Mediagazer: While unbundling is the buzz, media companies team up to offer newer, smarter rebundling (Ken Doctor/Nieman Journalism Lab)

11:45 AM ET, February 23, 2014

Top News:

Rafael Casal / Upworthy:

CORRECTION: That Time We Let Pretend Science Ruin Real Science And Decided To Apologize For It — FROM THE EDITORS: Hey everyone. So a video made it onto our site that put Chicken McNuggets under a microscope. It had some problems (there's a link at the bottom of the page if you REALLY need to see it.)

Discussion: @jakebeckman, @amzam, @jcstearns and @jcstearns

Ben Cosman / The Wire:

Inside Amtrak's (Absolutely Awesome) Plan to Give Free Rides to Writers — Amtrak has begun offering “writers' residencies” to, well, writers - long roundtrip rides aboard Amtrak trains dedicated solely for the purpose of writing. — After New York City-based writer Jessica Gross took the first …

Discussion: The Paris Review, @rebleber, @arimelber, @alexanderchee, The Verge and @richmhuff

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Discovery and BSkyB may make joint bid for Richard Desmond's Channel 5 — Channel 5, the broadcaster put on the block by Richard Desmond, could be sold to Discovery Communications, the US-based media conglomerate that is controlled by John Malone. — And, according to the Financial Times …

Discussion: Financial Times

Ken Doctor / Nieman Journalism Lab:

While unbundling is the buzz, media companies team up to offer newer, smarter rebundling — The newsonomics of Spotified news subscriptions — In a first-of-its-kind partnership with streaming music leader Spotify, The Times of London has brought a whole new meaning to the subscription bundle …

David Bauder / Associated Press:

A different Olympics on TVs across the world — You are here — Home » Mao Asada » A different Olympics on TVs across the world — In Sweden, commentators have fun with Norway's misfortunes. The Dutch can't get enough of their speedskaters. Japan is so crazy about figure skating they show warmups.

Sara Morrison / Poynter:

Since 2007, L.A. Times' Homicide Report has wrested stories from data — We've heard a lot about Chris and Laura Amico's Homicide Watch - and for good reason. The site tracks homicides in Washington, D.C., (and, as of just over a year ago, Chicago and Trenton) from police report to conviction …

Discussion: @hfuhrmann and @rachelnixon

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Attorney General Signs New Rules to Limit Access to Journalists' Records — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who drew fire last spring over the Justice Department's aggressive tactics for secretly obtaining reporters' phone logs and emails as part of leak investigations …

Discussion: USA Today, @emptywheel, @drudge, @kgosztola, emptywheel and Associated Press

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:

Netflix packets being dropped every day because Verizon wants more money — Verizon wants to be paid by consumers and Cogent, but Cogent refuses to pay. — The battle over who should pay to carry Netflix traffic is heating up again, and one of the main players blames Verizon's greed …

Discussion: The Raw Story, @al3x, @binarybits, Softpedia News, Media Channel, @caseyliss and CNNMoney.com

Stacey Higginbotham / Gigaom:

Direct connection between Comcast and Netflix networks suggests peering agreement reached — Sources: Netflix and Comcast have reached a peering agreement — Consumers' troubles with online video may be subsiding — at least for Comcast customers. Comcast and Netflix appear to have resolved …

Discussion: The Verge, Engadget and BGR

Esther Addley / Guardian:

Julian Assange's ghost writer breaks silence on failed autobiography — WikiLeaks founder a mercurial character who could not bear his own secrets, according to writer Andrew O'Hagan — The ghostwriter who collaborated with Julian Assange on his abortive 2011 autobiography has broken …

Discussion: London Review of Books, @bettypooshwah, @arusbridger, @jamesrbuk and Boing Boing

CNN:

Venezuela says CNN can stay, a day after saying ‘get out’ — (CNN) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told a CNN reporting team Friday that it could continue reporting in the South American country, a day after the government revoked or denied press credentials for CNN journalists.

Discussion: Poynter, @romustgo, @jorgeramosnews, @statedept, MiamiHerald.com, US Department of State, Global Voices, @tv6tnt, Business Insider and Associated Press

Natalie Kitroeff / The Lede:
Venezuela Battles Media, Social and Otherwise, to Restrict Protest Coverage

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review, Mashable, Feministing and The Verge

Cathy Loughran / BBC College of Journalism:

Getting into journalism: Just go out and do it, says VICE maverick Tim Pool — In the first of a series of blog posts on alternative ways to get into journalism, Chicago-born self-taught journalist Tim Pool, now an international correspondent for media company VICE, tears up the traditional rule book.

Discussion: @bbccollege and @niemanlab