June 2007 Archives

During the week of June 25-June 29, nytimes.com featured digital news editor Jim Roberts in the weekly Q&A column, “Talk to the Newsroom.”  Answering user-submitted questions, Roberts discussed issues concerning the “task at hand” for The New York Times, celebrity news, website usability, breaking versus traditional news, user-submitted content, and the future of newspapers.

The June 28 edition of the daily Edinburgh Evening News contained only positive news stories.  Under the title The Edinburgh "Evening Good News," the special edition aimed to interest readers by celebrating the local community and its events.

UK’s The Mail is teaming up with Prince to distribute the recording artist’s highly anticipated new album “Planet Earth” for free on Sunday.  The album is not set for sale until July 24, and the plans to distribute the 10-track CD as an “imminent edition” has drawn vehement criticism from the music industry.

In a major overhaul of its international website, CNN.com will drop its paid-for video service starting on Sunday, July 1.  Free access to select content from CNN’s video archive, personalization options for the homepage, and outlets for submission of user-generated content are all attempts by the network to become “a good web citizen.”

On June 28, approximately one-third of the Wall Street Journal’s reporters staged morning absences across the US, in protest of the sale of the business daily to Rupert Murdoch. In an Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees (IAPE), statement, reporters explained that they had staged absences to demonstrate that the editorial integrity of the paper required “an owner committed to journalistic independence.”

Paul Moreira is an investigative reporter who has worked extensively in the print press and was one of the founders of the defunct French, investigative, television show “90 minutes.” In his latest book, Les nouvelles censures, Moreira describes the widespread practices of overt and covert manipulations of the news media. “One of this era’s most powerful myths is that we live in the information age. In fact, we live in a media age, in which information is repetitive, “safe” and limited by invisible borders,” writes John Pilger, Hidden Agendas. Are these theories ‘Big Brother’ paranoia, or are information flows much more controlled than the public would like to think? Is this only the case for television’s spectacular requirements, or also for trusted newspapers? Moreira investigates, and answers.

With concerns of an “industry that is fighting for survival,” many newspapers are turning to user-generated content for support and input on the changing face of traditional news media.  “We realize we’ve got to change or die,” said Tom Callihan, vice president of The Enquirer, at a June 26 forum hosted by the Northlich advertising agency.

In an interview with the Arab Press Network, Omar Belhouchet, editor-in-chief of the Algerian El Watan, explains how the paper is getting more into line with ‘international standards’ of objective journalism, away from combative journalism.

Network Rail has invited publishers and other interested parties to explore the launch of a new free afternoon or evening newspaper to be distributed at the Manchester Piccadilly station.  With the somewhat aggressive freesheet war already raging between The London Paper and its rival The London Lite, the addition of this new freebie will expand the competition outside London’s city limits.

According to Matthew Felling of Public Eye, summer reporters looking to conquer the slowness of summer news cycles frequently fall back on a dependable content favorite: lists.  Although he acknowledges that they are a “crutch” for columnists, Felling advocates the use of lists for their easy-to-process information and conversation-starting nature.

A group of women journalists have launched Ameco Press, the first Spanish press agency specialized in gender equality issues. Ameco will cover all general news “topics that are relevant to women.”

In a recent Business Week video interview with senior editor Diane Brady, Andrew Keen, founder of Audiocafe.com and author of the new book The Cult of the Amateur, expounded on his beliefs that user-generated content and Web 2.0 are bringing down culture and professional media.

The press corps will soon be returning to its traditional West Wing newsroom, after 10 months of renovation. Could the new surroundings promote better coverage?

Major media companies and bloggers will now be able to find images from Getty Images Inc., Zuma Press, and Jupitermedia through Internet content syndication marketplace company Mochila.  “We’ve created a level playing field, where new and traditional media can all be together,” said Mochila chief executive, Keith McAllister of the licensing deals.

Newspaper executives recently revised both the preamble and Clause 10 of the Editor’s Code of Practice after the annual review by the Code committee.  The changes take into account user-generated content and recent scandals involving wiretaps and hacking to obtain material.

On July 1, the African Editors’ Forum (TAEF) in collaboration with Global Media and Nepad, will hold a debate in Accra, Ghana on the theme “The imaging of Africa: Roles and responsibilities of the political leaders and media.”

Using a $15,000 Knight News Challenge grant, JD Lasica plans on developing a user-friendlier set of citizen media tools for online development.  Over the next year, he hopes to explore and design a better “community media toolset” through his website Socialmedia.biz, to encourage participation in citizen media sties.

During the “Media Freedom, Media Laws” forum on June 26, media organizations, politicians, lawyers, and journalists supported a declaration that demands complete freedom of expression, right to know, and freedom of media per the Constitution of Pakistan and UN laws. The consultation was organized jointly by The Media Commission, Pakistan, and The South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and held in Islamabad.