Mediagazer: Alexandra MacCallum, a business-side executive appointed to assistant managing editor at NYT (Margaret Sullivan/New York Times)

5:15 AM ET, August 26, 2014

Top News:

Margaret Sullivan / New York Times:

NYT public editor says choice of words in Michael Brown profile a “regrettable mistake” — An Ill-Chosen Phrase, ‘No Angel,’ Brings a Storm of Protest — Two words — “no angel” — have become a flash point for many of the difficult, contentious, entrenched issues that have arisen …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, @naacp_ldf, Washington Post, bookforum.com, @mlcalderone, @fmanjoo, @andykindler, @jamilsmith, @jennydeluxe, @ggreenwald, Mediaite, @jayrosen_nyu, The Huffington Post, The Week and Pressing Issues

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
New York Times defends Michael Brown Jr. ‘no angel’ characterization

Amazon.com:

Amazon acquiring Twitch for $970M in cash — Amazon.com to Acquire Twitch — Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Twitch Interactive, Inc., the leading live video platform for gamers. In July, more than 55 million unique visitors viewed …

Joshua Brustein / Businessweek:

With high levels of engagement, Twitch users could make Amazon more attractive to advertisers — Why Amazon Is Paying $1 Billion to Help People Watch Video Games — For months Twitch, the video-game streaming service, was supposedly putting the finishing touches on a deal with Google (GOOG).

Discussion: Ars Technica, @bradstone and The Verge

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Following layoffs memo, Jeff Zucker tells CNN employees they need to “do less and do it with less” — CNN chief: News operation will do less with less — CNN chief Jeff Zucker recently shared not so encouraging words with some of the news operation's employees, many of whom have been bracing for potential jobs cuts.

Discussion: The Wrap, The Drum, Radio and TV Talk, @brianstelter, Poynter, @t_mcconnell, @howardkurtz, TVNewser, @mlcalderone, @tvnewslab, @passantino, The Huffington Post and Inside Cable News

Jon Lafayette / Multichannel News:

Turner Broadcasting to offer buyouts to 500 senior staff tomorrow, CNN included — Buyouts Coming For 500 Staffers At Turner — Cost-cutting in Motion at Time Warner Unit — Some 500 senior Turner Broadcasting staffers will be offered buyouts tomorrow.

Discussion: Variety

Carmel DeAmicis / Gigaom:

Facebook shifts its algorithm to fight clickbait. Will it kill off Upworthy and Buzzfeed? — Facebook is going after clickbait with its new algorithm changes. That could have a profound impact on the traffic Buzzfeed, Upworthy and their lesser rivals see. — Facebook has changed its news feed algorithm for the millionth time.

Discussion: Facebook, Forbes, The Awl, metamedia, Softpedia News, MediaNama, memeburn, @samfbiddle, New York Times, BuzzFeed, PandoDaily, @mikepetroff, @samkirkla, @jason_kint, Digiday, ReadWrite, David Higgerson, ZDNet, BetaNews, @peretti, @willoremus, @advodude, @buzzfeedben, Neowin, Digital Spy, Gizmodo, WebProNews, @bendreyfuss, The Verge, Business 2 Community, TIME, Mashable, GeekWire, @ryanchittum and Re/code

Ben Mathis-Lilley / Slate:

James Foley's Family Posts Letter He Dictated to Fellow ISIS Captive — The family of James Foley, the American photojournalist murdered by ISIS militants, have posted a letter on Facebook that they say he dictated this summer to a fellow captive: — Diane Foley is James Foley's mother.

Discussion: Free James Foley, CNN, CBC News, Fox News, Mirror.co.uk, The Independent, BBC, Politico, The Wrap, Guardian, Vanity Fair, Middle East, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Newsweek, The Wire, Mediaite and Daily Mail

Andy Cush / Gawker:
Experts: Foley Execution Video Was Edited to Streamline Beheading

Discussion: The Times, NY Daily News, Hit & Run, Telegraph, National Post, Metro.co.uk, Sydney Morning Herald, WorldNetDaily, TheAustralian, The Economic Times, RIA Novosti, @gawker and The Daily Caller

Edmund Lee / Re/code:

New York Times' Digital Subscription Growth Story May Be Ending — The New York Times has bet on digital subscriptions to play a central role in its long-term future. But while selling access to the paper's Web and mobile versions was an initial hit, growth is slowing …

Discussion: @mattzeitlin, @pkafka, FishbowlNY, @eduardosuarez and @mathewi

Fiona Reddan / The Irish Times:

UTV Ireland to hit profitability in 2015 — Broadcaster aims to become second most watched TV channel in Ireland as it points to recovery in advertising market — Media group UTV pointed to a strong recovery in each of its advertising markets, helped by the World Cup …

Discussion: Guardian, Life Style Extra, Reuters and Insider Media Ltd

Denny Thomas / Reuters:

Taiwan's Wei family to buy cable TV operator CNS for $2.4 bln -source — Taiwan's Wei family has agreed to buy China Network Systems (CNS), the nation's biggest cable TV operator, for about $2.4 billion including debt from private equity firm MBK Partners, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Sunday.

Discussion: Variety, Bloomberg, Taipei Times and Wall Street Journal

Jihii Jolly / Columbia Journalism Review:

When the 24-hour news cycle becomes overwhelming, constructing a media diet can help — How to establish a media diet — Earlier this year, I began experimenting with different strategies for stepping outside of the 24-hour news cycle. I was overwhelmed by the continuous streams …

Walt Mossberg / Re/code:

Re/code introducing native advertising — A New Advertising Format for Re/code — Eagle-eyed readers may notice a new feature here on Re/code today. It's called “Sponsor Content,” and is, for us, a new form of advertising. Known broadly as “native advertising,” this is a category …

Thanks:@steverubel