Top News:
Karin Laub / Associated Press:
Video purportedly shows Islamic State beheading Japanese journalist Kenji Goto — Video: Islamic State group beheads Japanese journalist — 3 photos — CAIRO (AP) — An online video released Saturday night purported to show an Islamic State group militant behead Japanese journalist Kenji Goto …
Discussion:
AFP, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Gawker, Bloomberg Business, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, New York Magazine, @leighwsj, ta article page latest …, NBC News and Committee to Protect …
Ezra Klein / Vox:
What Andrew Sullivan's exit says about the future of blogging — Andrew Sullivan is leaving blogging. — Crap. — Sullivan — alongside Josh Marshall — basically invented the political blogosphere. So his (temporary?) retirement is giving rise to many a “Blogging Is Dead” column.
Discussion:
The Buttry Diary, Gigaom, Mother Jones, @ben_a_goldfarb, @lock, @tanehisicoates, @elakdawalla, @bill_gardner, @ezraklein, @chanders, @jayrosen_nyu, @felixsalmon, Daring Fireball, @scottros, @mathewi and The Week
Ernesto / TorrentFreak:
The Pirate Bay is now back online after December 9th raid by Swedish police — The Pirate Bay Is Back Online! — Early December The Pirate Bay was raided at the Nacka station, a nuclear-proof data center built into a mountain complex near Stockholm. — After being down for two weeks …
Discussion:
BetaNews, Business Insider, VentureBeat, SlashGear, @mathewi, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Engadget and Mashable
Daniel Terdiman / VentureBeat:
Oculus Super Bowl party could be the future of social sports broadcasting — REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots kick off the NFL's championship game Sunday, friends, family, and coworkers will gather across the country and the world to watch.
Discussion:
Forbes, Pocket-lint, Variety, AdExchanger and AltspaceVR Inc
Henry Blodget / Business Insider:
Yes, Bloomberg should buy the New York Times — and, yes, this would be great for the New York Times — Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is reportedly once again sniffing around and asking whether the New York Times might be for sale. — It almost certainly isn't for sale.
Steven Levy / Backchannel:
Facebook directly querying 600 paid users about News Feed stories to improve ranking algorithms, may expand querying to general population — Revealed: Facebook's Project to Find Out What People Really Want in Their News Feed — Every weekday beginning at around nine …
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu and The Next Web
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Snapchat's first original web series debuts Saturday in Discover, with episodes available for 24 hours — Snapchat's first web series debuts tomorrow in Discover, with episodes available for 24 hours
Discussion:
TVNewser, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Mashable, Mediaite, The Verge, USA Today, Pocket-lint, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Tubefilter, SlashGear, Business Insider and FishbowlNY
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Viki Video Site Founder Leaves CEO Spot, Stays at Rakuten — Razmig Hovaghimian, who founded Web video site Viki and sold it to Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce giant, is leaving his CEO post. — Hovaghimian, who recently moved from Viki's Singapore base to San Francisco …
Discussion:
Tech in Asia
Mathew Ingram / Gigaom:
BuzzFeed gets serious with editorial standards and ethics guide — As it has grown from being a media laboratory in which Jonah Peretti experimented with viral content into a full-fledged media entity worth close to a billion dollars, BuzzFeed has had to amend some of its previous practices …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Poynter, @craignewmark, @mikeisaac, @ryanbeckwith, @evanrodgers, @darlin, @ptrmsk, @s_m_i, @jeffjarvis, @dansinker, @pareene, @jcstearns, @shani_o, @djbentley, @mathewi, @mathewi, @mradamtaylor, Gawker, @shani_o and @chrisjlund
Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
Viacom Layoffs Likely Coming This Quarter — Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman hinted at looming layoffs at his company during a Thursday morning investors call. On Friday, the company president's comments were confirmed to TheWrap as a warning for job-cutting in the near-to-intermediate future.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable
Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:
How Elite Daily sold for $40-50 million to Daily Mail — Daily Mail just acquired the media startup Elite Daily for $40 million to $50 million, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal. — But when Daily Mail's US CEO Jon Steinberg was first told to meet with Elite Daily in June, he blew it off.
Discussion:
@infatuation, @dennishegstad, @joshelman, @rafat, @lock, @bevebedwards and @robanthonyc
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Charlie Lankston For / Daily Mail:
Daily Mail online publisher DMG Media acquires millennial-focused website Elite Daily
Discussion:
Elite Daily, Gawker, TechCrunch, Author Earnings, @tomgara, Wall Street Journal, @pkafka, @marksweney, @profjeffjarvis, @pkafka, @pkafka, New York Times, FishbowlNY, bizjournals, The Drum, Reuters, @maura, Business Insider, @michaelroston, @perlberg, @broderick, @rafat, @henrymance and @neetzan
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
AOL To Lay Off About 150 People, Mostly In Sales; Folding Joystiq, TUAW Into Engadget — Some more details are emerging around AOL's reorganization plans. Sources tell us that the company will lay off around 150 people, with the majority in sales. As part of it, AOL is also consolidating some websites.
Discussion:
Gamasutra, Boing Boing, Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg Business, Patently Apple, The Business Times, Hardcore Gamer, Wall Street Journal, HotHardware.com News, FishbowlNY, MacRumors, @larakiara, Business Insider, 9to5Mac, Electronista, @harrymccracken, The Verge, The Next Web and @reckless
Hadas Gold / Politico:
Reporters were chaperoned everywhere in one Philadelphia hotel during US House Democrats' retreat — At retreat, Dem staffers escort reporters to restroom — Reporters covering the House Democrats' retreat in Philadelphia this week are having a much different experience than when they're on their home turf on Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, @bdayspring, @elisefoley, Mediaite and @ron_fournier
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