The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University has devoted the winter issue of the Nieman Report to examining the digital road ahead for journalism.

From the introduction by editor Melissa Lutke:

We live in a time when President-Elect Barack Obama breaks news on his Web site’s newsroom blog, speaks to the nation through YouTube, and invites everyone to share ideas on change.gov. At the same time, newsrooms confront the reality of a broken business model, and journalists search for direction in this new territory as they seek to reset the bearing of what “true north” means. In this issue, neuroscientists and social media analysts, digital journalism entrepreneurs and newsroom reporters and editors, explore how the best of what journalism can be can find a home in the era of digital media.

There appears to be a wealth of interesting reading here.

From the BBC:

Police say Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramatunga was shot by unidentified gunmen on motorcycles as he drove to work in the city suburbs.

He died from head wounds after nearly three hours of surgery, doctors say.

Correspondents say Mr Wickramatunga had numerous run-ins with the government. It is the second major attack on the media in Sri Lanka this week.

On Tuesday, gunmen armed with grenades ransacked offices of the largest private TV broadcaster in the country.

Journalists in Sri Lanka have suffered a string of recent attacks and media freedom groups say intimidation and violence make it one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to report.

From the Globe and Mail:

A Canadian woman has launched a lawsuit against Google Inc., demanding that the company reveal the identity of the people she says posted offensive statements about her on a blog hosted by the U.S. technology titan.

Liskula Cohen, a 36-year-old fashion model who appeared on the covers of the Australian Vogue and W magazines in the early 1990s, wants Google to hand over the name of the anonymous blogger who posted a series of unflattering photos and comments about her using the company's Blogger publishing service.

The lawsuit has turned Ms. Cohen into an instant Internet celebrity as details of her ordeal began to emerge this week. However, legal experts in the United States say she may have a difficult time making her case.

Her complaint relates to a series of posts made in August, 2008 on the “Skanks in NYC” blog.

Jeffrey Simpson wrote in the Globe and Mail that Canada's prospects are tied to the U.S.'s fortunes.

Well, China will have a significant influence over the U.S.'s destiny by deciding whether or not to keep feeding America's debt habit.

In an interview with Fortune magazine, Google CEO Eric Schmidt professes concern for the state of the U.S. newspaper industry.

Dan Froomkin at the Neiman Watchdog Blog offers some suggestions on how Google can help: