Good morning. Here are nine media stories.
- The New York Times, BuzzFeed, National Geographic among partners
Social networking giant Facebook on Wednesday morning went through with a much-anticipated plan to give a select group of news organizations the chance to publish their articles within Facebook. “Using the same technology that loads photos and videos quickly in our mobile app, Instant Articles load as much as ten times faster than standard mobile web articles, so you get to the stories you want to read instantly.” (Facebook) | BuzzFeed, National Geographic, The Atlantic, NBC News, The New York Times, The Guardian and BBC News are among the first news organizations to participate in the program. (The New York Times) | “As our experience with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures has taught us, there is a massive opportunity here: for editorial, for video, and for sponsored content.” (BuzzFeed) | Facebook is sharing analytics on the articles. (TechCrunch) | The potential downside: “But my gut says if we eventually have both Facebook and Google offering to host everything in the name of speed and user experience, that’s not a good thing.” (Marketing Land)
- Does anyone want the New York Daily News?
Cablevision has reportedly dropped its $1 bid for the New York Daily News, which announced it was shopping for potential buyers earlier this year. “New York Daily News is currently losing $30 million a year sources previously told Reuters. Its declining circulation relies heavily on newsstand sales rather than on subscriptions.” (Reuters) | “You just know the Post is going to have a field day with the idea that the News is not even worth $1.” (@petersterne) | Two other potential buyers: supermarket honcho John Castimatidis and Jimmy Finkelstein, owner of The Hill. (New York Post) | Gawker still wants the Daily News, but now it’s only offering $50. (Gawker)
- Rolling Stone sued over ‘A Rape on Campus’
Nicole Eramo, associate dean of students at the University of Virginia, is suing Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner and contributor Sabrina Rubin Erdely for $7.5 million over “A Rape on Campus,” the magazine’s now discredited longread that purported to recount a gang rape at a U-Va fraternity house. “Rolling Stone and Erdely’s highly defamatory and false statements about Dean Eramo were not the result of an innocent mistake.” (The Washington Post) | “It was inevitable.” (The Washington Post) | “Central to the legal dispute will be what level of fault Eramo will have to prove. That depends on whether she will be seen as a private figure or, in this case, what the law knows as a limited purpose public figure.” (Poynter)
- NBC qualifies story that backed Seymour Hersh
After fabled investigative reporter Seymour Hersh went public with a dramatic retelling of the raid that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, his story drew pushback from the media and the White House alike. On Monday, NBC News published an article, attributed to “intelligence sources,” that appeared to corroborate one of Hersh’s key contentions — that a Pakistani “walk in” provided the details of bin Laden’s whereabouts to the CIA. Since then, NBC News has appended an editor’s note to the story. “The original version of this story said that a Pakistani asset told the U.S. where bin Laden was hiding. Sources say that while the asset provided information vital to the hunt for bin Laden, he was not the source of his whereabouts.” (NBC News) | “Hersh’s claim that there was little or no treasure trove of evidence retrieved from Bin Laden’s home rings less true to me. But he has raised the need for more openness from the Obama administration about what was found there.” (The New York Times Magazine)
- AOL might spin off HuffPost
That’s the word from Re/code’s Kara Swisher, who says AOL has been discussing the possibility as its deal with Verizon developed. “Sources said the Huffington Post has been valued at above $1 billion in this scenario, which would either be a complete sale or, more likely, structured as a joint venture.” (Re/code)
- Politico Pro to launch in Europe
The politics-focused news organization has imported a signature element of its business model to its Brussels-based news organization. Politico Pro Europe will begin on May 18. “With the addition of its European coverage, Politico Pro will have more than 120 journalists worldwide devoted to covering US and European regulatory policy.” (Politico) | Related: “From national, Politico expands into global — and local.” (Nieman Lab)
- 2 charges against former “q” host dropped
Jian Ghomeshi, the former host of CBC Radio show “q,” is now facing five counts of sexual assault after the prosecution dropped two others. “Crown prosecutor Mike Callaghan told the court there is no reasonable prospect of conviction on the two withdrawn charges, and that he has been in contact with the two complainants involved.” (Toronto Star) | The CBC fired Ghomeshi and replaced him with the rapper Shad. (National Post)
- Front page of the day, selected by Kristen Hare
The Victoria (Texas) Advocate features a large photo of a patriotic celebration. (Courtesy the Newseum)
- Job moves, edited by Benjamin Mullin
Steve Buttry is now director of LSU student media at LSU. Previously, he was a Lamar Family Visiting Scholar there. (The Buttry Diary) | Monika Bauerlein is now chief executive officer at Mother Jones. Previously, she was co-editor-in-chief there. Clara Jeffery is now editor-in-chief at Mother Jones. Previously, she was co-editor-in-chief there. (Mother Jones) | Job of the day: Sinclair is looking for an assistant news director in Reno, Nevada. Get your résumés in! (Journalism Jobs) | Send Ben your job moves: bmullin@poynter.org.
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