Mediagazer: Some Japanese publishers call Amazon's linking book promotion to commission fees “blackmail” (Nate Hoffelder/The Digital Reader)

9:20 AM ET, September 1, 2014

Top News:

Pakistani Protesters Briefly Take Over State TV Building — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani troops took control of security at the headquarters of the state-run television network on Monday after hundreds of demonstrators stormed the building and forced the network to temporarily halt broadcasting.

Discussion: The Independent, @jon_boone, @tahassiddiqui, @saimamohsin, @saimamohsin, @paksalah, @imrankhanpti and Reuters

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
Pakistani journalists shot dead in attack on news agency office

Discussion: Committee to Protect …, The News International, Pakistan Daily Times, DAWN.COM, The Nation, Wall Street Journal, The Express Tribune and The Express Tribune

David Carr / New York Times:

Amazon Bets on Content in Deal for Twitch — On Wednesday night, I spent time on Twitch.tv watching people watch people play StarCraft II, Call of Duty and League of Legends. — When you cover media, you get used to meta activities, but staring at my computer watching …

Discussion: @carr2n and Engadget

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Hollywood has worst summer since 1997 as US summer ticket sales decline 15% from 2013 — Movies Have Worst Summer Since 1997 — LOS ANGELES — American moviegoers sent a clear message to Hollywood over the summer: We are tired of more of the same. — But don't entirely blame the sequels and superheroes.

Discussion: @mattriviera, @rjurikdavidson, @dangillmor, Vox, blogs.indiewire.com, USA Today, BREITBART.COM, International Business Times, Telegraph and Guardian

Nate Hoffelder / The Digital Reader:

Some Japanese publishers call Amazon's linking book promotion to commission fees “blackmail” — Amazon is Facing Boycotts, Cries of Blackmail from Japanese Publishers — Never one to fight a single battle at a time, Amazon is in conflict with publishers in multiple countries …

Discussion: Electronista and Agence France-Presse

Aaron Gell / Business Insider:
Book distributor EDC's sales rebounded even after pulling all its books from Amazon in 2012

Discussion: TechCrunch, @john_self and @ryanchittum

BBC:

BBC World Service boss Peter Horrocks to step down — The director of the BBC World Service, Peter Horrocks, is to leave the corporation in the New Year, it has been announced. — Horrocks, who has worked for the BBC for 33 years, has held the position since 2009.

Discussion: Guardian, bbc.co.uk and @peterhorrocks1

New York Times:

The evolution of propaganda: how ISIS uses Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, SoundCloud, and more — ISIS Displaying a Deft Command of Varied Media — The extremists who have seized large parts of Syria and Iraq have riveted the world's attention with their military prowess and unrestrained brutality.

Discussion: @andrewparker, @abumuqawama, @corbettreport, @morningmoneyben and @philipmcclellan

Alexis Sobel Fitts / Columbia Journalism Review:

Michael Brown shooting and the crimes journalists choose as newsworthy — Examining why black suspects are covered at a greater proportion than they commit crimes — Since Michael Brown's fatal shooting on August 9, news coverage of the event and its aftermath has been followed by a second wave …

Discussion: Guardian

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

Press freedom groups urge Bahrain king to release photojournalist — Press freedom and human rights organisations have signed a letter addressed to the king of Bahrain calling for the release of Bahraini photojournalist Ahmed Humeidan (aka Humaidan). — He has been in prison for 19 months since …

Discussion: Committee to Protect …, GlobalPost, BBC and Reporters Without Borders

Angèle Christin / Nieman Lab:

Metrics a key factor in editorial and management decisions; journalists respond inconsistently — When it comes to chasing clicks, journalists say one thing but feel pressure to do another — Online media is made of clicks. — Readers click from one article to the next.

Discussion: @brizzyc, @abigailking, Gigaom and @lauraelizdavis

Miranda Prynne / Telegraph:

Businesswoman Rona Fairhead the preferred choice for next BBC Trust chairman — Former Financial Times Group chief executive Rona Fairhead is named as the government's favoured candidate to take over as BBC Trust chairman — A leading British businesswoman has been named …

Discussion: Guardian, BBC, BBC, The Sunday Times, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, The Hindu, The Drum, Deadline, Daily Mail and The Times

Global Voices:

In Serbia, press oppression takes the form of cyber attacks on news sites — Two Months After Flooding, Digital Freedoms in Serbia Are Still in Trouble — There's a worrying trend in Serbia's digital world. Media websites are increasingly the target of mysterious technical attacks …

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

Yep, BuzzFeed Is Building A Games Team — If you like BuzzFeed's quizzes and interactive projects like its Game Of Thrones name generator, congratulations, you're probably going to be seeing more of them. If you think they're all annoying gimmicks, well, uh, you're going to be seeing more of them anyway.

Discussion: Kotaku Australia and VentureBeat