Mediagazer: Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt condemns attacks on journalists in order to control news (Erin Madigan White/The Definitive Source)

10:05 PM ET, April 7, 2014

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Discussion: Nieman Journalism Lab, Gigaom, @maura, @kevglobal, @jbenton, Talking New Media, @mathewi, Talking Biz News, @webjournalist, @wesleylowery and @joshsternberg

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Bloomberg:

Microsoft Xbox launching six TV series in June; comedians Seth Green, Sarah Silverman onboard — Microsoft Goes Hollywood in Amazon-Like Programming Push — Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is going Hollywood with a cast including comedians Sarah Silverman and Seth Green, aspiring World Cup players and eerily human robots.

Laurie Penny / New Statesman:

From Vox to 538, white guys get feted as the future of journalism while everyone else gets attacked and dismissed — From Vox to 538, white guys get feted as the future of journalism while everyone else gets attacked and dismissed. — GOOGLE PLUS ONE — TWEET WIDGET

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Discussion: @blmorgan, @tom_el_rumi, @craigmod, @fieldproducer, @raju, @charlesforelle, @tothevictor, @sarahmarshall, @mathewi, @marklittlenews, @mattderienzo, @antderosa, @jbenton and Kirk LaPointe's …

Marc Frank / Reuters:

Cuba says U.S. created other ‘Cuban Twitter’ projects — HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba said on Sunday the United States continues to use social media to “subvert” the island's government and that the revelation this week of a U.S.-created, Twitter-like service for Cuba was just one of several examples.

Discussion: VentureBeat and Latin Times

Adi Robertson / The Verge:
USAID refutes claims about allegedly subversive Cuban Twitter clone

Discussion: USAID Impact, TechCrunch, The Next Web, TheHill and NPR

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Six major movie studios file copyright lawsuit against Megaupload, seek $150k per infringement — Movie Studios Sue Defunct Piracy Site Megaupload, Seeking Millions in Damages — Six major U.S. movie studios have sued Megaupload — which U.S. law enforcement officials shut down in January 2012 …

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Stephen Buckley / Poynter:

Last Saturday, Omidyar gathered industry thinkers to brainstorm First Look Media's strategy — Omidyar's First Look Media looking to find its focus, target an audience — Pierre Omidyar has issues. Several problems, actually. — The billionaire technologist, philanthropist …

Discussion: @samkirkla, @jayrosen_nyu, @jesseholcomb, @megan, @paulcarr and @davewiner

Erin Madigan White / The Definitive Source:

Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt condemns attacks on journalists in order to control news — Pruitt: ‘Journalists today are targeted’ — Three days after the killing of an Associated Press photojournalist and the wounding of an AP correspondent in Afghanistan, AP President …

Discussion: @pressfreedom

BBC:
Egypt al-Jazeera case: Fresh calls to free reporters

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Bob Fernandez / Philly.com:

Senate hearing on Comcast merger comes amid major concerns — The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold the first public hearing on Comcast Corp.'s proposed $45.2 billion deal for Time Warner Cable Inc. on Wednesday, amid regulatory and financial concerns about merging the No. 1 and No. 2 cable-TV companies.

Discussion: Radio & Television … and Los Angeles Times

David Carr / New York Times:
Questions for Comcast as It Looks to Grow

Discussion: TVNewser, @davidsirota, @carr2n, @jcstearns and @samgustin

Martin Weil / Washington Post:

Charles S. Stone Jr, founder of National Association of Black Journalists, dies at 89 — Charles S. Stone Jr., journalist and professor, dies at 89 — Charles S. (Chuck) Stone Jr., a prominent and pioneering American journalist who touched and shaped many lives as a big-city newspaper columnist …

Discussion: Raleigh News & Observer, Poynter, Philly.com, @ericaperel, susankingblog, The Daily Tar Heel, Diverse, WNCT-TV, ncnn.com, The Newspaper Guild, @kpalmer433, Gawker, Associated Press and @geoffedgers

Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:

Foxconn family's content company eyeing partnership with Taiwan's largest cable TV operator — Foxconn's Founding Family Eyes Cable TV Alliance — Foxconn's founding family seems to have ambitions far beyond assembling iPhones and iPads for Apple. — An entertainment content company run …

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

Publishers including US Weekly and Rolling Stone experimenting with sponsored comments — Publishers bring native ads to their comment sections — Native advertising, the ad format du jour, has been an effective way for publishers to make money, ostensibly without interfering with the reader experience.

Discussion: TechCrunch, @beschizza, @bradparsons, @ssktanaka, @dangoldgeier, @melisbuzzfeed, @jlandau and Business Insider

Sydney Ember / New York Times:

Business staff at Conde Traveler to do internships at hotels to learn “art of luxury service” — Traveler Magazine Learns Luxury Service at Hotels — Like most of the staff at the opulent Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, Bill Wackermann was busy. He attended an early morning meeting to prepare for the day's guests.

Discussion: @condelibrary and Skift