President Barack Obama told the FCC he thinks it's time the independent agency acts on net neutrality, and regulate the Internet and service providers like other utilities. It's uncertain how the FCC will act -- but Obama's request is being viewed as a "win" for consumers and businesses such as Netflix and Hulu and a blow to big telecom companies like Comcast and Verizon.
Matthew Yglesias, Vox: “Obama says FCC should reclassify the Internet’s regulatory status”
Adam Clark Estes, Gizmodo: “Obama’s plan to save the internet”
Francis Whittaker & Kyle Blaine: “President Obama wants to reclassify the internet as a utility”
Stacey Higginbotham, Gigaom: “Obama tells FCC to implement real net neutrality. And he’s serious.”
Michael D. Shear & Edward Wyatt, New York Times: “Obama urges FCC to adopt strict rules on net neutrality”
Gautham Nagesh, Wall Street Journal: “FCC likely to delay net-neutrality rules until next year”
Brian Fung & Nancy Scola, Washington Post: "The FCC weighs breaking with Obama over future of the Internet"
The Oatmeal: "Dear Senator Ted Cruz, I'm going to tell you how net neutrality REALLY works"
Glenn Beck reveals illness
Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck revealed he's been battling a rare, mysterious neurological disorder. For more than five years, Beck has had symptoms that include extreme pain, vocal chord paralysis, sleep disorders and seizures -- things he said "quite honestly, made me look crazy."
Glenn Beck, The BlazeTV: “The story begins”
Lindsey Bever, Washington Post: “Glenn Beck’s dramatic revelation: He’s been hiding a mysterious brain illness”
Lucy McCalmont, POLITICO: “Glenn Beck reveals serious illness”
Ed Mazza, Huffington Post: “Glenn Beck sick with mysterious illness”
Stephen Glass breaks silence
Former New Republic reporter Stephen Glass breaks his silence, sixteen years after the scandal that almost brought down the magazine. Glass was caught fabricating parts or all of dozens of stories during the late 1990s. Now he's living in California, has earned a law license and is continuing to attempt to be admitted to the bar.
Hanna Rosin, New Republic: “Hello, my name is Stephen Glass, and I’m sorry”
Trey Barrineau, Entertain This!: “The confessions of Stephen Glass”
#Pointergate
Imagine a big city mayor goes to a get-out-the-vote drive and takes photos with her constituents. Imagine she points at one of them and he points back. Imagine one of those people is black. Now, imagine law enforcement sees it and claims the mayor's throwing gang signs. And, a local television station decides to report that that's what happened.
Jay Kolls, KTSP-TV: “Minneapolis mayor flashes gang sign with convicted felon; law enforcement outraged”
Bob Collins, Molly Bloom & Meg Martin, Minnesota Public Radio: “Explaining #Pointergate: The missing context”
Kia Makarechi, Vanity Fair: “’PointerGate is the most pathetic news story of the week”
Jessica Dickerson & Nick Wing, Huffington Post: “If pointing is a ‘known gang sign,’ we’re pretty much allgangbangers”
Shaun King, Daily Kos: “#PointerGate may be the most racist news story of 2014”
Elliott Hannon, Slate: “Local news station reports people who pose for pictures are in gangs”
Chris Taylor, Mashable: “Pointergate! How a local TV station became a national laughingstock”
Scott Jones, FTVLive: “Well, that didn’t work out so well”
The real life 'Nightcrawler'
In Jake Gyllenhaal's new thriller, "Nightcrawler," the actor plays a freelance photojournalist who chases overnight crime in Los Angeles and sells his video to local television stations.
Staff, NPR: “’Nightcrawler’ Jake Gyllenhaal: "We’re all complicit in ‘if it bleeds, it leads’”
Steve Rose, The Guardian: “From Network to Nightcrawler: why has Hollywood got it in for TV news?"
‘Duped’ by Aiken’s docu-drama
The day after American Idol-runner up Clay Aiken lost his bid for Congress, he announced that the Esquire network would be producing a docu-drama on his campaign. Crews had been following him for months, and would premiere a four-hour reality series in early 2015. Several of Aiken's celebrity supporters said they felt duped, not knowing about the reality show before hosting campaign events.
Ted Johnson, Variety: “Clay Aiken donors feel ‘duped’ after announcement of Esquire series”
Karen Ocamb, FrontiersLA: “Clay Aiken asked to cut LA fundraiser from TV docuseries by donors who feel ‘duped’"
Louise Boyle, Daily Mail: “Clay Aiken announces fly-on-the-wall TV show about his campaign”
Mike Sorrentino, New York Daily News: “Clay Aiken’s failed political bid to be focus of reality show”
