Mediagazer: Tommy Christopher lands at The Daily Banter (Hadas Gold/Politico)

7:25 AM ET, March 31, 2014

Top News:

In Media Moguls' Rarefied Realm, It's Like Father, Like Son — Last week, Rupert Murdoch handed the future leadership of two publicly held companies worth a combined $80 billion to his two sons, almost as casually as if they were the keys to the family station wagon.

Discussion: @pkafka, @carr2n, @squigglyrick, @mathewi and @jswatz

Alexander Howard / Tow Center for Digital Journalism:

Aron Pilhofer on data journalism, culture and going digital — When it comes to computer-assisted reporting and the ways media companies are using technology, there are few people in the U.S.A. as knowledgeable as Aron Pilhofer. He runs a newsroom team at The New York Times that combines journalism …

Discussion: @jayrosen_nyu, @craigsilverman and @elanazak

Hadas Gold / Politico:

Tommy Christopher lands at The Daily Banter — Tommy Christopher, the former Mediaite writer, has officially landed at The Daily Banter. Starting Monday, Christopher will be White House correspondent and political analyst at the liberal news and opinion site.

Marcella Bombardieri / The Boston Globe:

Court documents reveal ambivalence in how MIT assisted Aaron Swartz's prosecution — The inside story of MIT and Aaron Swartz — More than a year after Swartz killed himself rather than face prosecution, questions about MIT's handling of the hacking case persist

Discussion: @matthewkeyslive, @caleb_crain, @declanm, @bostonglobe, @jesselynradack and Mashable

Jordan Zakarin / The Wrap:

Why Net Neutrality Matters So Much to Indie Filmmakers — Consumer groups and tech advocates have been voicing concern about the growing threats to net neutrality, but Hollywood — especially independent filmmakers and distributors — have plenty of reason to worry about the walls and toll booths …

Discussion: Softpedia News and @jmmandel

The Wrap:

Josh Elliott Exiting ABC's ‘Good Morning America’ for NBC Sports — After months of speculation over Josh Elliott's future at ABC News' “Good Morning America,” contract talks broke down over the weekend and he will leave his anchor spot for a gig with NBC Sports.

Discussion: New York Times, TVNewser, Mediaite, @brianstelter, Variety, @josephkapsch, Capital New York, CNNMoney.com and @brianstelter

Richard Deitsch / Sports Illustrated:

Dealing with racist abuse is a regular part of the job, say sports journalists — Race, the N-word, discrimination: Panel on role of race in sports media — Last November, I paneled a group of a six highly accomplished and respected female sports journalists for an SI.com email roundtable …

Discussion: @keithlaw and @richarddeitsch

Sam Kirkland / Poynter:

How AOL maintains editorial independence in Ford-sponsored ‘This Built America’ series — When an AOL team with an editorial vision joined a video production team with an artistic vision to launch an ambitious 50-week series about people and companies rebuilding America, it was clear they needed a brand to help fund it.

Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:

Lessons from a good vertical: Skift.com — For digital media companies, creating good verticals that breed small but valuable audiences has become essential. On that subject, here are my takeaways following a conversation with Rafat Ali, founder and CEO of Skift.com.

Discussion: @sarahmarshall, @blathnaidhealy, @filloux, @antderosa and @rafat

Robert Kolker / New York Magazine:

How NBCUniversal Killed DailyCandy — Dany Levy, the founder of DailyCandy, the addictive and once wildly successful shopping e-newsletter and website, was boarding a plane to Mexico when she heard her creation was being shut down by its current owner, NBCUniversal, along with Television Without Pity …

Discussion: @thestalwart and @jeffjarvis

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Media career path: Cry ‘media bias’ — Sharyl Attkisson hasn't landed yet, but there's every reason to suppose she's not going to finish her career in local news in Duluth. — For starters, Atkinson is an accomplished reporter. But she's also taken one of the surefire moves to help ensure …

Discussion: @rachelsmolkin, @mckaycoppins and @sissenberg

Martin Chulov / Guardian:

Spanish journalists freed in Syria after six-month ordeal — Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Villanova Garcia released but Islamist extremists still hold over 40 other western hostages — Two Spanish journalists kidnapped in northern Syria last September were freed by their captors on Saturday night …

Discussion: Gawker, CNN, BBC, Metro.co.uk, TIME and The Huffington Post

Today's Zaman:

Turkish journalist detained over leak of key Syria meeting — A journalist was detained over allegations that he migh have had information in prior to the audio recording and posting online of an alleged conversation between some state officials about a possible incursion into Syria.

Discussion: @eagunes, @chrchristensen, @zeynep, @kiramenkatip and The Twitter Blog