Mediagazer: Time Warner focuses on its growth strategy for HBO (Meg James/Los Angeles Times)

11:00 AM ET, September 24, 2014

Top News:

Reporters say White House sometimes demands changes to press-pool reports — White House press-pool reports are supposed to be the news media's eyes and ears on the president, an independent chronicle of his public activities. They are written by reporters for other reporters …

Discussion: Mediaite, FishbowlDC, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, @adambkushner, @froomkin, @peterbakernyt, @proudoftheusa, @gregorykorte, @morningmoneyben, @clarajeffery, @farhip, @mrdanzak, @brianjameswalsh and @jdsalant

Steven Mufson / Washington Post:

Washington Post announces cuts to employees' retirement benefits — The Washington Post announced large cuts in retirement benefits on Tuesday, declaring that it would eliminate future retirement medical benefits and freeze defined-benefit pensions for nonunion employees.

Discussion: Politico, FishbowlDC, bizjournals, @kansasalps, @sarahw, @jamieson, @aterkel, The Huffington Post, GeekWire and New York Times

Associated Press:

Somali pirate says $1.6 million ransom paid for German-American journalist Michael Scott Moore — Pirate: $1.6 Million Ransom Paid For Journalist — MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Negotiators paid a $1.6 million ransom for the release of a German-American journalist who was kidnapped in Somalia …

Agence France-Presse:
Somali pirates release German-American journalist and writer Michael Scott Moore after more than two years

Discussion: Spiegel Online, CNN, Gawker, VICE News, SFWeekly, Medium, New York Times, BBC, Associated Press, Committee to Protect … and Reuters

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

Sirius XM found liable for copyright infringement for failing to pay royalties on pre-1972 recordings — Sirius XM Loses Lawsuit on Royalties for Oldies — In a case that could have wide implications for the digital music business, a federal judge in California ruled on Monday that Sirius XM …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Showbiz411, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Music Ally, Complete Music Update, VVN Music, Digital Music News, Radio & Television …, Wall Street Journal, hypebot, Techdirt, TechCrunch and Gigaom

Reed Albergotti / Wall Street Journal:

Publishers are sending less data to Facebook, as it increases user tracking for advertising — Websites Are Wary of Facebook Tracking Software — Some Businesses Block Sharing of Data, Fearing Social Network's Increased Clout — Online retailers and publishers are pushing …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, AdAge, PandoDaily and SocialTimes

Meg James / Los Angeles Times:

Time Warner focuses on its growth strategy for HBO — HBO typically needs a wheelbarrow to haul all of the trophies it collects during awards season. — Top-tier Hollywood producers, directors and stars, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Matthew McConaughey …

Discussion: @richbtig and ParisLemon

Amy Schatz / Re/code:

Comcast Accuses Time Warner Cable Deal Opponents of “Extortion” — Netflix, Discovery Communications and other companies opposing Comcast's $45 billion deal to acquire Time Warner Cable are doing so after they failed in “extortion” attempts to get special favors, Comcast told federal regulators Wednesday.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and @brianstelter

Meg James / Los Angeles Times:

Starz meets with 21st Century Fox about possible acquisition — Executives with Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox and Starz met Tuesday to discuss a possible acquisition of the premium cable movie service, a deal that could expand Murdoch's reach into homes across the country.

Discussion: Variety, @irishfilmcritic, Wall Street Journal, Home Media Magazine, The Wrap and Hollywood Reporter

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Stephen Hayes, Weekly Standard writer and Fox News contributor, makes DHS Terrorist Watchlist — Stephen Hayes, a senior writer at The Weekly Standard and a regular Fox News contributor, was informed Tuesday that he had been placed on the Department of Homeland Security's Terrorist Watchlist.

Discussion: FishbowlDC, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Jon Fine / Inc:

What the Founders of Vice Media, Upworthy, and Aereo Have to Say About Media Innovation — The disruptors behind three of media's most fascinating companies talk about what they've learned and what's next. — Chet Kanojia (Left), Suroosh Alvi. … Vice began 20 years ago as a free publication, the Voice of Montreal.

Discussion: @steveevo, @abeaujon, @jonfine, @inc and @drewkerr, Thanks:@drewkerr

Rob Davis / Oregonian:

Forest Service says media needs photography permit in wilderness areas, alarming First Amendment advocates — First Amendment advocates are alarmed by a U.S. Forest Service policy requiring journalists to get a permit to shoot videos in federal wilderness areas including those on Mount Hood.

Discussion: @agarciaphoto, @clydelewis and @mjsphotog

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Google Currents For iOS Now Called Google Play Newsstand Following Big Redesign — Google Currents, Google's magazine-like news reading iOS app and a competitor to Flipboard, is rolling out a redesign and a handful of new features, including a way to subscribe to topics you're interested in …

Discussion: The Verge, The Next Web, PhoneDog.com, iClarified, App Advice, Talking New Media and Engadget

Keach Hagey / Wall Street Journal:

Nielsen's mobile ratings debut Monday without Comcast and other cable and satellite operators — Qualms Set In on Mobile-TV Ratings — Industry Shows Reluctance on Lumping Together Different Audiences — There is a whodunit dominating television as the fall season gets under way.

Jaclyn Tuman / Multichannel News:

Showtime Unveils First Trailer with Haptic Technology Effects — ‘Homeland’ Season 4 Will Include Immersion Technology for Android Devices — Showtime is launching the first ever tactile feedback video for Android mobile devices, available on the fourth season of the drama series, Homeland.

Discussion: Associated Press, Inside TV and Adweek

Roy Greenslade / Guardian:

The Sun rips off website exclusive without seeking permission — Article, including verbatim quotes, ‘borrowed’ from Swedish-based website without attribution — The Sun's splash today, “Inside Islamic State terror camps”, is a terrific revelation about the training of jihadist fighters.

Discussion: @greenslader, @paulosbourne, @drevanharris, @marcusvanhalen and International Business Times

Rem Rieder / USA Today:

Federal shield law doomed due to congressional gridlock — Shield law for journalists a gridlock casualty — Back in July 2013, Sen. Charles Schumer was brimming with confidence that Congress would at long last enact a desperately needed federal shield law granting journalists protection …

Discussion: @susanpage and @jmfreespeech

Gabriela Baczynska / Reuters:

Russian MPs back initial proposal to curb foreign media ownership — (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers gave initial backing on Tuesday to a draft law limiting foreign ownership of Russian media to 20 percent from the existing ceiling of 50 percent, a move critics say will reinforce the dominance of outlets loyal to the Kremlin.

Discussion: Associated Press, Guardian, Broadband TV News, New York Times and Bloomberg

Stuart Dredge / Guardian:

Amazon launches Kindle unlimited subscription service in UK for £7.99/month with access to over 650K ebooks, 2K audiobooks — Amazon launches Kindle Unlimited - a Netflix-for-books - in the UK — Harry Potter, Hunger Games, audiobooks and more bundled in to £7.99-a-month subscription, following US debut in July

Discussion: Engadget, Gizmodo UK, PC Advisor, Bookseller news, TechRadar.com, Amazon and Pocket-lint

Guardian:

Phone hacking: Trinity Mirror to pay out over 10 claims — Claimants include ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, actor Christopher Eccleston and the BBC's Alan Yentob — The publisher of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror has agreed to pay compensation to 10 victims of alleged phone hacking …

Discussion: Reuters, Guardian, ITV, London Evening Standard, BBC, The Drum, @rachelstevenson, Wall Street Journal, Telegraph, RTTNews, Press Gazette and @marksweney

Tom Rhodes / Committee to Protect Journalists:

Burundi's journalist union takes repressive press law to court — If the state decides that a journalist's article in Burundi jeopardizes someone's “moral integrity” under the country's Media Law it can demand that the journalist reveals sources, and it can suspend the publication.