Mediagazer: Spain passes LPI law allowing publishers to charge aggregators that link to news stories; effective January 2015 (Pamela Rolfe/Hollywood Reporter)

12:50 AM ET, October 31, 2014

Top News:

First Look Media opens up about Matt Taibbi's departure, details months of internal turmoil — The Inside Story Of Matt Taibbi's Departure From First Look Media — Matt Taibbi, who joined First Look Media just seven months ago, left the company on Tuesday.

Rafat Ali / rafat.org:

It's About To Get Ugly in Media Startupland — As I look out to 2015, so much froth in the media-tech market, and it is still all on the up, mostly Newton's law, but the cracks are beginning to show in medialand, and it will likely get ugly. The big-funded sub-standard media startups & brand …

Discussion: @rafat, @kevglobal, @jen_mcfadden, @chrisseper, @dangillmor, @anildash and @dwayneroper

Gawker:

What Are The Odds These New Media Brands Will Survive? A Power Ranking — It was a sunny morning like any other (it was yesterday) when the shocking news fell on Mediatown: The future of a much-ballyhooed web startup, Racket, was in Limbo's grasp, due to warring egos, shifting amounts of start-up capital …

Discussion: @kavithadavidson, @joepompeo, @franciediep, @newsmary, @max_read, @anildash, @palafo, @zachprague, @majorcbs, @fmanjoo, @rafat, @versharma, @mathewi, @om, @edbott, @nitashatiku, @ravisomaiya and @charlottelytton

Rick Edmonds / Poynter:

9 takeways from the New York Times Co. 3rd quarter earnings call — The New York Times Co. joined McClatchy yesterday in booking a rare operating loss for the third quarter, $9 million or about 2.5 percent on revenues of $364.7 million. — But the many moving parts of the Times digital …

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
Times brass tout native, digital subs as bright spots

Discussion: Nieman Lab, AdAge and MediaWire Daily

New York Times:
NYT Q3 results: $364.7M revenue, 1.3% increased circulation, operating loss of $9M, digital subs up 20% year-on-year

Discussion: New York Times, Associated Press, Poynter, Wall Street Journal, NetNewsCheck Latest, @joycelaunews, @whatthebit, @byheatherlong and Forbes

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

Washington Post will soon have an all-male masthead — The Washington Post announced today that Usha Chaudhary, its chief financial officer and vice president for finance and administration, would depart Nov. 21 to take a leadership post at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, @jillfilipovic, @emptywheel, @grouchybagels, @zielina, @nycjim, @clarajeffery, @mshannabrooks, @doreeshafrir and @weymouthk

Jordan Chariton / The Wrap:

Al Jazeera America Viewers Down Nearly 50 Percent From Current TV's Numbers — The winner and loser of the lawsuit between Al Jazeera America and former Current TV CEO Al Gore is yet to be determined, but ratings comparisons between the two show a clear winner. — See photos: Is One of These the Next Al Jazeera America Chief?

Pamela Rolfe / Hollywood Reporter:

Spain passes LPI law allowing publishers to charge aggregators that link to news stories; effective January 2015 — Spain Passes Much-Debated Intellectual Property Law — Critics complain of an unenforceable Google tax and missed opportunity for clear anti-piracy law

Discussion: Techdirt, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, @ronald_mooij, The Verge and Gizmodo

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Vice Media Pacts with Rogers for $100 Million Canadian Studio Venture — Vice Media and Canada's Rogers Communications, a media and communications conglom, have formed a $100 million joint venture to create a multimedia production studio dedicated to original programming from the Great White North.

Discussion: Globe and Mail, Gawker, Forbes, @johnmccauley, AdAge, City A.M., Media & Entertainment, Tubefilter and @rmcomedy

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

Jina Moore's Ebola Story, And Why BuzzFeed News Is Investing In Foreign Correspondents — “You have to be in a kind of dialogue that involves eye contact.” — BuzzFeed News' Jina Moore arrived on Oct. 13 for her second trip to Liberia since the largest epidemic of Ebola on record spiraled out of control this summer.

Discussion: @fernandanyt, @lexinyt, @kiragoldenberg, @miriamelder, @susarm and New York Times

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

Industry vet launches Global Music Rights promising 30% higher royalties from radio and online — New Venture Seeks Higher Royalties for Songwriters — Smokey Robinson, the Eagles, Bruno Mars, John Lennon and Megadeth would not seem to have much in common.

Discussion: hypebot, RAIN News, Music Week and AllAccess.com

Carol Morello / Washington Post:

Family of jailed Washington Post journalist, held for 100 days, asks Iran to free him — The family of a Washington Post reporter held without charge in Iran for more than three months called Wednesday on the authorities in Tehran to free him. — An open letter signed by Jason Rezaian's brother …

Discussion: New York Times, @thekarami, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, #JasonAndYegi and @rezamarashi

Gene Johnson / Associated Press:

AP asks for accounting of fake FBI news stories — SEATTLE (AP) — Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and The Associated Press sent separate letters to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday expressing concerns that the FBI faked an AP story to catch a bomb threat suspect in 2007.

Discussion: The Hill, @jcstearns and @tbridis

Ramin Setoodeh / Variety:

ABC News Takes Over ‘The View’ As Ratings Dwindle (Exclusive) — Incoming president Ben Sherwood steers franchise to division's non-fiction arm — For 18 seasons, “The View” has been one of the crown jewels of ABC Daytime programming block. But in a significant restructuring …