If Hilton hotel guest Rodney Harmon had known that the USA Today left by hotel staff outside his door wasn't free, he wouldn't have read it. But he did read it, and the hotel charged him the 75-cent fee, so now Harmon's suing Hilton hotels in federal court.
In your finally Friday media column: Twitter is the worst, an online newspaper alternative folds (valiantly), "Apple buying Barnes & Noble" rumors, Current's CEO is out, and NBC poaches from ABC.
In your mercenary Thursday media column: Fortune this round from Forbes, layoffs at the LA Times, a BBC reporter is killed, the NYT turns to Groupon, Al Sharpton is pushing it, and new journalism grows from the cracks.
News of the World, the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid shut down last month over allegations of extensive illegal story-gathering practices, is now accused of hacking the voicemail of the mother of a murdered eight-year-old—on a phone that the paper's editor Rebekah Brooks gave her as a gift.
In your sincere Wednesday media column: Barry Diller has endlessly deep pockets, Fox gets an online paywall, Michael Hastings' book deal disappears, The Daily still, improbably, exists, and doing more with less is dead.
In your ominous Tuesday media column: the first big scandal book deal of many sure to come, Peter Chernin lives, Gannett rips off Groupon, Tim Hetherington's final pictures released, and corporate infighting at Thomson Reuters.
In your balmy Monday media column: the ethics of getting journalistically blazed are debated, the WSJ yes-persons defend their hefty salaries, a Sudanese journalist is jailed, AOL's sales chief is out, the NYT chronicled, and no one trusts the media.
Remember when Bill Keller was the strong, silent type? The respected, technocratic editor of America's best newspaper? It seems like such a short time ago. It was!
The New York Times really knows what it's doing, when it comes to trend stories. What it's doing is not "Finding and identifying important fact-based trends and bringing them to light, for the public good." What it's doing is "Finding and identifying thoroughly unimportant trends which may or may not be real but which will serve to enrage the average reader enough to make it onto the 'Most Emailed' list."
In your frigid Friday media column: rumored troubles at the NY Press, Jose Antonio Vargas can't drive, a headline legend retires, Demand Media acts just as you'd expect them to, and Conde Nast will brag about its digital sales.
The Murdoch phone-hacking scandal has crested; the parliamentary hearing was nothing compared to this. Now there are Murdoch-blocking browser add-ons! Never again accidentally visit a Murdoch-owned website!
Sure is hot out there. But how hot?
Former News of the World editor Colin Myler and former News International legal manager Tom Crone have issued a terse joint statement saying James Murdoch was "mistaken" when he told a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday that he didn't know about an email that directly implicated News of the World reporter Neville Thurlbeck in phone hacking. It's likely he will be called back to clarify the issue.
In your wilting Thursday media column: the Stelter-Lapin dream couple is no more, WaPo employees get a raise, Vogue's September issue is big, the NYT Co. has glimmers of hope, and the LAT will remake itself, with blogs.
