Mediagazer: Viddy, the “Instagram for Video” That Wasn't, Acquired by Web Video Startup Fullscreen (Peter Kafka/Re/code)

6:40 PM ET, January 15, 2014

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

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, Forbes, The Switch, Salon, Media Nation, Globe and Mail, Free Press Blog, Ars Technica, The New Republic, TheHill, NYT Bits, @superwuster, @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

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

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 …

Richard Horgan / FishbowlNY: Scintillating TheWrap Stats Also Remind: comScore Counts It Differently [Updated]

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

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 …

BBC:
Phone-hacking trial: Charlie Brooks CCTV released

Discussion: Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal, ABC, @richardvranch, Guardian, Reuters and Telegraph

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, Forbes, The Wrap, 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

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: Politico

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,” …

Discussion: Poynter, bbc.co.uk and BBC

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

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

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.

Discussion: Fox News and Poynter

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