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Key links:
Primary website:
newser.com
Primary Twitter:
@newser

Editor’s Note: Encyclo has not been regularly updated since August 2014, so information posted here is likely to be out of date and may be no longer accurate. It’s best used as a snapshot of the media landscape at that point in time.

Newser is a news agreggator founded by Vanity Fair writer Michael Wolff.

The site uses an algorithm to determine the most talked-about stories and displays them in the form of a grid of photos. About 15 writers and editors produce short summaries of the stories, which link to the original sources.

Since its launch in August 2007, Newser and other aggregators have been accused of misappropriating content from traditional news sites, most notably from web entrepreneur Mark Cuban and from the entertainment site The Wrap. The site is ad-supported, and became profitable in 2009.

In February 2011, merger talks between Newser and Salon collapsed. The deal is said to have fallen through over price, and Salon.com subsequently took itself off the market.

Video:

Michael Wolff discussing Newser’s desire to “kill newspapers”:

Peers, allies, & competitors:
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Primary author: Mark Coddington. Main text last updated: May 12, 2011.
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Placeblogger is a site that aggregates and organizes content from local blogs. The site, founded by Boston-area blogger Lisa Williams in 2007, allows users to create specialized feeds and maps of local blogs. The site has a database of blogs sorted into designated market areas for advertisers, as well as a service to help license local blog content….

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