Good morning. I’m subbing for Kristen today. Here are 10 media stories.
- Brian Williams cancels Letterman appearance Over the weekend, “a source close to Williams” said the NBC anchor will not keep his scheduled appearance on “Late Show with David Letterman,” the same show where he erroneously claimed he was aboard a helicopter that took enemy fire. (CNN) | On Sunday, Politico’s Mike Allen suggested that appearing on the talk show might be a “high-profile, controlled way for Williams to clear the air.” (Politico) | On Saturday, the embattled “NBC Nightly News” anchor announced he would take a hiatus from the show for “several days,” adding that he planned to return and “be worthy of the trust” of his audience. (Poynter) | Meanwhile, media reporters and critics are contemplating the scandal’s affect on Williams’ career. On “Reliable Sources” Sunday, two of Brian Stelter’s guests told the host they weren’t sure if Williams would ever return to his anchor chair. (CNN) | In his weekly column, David Carr wrote in favor of Williams keeping his job, although he said Williams’ future at “Nightly News” was still uncertain. (The New York Times) | Also on Sunday, Verne Gay of Newsday called on Williams to resign. (Newsday) | Related: “…there is no difference between an internal investigation of Brian Williams and a fact-checking inquiry prompted by his storytelling abuses.” (Erik Wemple) | Also related: “Brian Williams’ Mugging Story Comes Under Scrutiny” (Huffington Post)
- Iranian official supports Jason Rezaian
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Iran, told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius he wants imprisoned Post reporter Jason Rezaian to be freed: “I hope he will be cleared in a court of law. That would be a good day for me.” (The Washington Post) | Rezaian was arrested in July and charged in December. He awaits a court appearance. (Poynter) - In Henderson, talking to reporters could get you fired
A new policy for the city of Henderson in Nevada warns city employees they could face penalties “up to and including termination” for talking to the media without permission. City Manager Jacob Snow tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal he’s “not surprised or concerned” by the policy, which the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada says could have a chilling effect among city employees. (Las Vegas Review-Journal) - Vox and BuzzFeed land interviews with the president This weekend, both Vox and BuzzFeed announced they would unveil separate interviews with President Barack Obama. Vox’s interview, conducted in January by co-founder Ezra Klein and Executive Editor Matthew Yglesias, features all sorts of superimposed visual effects. It’s live now. (Vox) | “i will say this presentation is like the snowfall of watching a dude sit in a chair and talk” (@MikeIsaac) | BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith is sitting down with Obama on Tuesday. The president will also appear in a video by BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. (BuzzFeed) | “The interviews are the most recent attempt by President Obama to use new media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Vine, to get out his message on a number of policy issues.” (The New York Times)
- News organizations to unveil safety guidelines In the wake of the deaths of freelance journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, news organizations are planning to reveal “a new set of safety guidelines” for freelancers and their employers this week at Columbia University. (The Associated Press) | Related: Japan has seized the passport of Yuichi Sugimoto, a photojournalist traveling to Syria, where Foley was reporting from before he was kidnapped. Authorities say it was for the journalist’s safety. Sugimoto described the seizure as “a threat to the freedom of press.” (BBC)
- Making U-T San Diego a community paperReal estate investor Malin Burnham is interested in brokering a deal for U-T San Diego (formerly the San Diego Union-Tribune) wherein the paper would become “owned by the community.” Under Burnham’s plan, the transaction would be overseen by a large San Diego nonprofit, and the funding would come “from a small group of investors.” The paper would be nonpartisan but “support things that are going on [in] the community.” (CJR)
- Capital New York brass say business is going well Higher-ups at Capital New York, the media and politics site built around Politico’s subscription model, say the outlet “has exceeded expectations,” Lucia Moses reports for Digiday. The outlet has tried out different pricing models for access to media, city hall and Albany coverage. “We’re breaking through and selling a lot of subscriptions to major operations,” says Andrew Sollinger, executive director of new business development and strategy. (Digiday)
- Former NPR ombudsman drops the mic In his last column, outgoing NPR Ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos warns of adhering too closely to certain standards and ethics: “We in the news media—in different ways between new and old—are exaggerating ethics at the expense of maintaining a civilized and free society. We must remember this: Ethics change. And they are different in different democracies.” (NPR) | Elizabeth Jensen, Schumacher-Matos’ successor, told Poynter she will be active on social media and contribute regularly to NPR’s ombudsman blog. (Poynter)
- Front page of the day, selected by Seth Liss
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser goes big with an infographic on measles. (Courtesy the Newseum)
- Job moves, edited by Benjamin Mullin Jorge Mettey is now vice president of news and community relations at Azteca América. Previously, he was senior vice president of news at MundoFox. (Media Moves) | Jeffrey Dastin is now U.S. airlines correspondent for Reuters. Previously, he was an intern there. (Email) | Melisa Goh will be senior homepage editor at CNN. Previously, she was weekend editor at NPR.org. (Email) | Keith Connors is now news director for WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut. Previously, he was news director for WTHR in Indianapolis. Dave Ciliberti is now news director for WCMH in Columbus, Ohio. Previously, he was news director for WTEN/WXXA in Albany, New York. (Rick Gevers) | Job of the day: CBS Interactive is looking for an associate editor. Get your résumés in! (Journalism Jobs) | Send Ben your job moves: bmullin@poynter.org.
Corrections? Tips? Wish it were still Sunday? Let Kristen know: khare@poynter.org. Would you like to get this roundup emailed to you every morning? Sign up here.
