Mediagazer: The Hilarious Way Russia's Official Propaganda Network Covers The Situation In Ukraine (Joe Weisenthal/Business Insider)

6:00 PM ET, March 2, 2014

Top News:

Glenn Greenwald / The Intercept:

On the meaning of journalistic independence — This morning, I see that some people are quite abuzz about a new Pando article “revealing” that the foundation of Pierre Omidyar, the publisher of First Look Media which publishes The Intercept, gave several hundred thousand dollars to a Ukraininan …

Discussion: PandoDaily, @qhardy, @glennf, @mathewi, @kljdavis, @jfagone, @mattyglesias, @tilojung, The Raw Story and PandoDaily

Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:

First Look Media could preempt controversy by publishing a statement of principles endorsed by employees and investors — The price of eggs — Glenn Greenwald has responded to Pando Daily's story about the Omidyar Network and Ukraine with the force and speed we have come to expect. Good.

Discussion: Omidyar Network, @albertocairo, emptywheel, @jayrosen_nyu, @coopeydoop, @peterkmurphy, @op_israel, @sanfranciscoba, @colmorrisdavis and @markamesexiled

Liz Shannon Miller / Gigaom:

DVD screener leaks decline as distributors crack down on leakers, test digital options — Looking for Oscars torrents? This is why you may end up empty-handed — If Ellen DeGeneres mentions the film The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty on Sunday night, it might be with a wince …

Discussion: Latest News & Headlines

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Comcast Is Acquiring Video Ad Company FreeWheel For $320 Million — Over the years, FreeWheel has become the go-to ad-serving platform for many TV networks that stream their content online. And it's about to become part of one of the biggest distributors of content online and off.

Discussion: Variety, Re/code and CNET

Jason Horowitz / New York Times:

End of an Era? Clinton Media Strategy May Be Due for an Overhaul — WASHINGTON — Soon after Hillary Rodham Clinton left the State Department, her longtime spokesman talked wistfully about their paradise lost. — “We knew the golden age was coming to an end,” Philippe Reines said.

Discussion: @arimelber, @arimelber and @jasondhorowitz

Joe Weisenthal / Business Insider:

The Hilarious Way Russia's Official Propaganda Network Covers The Situation In Ukraine — Want a different perspective on the crisis in Ukraine? — Check out RT.com, the state Russian broadcaster that's tasked with improving Russia's image abroad (AKA: propaganda).

Discussion: Poynter, RT, TheBlaze.com and @jayrosen_nyu

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Mashable Raises More Money, This Time from Tribune — Earlier this year Mashable, the tech news Web site with plans to become much bigger than a tech news Web site, announced it had taken on outside investment money for the first time. Now it has taken on some more.

Discussion: TechCrunch

Los Angeles Times:

TV news employee rescued after being trapped in waist-deep mud — (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / February 28, 2014) — This post has been updated. — A TV news employee trying to report from the scene of an unstable Azusa hillside Friday got stuck in waist-high mud and had to be rescued.

Discussion: Mediaite, Gawker, @miguelnbc, NY Daily News, BuzzFeed, LA Observed, Daily Mail, Deadline.com and The Huffington Post

Isabella Steger / Wall Street Journal:

Thousands Take to the Streets to Support Hong Kong Press Freedom — Attacked Hong Kong Journalist's Condition Improves — HONG KONG—Thousands turned out Sunday in Hong Kong to support media freedom after the condition of former newspaper editor Kevin Lau, who was the victim of a brutal knife attack, took a turn for the better.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Voice of America, Agence France Presse, San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times

Robin Wauters:

WhatsApp CEO scolds former TechCrunch writer for 2011 fundraising scoop — An unexpected chat with WhatsApp founder Jan Koum — Things were getting pretty quiet in the speaker / press lounge backstage at the 4YFN conference in Barcelona. I was there earlier this week for attending that event …

Discussion: @pkafka, @fmanjoo and @danprimack

Mathew Ingram / Gigaom:

Why the rise of sites devoted to explanatory journalism is a trend worth celebrating — Everyone complains about the weather but no one does anything about it, a famous curmudgeon once said. The same criticism could have been made — until recently at least — about the media's relentless focus …

Discussion: Rex Hammock's RexBlog.com, Poynter, @moorehn, (Re)Structuring Journalism, @rgibbs, @hancush and Politico

Abigail Edge / Journalism.co.uk:

Social ‘lie detector’ will help journalists verify online rumours — Following the rumours that came out of the London riots, researchers are developing a platform to automatically verify information from social media — A social media “lie detector” is being developed to help journalists verify rumours and other information online.