Mediagazer: How The Founder Of WeTransfer Went From Blog To Startup (Tina Amirtha/Co.Labs)

12:10 PM ET, February 15, 2014

Top News:

Elizabeth Jensen / New York Times:

WNET to Return $3.5 Million Grant for Pension Series — WNET, the New York City public television broadcaster, said Friday that it will return a $3.5 million grant it received to sponsor an ambitious project on public pensions amid charges that it solicited inappropriate underwriting for the series.

David Sirota / PandoDaily:

After Pando probe, WNET says it will return $3.5M grant for pension series from John Arnold — BREAKING: PBS to return John Arnold's $3.5 million, following Pando exposé — Following Pando's exclusive report on a secret financing deal between public broadcasting officials …

Discussion: PBS Ombudsman, @davidsirota, @jledbetter, @brianstelter and Talking Biz News

Wall Street Journal:

Venezuela Media Largely Ignored Protests — Free-Speech Advocates Say Black Out Points to State Intimidation — CARACAS—As some of the biggest anti-government protests in months gathered momentum across the country earlier this week, Venezuela's largest private television networks largely …

Associated Press:

Users say Twitter image blocking in Venezuela ended by Friday — LIMA, Peru (AP) — Twitter says Venezuela has blocked images on its service and it offered a workaround for users who want to get tweets via text message on their cellphones. — Company spokesman Nu Wexler said Friday via email that …

Bloomberg:

Twitter confirms some Venezuelan internet providers are blocking images amid protest — Twitter Says Venezuela Blocks Its Images Amid Protest Crackdown — Twitter Inc. (TWTR) said Venezuela's government is blocking images on its website, the latest sign of a crackdown after violent protests …

Discussion: @liberationtech, @alcabello, Bloomberg, @saladeinfo, @puzkas, @alekboyd, Engadget and @marianaatencio

Arik Hesseldahl / Re/code:

Syrian Electronic Army Attacks Forbes Website, Steals User Info — The Syrian Electronic Army has broken into the website of business magazine Forbes and claims to have made off with a million user account names and passwords, according to statements and screen shots posted on the group's Twitter feed.

Discussion: Forbes - Facebook, Graham Cluley, eSecurityPlanet, SC Magazine, International Business Times, Softpedia News and CNET

Tina Amirtha / Co.Labs:

How The Founder Of WeTransfer Went From Blog To Startup — If one were to compare the Dutch tech entrepreneur Nalden (yes—he goes by just one name) to anyone in the States, it would probably be a hybrid of the serial entrepreneur Sean Parker and Jason Kottke, the web designer and blogger.

Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:

Why TV Networks Are Interested in Adapting Online Series Again — After previous flops like “quarterlife,” programmers are renewing their interest in online shows, even if they still haven't quite figured out how to use this new talent. — Six years ago, NBC took a chance and gave …

Johana Bhuiyan / Capital New York:

With launch team in place, FiveThirtyEight shapes up — Just as The New York Times is staffing up the David Leonhardt-helmed politics and policy website it developed after Nate Silver took FiveThirtyEight to ESPN last year, Silver himself has ended his initial phase of hiring.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight

Angela Mills Wade / EurActiv:

Current ‘Libor’ regulation is a threat to financial journalism — Financial reporting could fall under the scope of the proposed Libor regulation on financial benchmarks, undermining the role played by journalists. EU regulators must recognise this and exempt the media from the regulation, writes Angela Mills Wade.

Philip Bump / The Wire:

The @barackobama Twitter account is not run by the White House, confusing even media outlets — Basically, @BarackObama Is a Parody Twitter Account — You know those terrible parody Twitter accounts for Bill Murray or Will Smith that tweet dumb jokes or odd requests as though they're from the celebrities themselves?

Discussion: @teecycletim, @vluck and Twitchy

Liz Hoffman / Wall Street Journal:

Charter's Nominees to Time Warner Cable Board to Get $75,000 Each — Charter Communications Inc. 's effort to overturn the board of Time Warner Cable Inc. will cost Charter nearly $1 million, even as its moves to take over its rival have been thwarted by another suitor.

Discussion: @lizrhoffman and MoneyBeat