Mediagazer: Kickstarter brings hundreds of its funded films to iTunes (Emil Protalinski/The Next Web)

11:15 AM ET, March 15, 2014

Top News:

Moisés Chiullan / TechHive:

Why Veronica Mars embraced UltraViolet and angered fans — The campaign to revive Veronica Mars delivered a number of cool things—an enormous number of new Kickstarter users and, lest we forget, a full-length motion picture of a deeply loved TV series that arrived Friday.

Discussion: @film_girl, Flavorwire, @moiseschiu, @kvetchup, @waxpancake, @timhorsburgh, @iamchoppah and Variety

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:

Warner Bros. to Refund Angry ‘Veronica Mars’ Contributors — Warner Bros. will provide refunds to backers of the “Veronica Mars” crowdfunding campaign who struggled to download the movie they helped support, the studio said Friday. Irate contributors complained about their problems throughout the day …

Discussion: @lucas_shaw

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:

Can ‘Veronica Mars’ Convince Mainstream Hollywood to Embrace Crowdfunding? — “Veronica Mars” will be the greatest test yet of Hollywood's uneasy relationship with crowdfunding. — Few established filmmakers had experimented with Kickstarter when Rob Thomas, creator of the “Veronica Mars” …

Discussion: Home Media Magazine, Variety, Gawker, Chicago Tribune, New York Times and Los Angeles Times

Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:

Kickstarter brings hundreds of its funded films to iTunes — Kickstarter today launched a new room on iTunes, featuring “hundreds” of films that have launched thanks to the crowdfunding service. Some notable Kickstarter-funded films in the room include Veronica Mars, Gimme the Loot …

Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter: What a German Comedy Can Teach Kristen Bell About Crowdfunding

Associated Press:

LA Times fires reporter, admits error in 3 stories — LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Times dismissed an investigative reporter Friday after discovering he had an inappropriate relationship with someone who was a source for a front-page story that the newspaper says contained an error.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, @jasonfelch and LA Observed

Reuters:

Sina Weibo files for $500 million U.S. IPO — A man holds an iPhone as he visits Sina's Weibo microblogging site in Shanghai May 29, 2012. — (Reuters) - Twitter-like messaging service Weibo Corp filed on Friday to raise $500 million via a U.S. initial public offering …

Discussion: TechCrunch, @wsjd, @hannahkuchler, @wsjd, BuzzFeed, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Gigaom, Wall Street Journal and Quartz

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

VOX CEO: Here's How We're Able To Get Tons Of Traffic Without Gaming Facebook — Vox Media, parent company of popular websites The Verge and SB Nation, is growing quickly. It recently announced the launch of a new website, Vox.com, led by prominent reporter Ezra Klein …

Andrew Jacobs / New York Times:

For Foreign Journalists in Beijing, It's All About Asking the Right Question — Go ahead, raise your hand and wave it back and forth like an overeager first-grader. If you think you're going to be picked to ask China's second most powerful leader a question, you have another thing coming.

Discussion: FishbowlNY

Edirin Oputu / Columbia Journalism Review:

Digital media hiring diversity under the microscope — As Nate Silver and Ezra Klein were being criticized for their homogenous hires, suggestions for diversification came to the fore — On Wednesday, Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center and a member of CJR's board of overseers …

Discussion: @cindylgeorge, @melissabell, @melissabell and Medium

Ed Christman / Billboard:

Rate Court Judge Rules Pandora Will Pay ASCAP 1.85% Annual Revenue — In what is being viewed as a defeat for songwriters, the ASCAP/Pandora rate court judge has decided that Pandora will pay the performance rights organization a rate of 1.85% of annual revenue.

Discussion: @edchristman, Associated Press, Bloomberg and New York Times

Brian Fung / The Switch:

Reporters Without Borders: For the first time, America is an enemy of the Internet — For the first time, the United States has made it onto Reporters Without Borders' “Enemies of the Internet” list, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Jillian York. — How did Washington win this distinguished (dis)honor?

Discussion: Poynter, Electronic Frontier Foundation and The Huffington Post

Meg James / Los Angeles Times:

L.A. city attorney sues Time Warner Cable for $10 million — Los Angeles is suing Time Warner Cable for $10 million over fees. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg) — Time Warner Cable has more problems in Los Angeles. — Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer took a swing on Friday …

Discussion: Adweek, Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.com