The Washington Post | NBC New York | Capital
New York Times political reporter Michael Barbaro made a compelling observation about New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner's website on Thursday: It seems the banner image isn't of New York, but Pittsburgh.

Compare skylines for yourself: Weiner web page: anthonyweiner.comPittsburgh: bkdunn.com/blog/wp-conten…

— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) May 23, 2013

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New York Times
New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan has followed up on her May 13 post about photo standards in T Magazine following editor Deborah Needleman's Photoshopping comments.

In the May 13 post, Needleman said she thought a cover model was too thin and "considered adding some fat to her with Photoshop," drawing some criticism from readers and other journalists, Sullivan wrote. The verdict: News photos can't be altered, but fashion photos are held to a different standard -- and editors at the Times "are confident that readers know the difference."

“That is inviolate, and the standards are very clear,” Michele McNally, assistant managing editor for photography, told me. The Times does not stage news photographs, or alter them digitally. (more...)

Los Angeles Times | Committee to Protect Journalists | Texas Observer | Wired
Escalating cartel violence in Mexico has led to bouts of self-censorship among journalists fearing reprisals, but few so prominently as Nuevo Laredo's El Mañana, which has decided to quit reporting on local cartel violence altogether.

The Los Angeles Times' Molly Hennessy-Fiske writes that since the paper's editor Roberto Mora Garcia was killed in 2004, there have been a number of attacks on the paper's journalists and offices, leading to the extreme measure.

Two years later, armed men shot up the Nuevo Laredo office, leaving a reporter paralyzed. Afterward, the paper installed bulletproof glass and fortified walls. (more...)

Indiegogo.com
While concerns among some journalists mount concerning interest from Rupert Murdoch and the Koch Brothers over the sale of the Tribune Co., activist group The Other 98% proposes a different kind of community journalism. They've begun a campaign on Indiegogo.com called Free The Press, which aims to raise $660 million to "democratize the Tribune Company."

"The only people who are bidding on it right now are infamous right-wing Billionaires, who are likely to pay something around a $660 Million pricetag to control a big slice of trusted news media," the campaign reads. "Instead of sitting back an allowing whichever victor to manipulate us through the media, we've decided to stage an intervention. And we want you to join us." (more...)

Source | Washington Post
NPR news apps developer Jeremy Bowers discusses in Knight-Mozilla OpenNews' Source the legwork that went into the Washington Post's election predictor app.

Bowers worked with the Post's Ezra Klein and graphics editor Emily Chow to produce the tool, which launched in April 2012 using economic data models from to predict the likelihood of President Obama being re-elected. In the essay, Bowers says the work of political science professors John Sides at George Washington University, Lynn Vavreck at UCLA, and Seth Hill at Yale (now of UC-San Diego) was integral to the process. (more...)

The New Yorker | The Washington Post | The New York Times | Wired | Guardian | All Things D
The New Yorker on Tuesday introduced its new, anonymous electronic tip tool Strongbox, coincidentally on the heels of renewed concerns over privacy for journalists' sources following revelations of Department of Justice surveillance of AP staffers (which The Washington Post's Timothy B. Lee notes is "likely perfectly legal")

The Strongbox site ostensibly allows people to submit letters, documents, emails or any other files to the New Yorker anonymously. It was developed in conjunction with Wired investigations editor Kevin Poulsen and the late Web activist and developer Aaron Swartz, who hanged himself in January after facing charges of wire fraud and computer fraud. Poulsen, whose publication also is owned by New Yorker parent Conde Nast, wrote about Swartz's involvement, and why Strongbox was a necessity.

There’s a growing technology gap: phone records, e-mail, computer forensics, and outright hacking are valuable weapons for anyone looking to identify a journalist’s source. With some exceptions, the press has done little to keep pace: our information-security efforts tend to gravitate toward the parts of our infrastructure that accept credit cards.

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New York Times | Huffington Post
New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan has promised to examine Times photo policies after T Magazine editor Deborah Needleman made an offhand reference about wanting to Photoshop a model on the magazine's cover.

In her Monday column, Sullivan noted some readers objected to the styling of model Julia Nobis, saying the photos make "suggestions of bondage." Readers also called the images "kiddy porn" because Nobis appeared younger than her 20 years and was "anorexic-looking."

Needleman told Sullivan that Nobis was chosen for her "strong looks" and "personality:"

She is rather thin for my taste, as most models are, and I considered adding some fat to her with Photoshop, but decided that as it is her body, I’d let it be. Fashion photography involves a bit of fantasy, and often some edge, and while the bathing suits are strappy and have buckles, that is a far cry from bondage — either showing it or advocating it. (more...)

Boston Business Journal | WPRI
The drop in foreclosures nationwide in March should be good news for everyone, but the Boston business Journal's Jon Chesto notes GateHouse Media Inc. is facing a 6 percent decline in revenue year over year because of a decrease in ad sales for foreclosure auctions.

The loss of all those foreclosure auction ads that GateHouse once counted on to get through the tough times is continuing to hurt the company’s classified ad pages. Lower foreclosure revenue in Massachusetts accounted for a full 40 percent of GateHouse’s classified ad revenue decline in the first quarter, the company said. But there’s good news, GateHouse investors: CEO Mike Reed said he expects this problem to subside by the end of the third quarter, and “possibly reverse.”

The Fairport, N.Y., company referred to the Massachusetts legislature in an SEC filing about first quarter results. Lawmakers there passed a law last year making loan modifications easier, implicitly leading to a further decrease in ad revenue. Declines in classified ad sales have plagued newspapers since the advent of the Internet. Next door in Rhode Island, the Providence Journal's owner A.H. Belo blamed the city's real estate market for the slow sale of some of the company's real estate.

Newseum | Politico | CBS News | Buzzfeed | The Atlantic Wire
The Newseum reconsidered the inclusion of two suspected terrorists in its Monday rededication of its Journalists Memorial after several journalists and advocacy groups raised concerns.

Al-Aqsa cameramen Hussam Salama and Mahmoud Al-Kumi were initially part of the group of 84 journalists killed on the job whose faces were projected onto a screen at the Newseum's Washington, D.C., memorial. Jewish groups and conservatives opposed their inclusion, citing al-Aqsa's backing by Hamas. Buzzfeed's Rosie Gray wrote about how the Newseum defended their inclusion as recently as Friday.

Associated Press

The museum issued a statement Sunday saying it was not including the pair, after all.

"A number of serious questions have been raised and we are going to take our time to re-evaluate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these two men," Jonathan Thompson, manager of media relations, told Poynter via email. "Moving forward we’ll establish a new initiative to explore, discuss and address some of these challenging new issues." (more...)

Facebook The Philadelphia Inquirer announced just before 2:30 p.m. that a verdict had been reached in the trial of Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor accused of killing four babies born alive and an adult patient. Jurors have been deliberating for 10 days. The paper announced on its Facebook page:

There is a verdict in the Gosnell case, court personnel have told Inquirer reporter John P. Martin. Extra sheriff's deputies have been ordered into the courtroom, which is now locked. Reporters have been told to shut down their phones.

It's unclear if requiring phones to be turned off is a routine occurrence. During the Jerry Sandusky trial, Judge John M. Cleland initially said phones had to be turned off, but later allowed them to be used for live-tweeting and live-blogging. Inquirer reporter John P. Martin's twitter feed is here.