Failing NewsBeast: Everyone Except Tina Brown's Fault
In your murky Monday media column: Newsbeast loses two top executives, CNN's "social network for news," News Corp finds one honest place on earth, the public opinion impact of Hackgate, and Mediawire is here.
- [UPDATE: We hear that Ed Felsenthal, executive editor of Newsweek and Tina Brown's second in command since the earliest days of The Daily Beast, has told his staff that he is resigning. A full-fledged bloodbath is now in effect! If you know more, email me.] Predictable troubles at Newsweek/ Daily Beast/ Newsbeast! Ray Chelstowski, the publisher of the unwieldy website/ old magazine agglomeration which exists for no compelling reason, has reportedly been canned because of "the owner's dissatisfaction with the advertising performance of the magazine." The owner is finally tiring of losing money on Newsweek as usual! Also, managing editor Tom Weber "resigned" (or stormed out, we hear) on Friday, in an apparently unrelated move. Hard times at the media's most high profile and head-scratching property! The one person who is absolutely positively not responsible for anything bad happening at Newsbeast: Tina Brown, the woman responsible for everything at Newsbeast. She's been amazing.
- CNN's "iReport" is the place where you, the average American, give your stories to CNN for free, so they can make money off them. Now CNN is branding iReport as a "social network for news." Yeah, that makes no sense. All social networks provide news, do they not? Otherwise what's the point? Anyhow. Do not think. Continue as you were, "correspondents."
- News Corp now says that it definitely didn't have any phone hacking problems in Australia. Hey! Look down here! It's Australia! Everyone, look! Australia!
- A new survey says that more than twice as many British people as Americans have had their trust of British news outlets diminished as a result of the phone hacking scandal. "If 'British' is not a football team then I really don't care," said the majority of Americans.
- Noted: the site formerly known as "Romenesko" is now known as "Mediawire." Also it's not nearly as good any more.
[Photo via Getty]