Mediagazer: Apple $450 million e-book settlement wins court approval (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)

12:00 AM ET, August 2, 2014

Top News:

Andrew Flanagan / Billboard:

Beats and Apple Dispute Reports of Layoffs — Apple and a source close to Beats are disputing the characterization in recent reports that a significant round of layoffs is taking place at Beats, saying there have been no layoffs (save for about five performance-based terminations) …

Discussion: AppleInsider, Ubergizmo, Electronista, Re/code, Music Week and RAIN News

Hannah Karp / Wall Street Journal:

With Apple-Beats Deal Complete, Ian Rogers To Run iTunes Radio — Now that Apple has officially swallowed Beats, Ian Rogers, the head of Beats' subscription-music service, will also oversee the iPhone-maker's iTunes Radio efforts, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Forbes, VentureBeat, Ubergizmo, @chrissyfarr, Tech Times, 9to5Mac, Variety, Re/code, MacRumors, Cult of Mac, @pkafka, AppleInsider, VatorNews, Softpedia News, The Next Web, MacDailyNews, RAIN News, App Advice, Electronista, Business Insider and TIME

Kristen Schweizer / Bloomberg:
Vivendi Sells Its 13% Beats Stake to Apple for $404 Million

Discussion: VentureBeat, AppleInsider, MacRumors, Mashable, TechCrunch and MacDailyNews

Don Reisinger / CNET:
Apple closes $3B Beats deal, welcomes the company ‘to the family’

Discussion: Re/code, Daily Dot, The Verge, Ubergizmo, Gigaom and The Daily Caller

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Israel Censor Wants To Pre-Approve New York Times Coverage Of Soldier — NEW YORK — The Israeli military told The New York Times on Friday to withhold publishing additional information about an Israeli soldier reportedly captured by Palestinian militants until it is first reviewed by a censor.

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times, @steveplrose, Mondoweiss, @mlcalderone, Pressing Issues, New York Magazine and The Dish

Margaret Sullivan / New York Times:

Times Foreign Editor Responds on Israeli Censorship — Isabel Kershner and Fares Akram reported Friday in The Times that detailed information about a kidnapped Israeli soldier would be subject to a rare instance of Israeli military censorship. The passage from the article reads as follows:

Discussion: Gawker and The Week

Vauhini Vara / New Yorker:

Amazon's Failed Pitch to Authors — In May, the publishing company Hachette revealed that the online retailer Amazon had been delaying shipment of physical books published by Hachette while the companies argued over how e-books should be sold on Amazon. Since then, the public-relations war between …

Farhad Manjoo / NYT Bits:
Amazon Wants Cheaper Ebooks. But Should It Get to Enforce Prices?

Discussion: @dangillmor, @burningbunnies, @johngapper, @mathewi, @fmanjoo and @jeffjarvis

Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:

More Online Publishers Let Readers Fill the Space — To most English speakers, “platform” is a noun. But among news organizations, it is quickly becoming a verb. — For publishers, the new meaning of “to platform” is something akin to: Take a traditional media company and add technology …

Thanks:@steverubel

James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:

On David Frum, the New York Times, and the Non-Faked “Fake” Gaza Photos — What they reveal about the three words that are journalists' only source of self-respect — 1. A colleague at the Atlantic made a major journalistic error this week. As he has himself admitted, in the first half of a post on our site.

Discussion: @johnmcquaid, The Dish, @kissane, @jayrosen_nyu, Pressing Issues, The Corsair, Columbia Journalism Review, Poynter, Gawker and The Raw Story

Ken Kurson / The New York Observer:

Remembering War Correspondent Jim Frederick, 42 — Jim Frederick (via Facebook). — On my first day at Money magazine in January 2001, this guy I kinda knew named Scott Medintz was assigned to walk me around the office and introduce me. Everyone had these large offices with a window …

Discussion: @katz, @craigwduff, @mattgallagher83, @ghoshworld, @acarvin, @jledbetter, @gary__bass and Technologizer

Charlie Beckett / Polis:

Should news get personal? Emotion and objectivity in the face of suffering — Should journalists covering suffering allow their own emotions to become part of the story? — [see comments and selected tweets at the bottom of this article for reaction] — Jon Snow's heartfelt monologue …

Discussion: Guardian, @abuaardvark, @fox_claire, @alstewitn and @fleetstreetfox

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Mail did not reveal to PCC or Leveson that News of the World hacked staff — Four Mail on Sunday journalists were told by the police in 2006 that their mobile phones had been hacked — Vital evidence about phone hacking was withheld from the Press Complaints Commission when it held …

Discussion: @colvinius

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:

Apple $450 million e-book settlement wins court approval — (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Friday won preliminary court approval for its $450 million settlement of claims it harmed consumers by conspiring with five publishers to raise e-book prices. — In approving the accord …

Discussion: Forbes, 9to5Mac, CNET, AppleInsider, Bloomberg and The Verge

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Disney Renews Carriage Deal With NCTC, Adding Sports Networks and Digital Rights To Mix — The National Cable Television Cooperative renewed its carriage deal with The Walt Disney Company in an agreement that will add a few of Disney's sports networks to the distribution mix as well as encompass rights for digital distribution.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Radio & Television … and Deadline.com

Ed Christman / Billboard:

Jody Gerson Named Head of Universal Music Publishing Group — Jody Gerson will assume the reins of power at Universal Music Publishing Group beginning Jan. 1, when she joins that company as chairman/CEO. She replaces Zach Horowitz, who led the company for the past two years.

Discussion: The Wrap, Los Angeles Times and Music Week