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Criticized on Seizure of Records, White House Pushes News Media Shield Law (NYT)
Under fire over the Justice Department’s use of a broad subpoena to obtain calling records of Associated Press reporters in connection with a leak investigation, the Obama administration sought on Wednesday to revive legislation that would provide greater protections to reporters in keeping their sources and communications confidential. Capital New York The administration opposed an initial draft of the Free Flow of Information Act, but eventually supported a compromise version that would allow federal judges to protect reporters from subpoenas for information, if the judge determined that the news value of the reports exceeded the government’s interest in uncovering the sources of a leak. HuffPost / The Backstory New York Times reporter Charlie Savage asked Attorney General Eric Holder, who had just announced he’d recused himself from the AP leak investigation, “Are you also recused from the Stuxnet investigation out of Maryland?” The New York Times has reason to be concerned about whether investigators are using similar tactics on them. The Maryland case is believed to be focused on Times chief Washington correspondent David Sanger’s reporting on how the U.S. and Israel helped derail Iran’s nuclear program through cyberattacks. Sanger’s June scoop, along with the Times’ front-page article on Obama’s terrorist “kill list,” spurred Congressional calls to investigate the leaks of classified information. The Washington Post / Erik Wemple Media Matters for America, a group that monitors the country’s conservative media for distortions and inaccuracies, fell in for criticism Wednesday over the Justice Department’s secret subpoena of the Associated Press’s phone records. Evidence of this Media Matters-Obama administration mindmeld? This piece here, which says: “If the press compromised active counter-terror operations for a story that only tipped off the terrorists, that sounds like it should be investigated.” The Daily Beast / Politics Beast David Brock explained all in a statement. “Media Matters for America monitors, analyzes, and corrects conservative misinformation in the media and was not involved with the production of the document focusing on the DOJs investigation,” he said. “That document was issued by ‘Message Matters,’ a project of the Media Matters Action Network, which posts, through a different editorial process and to a different website, a wide range of potential messaging products for progressive talkers to win public debates with conservatives.”

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Local entrepreneur/blogger/Twitter icon Ben Baller captured this amazing photo of the fireworks malfunction at the “Big Bay Boom” in San Diego.

It was such a great photo that it instantly went viral and even The Associated Press picked up the image.

(Photo: Ben Baller)

Frank Baker was named California news editor for The Associated Press, the news agency announced Wednesday.

Baker, a 23-year veteran of the AP, was the assistant chief of bureau in Los Angeles.

In this newly created position, Baker will continue to be based in Los Angeles and oversee Southern California news editor Brian Melley, Northern California news editor Tim Reiterman and Sacramento correspondent Tom Verdin.

“Baker’s appointment to California news editor ensures AP will produce a timely, comprehensive state report that meets the needs of our customers,” said Anthony Marquez, chief of bureau for Southern California.”With his experience and knowledge of the state, Baker is the perfect fit.”

Sports Illustrated Thinks He’s Stupid: … for considering selling out the name of Wrigley Field.

We Think He’s Damn Smart: Sam Zell, now Tribune Co. chairman and CEO could join the board of directors of The Associated Press in April.

Former photo assistant makes good. The press release:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Daniel Becker, national entertainment photo editor for The Associated Press, has been appointed to the newly created post of director of entertainment content.

The appointment was announced Thursday by Lou Ferrara, managing editor for sports, entertainment and multimedia, and Nigel Baker, executive director of AP Television News and business head for AP’s entertainment division.

Based in Los Angeles, Becker will oversee AP’s expanding entertainment coverage across video, photo, audio and text formats and help develop new multimedia products.

A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Becker, 31, joined the AP in New York as a photo assistant in 2000, then worked as a national and enterprise photo editor.

He moved to AP’s Los Angeles bureau in 2004, where he was the photo assignment supervisor and Southern California entertainment photo editor before becoming the national entertainment photo editor in May 2007.

Becker will report to Ferrara and Baker.