Top News:
Michael Wolff / Slate:
The new Roger Ailes biography isn't just poorly written. It's telling the wrong story. — Gabriel Sherman is part of a group of young media reporters—many starting out at the New York Observer under the tutelage of then-Editor Peter Kaplan, an avowed media nostalgist—who have seen their subject …
Discussion:
TVNewser, @buzzfeedben, @ryanchittum, @michaelwolffnyc, @michaelwolffnyc, @adriennelaf, @joekeohane, @laurahelmuth, @david_rosenberg, @ewerickson, @joneforeman and Mediaite
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Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Q&A with author of book on Fox's Roger Ailes
Tim Wu / The New Yorker Blog:
FCC's Wheeler can preserve net neutrality by taking back its authority over broadband — Closing Time for the Open Internet — Since 1970 or so, carriers like A. T. & T. and Verizon have been barred from blocking or degrading whatever is transported over their lines.
Discussion:
Gigaom, The Switch, Forbes, Salon, Media Nation, Globe and Mail, Ars Technica, Free Press Blog, The New Republic, TheHill, @superwuster, NYT Bits, @mathewi, Home Media Magazine, Verizon Public Policy, The Verge, BuzzFeed, Guardian and TIME
Liz Goodwin / Yahoo! News:
Why isn't the media allowed to talk to Guantanamo detainees? — GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — It's now been more than 12 years since the first terror suspects arrived at what was then a makeshift, open-air military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Since then, thousands of journalists …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, @brianstelter, @yahoonews, @lizcgoodwin, TheBlaze.com, @stuartmillar159 and Latest News & Headlines
The Wrap:
TheWrap Beats Deadline Hollywood and Variety's Web Traffic in December — TheWrap is pleased to announce that it has achieved its highest traffic month in the history of the site, surpassing both industry trades Variety and Deadline. — According to comScore, TheWrap scored 3.4 million unique visitors …
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Alex Leo / Newsweek:
The New New Newsweek.com — I know the past couple years have been confusing—it seems like every time you turn around there's a new Newsweek.com. When IBT Media purchased Newsweek last year, it inherited a beautiful site designed by Huge that was launched less than a year ago.
Discussion:
@niemanlab
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
AOL hands over control of Patch to investment fund Hale Global, keeps small stake — AOL Finds a Home — Off Its Books — For Patch — Patch isn't dead, and AOL isn't officially done with it. But Tim Armstrong's big bet on local news has come to an end: The AOL CEO is handing over Patch …
Discussion:
New York Times, Business Insider, TechCrunch, Forbes, Bloomberg, Poynter, Capital New York, CNET, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, @pkafka, @poynter and @edmundlee
Ira Teinowitz / The Wrap:
Rep. Waxman on Tribune Meeting: ‘My Concern About the Fate of the Los Angeles Times Was Not Alleviated’ — Rep. Henry Waxman said Wednesday that his staff had a “helpful meeting” with the general counsel and the chief financial officer of the Tribune Co., but his concerns remain …
Discussion:
LA Observed and Politico
Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:
Phone-hacking trial: judge admonishes police expert witness — Forensic engineer admits making mistakes in interpretation of data on mobile phone movements near Rebekah Brooks's home — The judge in the phone-hacking trial has admonished a police witness after he admitted to making three mistakes …
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Kara Swisher / Re/code:
Yahoo COO Henrique De Castro, Mayer's No. 2, to depart after failing to move lagging ad business — “Dead Man Walking” Walks: COO Henrique De Castro Out at Yahoo — As has long been rumored, Yahoo COO Henrique De Castro is departing Yahoo. — I had reported last week that he was in big trouble …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, AdAge, Adweek, The Wrap, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Insider and Valleywag
Mark Stone / Sky News:
China Defends Blocking Some Western Websites — Video: Chinese Ambassador: ‘China Is Open’ — China's ambassador to the UK has defended his country's long-standing decision to block some Western media companies, in an interview with Sky News. — Speaking to Sky's Jeff Randall …
Discussion:
Press Gazette
Nicole Levy / Capital New York:
Vanity Fair launches Hollywood vertical — Last year, Vanity Fair hired Mike Hogan from The Huffington Post as digital director, and charged him with a familiar task at many legacy magazine publishers these days. — “The idea was to grow VanityFair.com over the course of the next year …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, Capital New York, Columbia University …, @jbenton, @anastasiaashman and @ceodonovan
Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
Jim Rutenberg joins Times Magazine — Jim Rutenberg has been named chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, filling the spot created when Matt Bai jumped to Yahoo News in November. — He leaves the newspaper-side role of national political correspondent.
Discussion:
Capital New York and FishbowlNY
Jason Deans / Guardian:
James Harding offers the BBC reasons to be cheerful in the digital age — In his debut public speech for the BBC, its news chief seemed on top of his brief - and was remarkably upbeat about the future — “I am, in fact, extremely optimistic about the future of journalism,” …
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
After 97 years in NYC, Forbes heads to New Jersey — Forbes Media surprised staffers Tuesday with the news that the “capitalist tool” is moving to New Jersey — vacating the Greenwich Village HQ it has occupied for 49 years. — CEO Mike Perlis gave the word but said the company is looking for …
Discussion:
@michaelroston and Capital New York
Nathan Ingraham / The Verge:
Google brings Play Movies and TV to iOS — Google has been bringing more and more of its services to iOS over the years, and a new one just launched today: users can now play back movies and TV shows they've purchased from Google Play on their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Discussion:
Gizmodo
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Viddy, the “Instagram for Video” That Wasn't, Acquired by Web Video Startup Fullscreen — Remember Viddy? — Back in 2012, the video-sharing app was growing like a weed, and lots of smart money bet that it would become an “Instagram for video.” Then Facebook, which had been fueling Viddy's rise …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter and The Verge
Merrill Knox / TVNewser:
Jana Winter Voices Support for Bill Seeking to Strengthen Colorado Shield Laws — FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter has submitted a written statement of support to the Colorado Senate Judiciary committee for a bill that would strengthen the state's media shield laws.
Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
Journalism graduate laments the industry's shift to digital — The reality of digital newsrooms: ‘copy thrown online with a photo’ … It isn't just the old school, such as Brian MacArthur and Phil Moger, who lament the passing of the roar of the presses after the transition to the new digital world.
Discussion:
@emilybell and @josephstash
Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:
Start small, plan big: How two nonprofit education sites came together to build a network — What started out as two independent nonprofit news sites is now a network of four — with aims to grow larger. — Chalkbeat, the nonprofit education reporting partnership that grew out of GothamSchools …
Discussion:
@matthewshaer, @stanforded and @chalkbeat
Leila Haddou / Guardian:
Blogger broke news of alleged UK role in 1984 Amritsar attack — Independent researcher and journalist uncovered government papers in the National Archives released under the 30-year rule — The revelation of alleged SAS involvement in the planning of the 1984 expulsion of militants …
Discussion:
New York Times and BBC