Mediagazer: The story behind the making of Citizenfour, Laura Poitras' film about Edward Snowden's leaks (George Packer/New Yorker)

8:05 PM ET, October 13, 2014

Top News:

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 …

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: Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter and @alexweprin

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

David Carr / New York Times:

YouTube's New York production studio set to open in November with a dedicated space for brands — YouTube Takes Manhattan — A few weeks ago, Zayna Aston, a communications executive at Google, met me at the company's offices in Manhattan to show me around YouTube Space New York …

Discussion: @youtubespaceny, SocialTimes, Capital New York, @acoyne and @moth

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

Lee Hyo-won / Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Bros. Korea to Debut Some Films Via Streaming Services — The local premiere of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler rom-com ‘Blended’ will come on IPTV services — Amid the surge of the South Korean online market for movies in recent years, Warner Brothers Korea will make films without …

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: @digitalshields and @keachhagey

Todd Spangler / Variety:

BSkyB invests $500K in web-video aggregator Pluto.tv — BSkyB Invests in Internet-Video Startup Pluto.TV — British satcaster takes $500,000 stake in company, whose other backers include UTA's Jeremy Zimmer and Terry Semel — U.K. satcaster BSkyB has invested $500,000 in web-video aggregator Pluto.TV …