Mediagazer: Between Oliver, Maher and Vice deal, HBO is quietly building what looks like a news unit (Brian Steinberg/Variety)

9:50 PM ET, October 13, 2014

Top News:

Chris O'Brien / VentureBeat:

Maker Studios CEO says Disney had to buy it to ‘remain relevant’ — Above: Ynon Kreiz of Maker Studios speaking at the 2014 VidCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. — When Disney plopped down $500 million earlier this year to buy Maker Studios …

Discussion: Guardian, Variety, SSN Insider and Hollywood Reporter

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Disney's Maker Studios Teams with Disney-Backed Fusion to Produce Block of TV Programming — Maker Studios, the YouTube multichannel network Disney acquired earlier this year, has reached another TV deal that falls under the Mouse House's corporate umbrella.

Discussion: @alexweprin, Broadcasting & Cable and Hollywood Reporter

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Leaning Forward, MSNBC Loses Ground to Rival CNN — Rachel Maddow, the biggest star on the MSNBC cable network, just posted her lowest quarterly ratings results ever. — “Morning Joe,” MSNBC's signature morning program, scored its second-lowest quarterly ratings, reaching an average …

George Packer / New Yorker:

The story behind the making of Citizenfour, Laura Poitras' film about Edward Snowden's leaks — The Holder of Secrets — The Holder of Secrets Laura Poitras's closeup view of Edward Snowden. From the garden terrace of a sixth-floor walkup on a quiet Berlin street, there was a clear view to the TV Tower, in Alexanderplatz.

Discussion: Business Insider, @marciahofmann and @atotalmonet

Simon Van Zuylen-Wood / Salon:

“She's not ducking a fight”: How Margaret Sullivan transformed the role of the NYT public editor — As other ombudsmen fade into oblivion, Sullivan is reimagining the relationship between the Times and its readers — When Alessandra Stanley published her now-infamous essay on Shonda Rhimes …

Discussion: @mathewi, @lbennett, @jayrosen_nyu, @emilybell, The New York Observer and @svzwood

Liz Gannes / Re/code:

Google May Lead $500 Million Round in Magic Leap Virtual Reality Tech — Google and other investors are planning a huge investment in Magic Leap, a secretive but boastful company building hardware and software it says will deliver “cinematic reality.” — Sources say Google is leading …

Discussion: VentureBeat

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Between Oliver, Maher and Vice deal, HBO is quietly building what looks like a news unit — Should HBO Open A News Division? — Analysis: Has the Time Warner service become an inadvertent champion of the emerging ‘slow journalism’ movement? “I think you'll see more from us,” says programming chief Lombardo

Discussion: @newsmaven, @ioanina and @staceywoelfel

Alastair Reid / Journalism.co.uk:

How are journalists at risk of vicarious trauma from UGC? — In newsrooms, social media teams and picture desks are faced with more graphic and disturbing imagery than ever before. A recent Journalism.co.uk survey examined how this can impact journalists' wellbeing — Credit: by williambrawley on Flickr.

Mark Sweney / Guardian:

Twitter, Google, AOL and Vice pitch content in London digital upfronts — Firms mimic US TV industry with showcases aimed at advertisers in a sign of growing significance of UK's digital media — A who's who of senior executives from Silicon Valley giants, including Twitter, Google …

Yvonne Villarreal / Los Angeles Times:

AMC backs away from unscripted programming, re-shifts focus to scripted — AMC is undergoing a reality check. — The cable network is dropping most of its unscripted programs to re-shift its focus to maintaining its power in the scripted arena. — The network, in a short time frame …

The Cambodia Daily:

Journalist Investigating Illegal Logging Shot Dead — A 49-year-old journalist reportedly investigating illegal logging in Kratie province was shot dead early Sunday morning. Within hours, police arrested three men—a commune police chief, a military police officer and a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces …

Discussion: Reporters Without Borders, BBC, Associated Press, @reaproy, @simonhendi and Press Gazette

Wall Street Journal:

Book publishers are using YouTube to identify potential bestselling authors — From YouTube Stars, Literary Lions — Book Publishers Sweep Video Site for a New Wave of Authors — Publishers seeking the next hit author have a new hunting ground: YouTube.

Discussion: Engadget, @digitalshields and @keachhagey