Today's media stories from the papers

Top stories on MediaGuardian.co.uk PA cuts jobs but partially lifts pay freeze National news agency understood to have reduced staff by about 30, but is reintroducing raises for lower-paid workers Facebook reaches 500 million users College-room project that started in Harvard has become world's biggest social network in just six years AOL signs video clips deal with ITN AOL continues its re-invention with agreement that will give it hundreds of news clips to select from each day Media 100: vote for number 101 Let us know which of your suggestions should be added to the MediaGuardian 100 This week's featured media jobs PEI Media - Editor, Specialist Publications London/permanent/full time AKA Promotions Ltd - Account Manager / Media Planner Buyer North West/permanent/full time Premier PR - Publicist London/permanent/full time For more jobs, career advice and workplace news visit guardianjobs.co.uk Today's headlines The Guardian Ray Mears helped in hunt for Raoul Moat. P1 Facebook: the club with 500m friends. P5 Conrad Black released on $2m bail. P6 Melvyn Bragg: ITV management is "wrong, wrong and wrong". P10 Record year for cinema. P11 Obituary: former BBC radio executive Alan Rogers. P35 Pass notes: Patrick Kielty, taking over the BBC Radio 2 Saturday morning slot. G2 P3 Radio review: Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 Live. G2 P24 TV review: My Weird and Wonderful Family, G2 P25 Mark Lawson on Panorama. G2 P27 The Independent Sky allowed to keep Ashes coverage until 2013. P17 Conrad Black released on $2m bail. P25 BBC staff in strike ballot over pensions. P40 Leader: Conrad Black. Viewspaper, P2 Interview: BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music controller Bob Shennan. Viewspaper, P13 Daily Telegraph BBC trustees claim £60,000 of expenses in six months. P6 TV portrays gay people as 'unhappy', says study. P6 Facebook hits 500 million global users. P12 Robert Colville on ebooks. P22 The rise of Facebook. P29 Shane Richmond on social media. P29 Obituary: Music journalist Robert Sandall. P31 Vodafone shareholder demands boardroom cull. Business P2 The Times Leader: 500 million people on Facebook. P2 Conrad Black released on $2m bail. P5 Gay people on TV shown as 'promiscuous or unhappy'. P8 500 million users and a lawsuit for Facebook. P28 PayPal lifts eBay profits. P35 Revenues up at film and TV producer and distributor Entertainment One. P36 Top Up TV to offer Sky Sports 1 and 2 on Freeview. P41 Financial Times BBC staff to vote on pension strike. P4 The dangers of thoughtless emails. P12 Vodafone investor seeks board shakeup. P16 Facebook on course to reach 1 billion users. P19 PayPal lifts eBay's second-quarter earnings. P19 EU's relaxation of controls on Sky Italia could hit Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset. P19 Profile of FriendFinder chief Marc Bell, who is battling Hugh Hefner for control of Playboy. P21 Wall Street Journal Europe Conrad Black released. P8 iPhone 4 squeezes Apple margins. P22 Investigation of Google by Connecticut attorney general has 37 states joining it. P35 Daily Mail Britain's Got Talent contestant sues Simon Cowell. P5 Ray Mears helped in Raoul Moat hunt. P11 BBC Trust expenses published. P30 Daily Express Conrad Black released on $2m bail. P11 Lionel Richie joins Gary Lineker in latest Walker's ad. P17 Britain's Got Talent contestant sues Simon Cowell for £2.5m. P17 The Sun Tom Cruise to appear on Top Gear. P3 BBC Proms could be hit by strike action. P22 Facebook hits 500m users. P23 Ex-EastEnder Jessie Wallace stars as Pat Phoenix in BBC4 film. P27 Best TV Sherlock Holmes. P34 American Doctor Who fans campaign for Timelord to appear in the Simpsons. TV Biz P1 Gary Barlow plotting North Pole trip for Sport Relief. TV Biz P1 EastEnders viewers complain after Muslim character slams Koran on table. TV Biz P1 Alan Carr upsets viewers with C-word on Channel 4's Chatty Man. TV Biz P1 Alex Kingston to star in ITV supernatural drama The Oaks. TV Biz P2 Former Big Brother contestants reunite. TV Biz P2 Big Brother cancels eviction after contestant taken to hospital. TV Biz P3 Chris Isaac top contender to take over from Simon Cowell on American Idol. TV Biz P4 Daily Mirror Britain's Got Talent contestant sues Simon Cowell for £2.5m. P3 Facebook's 500m users. P4 BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons runs up £8,000 of hotel bills in six months. Ray Mears took part in hunt for Raoul Moat. P5 Fans fury as Ashes stays on pay-TV. P7 Keith Chegwin joke row on Twitter. P8 Daily Star Big Brother contestant rushed to hospital, latest mishap on final series of show. P3 Ray Mears helped in hunt for Raoul Moat. P7 Lionel Richie stars in latest Walker's ad. P17 Keith Chegwin Twitter joke row. P21 Britain's Got Talent reject sues Simon Cowell for £2.5m. P25 Interview: Tamzin Outhwaite. P32 Meet the new family on Channel 4's Shameless. P36 And finally ... The mystery of the fake Stig has finally been solved. Readers may remember the BBC was flummoxed after a viewer had his picture taken with a chap who looked like the Stig - white jumpsuit, white helmet - but wasn't. Turns out it was a chap on his stag do, reports the Sun, whose mates bought him the outfit for £50 on eBay. Who knew it was so easy to look like the Stig? Jeremy Clarkson outfits are even cheaper to put together, we hear. The Sun, TV Biz P2 Also on MediaGuardian.co.uk today Stonewall study attacks TV portrayal of gay people Researchers say gay characters either invisible or represented in derogatory or demeaning manner by majority of programmes Conrad Black released from Florida jail Disgraced peer freed from low-security prison on bail of $2m ahead of court appearance in Chicago. The paywall won't be built in a day Peter Robins: Rupert Murdoch's new fan club should not lose heart yet. Charging for content at the Times is a long-term project - at least, it ought to be Top Up TV to offer cut-price Sky Sports 1 Company to provide channel for £22.99 a month, the cheapest price in UK market for access to TV-only service BBC trustees cut expenses by 20% Claims for entertaining, travel and accommodation fall to just over £60,000 for the six months to the end of March Melvyn Bragg: ITV 'taken over by slide rules' Veteran broadcaster says his former employer has been taken over by 'stupid consultancy scheduling' How real is the Reynolds defence? Siobhain Butterworth: Court of appeal's judgment in Times case reinforces the danger that the public interest defence is only theoretically available On the other side of the death knock Veteran freelance describes media reaction to death of his nine-year-old nephew Mail reshuffles senior executives Ted Verity to become deputy editor of Mail on Sunday, among other moves NME Radio to bring back presenters Publisher signs deal with Town & Country Broadcasting to produce shows for regional DAB and internet from September