Mediagazer: New York Times Reporter James Risen Laments Lost Art Of Undercover Reporting (Michael Calderone/The Huffington Post)

12:05 AM ET, October 29, 2014

Top News:

Matt Taibbi has taken a leave of absence from First Look Media following dispute, says source — Matt Taibbi Disappears From Omidyar's First Look Media — Matt Taibbi, the star magazine writer hired earlier this year to start a satirical website for billionaire Pierre Omidyar's First Look Media …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, PandoDaily, @paulcarr, @ebboyd, @jayrosen_nyu, Politico, @mtaibbi, @jackshafer, @libertyblitz, New York Times, @mlcalderone, @edpilkington, @jbenton, MediaWire Daily, @brettlogiurato, @tomgara and @ddayen

Ken Doctor / Nieman Lab:

Sun-Times parent Wrapports launching 70 news sites and apps for US metros, aiming to build national news and ad network with local partners — The newsonomics of the Sun-Times national/local network play — Coming, officially today, to your hometown: A templatized, national/local …

Discussion: Chicago Sun Times, Robert Feder, @shoominc, @ckrewson, @mikeziegler, @mikeziegler, @mathewi, @jbenton and Poynter

Rafat Ali / rafat.org:

Why It Is Time For A Vertical Media Collective — For all the hype that media loves to shower on itself, vertical media companies, outlets and startups are the invisible middle child that everyone ignores. Even media reporters writing at vertical media outlets ignore it …

Discussion: @rafat, @tcarmody, @genn4dy, @rafat, @epeckham, @keithbohanna, @kev_burns and @jamiemottram, Thanks:@steverubel

Patrick Howell O'Neill / The Daily Dot:

Verizon's tech news site SugarString won't let writers report on US spying or net neutrality — Verizon is launching a tech news site that bans stories on U.S. spying — Verizon is getting into the news business. What could go wrong? — The most-valuable, second-richest telecommunications company …

Discussion: Business Insider, @tvnewslab, @reckless, @mikeisaac, @fordm, @emptywheel, The Verge, @aidanfeldman, Gizmodo, @klinla and @mattblaze

Amy Schatz / Re/code:

FCC Kicks Off Push to Regulate Internet TV Services Like Cable — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler Tuesday circulated a proposal to regulate Internet TV providers like Aereo, a move that could make it easier for online video services to compete with cable providers.

Discussion: FCC.gov, Variety, Businessweek, Engadget, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Gigaom, National Journal, @tcarmody, Mashable, Bloomberg and The Hill

Kristen Hare / Poynter:

No arrests or prosecutions were made in 90% of journalist murders over the last decade — CPJ: In almost all cases, journalists are still being killed with no consequences — On Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report entitled “The Road to Justice …

Discussion: Committee to Protect …, The Huffington Post, Guardian and Broadcasting & Cable

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

David Gregory to Join Katie Couric for Election Special on Yahoo — David Gregory, who was replaced as host of NBC's “Meet the Press” in August, will appear in a Yahoo midterm election program with Katie Couric, the company said Tuesday. — Mr. Gregory has not formally joined Yahoo …

Discussion: TVNewser, Politico, Mediaite, The Wrap, The Huffington Post, @mlcalderone and @peterlattman

Josh Ong / The Next Web:

Tidal launches as a hi-fi music streaming service with editorial curation and videos — Aspiro Group, the company behind the WiMP Music streaming service in Europe, has launched a new service, Tidal, in the US and UK with a focus on high-fidelity audio, editorial curation and video content.

Discussion: The Verge, Billboard, VentureBeat and Engadget

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

What's in a ‘scoop’? The White House has a strategy for that. — When the New York Times broke a story in June about the Obama administration's plans to expand its immigration-enforcement efforts, rival reporters spied a hidden hand behind the news. With its prescient timing and abundant details …

Discussion: @mlcalderone, @gregorykorte, @alexlazardc, @carloslozadawp and @jonathantamari

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

New York Times Reporter James Risen Laments Lost Art Of Undercover Reporting — NEW YORK — New York Times reporter James Risen acknowledged in his new book, Pay Any Price, that he posed in one instance as an investor to look into money laundering in the Middle East, a break …

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

HBO to Lay Off Over 150 Employees This Week (EXCLUSIVE) — Layoff fever is spreading at Time Warner. — Weeks after the conglom went public with job cuts at its Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting divisions, the HBO unit is expected to trim its own staff as well, according to sources.

Discussion: @awallenstein, CNBC, Bloomberg, Media & Entertainment, Digital Spy, Broadcasting & Cable, The Wrap, @ourand_sbj and @alexweprin

Lauren Goode / Re/code:

YouTube's Wojcicki says they're considering paid ad-free subscriptions, reaffirms a music service is on the way — Susan Wojcicki Wants to Sell You YouTube Video Subscriptions — YouTube is in the early stages of exploring new subscription services, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki told Re/code's Peter Kafka …