Top News:
Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:
Some Gawker editorial staff in early stages of trying to unionize — Why We've Decided to Organize — Some of us on the Gawker Media editorial staff have decided to try to unionize. Here's a brief explanation. — I will say first of all that I'd prefer not to be writing this story yet …
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@paulcarr, @tcarmody, @susie_c, New York Times, @caseynewton, WWD, CNBC, @michaelroston, The New York Observer, @glennf, @kstoeffel, @dorseyshaw and The Huffington Post
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Rem Rieder / USA Today:
The details of Engel's kidnapping story raise more difficult questions for NBC News — Rieder: Syria story means more trouble for NBC News — The last thing NBC News needs is another serious problem. But it looks like it's got one. — It's bad enough that the network has to figure …
Discussion:
The Intercept, The Daily Beast, @xeni, The Huffington Post, Daily Mail, Deadline and Los Angeles Times
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Emily Steel / New York Times:
Vanity Fair Updates Article by NBC Reporter Engel — Vanity Fair on Thursday updated the account it had published by the NBC News correspondent Richard Engel about his 2012 kidnapping in Syria, stating that he had misidentified his captors. — An Editor's Note posted to the top of the article …
Discussion:
NBC News, Mediaite, The Huffington Post and New York Times
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Verizon's video service for wireless customers likely won't have top college games or pro sports, based on current deals — Sports Fans May Not Get What They Want With Verizon's New Video Service — Verizon has announced more programming for the video service it will roll out this year for its wireless customers.
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Consumerist
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Verizon Inks Internet TV Pacts with ESPN, CBS Sports and Others for College Sports
Verizon Inks Internet TV Pacts with ESPN, CBS Sports and Others for College Sports
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StreetInsider.com
Philip Wen / Sydney Morning Herald:
Chinese journalist Gao Yu jailed for 7 years for leaking state secrets — The 71-year-old journalist was detained before the 25th anniversary of the suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. — Beijing: A respected veteran Chinese journalist has been sentenced to seven years jail …
Discussion:
Financial Times, Agence France-Presse and CNN
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Verizon offering FiOS TV packages with mix-and-match channel packs that viewers can swap out each month; plans start at $54.99 — Verizon's New Pay TV Pitch Isn't A La Carte TV. But It's Getting Closer. — People who say they hate paying for cable TV often say they only want to pay …
Discussion:
@pkafka
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Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Netflix Aims at TV, Not HBO, Says CEO Reed Hastings
Netflix Aims at TV, Not HBO, Says CEO Reed Hastings
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Reuters, PRNewser, Business Insider, The A.V. Club, CNET, Reuters, CBS News, TIME, Wired, Business Insider, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Business, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, New York Times, CNBC, The Verge, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, TechCrunch, The Verge and VentureBeat
Shaun Walker / Guardian:
Hollywood's Child 44 pulled in Russia after falling foul of culture ministry — Fears of censorship in Russia as Ridley Scott film about serial killer, starring Gary Oldman, withdrawn over ‘distortion of facts and interpretation of events’ — A Hollywood film about a Soviet serial killer …
Discussion:
Featured Articles and RT
Bill Mickey / Folio:
Breaking Media, which runs Fashionista, Above the Law, and other niche sites, raises $1.5M — Breaking Media Raises $1.5 Million Round — Breaking Media, a network of sites for professionals in the government, legal, fashion and energy markets, raised a $1.5 million round of funding, the company announced.
Richard Horgan / FishbowlNY:
Layoffs Hit Hollywood Reporter, Billboard Magazine — While our sister publications The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard continue to experience digital growth, the titles are seeing a realignment of resources today. FishbowlNY has learned 10 people, including four editorial staffers …
Discussion:
The Wrap and LA Observed
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
WikiLeaks launches easy search interface for 30K documents and emails from Sony Pictures hack — Sony Hack: WikiLeaks Publishes More Than 30,000 Documents — On Thursday, WikiLeaks published more than 30,000 documents and 170,000 emails from Sony Pictures, obtained from a hack …
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New York Times, The Wrap, Capital New York, CNNMoney, Variety, The Verge, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Deadline, @kashhill, Re/code, @mmasnick, Latest News & Headlines, Guardian and Rolling Stone
Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
New York Daily News continues sale talks with supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis and media magnate James Dolan, aiming for price above $150M — Daily News in second-round talks with Dolan, Catsimatidis — The sale of Mort Zuckerman's Daily News appears to be advancing as the paper meets with its suitors.
Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic Online:
How NPR Tote Bags Became a Thing — Tote bags are so synonymous with public broadcasting in the United States that they're as much a physical manifestation of NPR as a radio. The humble tote bag is, and has been for much of the network's 44-year existence, a powerful brand extension.