People are arguing over the semantics of the NSA scoop. For one thing, whose scoop is it? The Washington Post technically published details of the PRISM program before The Guardian, though it now seems that the Post was not competing with The Guardian but was collaborating with it. “It’s true that the Post has been carrying the material, but the originator of the story was most definitely The Guardian,” wrote Guardian media reporter Michael Greenslade on his blog.
There’s also a debate over whether Edward Snowden should be referred to as a “whistleblower” (what the Guardian uses), a “leaker” (the Associated Press), or just a “source.” And finally, should The Guardian be labeled a “British newspaper,” even though it has a robust U.S. news operation? The Columbia Journalism School, for one, considers them American enough to be eligible for a Pulitzer. (Guardian/Huffington Post/Twitter)
In other media news:
A group of news organizations including Buzzfeed, Gawker, and Inside Edition have advanced the NSA story in their own way, by tracking down photos of Mr. Snowden’s apparent girlfriend. (Inside Edition/Buzzfeed/Gawker)
Al-Jazeera America will launch on August 24th. Shows on the new network will include a 60 Minutes-style newsmagazine and a morning news show, “but it’s not going to look like [hosts] sitting and talking about kitchens.” (Broadcasting & Cable)
Mediabistro got a smarter redesign. (Mediabistro)
Two Buzzfeed employees got the bright idea to create a website, titled “Troll the NSA,” encouraging people to send an email full of words (like “oppressive regime” and “suspension bridges”) that the NSA probably flags. Buzzfeed insists the stunt isn’t a conflict of interest because the employees aren’t reporters. (Daily Beast)
Katie, the Katie Couric talk show executive produced by Jeff Zucker until he fled ABC to lead CNN, just lost two more producers. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Jody Rosen is New York mag’s new pop critic. (NYMag)
