Top News:
Emily Bell / Guardian:
As distribution moves to platforms like Facebook and carriers implement ad blocking, news websites are in danger of losing control of their business — As publishers lose control, are newspaper websites a dead parrot? — Adblocking and the power of platforms such as Facebook threaten to block the pipes that lead to readers
Discussion:
AdExchanger, @sulliview, New York Times, @dlknowles, @raju, @mrsbunz, mUmBRELLA, @lauraelizdavis, @dskok, @ptr_yeung, @emilybell, @emilybell and Mashable
Noah Robischon / Fast Company:
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti and President Greg Coleman on how company uses data and local knowledge to tailor and leverage international coverage — BuzzFeed's Global Domination Plan: The Techniker Has Been Informed — BuzzFeed is expanding across the globe—and tackling one of advertising's greatest challenges.
Discussion:
Fast Company, @eawharton and @petersterne
Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:
Ex-Buzzfeed president Jon Steinberg launches Cheddar, a video streaming startup for millennials covering CNBC-like topics, with $3M in funding — Former BuzzFeed president Jon Steinberg launches Cheddar, a CNBC for millennials, with $3 million in funding — Jon Steinberg …
Discussion:
Media Wire Daily, @felixsalmon, Mediaite, @profjeffjarvis, @jbenton, @petersterne, @mollywood and The New York Observer
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
SiriusXM succeeds financially as other radio and digital music outlets struggle, but internet in cars poses a threat — SiriusXM Fights to Dominate the Dashboard of the Connected Car — On the 36th floor of a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper, the actors Ice Cube and Kevin Hart joshed …
Discussion:
@mgsiegler, @robsilver and @nytimesbusiness
Ahmed Aboulenein / Reuters:
Egypt jails author for two years over sexually explicit novel — An Egyptian court has sentenced an author to two years in jail for public indecency after excerpts of his sexually explicit novel were published in a literary newspaper. — A chapter from Ahmed Naji's novel Istikhdam al-Hayat …
CNN:
Case in front of US Supreme Court raises First Amendment questions after student rapper who wrote protest song gets suspended from high school — Killer Mike: Free speech — unless it's rap? — Killer Mike and Stephen Colbert talk race in America — Mike Render, Erik Nielson …
Discussion:
@whatthebit
Laura Mallonee / Wired:
A look at how Hausa Muslim women in northern Nigeria are braving censorship to self-publish despite patriarchal pressure and Boko Haram threat — The Subversive Women Who Self-Publish Novels Amid Jihadist War — The 30 million Hausa of northern Nigeria have a history going back more than a 1,000 years.
Seyhmus Çakan / Reuters:
Three journalists for Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency released after being captured and held for 48+ hours by Kurdish militants, their equipment confiscated — Three Turkish journalists freed after kidnapping by Kurdish militants: agency — DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) …
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Middle East Eye
BBC:
Turkey releases Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah — A Syrian journalist who was arrested on Wednesday in Turkey has been released without charge and with no explanation as to why he was detained, he announced on Facebook. — However Rami Jarrah said in his post that his detention appeared to be related to his work in Syria.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Foreign Policy, Hurriyet Daily News, The Huffington Post, Middle East Eye and Guardian
Gregg Carlstrom / Columbia Journalism Review:
How Benjamin Netanyahu has quietly extended his reach to every corner of Israeli media — What's driving Israel's media crackdown? — In the past few months, a veteran Israeli radio presenter lost half his airtime because he asked a top security official a tough question.
Discussion:
@davidsheen, @cameraorg and @davidsheen
Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
Pressure builds for Viacom to sell assets as stock falls, confidence in Dauman falters; analyst thinks company could get $5.5B for Paramount, $11.1B for MTV — Should Viacom Sell Paramount? Analyst Pressure Builds — EMAIL ME — CEO Philippe Dauman may need to act soon as the stock sinks …
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Viacom participated in Roku's last funding round, which brought in $45.5M — Viacom Invests in Roku — Viacom has joined the ranks of big media and TV companies investing in Roku, the Web video streaming hardware and software company. — The cable programmer participated …