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By Kat Stoeffel 5/03/12 8:30am

morning links

Morning Links: Kids’ Spongebob Ennui Has Viacom Grown-Ups Panicked

Kids are finally sick of Spongebob Squarepants and—since it accounts for a staggering 40% of Nickelodeon’s airtime—Viacom is worried. ”Every year you’ve got a new crop of six-year-olds,” points out analyst David Bank. “That ought to work in their favor.” [WSJ]

Hipstamatic is releasing a lens named after conflict photog Ben Lowy that alters photos minimally and is therefore more ethical for use in reporting. The things we have to worry about today! But then, the things we can have named for us. [Poynter] Read More

By Kat Stoeffel 4/09/12 7:10am

morning links

Morning Links: Who Says Morning Show Wars Can’t Be Fun?

When Today host Matt Lauer announced he’d renewed his contract, a GMA staff member was sent over to the NBC show studio with a bucket of golf balls. Then GMA host George Stephanopoulos congratulated Mr. Lauer on air, saying, “Take all the time off to perfect your golf game.” [NY Times]

Alan Rusbridger is just in New York to get the Guardian‘s annual deficit down to 7  figures; will do so with “open journalism” and clickable columns. [NY Mag] Read More

By Kat Stoeffel 4/04/12 7:45am

morning links

Morning Links: Chinese Journalists Cut Out PR Middle Men

Ok, so, yes, the phone hacking and bribery scandals are terrible, but it could be way worse. Paying journalists for positive coverage is commonplace in China. A flattering profile in Chinese Esquire costs $20,000 a page, for example.  “If one of my companies came up with a cure for cancer, I still couldn’t get any journalists to come to the press conference without promising them a huge envelope filled with cash,” said one Shanghai-based private equity investor. [NY Times]

President Obama at the AP lunch: “I think that there is oftentimes the impulse to suggest that if the two parties are disagreeing, then they’re equally at fault and the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and an equivalence is presented — which reinforces I think people’s cynicism about Washington generally.” [Poynter] Read More

By Kat Stoeffel 4/03/12 8:34am

morning links

Morning Links: James Murdoch Stepping Down from BSkyB

James Murdoch, still in hot water over his non-handling of News International’s phone hacking and bribery scandal, will step down as non-executive chairman of  BSkyB after a board meeting today. His handling of the crisis already cost News Corp. its takeover bid of the British cable giant, and he has already resigned from News International and the boards of Sotheby’s and GlaxoSmithKline.  [Reuters]

In other news… Read More