — Big roll-out begins for Ailes book — Random House is preparing for a “s**tstorm,” to borrow the phrase Matt Drudge used in a tweet four months ago, that will surely ensue …

Discussion: Gawker, TVNewser, Advertising Age, USA Today, Mediaite, Capital New York, Politico, @sarahw and @mlcalderone

Stuart Elliott / New York Times:

Advertising Age to Print Every Other Week — Advertising Age, the trade publication introduced in 1930, announced Monday that it would publish its print edition every other week rather than weekly. — The magazine, the largest publication in the ad trade field, will publish 25 issues in 2014 …

Discussion: Folio, Advertising Age, mUmBRELLA and @sfiegerman

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Yahoo News hires Daniel Klaidman as deputy editor, adds Atlantic's Franke-Ruta — The Yahoo News expansion continues: On Monday, the site announced that it had hired Daniel Klaidman, the Daily Beast correspondent and former Newsweek managing editor, to serve as Deputy Editor.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Capital New York, FishbowlNY and @sfiegerman

Steven Millward / Tech in Asia:

In a rare move, China unblocks Chinese versions of Reuters and WSJ sites — China's Great Firewall blocks a number of big-name sites every year. Last year, news sites were under fire for their reporting on China's leaders and their wealth, and so Bloomberg, The New York Times …

Discussion: Poynter

Hadas Gold / Politico:

Rep. Waxman puts pressure on Tribune Co. — Henry Waxman, representative of California's 33rd, sent a letter to the CEO of the embattled Tribune Co. on Monday asking for documents regarding their future plans for his local paper, The Los Angeles Times. — It's the second letter Waxman …

Discussion: @dylanbyers, @lachlan and The Breakdown

Darren Boyle / Press Gazette:

News Corp signs 30-year lease on landmark London building — News Corp has signed a 30-year lease on its new London offices located in a building dubbed the Baby Shard. The company is locating its News UK divison including The Times, Sunday Times and The Sun newspapers along with Dow Jones …

Discussion: Capital New York and Guardian