editorsweblog

US: New look Record of Bergen County to be launched on 6 July

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:56:28 +0000

Its all change at The Record of Bergen County, the New Jersey based newspaper is undergoing a redesign that will be launched this Sunday. The makeover will include more graphics, stronger headlines and quicker reads.

The change is aimed at making the paper more appealing to its time-pressed readers, and providing a more "reader-friendly format" according to Editor Frank Scandale.

From Sunday, there will be a new style front page with an "At a Glance" summary box featuring top stories of the day, as well as guides to top stories on the inside pages. The paper is launching a new beat on how shifting census trends effect economics and a faster-paced Business section. It will also include a baby boomer column and a social events pictorial in the Better Living section.

The Record of Bergen County is published by the North Jersey Media Group.

Source: CNBC

Germany: Axel Springer plans online expansion through acquisitions and new units

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:37:50 +0000

German publishing company Axel Springer set an objective for 2007: "steadfast expansion with a focus on the digital business", according to CEO Michael Doepfner. In 2008, the company is planning to further its advance towards digitalization by making acquisitions or establishing new online units.

The company's leap towards digital media might feature making acquisitions or establishing new units to expand sports coverage, job sites and regional contribution.

Source: FinanzNachrichten through IFRA Executive News Service

China: Guide for journalists reporting at the Beijing Olympics

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:38:52 +0000

Human Rights Watch has released a guidebook for the estimated 25,000 journalists traveling for to China to cover the Olympic games. The "survival guide" covers reporters' risks and rights, human rights issues outside the arena, tips on dealing with censorship and the police, protecting Chinese contacts, and the "Great Firewall" of internet censorship.

In 2001, Wang Wei, vice president of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee, said, "We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China."

This commitment was central to Beijing's successful '08 Olympic bid, having failed to win the 2000 Summer Games; however, China remains the leading jailer of journalists and continues to censor the internet and retaliate against citizen sources critical of the government.

The guidebook is available as a free download here.

Source: New York Times' Olympic blog, Rings

UK: Journalists and photographers concerned over ambiguous surveillance guidelines

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:12:59 +0000

UK journalists and photographers may be subject to police monitoring and restriction from covering public events, HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk reports.

According to Home Secretary Jaqui Smith, the Home Office has no guidelines on photography in public places, but "decisions may be made locally to restrict or monitor photography in reasonable circumstances."

"It is for the local Chief Constable to decide how his or her officers and employees should best balance the rights to freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and the need for public protection," Smith said.

National Union of Journalists General Secretary Jeremy Dear says the Home Office is not doing enough to clearly define the limits of monitoring and restriction.

"Whilst the government can say these are operational issues for the police," Dear said, "It should be made clear that the routine surveillance of journalists is unacceptable and an infringement of media freedom."

Source: HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk

Kyrgystan: newspaper forced to stop publication, pressure from authorities

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:48:52 +0000

Cholpon Orozobekova, editor of Bishkek-based De Facto newspaper announced last Tuesday that publication will stop until at least 20 August, due to harassment from the authorities. Over two weeks ago, the paper was accused of printing false information about the Kyrgyz Taxes and Duties Committee, CNW Group reported.

The 12 June issue featured a reader's letter complaining about corruption in the capital's tax department. Taalaibek Dalbaev, the head of the Kyrgyz Taxes and Duties Committee, promptly filed for libel and the persecutor's office took legal action against the paper.

The persecutor's office concluded that the letter was fake and a warrant was obtained to search the newspaper's office. The paper was searched twice, its financial assets and bank account frozen.

Last Tuesday, Nurlanbek Chakiev, a presidential spokesperson sais that the authorities do not plan to shut De Facto down. However, he mentioned that the paper defied professional ethics.

"The decision to bring a criminal prosecution against the newspaper instead of a civil suit, the freezing of its accounts, the threats received by its editor and the speed with which the judicial authorities acted are all disproportionate and suggest that real aim is to force De Facto to close," said Reporters Without Borders.

Various organizations have questioned the viability of press freedom in Kyrgystan and whether the government permits independent media to function correctly, reported Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty.

Source: CNW Group through World News

Germany: Berliner Zeitung staff advertise for a new owner

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:19:38 +0000

Staff at leading German newspaper Berliner Zeitung have placed an advertisement in a rival publication seeking a new owner. Berliner Zeitung is owned by Mecom, a leading European newspaper and content company.

The advertisement appears to be a reaction to the announcement last week that a quarter (130) of the editorial staff at Berliner Zeitung will be made redundant.

In a recent interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel the Chief Executive of Mecom, David Montgomery, played down the problems that his company is having in Berlin.

Montgomery said that the issues have been caused by, "isolated rabble rousers who are trying to stop time". He went on to say that times have changed for newspapers.

Under the title, "Publish Wanted", the advertisement stated the journalists were looking for a "serious buyer who doesn't just produce a paper to make money".

The Berliner Zeitung's editor-in-chef Josef Depenbrock has been a controversial figure at the newspaper ever since Montgomery gave him the dual role of managing editor and editor-in-chief.

The paper's editorial department failed in an attempt to bring proceedings against Mecom and Josef Depenbrock on Wednesday. They argued that his dual role at the paper went against the paper's statutes. The case was thrown out of court.

Sources reported to MediaGuardian.co.uk that a strike by Berliner Zeitung is likely later in the month.

Mecom announced last week that it will cut up to 465 jobs at its Dutch regional business Wegener.

Source: Guardian

See also:

Netherlands: editors-in-chief complain to Mecom, concerned over editorial quality

Germany: Montgomery continues to incite anger at Berliner Zeitung

Greenslade: Despite newspapers' financial struggles, the future of journalism still belongs to journalists

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:11:39 +0000

Though journalists and publishers' concerns over shrinking ad revenue are warranted, says the Guardian's Roy Greenslade, the future still belongs to journalists. Greenslade believes that economic hardship is not terminal - newspapers will adjust - but the mass media era, he says, "may well be over."

"We have to envisage a future with an entirely new business model based on smaller returns that will fund a small, high quality staff, probably serving niche markets," Greenslade writes.

Greenslade cites several studies confirming newspapers' difficult financial situations, but says journalists should approach the numbers with a dose of pragmatism.

"We have to admit to ourselves first that things will never be as they were in the last millennium," he writes.

Greenslade admits that any change in the newsroom will take time to adjust to. Journalists, however, shouldn't panic.

"The journalistic future does not belong to ailing publishing companies," he writes. "It belongs to us."

Source: The Guardian - Greenslade

Opinion: 10 steps every newspaper should take, with Mark Potts

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:08:03 +0000

Mark Potts, author of the Recovering Journalist blog, recently wrote about the ten changes he thinks newspapers need to make to thrive. What follows is an edited transcript of his post:

What would you do if you ran a newspaper?

Somebody asked me that question recently, and it made me pull together some of the thoughts I've had recently about the problems that newspapers are having and what they might do to pull out of their current spiral. This is hardly a complete list, but here's a 10-point prescription for ailing newspapers:

1. Make the Web the primary product.
Stop pasting the newspaper onto a screen. Reorganize the newsroom so that its work appears online as quickly as possible. ... And embrace the technology: news Web sites should be full of Web 2.0 goodness like interactive maps, social networking tools, RSS feeds, distribution to mobile devices, etc. Use the medium to its fullest.

2. Local, local, LOCAL!
There are a zillion places to get national and international news, in real time. But newspapers are virtually the only source of truly local news. ... Local news is the last unique franchise that newspapers own, and too many newspapers don't seem to understand this. ... (Why do you think local community newspapers are thriving when big metro dailies are shedding circulation?)

3. If it's widely available elsewhere, don't waste time re-creating it.
Does every newspaper really need its own movie critic? A TV critic? ... Book reviews? Stories from Washington that the AP already has? ... the answer is unequivocably no. Those resources are just wastd.

4. Zero-base the news operation.
Pretend you're starting from scratch. Look at everything that's in the paper and ask tough questions about whether it's still necessary in an age when readers have multiple sources of news and information.

5. Get the readers involved.
As Dan Gillmor has elegantly argued, the audience knows more than news people do. Much more. Tap that knowledge by encouraging reader participation in as many ways as possible: contributing news and information about their communities, sending in photos and videos, commenting on everything. This can't be a token effort, and you absolutely cannot be scared or controlling about it: let the readers get involved at every opportunity. It will greatly improve the product and increase readership.

6. Lose the editorial page.
Unsigned editorials are a relic of a bygone era when newspaper barons exerted power in their community... Here's a thought: Replace it with reader opinions!

7. Expand the advertising base.
In any market, there are thousands of small advertisers that would never consider advertising in the big local newspaper. It's too expensive and covers too broad an area. But those advertisers want to reach the same people the newspaper does. Find a way to make this happen: more focused zoning, cheaper ads, ad rep pay structures that encourage selling to smaller advertisers. This is another area where community papers are running rings around big dailies.

8. Rethink the classifieds.
Craigslist, Monster.com and countless other news competitors have decimated the newspaper classifieds business. ... Anybody who's used craigslist knows how much more effective it is than paid newspaper classifieds. Look hard at your classifieds ... Yes, that may include shifting most of the classifieds online and giving them away for free, in order to keep the critical mass of classifieds that makes them useful.

9. Find new ways to serve advertisers.
What newspapers offer advertisers--display ads, classifieds--really hasn't changed much in a century. Look for ways to change that. Get into the Yellow Pages directory business online. Aggressively offer contextual advertising. Use idle newspaper delivery resources to help local businesses with their delivery needs. Use subscription lists to help businesses find customer leads. Explore interactive advertising forms that go way beyond boring banner ads. Offer data services to help businesses manage their inventories or sell things online. It's not enough to simply sell space in the paper or on the Web site. Help advertisers make their businesses more successful.

10. Take chances. Innovate. Be fearless about trying things--and killing things.
...A wise editor once said to me, there's virtually no history of research and development in the newspaper business, which is odd considering that covering the news is a daily act of research and development. Let's face it: The single biggest innovation in print newspaper journalism in the past decade or so is...Sudoku. Newspapers can and must do better than that to survive.

Source: Recovering Journalist

Canada: Journal de Quebec ends 15-month lockout

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:47:25 +0000

Last Wednesday, an agreement was reached between management and union members bringing an end to the 15 month strike-lockout at Canadian newspaper Journal de Quebec. This labour conflict is the longest one to date within the Canadian francophone media, the Vancouver Sun reported.

The five-year agreement includes a 2.5% raise per year, a four-day work week with 37.5 hours and the return of the small ads divison to Quebec from Ottawa.

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Part 2: The New York Times' international bid, in print and online

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:59:10 +0000

Part 1 discussed how the planned changes at The New York Times and International Herald Tribune will help the NYT's continuous news offerings, and how these changes could affect the organization and interaction between both newsrooms.

Part 2 examines how The New York Times intends to:
- Further compete against the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal internationally, and ways in which newspapers can reinforce their international reach.
- Use the strength of its online brand while safeguarding the IHT's popular print brand name.

The Weblog spoke to Jim Roberts, Digital Editor at The New York Times, and Martin Gottlieb, who was appointed to the newly created position of Editor, Global Edition.

How newspapers can become international brands, the NYT joins the race

Until now, the Times hasn't specifically catered to overseas advertisers and readers.

"We need to be agile," said IHT publisher Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, "to compete much more aggressively, nose to nose, with The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and anybody else who is competing for our readers and advertisers."

No doubt that the Times actually borrowed the continuous news outpost idea from the aforementioned competitors, which have been relying on their foreign bureaus to provide round the clock coverage.

The staff memo reaffirmed the NYT's "ambitious plans to expand in the region (Asia), particularly in India." In June, the IHT announced a partnership with the India-based Deccan Chronicle to print the Tribune's world business section in the Financial Chronicle.

With the rise of digital publishing, many news organizations are seeking to grow a previously inaccessible international readership by:

- launching a print edition abroad: several papers have rolled out editions away from home this past year, such as the FT's recently launched Middle East edition in Abu Dhabi, WSJ's partnership with business paper Mint in India, the Daily Mail's partnership with India Today to publish the Mail Today, or The Times of London's Polish edition.

- investing in an online international section: In Germany, referential weekly Der Spiegel launched an English-language International edition on its website in 2004. Five fulltime staffers are dedicated to translating Der Spiegel's content and rewriting it with an international perspective, as well as doing their own international-minded original reporting (the full case study is featured in Trends in Newsrooms 2008). The Guardian adopted a different approach, by launching a separate, foreign-based, US website, Guardian America. The Guardian is reportedly considering similar ventures in other regions.

- simply reinforcing their focus on international news in their regular coverage: the Daily Telegraph's website in the UK, which was neck to neck with the Guardian in terms of traffic in April, claims nearly two thirds of its visitors are from overseas. A well-indexed website helps to brings in a significant number of 'light' international users through search engines.

Merging "co-branded" websites but not print: a branding issue

The NYT's approach is a combination of the first two strategies: the print IHT now serves as The Times' 'global edition' (see picture), while maintaining its trademark brand name. With the proposed online merger, the NYT could also follow the second route, by hosting an international edition online, without having to extensively change its workflows (see Part 1).

The rationale to merge the websites is clearly explained in the memo: according to WebTrends, NYT's website boasts a strong international audience and 58 million global users, compared to iht.com's seven million.

"The global landscape for online news is highly competitive, making scale, speed and resources essential to success. Therefore we have determined that the best future online for the IHT and the NYT globally is through a joint international presence," said the memo.

However, the memo doesn't explicitly say why this won't be the case in print:

"The IHT should become the international print edition of the NYT, whether it is formally branded that way or not."

The main issue at stake is one of branding. "In print, there have been at least a couple of studies that show that among Tribune newspaper readers there is a great identification with the brand, that the brand means something to readers," said Gottlieb.

"More than the name, what accompanies the name, an international perspective, a sense of calling the best stories from The Times and augmenting them with unique reporting," was a combination that many readers liked.

As news organizations seek to grow their international reach, this consideration probably holds true for many that have established a reputable brand name on a local or national scale. However strong the brand name, its association with a particular place or country can potentially play against that news outlet on the international scene.

Source: New York Times - Media Bistro - Jim Roberts, Digital Editor The New York Times - Martin Gottlieb, Editor, Global Edition

Part 1: New York Times expands Continuous News, furthers integration with IHT

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:49:21 +0000

At a time when any local or national news outlet can potentially become an international online brand, and as newsrooms adapt to a 24-hour news cycle, editors can learn from The New York Times' most recent attempt to 'kill' both birds with one stone.

Last week, top execs from The Times and the International Herald Tribune announced plans to merge iht.com and nytimes.com into a co-branded international section, in order to increase both sites' reach and appeal to international advertisers.

In this two-part series, the Weblog spoke to Jim Roberts, Digital Editor at The New York Times, and Martin Gottlieb, who was appointed to the newly created position of Editor, Global Edition.

Through these moves, The Times intends to accomplish at least four ostensible goals:

Part 1:
- Build an outpost for its Continuous News Desk in Paris, and eventually Hong Kong.
- Integrate operations, streamline some resources by increasing efficiency and avoiding overlap.

Part 2:
- Reinforce its international reach and further compete against the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal.
- Use the strength of NYT's online brand while safeguarding the IHT's popular print brand name.

IHT: an outpost for the Times' continuous news

Although the proposed changes are currently undergoing a consultation process with the IHT's works council, as required by French law, the process of integration of both papers began ever since the NYT acquired full control of the IHT in 2003, and has accelerated in past months.

In Feb., NYT executive editor Bill Keller had already announced plans to integrate operations and develop an "organic, global, 24-hour news operation," in order "to create a Continuous News outpost in Paris."

In May, the IHT dropped its 142-year-old logo from its nameplate to replace it with the phrase "The Global Edition of the New York Times."

"That says, we are one, and we are," although both arms are managed separately, said Jim Roberts, digital editor at The Times.

Video: Roberts talks about the 'integration' of both newspapers. Footage was collected during an interview at the 15th World Editors Forum in Sweden.

Thanks to this outpost and the six-hour time difference, the NYT is now able to upload content to its site nearly 24 hours a day (from about 6am to 1am, New York time). The paper eventually hopes to establish a similar outpost at the IHT's Asian headquarters in Hong Kong in the next six months.

The creation of these outposts does not mean that the IHT is becoming a full-blown Paris bureau for The Times. "We have a Paris bureau," said Roberts, "and the newsroom of the IHT still has a print edition and right now they still have a website."

Integration, streamlining resources: evolution, no revolution

Since all proposed changes are undergoing a consultation process, editors couldn't give any firm preview of how workflows could be affected.

In the past, there has been "very regular contact between individual desks at the Times and corresponding desks at the IHT," said Martin Gottlieb, newly appointed editor of the Global edition. Many IHT editors come from The Times, regularly do edits on NYT pieces, and this past year IHT-written articles have appeared on nytimes.com with no distinctive byline.

However, there is no formal process of exchange between both newsrooms, and "There have been a couple of occasions when we've had IHT and NYT reporters covering the same thing," said Roberts.

The appointment of Gottlieb as editor of the Global Edition - note, no mention of the IHT in his title - is significant in that respect. In addition to fulfilling the role of editor of the paper, his mission will be to ensure that staff understands both papers are "two parts of one news-gathering operation, that should work in unison as much as possible in delivering the news 24 hours a day seven days a week," said Gottlieb.

A series of new editorial appointments at the IHT will be the symbols of this top-down integration. "There will be people coordinating the work of both staffs to, pretty much, make them as much as possible act as one staff," said Gottlieb.

For example, Alison Smale, who becomes European editor of the global newsroom, will be responsible for "coordinating the work of all NYT and IHT reporters in the region from the IHT newsroom in Paris," said the memo. To oversee the process, The Times also named Alan Flippen "Editor, Newsroom Organization."

It seems too early to say whether the planned reforms will lead to radical changes in workflows or content. Evolution, not revolution, said Roberts.

Currently, an IHT reporter based in Hong Kong might build upon a Times' story about the rise of airline fuel prices by interviewing Asian carriers, whose input might not have been as relevant to the core readership of the Times in the US. Likewise, an IHT story published in the Times might be fine-tuned to be more pertinent to the American audience (see the example of Der Spiegel in Part 2, looking at different newspaper approaches towards international editions).

Future workflows will likely build upon these current processes, rather than start from scratch. "It's continuing synergies that are taking place and maximizing them and regularizing them," said Gottlieb.

The planned changes can also be seen as an attempt to streamline resources - terminology often equivocated with cost cuts and layoffs. But according to Gottlieb, there are no planned newsroom layoffs at this point (this is subject to change during the next six months). It is possible that an online merger of iht.com and nytimes.com could lead to redundancies for some technical Web production positions.

Editors couldn't comment on any upcoming changes concerning the IHT's planned print redesign.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will examine The Times' international branding strategy, and how newspapers can grow a previously inaccessible international readership.

Source: New York Times - Media Bistro - Jim Roberts, Digital Editor The New York Times - Martin Gottlieb, Editor, Global Edition

Viacom wins first round in battle with Google

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:32:33 +0000

A landmark judgement in the ongoing battle between Viacom and Google found in Viacom's favor on Wednesday. Google will now have to give Viacom the record of every video watched by YouTube users, its users' names and IP addresses. Google bought YouTube in 2006.

Viacom wants the data to try and prove that videos that are reproduced illegally are more popular than user-generated footage. This could increase Google's liability if found guilty of contributory infringement.

Google say that they are not liable, as they have complied with any requests to remove videos that infringe copyright. Google also argue that handing over the data is an invasion of privacy for its users.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation said that the ruling, "threatens to expose deeply private information." They go on to say that it is a direct violation of the Video Privacy Act.

Viacom filed suit in 2007 and are seeking $1bn in damages.

Source: European Journalism Centre

China: Bloggers reconfiguring words to combat gov't censorship

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:31:36 +0000

Bloggers in China are taking creative measures, like shuffling words and posting screenshots of text, to circumvent government censorship.

According to CNet.com's Graham Webster, the word shuffling is particularly effective because of the Chinese language's ideographic writing system, which makes it "easier to read in odd inversions than most alphabetic languages."

"Because Chinese splits words into meaning-based units rendered in characters," Webster explains, "Reading reverse text is more akin to 'bass ackwards' than 'sdrawkcab ssa.'"

The screenshot method, Webster says, is also effective - "censors aren't very good at parsing text in a JPEG file."

Webster applauds the "determination of some people in China to exchange information" despite government censorship.

Source: CNet.com

US: NYT to add new features, blogging widget

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:49:47 +0000

The New York Times (NYT) has taken a step to boost its digital revamping by adding innovative features such as a custom widget generator that bloggers can use to embed news content, WebWare.com reported.

New additions also include a collection of application program interfaces that will transfer data to third-party sites and the development of Timespeople.

Timespeople allows users to share, bookmark, comment on articles and rate restaurants or movies. It is currently available as a Mozilla Firefox plug-in, but may shortly become a part of the NYT website.

The NYT is reportedly developing iPhone applications for the new 3G iPhone, to be released this month.

Source: WebWare.com

Brazil: Freesheet set to launch in Rio de Janeiro

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:32:41 +0000

Destak, a freesheet that debuted in Sao Paulo two years ago, will launch a similar version in Rio de Janeiro. Destak Rio will launch next Monday, and will be distributed at subways, schools, hospitals, and other public areas.

The Rio edition will have a print circulation of 80,000. Destak Sao Paulo has a circulation of 150,000. Destak is owned by Brazilian entrepreneur André Jordan and Portuguese media group Cofina.

The freesheet form is gaining prevalence in the newspaper world. Check out some stories related to the freesheet:

New Trinity Mirror freesheet
Canadian journalists protest by publishing freesheet
Thailand's first freesheet

Source: NewspaperInnovation.net through IFRA Executive News Service