Top News:
Jack Marshall / Wall Street Journal:
AOL acquires VR company RYOT; 25 staffers to form unit under The Huffington Post, working with TechCrunch, Engadget, clients of AOL's branded content division — Verizon's AOL Buys Virtual Reality Video Specialist RYOT — The company will form a new unit under AOL's Huffington Post division
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Business Wire, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Fortune, IR.net, ZDNet, VatorNews, CNET, IR.net, Reuters, Editor & Publisher, FishbowlNY, Variety and The Wrap
Lara O'Reilly / Business Insider:
Google claims YouTube ads generate better return on investment than TV in 77% of cases after analysis of 56 campaigns across eight countries — Google attacks TV, saying YouTube ads generate a better return on investment most of the time — Google is once again directly targeting TV advertising budgets …
Discussion:
Guardian, The Next Web, Business Insider, BGR, Tech News Today, The Huffington Post and The Drum
Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:
New York Daily News fires an editor for removing attribution from columns by writer Shaun King, who was accused of plagiarism — Daily News fires editor after Shaun King accused of plagiarism — The New York Daily News has fired one of its editors for removing attribution from columns …
Discussion:
The Intercept, The Daily Beast, New York Times, New York Daily News, @kimberlynfoster, @mattdpearce, BuzzFeed, Slate, @hunterw, @hunterw, @shaunking, Breitbart, New York Post, FishbowlNY, Gawker, iMediaEthics, Mediaite, The Wrap, Poynter, @dylanbyers, @ohthemaryd, @dylanbyers, Death and Taxes, Mediaite, @justinjm1, @shaunking, @noahshachtman, @justinjm1, @mcmoynihan, @petersterne, @dylanbyers, @petersterne, @pauldebenedetto, @richarddeitsch, @shaunking, @tomkludt, @joeprich, @zpower and @parspec
Reporters Without Borders:
World Press Freedom Index: Europe has freest media, North Africa/Middle East has least free; Finland ranked 1st, Tunisia and Ukraine rose most, Poland fell most — 2016 World Press Freedom Index - leaders paranoid about journalists — Organisation — RSF_en
Discussion:
CNNMoney, Washington Post, Hong Kong Free Press, TNP, dna, The Hill, Asian Correspondent, The Independent, The Moscow Times, ABC, FishbowlDC, Public Radio of Armenia, Uatoday.tv, RAPPLER, Ghana Business News, The Local, The Online Citizen, Malaysiakini, The Local, Press Gazette, SWI swissinfo.ch and The Local
Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:
Accelerated Mobile Pages launches on Google News — Google on Wednesday announced that it's integrating Google News with Accelerated Mobile Pages, the burgeoning web standard that aims to make the mobile web faster. — Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, launched on Google Search earlier …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Google News Blog, 9to5Google, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Marketing Land
David Lieberman / Deadline:
Comcast announces Xfinity TV Partner Program, allowing subscribers to watch without its set-top box, starting with Samsung Smart TVs, Roku boxes later this year — Comcast Introduces Plan To Let TV Subs Watch Without Its Set-Top Box — Comcast is relaxing its grip on the set-top box …
Discussion:
Comcast, Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, @briandietz, @shiraovide, Engadget and Business Wire
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
American Press Institute study examining ethics of giving to nonprofit news organizations finds 6 of 10 funders gave grants for specific stories — An ethical quandary for nonprofit journalism — are funders calling the shots? — The American Press Institute — and an axis …
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @ampress, @poynter, Current and Talking New Media
Tara Conlan / Guardian:
BBC News creates controller role for mobile and online as overhaul begins — James Harding reveals plans to organise news, mobile and online under new controller as part of reshaping of division in face of around £80m cuts by 2022 — BBC News is creating a controller of mobile …
Discussion:
The Drum and Mobile Industry Review
Jasper Jackson / Guardian:
Bloomberg launches Middle East edition of website and will open Dubai studio to begin broadcasting in May — Bloomberg to launch Middle East edition — Move - which will include opening a studio in Dubai - is part of expansion that has included sites for Europe and Asia in past year
Discussion:
Politico, Gulf News, FishbowlNY, Editor & Publisher and Broadband TV News
Tony Semerad / Salt Lake Tribune:
Paul Huntsman, brother of ex-Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., is buying The Salt Lake Tribune from Digital First Media — Huntsman family buying The Salt Lake Tribune, hopes to ensure ‘independent voice for future generations’ — The Salt Lake Tribune is being purchased by the Huntsman family.
Discussion:
Politico, Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, @ralstonreports, Salt Lake Magazine, Poynter and @gdebenedetti
Megan Levy / Sydney Morning Herald:
Reporter Tara Brown and 60 Minutes TV crew released in Lebanon, returning to Australia — 60 Minutes crew freed in Lebanon: Tara Brown says it's ‘great to be going home’ — 60 Minutes: mother and TV crew freed — Channel Nine says mother Sally Faulkner and the 60 Minutes crew …
Discussion:
New York Times, NEWS.com.au, Sydney Morning Herald, Associated Press and 9news.com.au
Curt Anderson / Associated Press:
Family of journalist Steven Sotloff sues Syria in US court claiming government supported ISIS militants who carried out beheading — Family of journalist slain by Islamic State sues Syria — MIAMI (AP) — The family of slain journalist Steven Sotloff is suing Syria in U.S. court …
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Daily Mail, Newsweek, Sky News, i24news, UPI and The Irish Times