Things just keep getting worse for Carnival Cruise Lines today, don’t they? Here are a couple of wow-level updates from the Associated Press:

BREAKING: Coast Guard official: Disabled cruise ship stopped off coast of Ala. because of broken towline

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 14, 2013

BREAKING: Carnival official says snapped tow line delayed cruise ship’s arrival into Mobile; it will take 7-10 hours to reach port -MM

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 14, 2013

BREAKING: Carnival official says cruise ship has only one working elevator, complicating getting people to shore -MM

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 14, 2013

Now we hear that passengers probably won’t be able to leave the ship until the “wee hours Friday morning.”

And we know Carnival‘s PR team is going to love these images. They’re wishing the smartphone had never been invented:

Courtesy of the Associated Press and passenger Kalin Hill

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Today NBC News reports that leaders within the Boy Scouts of America are “close to ending” the organization’s longtime ban on openly gay members and leaders. Individuals close to the group acknowledge that they are “actively considering an end” to the formal ban and moving to allow local troops to decide on their own whether they want to admit gay and lesbian scouts and scoutmasters.

This would be a major change for an organization that built its reputation on traditionalism. And it would certainly prove controversial within the larger scouting community, which was rocked by the BSA’s poor response to its own child abuse scandal in 2012.

It would also go against recent developments. The BSA re-affirmed the ban last July, and just this weekend a local Cub Scouts pack revised gay-friendly language on its website under pressure from the larger organization.

The theory for this new approach holds that certain local factions would be free to continue banning gay members, thereby giving families the power to choose the groups that best represent their belief sets. While many continue to protest the BSA’s exclusion of openly gay individuals, we have no doubt that some longtime supporters would not be happy to see the ban end (which explains leaders’ clear desire for a “flexible” solution).

Public opinion has shifted decisively in favor of gay marriage, and our country now has more openly gay people in positions of power than ever before. The Boy Scouts will have to change at some point unless the group wants its membership to decline dramatically. But how can the organization most effectively adjust to this societal shift?

Anderson Cooper revealed in an email to The Daily Beast’s Andrew Sullivan that he’s gay. “I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud,” he adds. Perhaps more importantly, he said that he felt he needed to say something on this topic because people may have mistaken his reticence for feelings of shame. Moreover, instances of bullying and discrimination make speaking out a necessity.

“I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy,” Cooper writes at the end of his comments.

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The trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO series Newsroom has been released and it’s got it all — an irate newsman, viral video, F-bombs, and McCoy from Law & Order. The show debuts June 24.

Katie Couric is the week-long guest host of Good Morning America. She got started this morning.

After building suspense over the “legend” that would be making an appearance today, Meredith Vieira made a special appearance on the TODAY show to announce that she’ll be joining the crew to broadcast from the London Olympics.

And more TODAY show surprises this morning when Matt Lauer made a call to Sarah Palin, who will be hosting the show tomorrow. Matt asked if she’s reading newspapers in preparation. Zing!

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NY Times' Jill Abramson

Le Huffington Post made its debut on Monday in France with Anne Sinclair as editorial director. Sinclair, a former TV anchor, is the wife of infamous former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, aka DSK. At the press conference Sinclair reassured the audience that there would be no conflicts of interest between her new role and her private life. (via New York Times)

ABC News‘ partnership with Yahoo! has spawned two new Web shows about politics that launched this week. The shows are extensions of long-running blogs from George Stephanopoulos and Jake Tapper. George’s Bottom Line debuted on Monday and Political Punch with Jake Tapper appeared on Tuesday. (via TVNewser)

NBC News established a new eBook imprint called NBC Publishing. The unit will release enhanced eBooks with videos inside, and the launch follows the media company’s success in the eBook business. (via GalleyCat)

Jill Abramson, executive editor at The New York Times, will make her grand entrance at the Davos World Economic Forum this week. She will be joined by NYT publisher Arthur Sulzberger, who is hosting a dinner on Abramson’s behalf. She will also lead a panel of women leaders in a discussion. (via Capital New York)

Newt Gingrich is continuing his attacks on the media. Last week Gingrich critiqued CNN for questioning him about his second marriage at the start of the South Carolina debate. After the Florida debate this week Gingrich complained that NBC did not allow the audience to clap, saying “Media doesn’t control free speech.” (via FishbowlDC)

Diane Sawyer was criticized by James Spann, chief meteorologist at Birmingham ABC-affiliate WBMA, for her report on the Alabama tornadoes on Monday evening’s World News. Spann took issue with Sawyer’s claim that there was no tornado warning, saying “This event was forecast days in advance.” (via TV Spy)

Click through for more media changes.

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Bravo's Andy Cohen, Sarah Jessica Parker, NBC News' Andrea Mitchell (who moderated the panel discussion), and Lauren Zalaznick, chairman, Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media at NBCUniversal Photo by: Jason DeCrow/NBCUniversal

Moms, moms, moms. That seems to be the hot topic at Advertising Week. This morning, ladies (and a few gentlemen) gathered near Herald Square at the semi-annual Women at NBCU “Power of the Purse” breakfast for a panel discussion on marketing to moms. But first @BravoAndy and Sarah Jessica Parker did a Q&A! It was like an episode of Watch What Happens Live, but live.

During a quick word association, SJP said shoes are a “necessity” and Michelle Bachmann is “foreign.” Then she said her shoes were Roger Vivier. Then she did a cute impersonation of her two-year-old daughter Tabitha and talked about Matthew Broderick. And finally, she said SATC’s Carrie Bradshaw reminded her of female characters in turn-of-the-century books. “Those women who looked a certain way, but inside there was a whole different complication.” Yay!

But back to the topic at hand — marketing to women. The on-stage conversations often turned to some new stats from a Women at NBCU survey: 49 percent of the mothers surveyed said they aspire to be “traditional”; only 12 percent said they feel they’re accurately portrayed in advertising; and the “breakdown of the traditional family” was the second most serious problem identified, after drug use. (Women at NBCU surveyed 3,224 moms and 403 dads this summer and conducted focus groups and at-home visits.)

SJP said that she considered herself traditional despite her job. “There’s no archetype we can market to,” she said. “You can’t be all things to all people. You have to speak to a truth.”

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NBC News is accepting applications for its summer social media intern position through April 15. And it’s accepting applications via Twitter.

According to the ad for the position, the application should be 140 characters or less and they’re looking for someone who has blogging experience and is active on Facebook and Twitter. Responsibilities include proofreading posts and monitoring the social Web.

We asked how the organization could possibly glean a candidate’s qualifications through a tweet.

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Amy Lynn has joined the NBC News PR team as director, handling NBC News in primetime. This includes Dateline NBC, Peacock Productions, and other special projects. She was previously with Madison Square Garden’s music network Fuse, where she handled promotions for the talent, executives, and Fuse programming. You can follow Lynn on Twitter @NBCNewsPR and @ladycramer.

Photo: Lauren Kapp, NBC Universal

NBC Universal is celebrating its annual “Green Week” November 14 through 21, integrating environmental messaging in its primetime line up.

For example, a green initiative will be incorporated into the storyline of the program Chase. Law & Order: Los Angeles,  Parenthood, and The Office will be among the other shows acknowledging the special week.

NBC News‘ Brian Williams will also be speaking with the Prince Charles about his eco efforts on a one-hour Dateline.