Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.
Rolling Stone Writer: McChrystal Pals 'Were Lying' About Ground Rules (Aol / DailyFinance)
Michael Hastings, whose reporting compelled the White House to fire Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, does not mince words when it comes to allegations that he broke pre-arranged ground rules or agreements to go off the record. "They were lying," Hastings said, referring to the unnamed sources who leveled the accusations last month as fallout from his story mounted. "What they said to The Washington Post and, I think, to the Army Times is fiction. And they know that."
Scott Rosenberg: Why Are News Corrections So Hard? (KDMC)
From Andrew Breitbart to the New York Post, it's clear that many news professionals and organizations have some issues with making corrections. Scott Rosenberg, Mediabugs founder, contends that in general, blogs seem more willing and able than most news organizations to make corrections to stories. Part of this problem is the nature of media tools: It's free and very easy to simply add some strikethrough formatting or clarifying/corrective text to a story when you publish using blogging software like Wordpress.
An Altered BP Photo Leads The Blogosphere (Journalism.org)
Last week, the two most popular stories among bloggers highlighted the roles of -- and differences between -- traditional journalism and digital media in a rapidly changing news universe. An altered photograph of BP's crisis center during its Gulf cleanup that was first identified by blogger John Aravosis of Americablog provided an example of how social media play an important role as fact-checkers. And a satirical piece by a Washington Post staffer focused on the dramatic changes in newspaper journalism.
More Newsfeed here...
In this encore edition of the Morning Media Menu, we spoke with National Book Award-winning author Tim O'Brien--reflecting on the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking collection about Vietnam, The Things They Carried.
O'Brien's book has influenced a generation of writers, changing the way we write about war. As the Iraq War continues to divide the country, his fiction has never been more timely.
Press play on the embedded player below to listen. Follow this link to read excerpts from the interview.
You can listen to all the past podcasts archived at mediabistro.com or download episodes for free on iTunes.
Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Daily Newsfeed via email.
Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.
Post Co. Balks At A Newsweek Bidder's Ties To National Enquirer (WSJ)
The Washington Post Co. is balking at selling Newsweek to Avenue Capital Group amid concerns over the hedge fund's plans to partner with the publisher of the National Enquirer, people familiar with the matter said. Within the past two weeks, Post Co. expressed uneasiness about Avenue's proposal, which involves using American Media, Inc. to handle advertising and other back-office functions. NYT: As The Washington Post Company prepares to sell Newsweek, it is closely examining an offer from billionaire Sidney Harman. At the moment, Harman's offer seems likely to appeal most to the Washington Post's chairman, Donald E. Graham, and the company's board because it proposes to keep the vast majority of Newsweek's 325 employees in their jobs, including the magazine's top management and editors.
True/Slant Shutting Down (WebNewser)
The May acquisition of True/Slant by Forbes Media turned out to be the death knell for the digital news site, as writer and reporter Neal Ungerleider said in a blog post that operations would wind down at the end of the month. Ungerleider added that he hoped to work with other True/Slant staffers on a yet-to-be-disclosed project. True/Slant: "This is my last post for True/Slant. The site, unfortunately, is winding down operations at the end of July," writes Ungerleider. "To be honest, I'll miss True/Slant. The idea of matching experienced writers with a guaranteed network of advertisers and readers and a salary is a good one."
Ellen DeGeneres To Leave 'American Idol' (Mediaweek)
Ellen DeGeneres has announced her resignation from Fox's "American Idol" after only one season. "A couple months ago, I let Fox and the 'American Idol' producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me," said DeGeneres in a prepared statement. "I told them I wouldn't leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for."
ESPN Killed That LeBron Story Because Reporter 'Did Not Properly Identify Himself' (Deadspin)
ESPN now says in a statement that Arash Markazi's LeBacchanalia story was pulled because "Arash did not ... clearly state his intentions to write a story." Says Markazi: "It is important to note that I stand by the accuracy of the story in its entirety, but should have been clearer in representing my intent to write about the events I observed." There has been talk that Markazi might be suspended.
Shirley Sherrod Vows To Sue Conservative Blogger Who Misrepresented Her Remarks (LAT)
Shirley Sherrod, the federal agriculture official who was forced out of her job after conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a heavily edited portion of a speech she had made, said Thursday that she believes her experience provides a fresh opportunity for a discussion of race issues in the nation. Sherrod also said Thursday she will sue Breitbart. She said he has not offered her an apology, nor does she want one.
Mag Publishers, Apple In Subscription App Scrap (NY Post)
Only three months ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was being hailed as a potential savior in the publishing world for getting magazines involved in the launch of the iPad. Now he's involved in a behind-the-scenes tug-of-war over annual subscriptions and the question of whether to share customer data with the publishers. Nobody seems willing to budge, and as a result, there are no annual subscription offers on the iPad, only single-copy sales of titles such as GQ, Time, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair and Wired.
Computerworld, SC Magazine Win Magazine Of The Year From ASBPE (Folio:)
Technology magazines may be increasingly looked at as secondary vehicles for serving their markets by their own publishers, but IDG's Computerworld took top honors in the over $2 million in annual revenue category while Haymarket's SC Magazine (covering IT security) won the under $2 million in annual revenue category in the Magazine of the Year competition sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Oprah, Rolling Stone, ESPN Among June Big Gainers (minOnline)
Media came on strong as the summer months ramped up online. According to the latest figures from comScore, Oprah.com reached 4.1 million unique users in June, up 59 percent from May. ESPN properties were up 21 percent to 25.3 million uniques. No doubt the worldwide firestorm Rolling Stone ignited with its profile of now-retired Army General Stanley McChrystal fueled Wenner Media's 29 percent increase in audience. Glam Media has become a traffic powerhouse, now the eighth most popular site on the web (85.4 million uniques).
McClatchy 2Q Earnings Plunge But Ad Slump Eases (Yahoo)
McClatchy Co.'s second-quarter earnings plunged as the newspaper publisher shouldered higher costs on its debt to buy more time to recover from a bedeviling ad slump. Despite an 83 percent drop in net income, the results announced Thursday offered at least one sign of hope: McClatchy's ad revenue, its lifeblood, fell by its lowest rate in more than three years.
LexisNexis Publisher Backs Banks In 'Hot News' Reposting Case (MediaPost)
Chiming in on a high-profile dispute, the business-to-business publishing company Reed Elsevier is asking a federal appeals court to uphold a finding that TheFlyOnTheWall.com misappropriates banks' "hot news" by reposting their stock recommendations. Reed Elsevier says in a recent court filing that it could face "devastating economic effects" if it lost the ability to prevent other publishers from summarizing its time-sensitive material.
A Q+A With New Condé Nast President Robert Sauerberg (Folio:)
Last week, Condé Nast announced a slew of management changes, including the promotion of consumer marketing group president Robert Sauerberg to president of the company. The move signifies a major shift from an emphasis on print advertising to pursuing a greater understanding of the relationship between publisher, marketer and audience. Sauerberg offers some thoughts on changes right out of the gate.
About.com Making B2B Push (WebNewser)
About.com is planning a major move into the business-to-business space, launching a number of industry-specific sites. Right now the site is in the process of recruiting experienced writers with expertise in areas such as public transportation, the food and beverage industry, logging and e-commerce, among other topics. The goal is for the writers of these sites to be experts in their industries.
Debunking 5 Myths Of Entrepreneurial Journalism (Poynter)
Here are 5 myths of entrepreneurial journalism based on discussions with 19 journalists launching micro-businesses: 1. Journalists lack entrepreneurial skills and spark; 2. Start-up revenue is all about subscribers and ads; 3. Young upstarts dominate the field; 4. It's us against them, David vs. Goliath; and 5. To succeed, journalism start-ups have to go big or go home.
How Did William Shatner Interview A D.C. Sniper? He Asked. (NYT / Media Decoder)
In an interview, one of the D.C. snipers, Lee Boyd Malvo, said he and the other convicted gunman, John Muhammad, had co-conspirators. "There were supposed to be three to four snipers with silenced weapons," he told William Shatner in a phone interview from prison. Wait. William Shatner? Yes, it was Shatner who interviewed Malvo and found out that the snipers claim to have committed dozens of other shootings, some with co-conspirators.
Politico Is Not Interested In Chelsea Clinton's Wedding (NY Mag)
In yet another New York Times feature on Chelsea Clinton's wedding, one outlet stands out as being "so over it." While outlets like The Washington Post are sending multiple reporters, Politico -- "known for smothering political stories with swarms of reporters" -- isn't sending any. "We don't have much planned," Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei tells the Times, explaining "if [they] do anything," they'll talk to guests after the wedding.
Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.
The Plight Of Afghan Women: A Disturbing Picture (Time.com)
Time managing editor Richard Stengel discusses the process before publishing a startling cover image featuring a young Afghan girl whose nose and ears were ordered cut off by a Taliban commander after she attempted to flee abusive in-laws: after ensuring the girl understood the possible consequences of appearing on its cover, Time consulted mental health experts to determine the impact the image would have on children.
Wikileaks Busts Myth About the Irrelevance of Mainstream Media (WaPo)
Anne Applebaum: By releasing 92,000 pages of intelligence documents relating to the Afghanistan war onto the laptops of an unsuspecting public, the proprietor of WikiLeaks has made an iron-clad case for the mainstream media. If you were under the impression that we no longer need news organizations, editors or reporters with more than 10 minutes' experience, think again.
Sumner Redstone Gal Pal Says She Got Nothing (THR)
Sumner Redstone's news-making gifts to women are proving irksome to his longtime lady friend, Christine Peters. Peters is well aware that her longtime production deal at Viacom-owned Paramount -- which ended last year -- was long perceived by many in the industry and even within Paramount as a favor that was done for her because of her close relationship to the boss, now 87. But Peters said she earned everything she got and never was on the receiving end of the sort of largesse that has been making the papers lately.
More Newsfeed here...
Twitter
Facebook
