Mediagazer: Metrics a key factor in editorial and management decisions; journalists respond inconsistently (Angèle Christin/Nieman Lab)

1:10 PM 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, @imrankhanpti, @jon_boone, @tahassiddiqui, @saimamohsin, @paksalah and @saimamohsin

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

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, @newswhip, @brodiegal, Gigaom and @lauraelizdavis

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: @slasher, @ennisnyt, @nbj914 and @carr2n

BBC:

BBC staff vote to strike over job losses — BBC staff have voted to go on strike in a row over job losses, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said. — The union said that 86.9% of its members came out in favour of a campaign of industrial action.

Discussion: Press Gazette, Guardian, International Business Times, broadcastnow.co.uk and City A.M.

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, blogs.indiewire.com, Vox, 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: Agence France-Presse and Electronista

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

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, @cjr and @fittsofalexis

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: @sebastianseung, @carneross, @andrewparker, @corbettreport, @philipmcclellan, @morningmoneyben and @abumuqawama

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

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: bbc.co.uk, @peterhorrocks1 and Guardian

Miranda Prynne / Telegraph:

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

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 …