Mediagazer: Facebook's Internet.org unveils free, limited web access — such opportunity, but at what cost? (David Meyer/Gigaom)

5:20 PM ET, July 31, 2014

Top News:

Diversified media companies are hurrying to undiversify — What does the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel know that your newsroom doesn't? — Not long ago — hours ago, actually — both Journal Communications and E. W. Scripps were media company models of diversification.

Discussion: Poynter, Associated Press, @niemanlab, @jayrosen_nyu, Thomson IR and JIMROMENESKO.COM

Bill Glauber / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Journal Communications of Milwaukee and E.W. Scripps announce merger, spinning off newspapers

Michael Malone / Broadcasting & Cable:
Scripps Plus Journal: Regional Strength, Going Deeper in Markets

Discussion: Poynter

Jeremy Barr / Capital New York:

Marty Baron discusses hiring digital journalists, future of WaPo's blogs, and new ownership — The 60-second interview: Marty Baron, editor, The Washington Post — CAPITAL: Looking at some of the new hires that the Post has made over the last several months, we've noticed that some of them have come …

Discussion: @tmcgev, @themarkberman, @carloslozadawp, @michaelpaulson, @caitlindewey, @kenvogel, @postbaron and @mlcalderone

Michael Sebastian / AdAge:

Sorting the Serious From the Silly, BuzzFeed Develops a Mobile App for Real News — Not Likely to Be Featured: ‘21 Office Printers That Are Going Through a Mid-Life Crisis’ — Best Places to Work … BuzzFeed is known for publishing highly shareable lists and quizzes …

Discussion: niemanlab.org, The New York Observer, MediaWire Daily, @henryctaylor, @flipprior, USA Today and New York Magazine

Peter Sterne / Capital New York:

As Gawker grows, one exec advocates an end to ‘petty feuds’ — A decade-plus into its existence, Gawker Media in 2014 is a very different organization than Gawker circa its 2003 founding, when it entered the Manhattan media fray elbows out, aiming spitballs at the Condé Nast cafeteria.

Discussion: @hamiltonnolan, bizjournals, @jackshafer, @jayrosen_nyu, @matthewwells, @mathewi, @timfernholz, @mikeisaac and @moorehn

Johana Bhuiyan / Capital New York:

Sources at Vocative say their software, touted to mine the deep web for generating news stories, doesn't work as promised — Showtime for Vocativ — Vocativ, the news organization that promises to mine the “deep web” for stories of global interest that cannot be found using traditional reporting methods …

Discussion: Mediaite, @dancow, @melissagira, @jayrosen_nyu, @tmcgev, @mccollumashley, @aubernalevy, @buzzfeedben, @petersterne, @riceid and @mbradylynch

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

The Daily Dot goes long and slow with relaunch of The Kernel — Count The Daily Dot as the latest digital publisher getting into the “magazine” business — not just the moniker, but the weekly schedule. — The site is putting the final touches on the relaunch of The Kernel …

Discussion: @lmoses, @jbenton, Talking New Media and @neilthackray

Henry Taylor / TheMediaBriefing:

News Corp's new app plans and how old media is chasing younger audiences — The so-called “millennial” generation - those aged between 14 and 34 - have never really developed the habit of reading newspapers, so how do publishers go about capturing their attention and getting them to read their content?

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
News Corp considers app-based news service to attract ‘millennials’

Discussion: Financial Times

Elizabeth Jensen / New York Times:

ABC Veteran Sara Just named PBS NewsHour executive producer, effective Sept. 2 — An ABC Veteran Is Named ‘PBS NewsHour’ Executive Producer — Sara Just, the Washington deputy bureau chief for ABC News, has been named executive producer of “PBS NewsHour,” the first major change …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, ABC News, Politico, Current.org, @brianstelter, @sdanawolfe, @anmccartney, @stephenmfee, @ejensennyc and FishbowlDC

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

Future of Homicide Watch D.C. uncertain as Amico joins Boston Globe — In 2012, Laura Amico got a call that changed a lot of things — her city, her work and, eventually, her future — Amico, who lived and worked in Washington, D.C., had been selected to be a Nieman-Berkman fellow at Harvard University …

Discussion: niemanlab.org, @mplenke and @poynter

Matthew Kassel / The New York Observer:

The Believer Bets on Bi-Monthly — The latest issue of The Believer. — The Believer, the San Francisco-based literary magazine founded in 2003, is gearing up for a bi-monthly relaunch this January, according to Casey Jarman, its managing editor. — While the new, less frequent publication schedule …

Discussion: @silvermanjacob and @kbsmoke

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Two Palestinian journalists killed during Israeli attack on Gaza — Two Palestinian journalists were killed in Gaza yesterday, taking the journalistic toll to eight since the Israeli bombardment began a month ago. — According to an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists …

Discussion: Latest News & Headlines, IFJ, english.wafa.ps, @kenroth, @paulhansen64, The Electronic Intifada and VICE

Ian Griggs / PRWeek:

IPSO appoints Matt Tee, former permanent secretary for government comms, as chief executive — Matt Tee appointed as new press regulator's first chief executive — The Independent Press Standards Organisation has appointed Matt Tee, the former permanent secretary for government comms, as its first chief executive.

Discussion: Press Association, @davidcharter, @nhsconfed, Guardian, HoldTheFrontPage, @shaunlintern, @matttee, @bengoldacre and @unity_mot

Kara Swisher / Re/code:

Interim No More: Rob Glaser Named Permanent CEO of RealNetworks — Rob Glaser, who founded RealNetworks in 1994 and served as its CEO until 2010, has been named permanent CEO of the Seattle-based digital media company. He has been interim CEO for the last two years, trying to turn around RealNetworks …

Discussion: ITProPortal, @jbenton, FierceOnlineVideo News, Brier Dudley's blog, Multichannel News, Wall Street Journal, FierceOnlineVideo News and GeekWire

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Discovery 2Q Profit Rises 26%, Boosted By International Networks — Discovery Communications said weaker results at its U.S. TV networks were offset by robust activity from its international TV holdings, which helped the company notch a 26% increase in net income for the second quarter.

Discussion: Discovery Communications …, Radio & Television …, RTTNews, Reuters, NetNewsCheck Latest and Ticker Report

Alex Hayes / mUmBRELLA:

Huffington Post to be Australian ‘market leader’ in three to five years says general manager — The general manager overseeing the international growth of the Huffington Post has rejected suggestions it is entering the Australian market too late, insisting it intends to become the market leader Down Under within three to five years.

David Meyer / Gigaom:

Facebook's Internet.org unveils free, limited web access — such opportunity, but at what cost? — For better or for worse, welcome to the world without net neutrality. More people will get online, but unless they have the money to pay their way into the free web, they'll effectively be in a walled garden.

Discussion: Quartz, Pocket-lint, Guardian, Softpedia News, Wired, Re/code and Forbes

Tanya Talaga / Toronto Star:

Jailed Al Jazeera journalist Fahmy still weighing appeal; has no faith in Egypt's courts — Jailed Canadian journalist denounces “draconian” verdict — Jailed Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy has not given up the fight against the “draconian verdict” against him, but he is unsure …

Karishma Mehrotra / Wall Street Journal:

College radio stations are leasing frequencies and playing less indie and experimental music — College Radio Changes Frequency — Stations Like WRAS in Atlanta and WRVU at Vanderbilt Lease Frequencies to Public Radio, Shifting From Experimental Music — Georgia State University's radio station …

Jasper Jackson / TheMediaBriefing:

Condé Nast digital director on avoiding a race to the bottom in online ads — Condé Nast, Monetising Media, Advertising, Consumer Media, Digital Media — This is part of a series of articles focused on the key issues that will be covered in our Monetising Media event at the end of September.

Chris Ip / Columbia Journalism Review:

As the BuzzFeed model proliferates, even legacy media like The Independent want a piece of the pie — As the BuzzFeed model proliferates, even legacy media like The Independent want a piece of the pie — i100 looks very familiar. The new website from UK newspaper The Independent has …

Discussion: Cision

Harriet Walker / Guardian:

The album is dead, long live playlists — There's plenty to mourn with the passing of music albums, but the instant gratification of digital playlists is now king — The rise of digital music and streaming has many crimes to answer for. Like a hardened assassin, it does …

Bill Morris / The Daily Beast:

Local indie bookshops will survive and perhaps even thrive as community centers despite Amazon — Amazon Won't Kill the Indie Bookstore — It may seem like the e-book behemoth is taking over the publishing industry, but a trip to North Carolina proves that local bookshops have become indispensible players in community life.

Discussion: @clarehooperlup, @scuppernongbook and @jerirowenr

Eric Slivka / MacRumors:

Shazam Brings Always-On Music and TV Recognition to Mac With Free Menu Bar App — Music recognition service Shazam, which was one of the early App Store hits and has continued to see good success on mobile platforms, is now bringing its services to the desktop in the form of the first music, TV show, and ad recognition app for Mac.

Discussion: TechCrunch, The Next Web, iTech Post, VentureBeat, Lifehacker, Macworld, Fast Company, TechRadar.com, App Advice, Mashable, Gizmodo, Gigaom and Engadget

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Network and cable execs have a tough new competitor to square off against in primetime: themselves. — Network and cable execs have a tough new competitor to square off against in primetime: themselves. — In the past year, the volume of DVR playback viewing that occurs during primetime hours …

Discussion: @tvconfidential, @saschapriewe and @drewmccaskill