Mediagazer: First Look publishes new editorial independence statement after Pando reveals Omidyar White House ties (Paul Carr/PandoDaily)

7:10 AM ET, March 25, 2014

Top News:

Ronald Grover / Reuters:

Exclusive: Disney to buy YouTube network Maker Studios for $500 million — (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co has agreed to buy Maker Studios for $500 million, becoming a major online video distributor through the purchase of one of YouTube's largest networks, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Discussion: The Wrap, Re/code, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Mashable, Variety, Gigaom and Engadget

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Why Disney Is Taking the Huge Risk of Buying Maker Studios — Commentary: MCN model still unproven but there are plenty of ancillary benefits to the purchase — By Disney standards, acquiring Maker Studios for less than $1 billion is chump change considering the eye-popping purchases the conglomerate has made over the years.

Discussion: AdAge

Todd Spangler / Variety:

After Disney's Maker Buy, More Deals In Store for Multichannel Networks — With Disney's blockbuster $500 million-plus deal to buy Maker Studios, look for dealmaking activity in the online multichannel network space to continue apace. — MCNs are “now top-of-mind for all the major studios …

Jim Romenesko:

Ben Richardson quits Bloomberg News over handling of investigative piece — Ben Richardson has resigned from Bloomberg News after 13 years to protest editors' handling of an investigative piece reported from China - a story that the bosses feared would get them expelled from the country.

Discussion: New York Times, @jayrosen_nyu, The Daily Caller, @palewire, @phelimkine, The Wire, Politico, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, @edbott, Talking Biz News, @sanammkhi, @jimsciutto, @eisingerj and @ryanchittum

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Bob Iger: ‘Work Ethic, Intellect and Curiosity’ Helped Ben Sherwood Land Top Disney Job — It was no knee-jerk appointment: Bob Iger's decision to name ABC News chief Ben Sherwood as Anne Sweeney's successor atop Disney/ABC TV Group had been in the works for nine months. as far as Iger was concerned.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, TVNewser, The Wrap, Forbes, Radio & Television …, @variety_cynthia and Mediaite

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline.com:
Ben Sherwood To Succeed Anne Sweeney As Disney/ABC Television Group President, ABC's Paul Lee Closing In On New Contract

Discussion: Business Wire, AdAge, @rosslevinsohn, MediaPost, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, @piersmorgan and Capital New York

Joseph Lichterman / Nieman Journalism Lab:

New program aims to foster diversity in newsrooms with internships for journalism instructors from historically black colleges — Back to the newsroom: A new program lets professors go back to the thick of today's news work — Before joining the faculty of Savannah State University …

Discussion: @raju, @niemanlab, @sirajdatoo, @alisaparenti, @mallarytenore, @carr2n and @louiegilot

New York Times:

Turkish Journalists' Association files complaint in local court, claims Twitter ban violates freedom of information — Journalists Group and Internet Lawyers Challenge Turkey's Ban on Twitter — ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's leading press organization and two experts in Internet law took legal action Monday …

Discussion: ExtremeTech, WorldViews, Mashable and SlashGear

Ben Thompson / stratechery:

Advertising will no longer sustain journalism, but new business models are possible — Newspapers Are Dead; Long Live Journalism — This is Part 3 in a series on the future of news and newspapers. Previously: — Part 1: FiveThirtyEight and the End of Average link

Discussion: Gigaom, @newswhip, @monkbent, @rfrnk, @mathewi and Kirk LaPointe's …

Paul Carr / PandoDaily:

First Look publishes new editorial independence statement after Pando reveals Omidyar White House ties — Yesterday I revealed a series of meetings between representatives of Pierre and Pamela Omidyar's Omidyar Network and high ranking White House officials, including the President and First Lady …

Julia La Roche / Business Insider:

Hedge fund drops legal motion to unmask anonymous blogger at Seeking Alpha — David Einhorn Knows The Name Of The Anonymous Blogger Who Revealed One Of His Investments — Greenlight Capital, the hedge fund run by David Einhorn, has discovered the identity of the anonymous Seeking Alpha blogger …

Discussion: Seeking Alpha, Bloomberg, @moorehn, Talking Biz News, @talkingbiznews, Wall Street Journal and New York Times

Angela Haggerty / The Drum:

AOL partners with Channel 4 News, ITN and MyMovies to launch premium AOL On video platform in UK — AOL has partnered with Channel 4 News, ITN and Scripps Networks International among others to launch its AOL On video platform in the UK. — Following launches in the US and Canada …

Discussion: The Next Web, Telegraph, TechRadar.com, Broadband TV News, Advanced Television and TechCrunch

Hunter Walker / Business Insider:

Meet Business Insider's Newest Political Columnist — Anthony Weiner — Business Insider is very pleased to announce former New York City mayoral candidate and Congressman Anthony Weiner will be contributing a new monthly column to our politics page. — The new column, which will be titled …

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Sharon Waxman says The Wrap is on track to reach 10M unique visitors by year's end — In Hollywood News Wars, TheWrap Rebounds — LOS ANGELES — Talk about going from fizzle to sizzle. — A year ago, TheWrap.com was still trundling along as an also-ran in Hollywood's hotly competitive trade news wars.

Discussion: @therealjethro, @braxtonpope, @shruburbia, @carr2n and @timamolloy

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Apple-Comcast TV Pact? Don't Hold Your Breath — A long history of failed dealmaking should cast doubt on this one working out — The mere prospect that Apple and Comcast could be joining forces for a new joint TV service, as the Wall Street Journal first reported Sunday, has revived a fresh round of hyperventilation.