Top News:
Ted Bridis / Associated Press:
In 2014 US censored or denied access to 39% of FOIA requests, with unanswered requests up 55% — US sets new record for denying, censoring government files — 1 photo — WASHINGTON (AP) — For the second consecutive year, the Obama administration more often than ever censored government files …
Discussion:
Guardian, The Verge, Hit & Run, @ap, @tbridis, @dangillmor, @attackerman, @aliwatkins, @gtconboy, @propublica, The Week and sunshineweek.rcfp.org
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Josh Hicks / Washington Post:
A Sunshine Week surprise: White House exempts executive office from records requests — The White House on Tuesday removed a longstanding government-transparency rule that the George W. Bush administration first opposed, exempting President Obama's Office of Administration from records requests.
Discussion:
Guardian, Bloomberg Business, Poynter and USA Today
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
Guardian, FT, CNN, Reuters, and Economist launch new programmatic advertising alliance Pangaea to take on Facebook and Google — Guardian, FT, CNN and Reuters in ad deal to take on Facebook and Google — Pangaea Alliance initiative will give brands access to more than 110 million online readers using programmatic advertising system
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Guardian, Mashable, Capital New York, Beet.TV, Digiday, Wall Street Journal, The Drum, @ylichterman, Business Insider, @heathat, PerformanceIN, mUmBRELLA, Mediatel, The Drum and Financial Times
Jeremy Barr / Capital New York:
New York Times adding 20 online opinion writers — The New York Times is bringing on 20 new online-focused writers as contributors for its op-ed and Sunday Review sections, editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal and op-ed/Sunday Review editor Trish Hall announced in a Wednesday afternoon memo.
Discussion:
@logandobson
Farhad Manjoo / New York Times:
Gigaom's challenges: poor leadership, spending beyond means, inattention to longterm problems — Digital Media Darlings Unfazed by the Fall of the News Site Gigaom — In the week and a half since the technology news site Gigaom stopped publishing, it has been held up as a cautionary tale for media in a go-go era.
Discussion:
@fmanjoo, @rafat, @dangillmor, Boing Boing, @ravisomaiya, @mathewi and @jayrosen_nyu
Dylan Byers / Politico:
Longtime political blogger Mickey Kaus quits Daily Caller after Editor in Chief Tucker Carlson pulls column critical of Fox News — Mickey Kaus quits Daily Caller after Tucker Carlson pulls critical Fox News column — The blogger Mickey Kaus has quit his job at The Daily Caller …
Discussion:
Poynter, LA Observed, @kausmickey, The Huffington Post, TVNewser, Muck Rack, Talking Points Memo, VDARE.COM, Hit & Run, @petedominick, VDARE.COM, @voxdotcom, Mediaite, Gawker, Vox, @mattyglesias, @brianstelter, @daveweigel, @davidfolkenflik and @tomgara
Sarah Ellison / Vanity Fair:
Inside New York Times Reporter James Risen's Seven Year Fight Against the Government — For seven years, Risen lived under the threat of jail for refusing to reveal a confidential source. When the government backed off, some saw a victory for freedom of the press.
Discussion:
@cgasparino, @michaeloreskes, @cressman, @peacockc and The Newspaper Guild
Kyle Russell / TechCrunch:
Ustream opening up its internal SDK and API to developers, enabling anyone to build Meerkat-like apps, by invitation only for now — Ustream's New Live-Broadcasting SDK Lets You Build Your Own Meerkat — Call it a sign of the times: hot on the heels of Meerkat's sudden boom …
Jeremy Barr / Capital New York:
Viral content upstart Playbuzz raises $16 million funding round — Viral content publisher Playbuzz, having mastered the Internet—to the tune of 80 million monthly unique visitors—is taking on New York City and the rest of the world. — The company, founded in 2012 by Shaul Olmert …
Sydney Ember / New York Times:
Kantar report: Biggest advertisers cut spending by 4.2% in 2014 amid shift to digital media — Biggest Advertisers Are Sending Their Dollars to Digital — The country's largest marketers are slashing their advertising budgets as they shift a larger portion of their spending to digital …
Nathan Ingraham / The Verge:
Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming TV service launches today in NYC, Chicago, and Philadelphia, starts at $50/month with about 50 channels including CBS, Fox, NBC — Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming TV service launches today in New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia
Discussion:
Forbes, Variety, Mashable, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Bloomberg Business, CNET, Reuters, Polygon and Engadget
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
Nine broadcasters petition FCC to change disclosure rules for paid programming from spoken on air, to written online — Radio Broadcasters Seek Changes in Disclosure Rules for Paid Programming — A group of radio broadcasters has asked for changes to federal rules about how stations …
Discussion:
@paulgla, @gsterling, AdAge, Future of Music Coalition and @tvnewslab
Natasha Lennard / Fusion:
The NYPD's subtle changes to Wikipedia entries make black victims seem more threatening — NYPD officers editing the Wikipedia pages of black men killed by police conjures a dystopian picture. From within the brutalist edifice of Manhattan's 1 Police Plaza, cops logged in to the online encyclopedia …
David Bloom / Deadline:
Gumroad Adds Rental Option To Online-Video Distribution Service For Filmmakers — Gumroad, which provides behind-the-scenes technology that allows filmmakers and distributors to directly sell their movies and other videos online to consumers, has added Rentals, a function that will allow people …
Discussion:
Tech Times, The Next Web, Forbes and TechCrunch
John McDermott / Digiday:
I want my Kik: MTV embraces the ‘post-website’ publishing era — “I Kik my MTV” just doesn't have quite the right ring to it. But the network launched an account on messaging app Kik last Wednesday in the hopes of building — and eventually monetizing — its presence on the platform.
Margaret Sullivan / New York Times:
Public editor on push notifications as spoilers, when to honor embargoes, and disclosure of reporters on TV — Spoilers, Embargoes, Disclosures and ‘Jinx’ — For some of those enthralled with HBO's documentary series “The Jinx,” the Sunday night news alert from The Times was the very definition of a spoiler.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Curbed NY, NOLA River and Mother Jones
Alex Weprin / Capital New York:
Discovery Channel founder launches nonfiction on-demand streaming CuriosityStream for $3-$6/month — Discovery Channel founder enters the streaming fray — Video streaming services are no longer avant-garde. With HBO Now joining Netflix, Hulu and others like Sling TV …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, VideoInk, StreamDaily and StreetInsider.com