In many streets corners of Tirana, newspaper stands are illustrations of how the time of Albania's monolithic communist press has become history, also contradicting the gloomy future often predicted for the industry worldwide. In the capital's hip Blokku district, for instance, the kiosks show glossy magazines with their assortments of automobile, women, computer, and leisure titles. They are less numerous than in developed democracies, but leave a feeling of a vibrant industry.
Similar publications, some of which are familiar to western European and American readers, can be spotted in other limited places like the commercial streets of Durres, the second city and main port. Some Albanian names convey a local exotic touch (Klan, Spekter, Psikologji), unlike other magazines spotted even in areas not so much visited by foreigners (the original English-language, Italian, French, and even Spanish versions of Gente, Femme actuelle, Cosmopolitan).
More intriguing are the political dailies often displayed horizontally on tables - or vertically, hanging like cloths from a string - in front of the newsstands. They are plentiful, easily numbering more than a dozen, which is considerable for a country with only 3.6 million inhabitants. Their cover pages are also widely visible on Albanian television channels,which fill their news program every morning with endless press reviews quoting the main headlines.
Not less remarkable is the fact that print media's oversupply is not enhanced by low brow, yellow journalism. One can spot gossip outlets called Paloma or Intervista, but their presence is somewhat discrete, for the moment at least. Albania does not seem to have followed a strong pattern prevalent in other Balkan countries from Croatia to Romania, with the splashy presence of graphic papers. "One can say that of Kosovo [also primarily populated by ethnic Albanians], where most newspapers are based on a British concept, more tabloid-like. This could not succeed in Albania, because of the communist mentality and not because of Islam [the dominant religion]," comments Albert Gjoka, quality daily Albania's deputy editor-in-chief. "Rather we follow the Italian model with small pictures, big texts, and classical design."
Other serious newspapers with well-established brands include Shekulli ["Century"], Gazeta Shqiptare ["Albanian newspaper"], Zeri i Popullit ["Voice of the People"]. These names are familiar to anyone who wiki-googled the country's press before discovering it directly on the screens or in the streets. Other dailies may ring less a bell, whether they are called Panorama, Republika, or Tirana Observer (not written in English despite its name, and unlike the Albanian Daily News).
In the sport niche, the titles are far from being limited to Sporti Shqiptar [="Albanian sport"]. This is not surprising for a nation where soccer is worshipped everywhere, from district and village matches to international encounters (enhanced by highly visible betting stores and billboards). The self-described oldest Balkan sport paper - created in the 1930s before being shut down when the country became hermetically closed from the rest of the world - has been facing new competitors. Passerbys can spot names like Ekspres Sport, Metropol sport, Sporti & basti, Panorama sport. With its black and white cover page, the so-called Bota e sportit gives a now rare arch-communist flavor to the few kiosks where it is available.
At least 20 general news dailies
Even more than in soccer leagues, it is hard to establish a definitive ranking between the more than 20 general news dailies published in a country lacking audited circulation figures. Positions can change as quickly as the way players change clubs or editors switch to other newsrooms. From watching people in the streets or talking to journalists, however, the press league champion at the end of this first decade of the millennium seems to be Panorama. Shekulli has been at the top of the podium in the past years (if not the most profitable as its cover price is lower than many of its competitors'), but it is now joined - and maybe overtaken - by Panorama with circulation of 20,000.
Their closest and most respected followers, selling less than 10,000 copies, include the Italian-owned Gazeta Shqiptare (which set the tone for the new democracy's media, as many of its former editors now control other important outlets), Shqip or (same name in English) Albania. "Our price is about the double of the two best sellers', and the quantity of news we provide is longer, with 32 pages," says Dori Daka, Shqip's deputy editor-in-chief.
Panorama does not differ much from its peers in appearance, but it seems to be the most popular daily as also shown by an aged cloths seller met at the bazaar. A much younger journalism student, Elida Rustemi, says that she reads it "because it is more factual, less politicized." The would-be reporter attends the so-called UFO University, a private school based on Tirana's central Skanderbeg Square. "UFO" means "Universitas Fabrefacta Optime", and the institution is recognized by established journalists. But these abbreviations convey a feeling of strangeness.
There is definitely a sci-fi dimension in Albania's general news dailies, as they number immeasurably more than in European countries which are 15 to 20-times bigger in terms of population, such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and nearby Italy. Even including its multi-states 5 million-plus nationals living in Kosovo, Macedonia and other countries - who have their own dailies and can hardly have access to the print copies coming from Tirana anyway - the profusion of newspapers seems based on a model which could also be called UFO for "unlimited financing oddity".
Albania's high literacy rate of 99 percent may account for this huge number of publications, totaling about 70 for magazines and 90 for newspapers (the general news dailies representing one quarter of them). But western democracies have comparable education levels, and even considering a positive upshot after decades of tight dictatorship, it is hard to understand this business model.
A more valid explanation may be found in the sums invested by advertisers, at least for some activities. In the past weeks for instance, full pages have been taken over by a telephone company featuring Jim Belushi, the American actor. He is subject of national pride in this part of south-eastern Europe, as the son native Albanians. But this explains his widespread presence far more than the announcers' deep pockets. "Rates are very low, between 200 and 300 euros for a full back page color ad. Maybe 500 euros for the two dailies selling over 15,000 copies," comments Gjoka, who also manages online news agency
www.alblink.com.
Many businessmen want to control their own daily
Just because there are so many papers, there are not necessarily that many readers. Circulation numbers rarely exceed 4,000 and subscriptions are non-existent or of a few hundred maximum; these dailies' newsrooms are usually not staffed by more than 10 reporters. "Only four or five out of the about 23 are really sold, and the total circulation is 100,000 maximum [which is comparable, per capita, to French national dailies' sales]," believes Robert Rakipllari, Panorama's editor-in-chief. "We have many newspapers because we are a new democracy and some businessmen want to have their own. It is good for their ego to see their cover pages mentioned on TV every morning, and they also like to have a pressure instrument on the government."
As a matter of fact, two of the three businessmen who founded Panorama in 2003, active in the construction industry, left shortly after to launch their own dailies, Tirana Observer and Metropol. "There will be a consolidation in three-five years, however, with less than ten dailies left on the market," Rakipllari anticipates.
Beyond this Darwinian fate, the Albanian printed media have also to cope with a malfunctioning distribution system due to the poor infrastructure in a land where half of the population is still rural. Despite some European Union pressure and assistance, there is a lack of cooperation within the industry. "The EU people did nothing to help improve Albanian papers' distribution," Gjoka says.
Albania has been a parliamentary republic since 1990, lagging behind its Balkan neighbors in their efforts to turn into a more modern economy and democracy. Unlike in most eastern European countries, only a few weeklies are available in many regions, and there was no media privatization after communism. The only papers which continued after the communist collapse are the Socialist Party controlled Zeri i Popullit and a few state-owned specialized periodicals (in military, education, research). "There are no regional dailies because the concept is connected to communist propaganda. They were about 26 in 1990," recalls Shqip's editor-in-chief Aleksander Cipa, who also presides over Albania's Union of Journalists and comes from Gjirokaster, a southern city close to the border with Greece. "This absence is mostly linked to market conditions, lack of demand, lack of resources", thinks Ilda Londo, the research coordinator of the Albanian Media Institute (AMI), which manages monitoring and training projects.
Most newspapers have to follow a political or business agenda, as pointed out in the rare surveys on the industry. There are no public subsidies officially, but print media are indirectly assisted through free or cheap access to office facilities, and through state advertising. This represents most of their revenues according to daily Korrieri's editor-in-chief, quoted in one of the last studies, released five years ago by AMI.
Last November, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), the network of editors and media owners, organized for the first time in Tirana a major international journalism event, its yearly "South East Europe Media Forum", focused on marketing and new platforms. The two day conference, hosted in conjunction with AMI, attracted over 300 media executives, journalists and press analysts from the region, and Albania's President Bamir Topi opened it. It was a major achievement indeed, symbolically at least, for a country confined in a safe rather than just behind an iron curtain until 20 years ago.
The event was co-sponsored by Germany's press conglomerate WAZ Medien Gruppe, which is very active in the Balkans and, interesting to note, has no assets in Albania's print media, only in television. Italy's Edisud Media, which publishes La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno just across the channel separating the two countries, is practically the only foreign investor as the owner of Gazeta Shqiptare. Unlike in other central-European countries, foreign control of the media is limited in Albania. The access is unrestricted, but in print journalism at least, they are still not attractive for potential investors from abroad.
Just two days before the conference, an incident in Tirana also highlighted the difficulties of running a newspaper: daily Tema's editor Mero Baze was physically attacked by an oil tycoon and his bodyguards. It was the most notable act of violence in months, by coincidence. Baze is known for denouncing cases of corruption also on television, and had to be brought to a hospital. This was not the first time that he was a victim of an aggression (and earlier in the same year, his daily had also been expelled from its offices based in a state-owned building).
The violence was widely condemned within and outside the conference, not the least by Tema's competitors. It also served as a reminder of past habits, when intimidation and self-censorship was notwithstanding much more widespread. "Albania is between the Bulgarian, organized crime, and the Russian, oligarchs' model," says Gjoka, whose newspaper promptly reacted, devoting its cover and the full page three to the attack. "We are also having new journalism schools created, like UFO University's, and our investigative journalism is in its first steps."
Going back to Tirana's fashion district, the boutiques hardly hide the old decrepit buildings behind or over them, which are like vestiges of communism. But the numerous titles on display in newsstands are not just façades either. In spite of being mostly financed by businessmen with agendas, or sometimes threatened by thugs who do not understand there are more subtle ways to defend their interests, Albanian dailies are definitely symptoms of a democracy in progress, where what is on print - more than on internet for the moment - is part of the political debate.
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/02/london_evening_standard_readership_rises.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="2839" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/logos/Image%2012.png"><img alt="Evening Standard.png" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/05/Image%2012-thumb-200x75-2839.png" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="75" width="200" /></a></form>The<i> London Evening Standard</i>'s readership has gone from 556,000 in April to September to 1.37 million in the last three months of 2009, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/feb/03/london-evening-standard-newspapers"><b>Stephen Brook</b> from <i>Guardian</i> reports.</a><br /><br />These positive readership figures follow the <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/10/evening_standard_starts_its_life_as_a_fr.php">newspaper going free in October</a> of last year and more than <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/more_freesheet_speculation_as_lebedevs_p.php">doubling its circulation to 600,000 copies in the process</a>. The London Evening Standard was bought by Russian billionaire <b>Alexander Lebeveb</b> in 2008, and his decision to drop the paper's 50p cover price was made in the hope that boosted circulation would increase advertising enough to make up for the lost revenue of having no cover price. His move towards the freesheet format prompted <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/more_freesheet_speculation_as_lebedevs_p.php">speculation that other London quality newspapers may drop their cover price as well.</a><br />&title=<i>London Evening Standard</i> readership rises){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2010/02/former_editor_takes_on_birmingham_post_w.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="5569" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/businessdesk.jpg"><img alt="businessdesk.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/02/businessdesk-thumb-200x100-5569.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="100" width="200" /></a></form>This week, independent regional business news website, <a href="www.thebusinessdesk.com"><i>TheBusinessDesk</i></a>, launched a third regional edition in Birmingham today with <b>Marc Reeves</b> as its new editor, <a href="http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=44980&c=1"><i>Press Gazette</i> reports</a>.<br /><br />Reeves, the former editor of the business and public affairs daily, the <i>Birmingham Post</i>, left the newspaper in January after it was turned into a weekly. His new position will place him in direct competition with his old paper.<br /> &title=Former editor takes on <i>Birmingham Post</i> with web launch){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2010/01/mcclatchy_to_trial_paywalls.php&bodytext= <form mt:asset-id="5523" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;" contenteditable="false"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/mcclatchylogo.jpg"><img alt="mcclatchylogo.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/mcclatchylogo-thumb-200x38-5523.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="38" width="200" /></a></form>Newspaper publisher <b>McClatchy</b> is going to try out charging for content online, <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004062463"><i>Editor and Publisher</i> reports</a>.
<br /><br />Chief Executive <b>Gary Pruitt</b> said that McClatchy will trial a pay model on one of its newspaper websites, suggesting that a number of articles could be available for free before the reader hits a paywall.
<br />&title=<b>McClatchy</b> to trial paywalls ){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2010/01/mirrorcouk_blocks_aggregator_newsnow.php&bodytext= <form mt:asset-id="5498" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;" contenteditable="false"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newmirror.jpg"><img alt="newmirror.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/newmirror-thumb-175x89-5498.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="89" width="175" /></a></form><i>Mirror.co.uk</i> has this week followed the lead of <b>News International</b> and blocked its content from online news aggregator <b>NewsNow</b>, <a href="http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-mirror.co.uk-follows-news-int.-in-blocking-newsnow/"><i>paidContent</i> reported</a>. NewsNow is now the only site blocked from crawling the Mirror online.
<br /><br />"We're not big fans of their business model," Mirror.co.uk digital director <b>Matt Kelly</b> said.
<a href="http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/6068"></a><br />&title=<i>Mirror.co.uk</i> blocks aggregator <i>NewsNow</i>){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/01/scotland_new_online_newspaper_launches.php&bodytext= <form mt:asset-id="5440" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;" contenteditable="false"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/Caledonian-Mercury-screen-001.jpg"><img alt="Caledonian-Mercury-screen-001.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/Caledonian-Mercury-screen-001-thumb-200x120-5440.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="120" width="200" /></a></form>A new web-only daily newspaper has launched in Scotland, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/25/caledonian-mercury-scottish-press"><i>The Guardian</i> reports</a>, after <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2010/01/scotland_newspaper_launch.php">being expected for some weeks</a>.
<br /><br />Called the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/25/caledonian-mercury-scottish-press"><i>Caledonian Mercury</i></a>, the paper takes its name from one of Scotland's first news journals. It is edited and largely written by former staff from <i>The Scotsman</i> who departed after deep budget cuts at the paper. They will work as freelancers, and will be paid partly according to the "value" of their copy to readers and advertisers. How this will work is not yet clear.
<br />
&title=Scotland: new online newspaper launches ){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/free_newspaper_launches_in_dublin.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="5235" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/Metro-Herald-001.jpg"><img alt="Metro-Herald-001.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/Metro-Herald-001-thumb-200x120-5235.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="120" width="200" /></a></form>Morning freesheet <i>Metro Herald</i>, created by the merger of freesheets <i>Herald AM</i> and <i>Metro Ireland</i>, has launched in Dublin today.<br /><br />The merger, announced last summer, was widely expected as both papers were believed to be running at a loss, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/07/dublin-daily-freesheet-launches">according to <i>The Guardian</i></a>.<br /> &title=Free newspaper launches in Dublin){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2010/01/hyperlocal_news_to_hit_the_netherlands.php&bodytext=<div>The idea of providing news on a hyperlocal level has attracted much attention over the past year as news outlets look at how to tackle the ubiquity of free online news and try to find something that they can offer that is unique. In parts of the US, hyperlocal outfits are now plentiful, both start-ups and those run by traditional news organisations. In Europe, growth has been slower, but notable projects <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2009/05/nase_adresa.php">include </a><b><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2009/05/nase_adresa.php">Futuroom/Nase adresa</a></b><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2009/05/nase_adresa.php"> in the Czech Republic </a><i>(disclosure: WEF has been involved in the project as a consultant)</i> and moves by various UK publishers <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2009/09/30_citizen_journalists_to_find_jobs_at_n.php">to expand their offerings on a very local level</a>. </div><div><br /></div><form mt:asset-id="5221" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/headshots/pasfoto%20Bart%20Brouwers.jpg"><img alt="Bart Brouwers.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/pasfoto Bart Brouwers-thumb-200x249-5221.jpg" width="200" height="249" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></a></form><div>And now it appears that the Netherlands is to see an attempt to integrate hyperlocal news more deeply into the news landscape. <b>Bart Brouwers,</b> former editor-in-chief of Dutch tabloid <i><a href="http://www.spitsnieuws.nl/">Sp!ts</a></i>, recently made the decision to move away from print journalism after 25 years and start an online-only network of hyperlocal news outlets. The <i>Editors Weblog</i> spoke to Brouwers to find out more about his plans. </div><div><br /></div><div>Brouwers himself made the decision to move into the hyperlocal field, and was prepared to do this alone, but his employer <b><a href="http://www.tmg.nl/?language=en&size=11px">Telegraaf Media Groep</a></b> decided to take on the project and appointed Brouwers to the newly-created position of managing editor of a digital network of hyperlocal news and information platforms. He hopes that his network can spread throughout the Netherlands. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hyperlocal news is the future, believes Brouwers, because despite newspapers' problems with subscribers and advertisers, there is still a huge public need for information and people have a desire to inform others and thinks that "could be done in the best way on a very local level." It is on this level that people both need specific information, and have information that they can share with others in the community. </div><div><br /></div><div>The idea for the network would be that it would ideally incorporate existing local bloggers and user interactivity would play a major role. One of the principles which Brouwers is working under is that an article is not finished when a journalist presses the publish button; rather, the process is just starting. "Every journalist must be aware that there will always be more knowledge out there than he could have found on his own, it's just a matter of finding the right people." So Brouwers wants to create some kind of system whereby people add to what has been provided by the journalists. The network is as yet unnamed, but Brouwers hopes to incorporate this idea of "not finished yet" into its name. </div><div><br /></div><div>Brouwers feels that a hyperlocal network has the potential to make money from highly targeted advertising. Paid content is a possibility, but it would not be the basis of the network's revenue stream: "maybe 90% of what we are doing will be free." With regards to advertising, Brouwers thinks that there is potential for more innovative and profitable methods. "I do believe in intelligent ways of mixing advertising with journalistic content," he said, "as long as you are able to stay independent and be clear to your audience what is paid for." He referred to the way that <i><a href="http://www.trueslant.com">True/Slant</a></i> incorporates advertising: <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2009/06/trueslant_giving_a_voice_to_journalists.php">the ads are written in a blog style and provide more information than a banner or pop-up ad could</a>, but they are clearly distinguished from other content (see <i><a href="http://trueslant.com/ooma/">here</a></i> for an example.) </div><div><br /></div><div>The type of advertising platform and audience that Brouwers hopes to offer could particularly appeal to local and regional governments, he said. "For them it's very worthwhile to get a very targeted audience for everything that they want to inform their citizens with."</div><div><br /></div><form mt:asset-id="5223" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/misc/Screen%20shot%202010-01-06%20at%2017.05.51.png"><img alt="telegraaf mg logo.png" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/Screen shot 2010-01-06 at 17.05.51-thumb-260x73-5223.png" width="260" height="73" class="mt-image-right" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></a></form>The Telegraaf Media Groep has the advantage of already having a significant presence in the news landscape of the Netherlands, and Brouwers hopes that his new network can collaborate with Telegraaf's more traditional properties. He realises, however, that his platform is going to be very different, and also that the Telegraaf newspapers will be careful about how much of their content they give away. <div><br /></div><div>As yet, many details of Brouwers' project need to be finalised and it is impossible to predict whether or not he will be successful. His idea has similarities to the<a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/07/plans_for_the_future_of_sustainable_prof.php"> redefined news eco-system proposed</a> by <b><a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com">Jeff Jarvis</a></b>, where citizen journalists would be seen as important collaborators in the process of news distribution. These ideas make financial sense in the way that they plan to make use of information willingly provided for nothing by members of the public. And taking note of the fact that no one journalist knows as much as the community about what is going on seems wise. A fool-proof business model is yet to be found for hyperlocal news, but if such experimentation proves successful, it might well have an important role to play in the future of news. </div> &title=Hyperlocal news to hit the Netherlands){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2010/01/new_e-reader_skiff_unveiled.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="5200" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/skiff_01-5200.html" onclick="window.open('http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/skiff_01-5200.html','popup','width=356,height=400,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/skiff_01-thumb-200x224-5200.jpg" alt="skiff_01.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="224" width="200" /></a></form>The buzz is building with all the <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/apple_to_launch_tablet_early_next_year_s.php">speculation about an <b>Apple</b> tablet</a>, but for now it's <b>Hearst Corp.</b> making headlines after unveiling their new e-reader, the <b>Skiff Reader</b>.<br /><br />The new device is designed for reading newspapers and magazines. It will also allow users to read other digital content including e-books, personal documents, and blogs.<br /><br />Larger than a <b>Kindle DX</b>, with an 11.5 inch (29.2cm) touchscreen, it measures a quarter of an inch (0.63cm) thick, and weighs one pound or just under half a kilogram.<br /> &title=New e-reader <b>Skiff</b> unveiled ){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/manchester_evening_news_cuts_back_on_fre.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="5198" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/manchestereveningnews.jpg"><img alt="manchestereveningnews.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2010/01/manchestereveningnews-thumb-200x120-5198.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="120" width="200" /></a></form>After almost four years as a freesheet, the <b><i>Manchester Evening News</i></b> will begin charging for copies of its newspaper distributed in the city centre, at least four days a week.<br /><br />In April 2006, the paper became part-free, part paid-for. In the Manchester city centre, 50,000 copies a day were given away, while those in suburbs further out were still sold to readers. The planned changes will mean that from Monday to Wednesday and on Saturdays, all copies of the newspaper will be paid for, while on Thursdays and Fridays, its dual paid/free model will remain.<br />&title=<b><i>Manchester Evening News</i></b> cuts back on free copies){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/trinity_national_titles_and_websites_get.php&bodytext=<form mt:asset-id="5052" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/Apple-iPhone-002.jpg"><img alt="Apple-iPhone-002.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/12/Apple-iPhone-002-thumb-250x150-5052.jpg" width="250" height="150" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></a></form>The <b>Trinity Mirror</b>'s national daily titles will get dedicated iPhone applications, as will its <b>3am.co.uk</b> and <b>Mirrorfootball.co.uk</b> websites, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/dec/16/iphone-apps-trinity-mirror">MediaGuardian reports</a>. <div><br /></div><div>The <b><i>Daily Mirror</i></b> and <b><i>Daily Record</i></b> apps will be free but the site apps will have a one-time download charge, to be announced with the apps' release early next year. </div><div><br /></div><div>This comes amid a spate of app releases by Western newspapers, especially in the UK: The <i><b><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/guardian_launches_paid-for_iphone_app.php">Guardian</a></b></i>, <b><i><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/pagesuite_and_kos_media_release_kent_new.php">Kent News</a></i></b>, and <b><i><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/telegraph_gets_readers_involved_with_app.php">Telegraph</a></i></b> have all recently released iPhone apps.
</div>&title=<b>Trinity</b> national titles and websites get apps to call their own){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2009/12/huffington_post_takes_ads_in_comment_sec.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="5024" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/huffingtonpost-logo.jpg"><img alt="huffingtonpost-logo.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/12/huffingtonpost-logo-thumb-200x71-5024.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="71" width="200" /></a></form><i><b>The Huffington Post</b></i> will accept advertising in its comment sections and in the Twitter feeds it features among its pages, in an attempt to increase revenue for the high-traffic news and commentary website.<br /><br />Advertisers would receive advice on how to go about participating in the comments and tweets, creating a dialogue with readers, Chief Revenue Officer <b>Greg Coleman</b> said. For example, an advertiser sponsoring the Twitter World Series page, which provides a curated discussion in real time via Twitter about the topic, might chip in with relevant statistics, he said. <br />&title=<b><i>Huffington Post</i></b> takes ads in comment sections, tweets){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2009/12/survey_finds_crisis_has_eroded_independe.php&bodytext=<form mt:asset-id="5005" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;" contenteditable="false"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/periodistas.jpg"><img alt="periodistas.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/12/periodistas-thumb-290x145-5005.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="145" width="290" /></a></form>The economic crisis is eroding the independence of Spanish journalists,<a href="http://www.periodistadigital.com/periodismo/prensa/2009/12/13/libertad-crisis-economico-erosiona-independencia-diario-medios-online-comunicacion-espanoles.shtml"> reports <i><b>Periodismo Digital</b></i></a>, with some 57.5 per cent of directors in national media positions claiming they have less freedom now than in previous years. <br /><br />Results from a survey carried out by the <b>Press Association of Madrid</b> (APM) as part of its <b>Annual Report 2009</b> found that directors in Spanish print, radio and television media believed that they now have to play more favourably to the interests of advertisers and institutions as a direct consequence of the financial strain the industry is currently experiencing following the recession. <br /><br /><div><br /></div>&title=Survey finds crisis has eroded independence for Spanish journalists){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/12/daily_news_takes_advantage_of_new_colour.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="4992" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/DailyNewsNewYorkNY.jpg"><img alt="DailyNewsNewYorkNY.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/12/DailyNewsNewYorkNY-thumb-200x305-4992.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="305" width="200" /></a></form>The New York <i><b>Daily News</b></i> can now print every page in colour, as its three new high-speed printing presses have whirred into action earlier this month.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/11/daily_news_owner_shows_faith_in_print.php">Although the upgrade will increase efficiency and reduce waste</a>, spending $200 million on equipment in the midst of a recession does appear to contravene conventional business wisdom. <br /><br />But owner of the tabloid <b>Mort Zuckerman</b> told <a href="http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20091213/FREE/312139967"><i><b>Crain's New York Business</b></i></a> that he hopes that the resulting high-quality images will attract more advertising dollars, as high-end brands prefer to see their advertisements in the arresting visual format common to European newspapers or luxury magazines.<br /> &title=<b><i>Daily News</i></b> takes advantage of new colour printing presses){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/12/outsidein_gets_big_investor_looks_to_the.php&bodytext=<b><form mt:asset-id="4945" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="outside.in-s.png" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/outside.in-s.png" width="240" height="60" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 20px 0;" /></form>CNN</b> has decided to go local. The news channel will invest in <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2009/11/local_the_new_social.php">hyperlocal news aggregator</a> <b><a href="http://outside.in/">Outside.in</a></b> as part of the site's $7million series B funding round. CNN will begin displaying feeds from Outside.in on <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2009/10/cnncom_revamps_website.php">its newly revamped site</a> early next year. <br /><br />
Outside.in aggregates news from blogs and news media sites into feeds of specific neighborhoods- there are currently 57 830 neighborhoods available (sorry, <a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/12/hyperlocal_publishing_thrives_in_new_yor.php">US and Canada only</a>)- creating a personalized aggregation feed for the user. CNN, which is owned by <b>Time Warner</b>, will assumedly use the feeds to personalize the site for each reader.<br />&title=<b>Outside.in</b> gets big investor, looks to the future){kind=link}
![Digg](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&&url=http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2009/12/australia_publishers_disagree_on_new_rea.php&bodytext=<form contenteditable="false" mt:asset-id="4943" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://www.editorsweblog.org/Australia_newspapers.jpg"><img alt="Australia_newspapers.jpg" src="http://www.editorsweblog.org/assets_c/2009/12/Australia_newspapers-thumb-200x150-4943.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="150" width="200" /></a></form> Dissatisfaction with current readership surveys has led Australian newspaper publishers to tender a different research company to do the job. But one key publisher has withdrawn its support for the process, in a move that has left industry insiders wondering one thing: why?
<br /><br />Audience measurement research for Australian newspapers and magazines is currently undertaken by <b>Roy Morgan Research</b>. Their methods have received varied criticism from publishers, who complain of a lack of methodological transparency, the need for more frequent reporting, and the need for reporting on individual sections of newspapers. Publishers have also claimed that their surveys do not accurately measure audiences.
<br />&title=Australia: publishers disagree on new readership survey){kind=link}