Mediagazer: Russia Wages Media War Alongside Crimea Invasion (Michael Calderone/The Huffington Post)

4:05 AM ET, March 4, 2014

Top News:

Independent media, journalists obstructed in Crimea — Authorities in the autonomous republic of Crimea in southern Ukraine should ensure that media outlets and independent journalists are allowed to report on the political crisis in the region without being censored or harassed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Discussion: CNN and New York Magazine

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Russia Wages Media War Alongside Crimea Invasion — NEW YORK — One of the first casualties in the Russian invasion of Crimea was independent television. — Black Sea TV, the peninsula's only independent channel, was shut down on Monday. The head editor, Oleksandra Kvitko …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, RIA Novosti, kyivpost.com, Forbes and Politico

Merrill Knox / TVNewser:
Broadcast and Cable Networks Dispatch Correspondents to Ukraine

Discussion: Forbes, Latest News & Headlines, The Huffington Post and Reuters

David Kaplan / Global Investigative Journalism Network:
Masked Gunmen Seize Crimean Investigative Journalism Center

Discussion: Poynter, @aidanpwhite, The Huffington Post, @timkarr and Kirk LaPointe's …

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

In ad-skipping deal, Dish gets rights to internet-based TV service that includes ABC and ESPN — Dish just secured rights to launch an internet TV service — Dish and Disney confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that they've reached a retransmission agreement late Monday …

Discussion: Forbes, Los Angeles Times, ESPN MediaZone ESPN MediaZone, Latest News & Headlines, Reuters, CNET, The Wrap, @ryanlawler, Sports Update, @jbflint, @pkafka, Deadline.com, Variety, @johnbattelle, @dangillmor and The Verge

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

With a Whopper of a Disney Deal, Charlie Ergen Gets a Head Start on the Web TV Race — Intel tried and failed. Sony says it's going to try, but it has a long way to go. Google, Apple and Microsoft haven't even started, at least officially. — But as of right now …

Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:
Dish disables “auto hop” ad-skipping feature for ABC shows until three days after they air

Discussion: @shaliniwsj and Gigaom

Amy Schatz / Re/code:

Justice Department Backs Broadcasters in Aereo Dispute — In a Supreme Court filing Monday, the Justice Department backed broadcast networks in their fight against online video streaming startup Aereo. — Justice Department lawyers argued that Aereo's broadcast television streaming service infringes …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, @dangillmor, CNET, The Verge, Los Angeles Times, @anildash, @swildstrom, Gigaom and Electronista

Sam Gustin / TIME:

Aereo Boss Says He's ‘Confident’ Ahead of Supreme Court Battle — Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia discusses his closely watched legal battle with TV broadcasters — Aereo founder and CEO Chet Kanojia is “confident” in his company's case as the upstart video firm prepares to defend itself …

Ira Teinowitz / The Wrap:
Supreme Court Rejects FilmOn X's Request to Join Aereo Case

Discussion: Globe and Mail and Capital New York

Capital New York:

The Awl hires Matt Buchanan from The New Yorker, John Herrman from Buzzfeed — Matt Buchanan and John Herrman are leaving their positions at The New Yorker and Buzzfeed, respectively, to work for The Awl, Capital has confirmed. — The pair worked together at FWD, Buzzfeed's tech vertical …

Discussion: @frucci, @daweiner, @chrisgeidner, @choire, @fmanjoo, @emmacargo, @peretti, @pkafka, @nbj914, @connorsimpson, @lindseyweber and @emilybell

Erik Wemple:

Glenn Greenwald, PandoDaily tussle over Ukraine, editorial independence — On Friday afternoon, Paul Carr, the investigations editor for PandoDaily, told his followers on Twitter that something was up: … This story, it turned out, involved First Look Media, the much-discussed …

Discussion: bookforum.com, @mathewi, @ckaratnytsky, @paulcarr and @chanders

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

Wellcome Trust aims to provide a home for long-form science journalism online with launch of Mosaic — The Wellcome Trust is launching a new online magazine tomorrow which aims to provide a home for long-form science-based journalism. — Mosaic will be updated on a weekly basis with 3,000-plus word articles going up every Tuesday.

Discussion: @pressgazette and The Independent

Caysey Welton / Folio:

Tom Drouillard Named AAM CEO — He joins the organization from Scarborough Research. — The Alliance for Audited Media named Tom Drouillard as its new CEO, president and managing director. He will be replacing Mike Lavery, who is retiring on March 31. — Drouillard carries …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest

Marc Fisher / Columbia Journalism Review:

Who cares if it's true? — Modern-day newsrooms reconsider their values — BuzzFeed editors say their audience used to see their site as a place you could find really cool stuff, but not a place you could trust. They're trying to change that. (Sean Hemmerle)

Discussion: Fast Company and @jayrosen_nyu

Tom Ferrick / AxisPhilly:

Life inside the Inquirer — What is the purpose of a newspaper? — “The pursuit of truth so an informed citizenry can make good decisions about its democracy,” might be how you would put it, given knowledge of history and traditional mission. — That thought is as dead …

Discussion: @jlkopf and @jayrosen_nyu

Jim Romenesko:

Cheryl Gould leaves NBC News after 37 years — Cheryl Gould was the first female executive producer of “NBC Nightly News,” and helped create “NBC Overnight with Linda Ellerbee. Her time at NBC - nearly 37 years - “has taken her all over the globe and country,” NBC News president Deborah Turness writes in a memo.

Discussion: TVNewser, @vivian, FishbowlNY, The Huffington Post, @antderosa and @romenesko

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

Changes at the Orlando Sentinel felt ‘extremely familiar’ for a former Sun-Times photographer — When the photo staff at the Orlando Sentinel was told they'd have to reapply for their jobs last week and that those jobs would be “videocentric,” according to a report from the National Press …

Discussion: @poynter

James Titcomb / Telegraph:

Johnston Press hopes to raise £75m in rights issue — Scotsman and Yorkshire Post publisher will issue new shares to investors at a discount as part of a debt refinancing package expected as soon as April — The newspaper group behind The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post …

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Sources say Piers Morgan still in negotiations with CNN; his staff staying on with the network — Piers Morgan update — From our conversations with CNN sources: — · Piers Morgan's primetime CNN program is just weeks away from its end; meanwhile, the host is in negotiations …

Evan McMurry / Mediaite:
Piers Morgan Plans to Remain at CNN for ‘Big Name’ Interviews

Discussion: Showbiz411, TVNewser, TheBlaze.com, The Inquisitr News, FTVLive and Forbes

Guardian:

NI paid phone hacker's legal fees to stop him ‘naming names’, court hears — Rebekah Brooks says News International believed Glenn Mulcaire ‘could say anyone or anything’ in Max Clifford civil case — News International agreed to pay phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire's legal fees to stop …

Discussion: Press Gazette and @lisaocarroll