Lawyers representing media outlets argue against government efforts to bring 'special advocate procedures' to civil trials, the Guardian reported. Proposals by MI5 and MI6 to extend courtroom secrecy to civil trials would unfairly restrict the right of the media to act as the "eyes and ears" of the public, the supreme court heard today. Lord Lester QC, representing the Guardian, the Times and the BBC told the court that the media's role is of particular importance in cases where the two agencies are facing allegations of complicity in torture. As the article reported, he said the proposals would not only interfere with the common law and European convention right to freedom of expression, but would undermine "the freedom of the press in acting as eyes and ears of the public as reporters of matters of legitimate concern". The secret court judgments that would follow would exclude media reporting "for all time", he added.

James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert and currently Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, Europe and Asia, was interviewed on stage at the DLD Conference in Munich, Germany, TechCrunch reported. Talking about the Daily, the company's eagerly-anticipated iPad-only newspaper, he said he hopes it is going to be launched in the next few weeks: "It's going to be a brand new piece of journalism. We want to get out there quickly, at a good price, and I think it will surprise people. I also think it will succeed or fail on the journalism part, not the bells and whistles", he said.

BBC World Service has announced an unprecedented round of cuts, including around 650 job losses - more than 25% of its workforce, the Guardian announced. The overhaul will include the closure of five foreign language services - Albanian, Macedonian, Portuguese for Africa and Serbian; as well as the English for the Caribbean regional service - and sweeping cuts to shortwave radio broadcasts.

With financial support from its newest donors - the Gannett Foundation and the Green Park Foundation - the Board of Directors of the Fund for Investigative Journalism has awarded twelve grants to journalists investigating abuse of power, environmental degradation, and corruption in the United States, Asia, Africa, and South America, FIJ website announced.
The board awarded $43,000 in grants to cover travel and other reporting expenses for investigative stories that otherwise could not be told. The Fund also has received significant support from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to make grants for local and regional stories, many with national implications, and for investigations by ethnic media.

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