Mediagazer: The Lens in New Orleans scales back school and political reporting, launches contract database (Steve Beatty/The Lens)

12:15 PM ET, June 15, 2014

Top News:

Chelsea Manning / New York Times:

The U.S. Military's Campaign Against Media Freedom — FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — WHEN I chose to disclose classified information in 2010, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others. I'm now serving a sentence of 35 years in prison for these unauthorized disclosures.

Discussion: @quinnnorton, NPR, @mattseaton, @malbertnews, @jeffjarvis, @casparbowden and @abumuqawama

Margaret Sullivan / New York Times:

NYT needs to move faster toward a lean digital focus, which is hard for staff with print DNA — A Paper Boat Navigating a Digital Sea — IT'S Wednesday morning and 39 editors have filed in to the 10 a.m. meeting in The Times's third-floor conference room, some carrying laptops and smartphones, others with pens and notepads.

Discussion: @sfiegerman, @palafo, @pkafka, @jayrosen_nyu, @mathewi, @michaelroston, @underoak, @raju, @johnrobinson and @sulliview

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Former BuzzFeed COO Jon Steinberg Lands at Daily Mail's Web Site — Jon Steinberg, the former COO of BuzzFeed, has a new job: He is running the American version of the UK-based Daily Mail's Web site, formally known as MailOnline. Steinberg had worked at BuzzFeed for four years …

Discussion: @hblodget, @pkafka and @thestalwart

Steve Beatty / The Lens:

The Lens in New Orleans scales back school and political reporting, launches contract database — The Lens makes changes but continues focus on in-depth, public-service journalism — Like all news outlets in New Orleans and across the country, The Lens is constantly re-evaluating its mission and goals …

Discussion: Knight Foundation, @jayrosen_nyu, @ryankellycb, @jesseholcomb, @myersnews, @jesseholcomb, @johnmcquaid, @lmcgaughy, @leezurik, @jesseholcomb, @atuozzolo, @kataaron and @moseleylensnola

Tony Maglio / The Wrap:

How Snapstream's closed caption search helps Colbert and others scour recorded TV for material — The Secret Weapon Behind ‘Daily Show,’ ‘Colbert Report’ and ‘The Soup’ — Ever wondered how your favorite late-night comedy show sifts through all of those ridiculous cable news clips to bring you the most ridiculous?

Thanks:@rakeshagrawal

Ralph Cipriano / Big Trial:

At Philadelphia Inquirer, 3 execs quit, unions hope Drew Katz won't sell his father's stake — Tears and Fear At The Inky — for Bigtrial.net — The new owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, wasn't back yet from his vacation in Vienna and Berlin.

Discussion: @romenesko

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

Elite Daily, the “Huffington Post for millennials”, claims 40M uniques a month, raises $1.5M — How Three 20-Somethings Built Elite Daily, A Site With 40 Million Readers, With $60,000 — Elite Daily, a news website with 55 employees and 40 million monthly uniques …

Discussion: @ladyironchef

Miles O'Brien / New York Magazine:

An accident in February cost the TV reporter Miles O'Brien his left arm. He soon discovered that every movement, no matter how small, requires rethinking. — An accident in February cost the TV reporter Miles O'Brien his left arm. He soon discovered that every movement, no matter how small, requires rethinking.

Discussion: @glennf, @laurenstarke and @stevesilberman

Engin Onder / Nieman Reports:

The co-founder of Turkey's 140journos on building a citizen-sustained news agency from scratch — In December of 2011, Turkish military jets bombed the village of Uludere, about five miles from the border with Iraq, killing 34. Was the attack a tragic mistake or a planned strike on suspected Kurdish separatists?

Nieman Reports:

BuzzFeed editor in chief Ben Smith on the challenge of competing with every other piece of content on the Web — When Ben Smith joined BuzzFeed as editor in chief in 2012, the site was better known for cute cat videos and fun lists than for serious journalism.

Michael Sebastian / AdAge:

Native Ad Production Values Keep Growing With ‘Orange is the New Black’ Promo — A fairly elaborate, nearly 1,500-word native ad for Netflix's original series “Orange is the New Black” appeared on The New York Times website Friday, using video, charts and audio to supplement text about female incarceration in the U.S.

Discussion: New York Times, The Content Strategist, Digiday and The New York Observer

Aimee Heckel / NetNewsCheck Latest:

Colorado Papers Form Digital Syndicate — How do you create more, higher quality content with a smaller, busier staff? — Here's a riddle that haunts modern newsrooms across the country: How do you create more, higher quality content with a smaller, busier staff? — We've set out to answer that question.

Discussion: Modern Lois Lane