E.W. Scripps announced Tuesday it has acquiring Columbia-based Newsy for $35 million. Newsy is best known for its short online videos that aggregate news from multiple sources. The five-year-old company has 35 full-time employees. It has had a relationship with the Reynolds Journalism Institute and the MU School of Journalism since relocating to Columbia in 2008.
Ingrid Lunden, TechCrunch: “Scripps buys Newsy for $35M to expand from TV and newspapers to digital video”
P.J. Bednarski, MediaPost: “Scripps, an old name in news, is the new owner of online’s Newsy.com”
Scott Pham, KBIA: “Columbia-based Newsy acquired by E.W. Scripps for $35 million”
Todd Spangler, Variety: “E. W. Scripps acquires internet-video news firm Newsy for $35 mil”
Ken Doctor, Nieman Journalism Lab: “The newsonomics of Scripps’ TV paywall and the Last Man Standing theory of local media”
Obama blames the media
President Barack Obama sat down for a town-hall style interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews last week at American University in Washington, D.C. During the conversation, the president issued a sharp criticism of the media, blaming it for "splintering" the American people.
Jordan Chariton, TV Newser: “President Obama: Media contributes to America’s ‘divide’ and ‘splinter’”
Howard Kurtz, Fox News: “Hardball?? How Chris Matthews rolled over for Barack Obama”
Evan McMurry, Mediaite: “Kurtz bashes Matthews’ Obama interview: Worse than softball, “It was whiffle ball”
Ben Jacobs, The Daily Beast: “On ‘Hardball,’ Obama touts Healthcare.gov, dodges Clinton-Biden talk”
Charlie Spiering, Washington Examiner: “13 questions Chris Matthews asked President Obama during his ‘Hardball’ interview”
Mandela memorial service coverage
The public memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela drew nearly a hundred dignitaries from around the globe. President and First Lady Obama were joined by former presidents George W. Bush, Clinton and Carter, and Obama delivered one the eulogies at the hours-long ceremony. Before his address, Obama surprised many by shaking the hand of Cuban head of state Raul Castro.
Greg Myre, NPR: “Now praised by president, Mandela wasn’t always admired in the U.S.”
Steven Mufson, Washington Post: “In life, Nelson Mandela often irritated U.S.”
Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post: “Why Nelson Mandela was on a terrorism watch list in 2008”
Reuters, Toronto Star: “How a simple handshake stole the show at the Nelson Mandela memorial”
Time Magazine's 2013 Person of the Year
Howard Chua-Eoan & Elizabeth Dias, Time: "Pope Francis, the people's Pope"
Putin dissolves news agency
With no advance notice, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree this week dissolving the state-run RIA Novosti news agency and Voice of Russia radio station.
Michael Pizzi, Al Jazeera America: “Putin dissolves RIA Novosti news agency”
Roland Oliphant, The Telegraph: “Vladimir Putin dissolves Russia’s RIANovosti”
Daily Mail staff, Mail Online: “Putin closes main state news agency as he tightens control over Russian media”
Steven Lee Myers, New York Times: “Without notice, Putin dissolves news agency”
Newtown, Conn., one year later
CNN: “All eyes on Newtown”
Joseph Berger, New York Times: “As school shooting’s first anniversary nears, Newtown asks for privacy”
Bill Carter, New York Times: “For news media, a mostly cautious approach to Newtown tapes”
Andrew Beaujon, Poynter: “Whether to publish Newtown 911 tapes: A good question but not the best one”
Emily Richmond, The Atlantic: “Is there any responsible way to publish the Sandy Hook 911 calls?”
Michael Melia & Jack Gillum, Associated Press: “911 calls show anguish and tension in Conn. school”
New York Times scoops itself
Hours after a New York Times editor tweets about an exclusive story the Las Vegas Sun publishes it on its website.
There's a very unusual, groundbreaking NYT story coming 2nite.I can't say too much but it'll make u rethink- well, I should stop.Stay tuned
— carolynryan 🏳️🌈🏓 (@carolynryan) December 9, 2013
Dylan Byers, Politico: “The New York Times scoops itself”
Gabrielle Bluestone, Gawker: “NY Times editor brags about story, Las Vegas Sun scoops it”
Las Vegas Sun staff, “Sun apologizes after automated feed grabs New York Times content prematurely”
Stopping the slang at ESPN
Management at ESPN sent a memo to its on air talent this week requesting they stop using the word "sucks" on the air. There had been several instances of people saying the slang word during live broadcasts.
Romensko, "'Sucks' is not appropriate for ESPN"
