Mediagazer: Japan's new state secrets law sparks concerns about governmental control over the press (Anna Fifield/Washington Post)

7:20 PM ET, December 11, 2014

Top News:

Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:

Google News is right to shut down in Spain in order to fight against the link tax and for the freedom of the web — Spain's link tax forces Google News to shut there — Google News just announced that Spain's recently passed link tax has forced the net giant to remove Spanish publishers …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, New York Times, @charliebeckett, @albertocairo, @jeffjarvis and @craignewmark

Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land:
Google News to shut down in Spain Dec. 16 in response to recently passed Spanish copyright law

Anna Fifield / Washington Post:

Japan's new state secrets law sparks concerns about governmental control over the press — Suffering a media free-for-all, Japanese press now has the government weighing in — In Japan this year, the reporters have become the reported. — It's seems there's been one journalism furor …

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

Why Publishing Stolen Sony Data is Problematic but Necessary — The more Sony Pictures data keeps leaking, the more my moral compass spins like a weather vane in a hurricane. — What just a week ago seemed such a clear-cut case of doing what my instincts have told me do to every other moment …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, @paullferrer, Fusion, @awallenstein, @hunterschwarz, @cliftonwiens, @merrillbarr, @jimmaiella, @sg, @dangillmor, Forbes, Computerworld and LA Observed

Re/code:
Sources: Sony Pictures using AWS to execute denial-of-service attack on sites where its stolen data is available

Discussion: New York Times, Mashable, CNNMoney.com, Variety, CNBC, Guardian, ZDNet, @eriqgardner, Ubergizmo, @csoghoian, @justinbrookman, @jpnkevin_t, TIME, @kennwhite, ReadWrite, @patphelan, The Verge, @mikeisaac, Gizmodo, BGR, Business Insider, @mammavalenzuela, The Next Web, @waltmossberg, @fmanjoo, @xor, Engadget, @eastdakota, @kevinmitnick, @dangillmor and @csoghoian

Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:

Hearst buys 25% of DreamWorks Animation's AwesomenessTV for $81.25M, valuing it at $325M — Hearst Acquires $81 Million Stake in DreamWorks Animation's AwesomenessTV — Hearst Corp. has acquired a 25 percent stake in DreamWorks Animation's AwesomenessTV worth $81.25 million, the companies announced Thursday.

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline, Reuters, Associated Press and @ben_baby

Peter Sterne / Capital New York:

Internal dissension over gamergate contributed to Gawker reorganization and cost company seven figures in ad revenue — Gawker discusses cost of ‘gamergate’ — The “gamergate” controversy cost Gawker Media “seven figures” in lost advertising revenue, the company's head of advertising Andrew Gorenstein …

Discussion: @tmcgev, FishbowlNY, @jeffreymberry, Talking Points Memo, @buzzfeedandrew, @tmcgev, @heminator, @joepompeo, @jessesingal, New York Magazine, bookforum.com, Politico and Bloomberg

Al Jazeera English:

Mahran Al Deeri of the Al Jazeera Arabic website dies while covering battles in city of Al Sheikh Maskin in rural Daraa. — Al Jazeera Media Network has announced the death of its Arabic correspondent in Syria, Mahran Al Deeri, while covering battles in the city of Al Sheikh Maskin in rural Daraa.

Discussion: Reuters, Associated Press, Committee to Protect …, Premium Times Nigeria, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, International Business Times, @billneelynbc, The Huffington Post and @asher_wolf

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Conservative link blogs like Drudge Report and Lucianne.com continue to lead discussion and traffic amid newer, better designed media sites — Why Matt Drudge and Lucianne Goldberg still rule the conservative media roost — A flock of (relatively) new conservative media sites …

Discussion: @jonahnro, @doreenhdickson, @niemanlab and Slate

David Uberti / Columbia Journalism Review:

Senate torture report details CIA's media strategy — How the spy agency manipulated press coverage of secret programs — The Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture of terrorism suspects not only reignited a national debate over the former interrogation policies …

Discussion: New York Times, Capital New York, Latest News & Headlines and The Huffington Post

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Our Bad Media points out lifting of passages and quotes by Malcolm Gladwell; New Yorker editor Remnick responds, remarks on difficulty of crediting sources — Zakaria critics turn their attention to Malcolm Gladwell — Delphic media bloggers @crushingbort and @blippoblappo …

Discussion: Our Bad Media, Capital New York, @crushingbort, The Daily Dot, Mediaite, @blippoblappo, @blippoblappo, Our Bad Media and @mrtimregan

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Spotify Now Converts What Friends Listen To Into A “Top Tracks In Your Network” Playlist — Now you can listen to Spotify like you read the Facebook News Feed. Spotify's new “Top Tracks In Your Network” is a personalized, constantly updated playlist based on what the people you follow are listening to.

Discussion: Ubergizmo, The Next Web, The Verge, App Advice, Engadget, VentureBeat and Forbes

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Leslie Moonves Extends Contract as CBS CEO Through June 2019 — Leslie Moonves Extends CBS Contract Through June 2019 — SPOTLIGHT — Awards Season Coverage — FEATURED

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline and Capital New York

Corey Hutchins / Columbia Journalism Review:

Talk that Clarity Media Group might restart the Rocky Mountain News could be a bargaining chip in negotiations to buy the Denver Post — Will Denver really have a newspaper war? — As a billionaire floats reviving the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post might buckle its chin strap