Recently by Katherine Thompson

Bill Keller, the New York Times' executive editor, told NPR's Steve Inskeep that, "there's a real shortage of the kind of information that I would call quality journalism."

In a comment about the financial health of the newspaper industry and the rise of blogs, "Good journalism does not come cheap. And, therefore, you're not going to find a lot of blogs or nonprofit Web sites that are going to build a Baghdad bureau."

He also said that the venerated newspaper is, "Competing for audience with different people." Keller went on to say the Times sometimes gets "tarred with the condition of the industry that we're in."

Source: NPR

The UK Government's Treasury Committee is planning to conduct an investigation into the banking crisis to examine, "the role of the media in financial stability and whether journalists should operate under any form of reporting restrictions during banking crises".

Financial journalists have responded negatively to the idea that financial journalism could be subject to reporting restrictions.

Eurostat - the statistics wing of the European Commission - published results this week on internet access across the European Union. For the first time, a European country has seen a decline in internet access per household. The percentage of Italian households with Internet access fell from 43 percent, in 2007, to 42 percent in 2008.

Robert Thomson, the Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal, reports that Dow Jones is planning to launch a Japanese-language website in the first half of next year.

Thomson made the statement at the Reuters Media Summit in New York yesterday.

The financial newswire is owned by News Corporation and already has a foreign exchange information service in Japan which Thomson said is the fastest-growing revenue source for the company.

Source: Press Gazette

The Guardian report today that the Daily Telegraph are thinking about outsourcing some production operations. These production operations include some of the subbing work performed by the supplements department.

This consideration follows the TMG head of production, Richard Oliver, visiting an outsourcing centre in Brisbane, Australia.

A survey, carried out by Itsmy.com, has found that the average mobile internet user is surfing around 160 mobile web pages per day. The report went on to say that heavy users are logging in up to 10 times per day and spending up to 2.5 hours online. The survey involved 15,000 Itsmy.com users worldwide.

The Tampa Tribune has launched a three-pronged multimedia news approach working with the newspapers staff, TBO.com and WFLA-TV.

The Tampa Tribune's move follows a round of cost cutting measures at the US regional newspaper.

Germany's largest newspaper, Bild, is looking to recruit citizen journalists, and it is doing so on a grand scale. The Springer title is working with supermarket chain Lidl to sell a basic digital camera to the new recruits who will help Bild expand its coverage.

Managing Editor, Michael Paustian, says, "We can't cover everything. We think it is an advance for journalism." The German newspaper is the most dominant player in the market, achieving circulation of 3.3 million copies from Monday to Saturday.

De Telegraaf, one of the Netherlands' leading newspapers, is aggressively moving ahead with its multi-platform publication strategy with the launch of a new Java application on 15 December and a new real-time stock quote service.

Lara Ankersmitt, Telegraaf.nl's Publisher, contacted the Editors Weblog to talk about De Telegraaf's new offering, charging for content, and attracting female users in The Netherlands.

Java application - building on growth

De Telegraaf has seen approximately 40% growth in the number of users accessing its mobile content over the past year since it redesigned its mobile site. Ankersmitt firmly believes that improving the user experience on the mobile platform is crucial to its success: "At the beginning of this year we redesigned the whole mobile site to get a better user experience and that has really worked. After the redesign we saw a growth in users and the time they spent on the site. People were reading more and more."  To maintain this momentum, De Telegraaf is launching a new Java application - after several months of testing - to improve the user experience on mobile and expand on the content provided.

What is also assisting this rapid growth in mobile take-up is mobile operators' introduction of a flat-fee subscription for the Internet on mobiles, costing approximately €10 a month. This reduction in cost has democratised the consumption of mobile content, moving it away from being a tool for just business people. "A few years ago most of the mobile traffic accessed financial news and came from Blackberries and that kind of device. However, since the mobile flat fee was introduced we have seen more normal phone traffic - such as Samsung and Nokia - and more traffic to our entertainment and news sections. The user group is expanding... Finance is still the most important user group, but this is changing."

The Java application will undoubtedly improve the user experience as it will make reading De Telegraaf content on a mobile similar to the user experience on the Internet. With this new application, people will be able to surf and navigate rather than simply scroll. It will contain all the same content as the Internet and digital version of the daily newspaper itself without cost (barring internet and an initial one-off cost).

However, there are legitimate concerns about how consumers will react to this new application. Users will have to request an SMS from De Telegraaf in order to download Java before they can access the new Java platform, furthermore they will have to a pay for the SMS on top of the usual cost of Internet access. These may seem like small issues, but they could prove to be significant. The Internet platform has been popular because it makes getting your daily news fix very easy. Consumers may find downloading Java too fiddly or time consuming for something that they can already get on their laptop or PC. Ankersmitt is aware of this, and it is part of the reason that after the initial one-off cost, the service will be free.

Gaining the technological knowledge

De Telegraaf works with an outside mobile consultancy company - Service2Media - and Ankersmitt believes that this is vital. Service2Media built the site, hosts it, and gives the newspaper knowledge on mobile. She reports, "We of course know everything about bringing people the news and we know what our readers like and dislike, and (Surface2Media) brings the technical expertise and shows us what is ahead for mobile. They help us with the strategy: when we should launch and when a technology will move into the mainstream" This relationship helps De Telegraaf plan strategically for the future and plan what its next move for its mobile platform will be. "Working with them helped us see the possibilities of mobile."

How do users consume mobile news?

De Telegraaf has been analysing user activity of its mobile platform, and has noticed significant differences between its mobile and website. The mobile platform usage peaks during the evening and is relatively flat and consistent during the day. On the website usage peaks during the day and declines during the evening. This study into user activity resulted in De Telegraaf keeping its website not only continually updated during the day, but also well into the evening.

Attracting female readers in a difficult market

Newspapers in The Netherlands do not traditionally tailor content for female readers, but De Telegraaf last year launched a magazine called "Woman" and following this launched a section on its Website dedicated to female readers. Other news providers who have launched this Java application are attracting approximately a 5% female readership, but De Telegraaf is already attracting up to 30%. This data reflects that De Telegraaf is rapidly moving towards attracting the same demographic split on its Mobile site as on its Website and print edition (approximately 54% male readership and 46% female readership). This female content will also be made available this week on the mobile platform.

Real-time news service

Alongside the introduction of the Java application, De Telegraaf is launching a real-time financial news service, whereby bond and share prices and graphics will be updated in real-time from all bourses.  This information will be available on the mobile site in the first quarter of next year, but it was launched last week on the website. Reuters is providing this information to De Financial Telegraaf (DFT).

The future - can news providers charge for content?

The big question facing all news organisations is how to monetise these new platforms. At this stage it does not look like advertising revenue will generate enough income to support the operation of running a newsroom: so what can newspapers do? De Telegraaf is considering testing the charging-for-content waters early next year. "We are thinking of launching some iPhone applications and maybe we will charge for these if we see success on the Java application. The user experience at the moment is OK. It's not brilliant because mobile is so small and there is a lot of scrolling for the user. There are two things: we want to get as many people as possible to download the Java application and we want to see if, and how, people are using it so w can learn from this. We will then use this knowledge to introduce something further down the line for the iPhone." Ankersmitt reports. Ankersmitt feels that there is scope for charging on the mobile platform if the user experience is good enough, but De Telegraaf has no plans for charging for its website content. Ankersmitt says on the issue, "I don't think it is realistic to charge people for the Website news because news they can get everywhere for free. So it is no use to us to charge people for reading our news. We have to make money from advertising."

Lesson learned

De Telegraaf moved into the mobile arena back in 2001, the whole process has been a steep learning curve for the broadsheet but it has so far navigated these uncharted waters successfully. To other newspapers considering entering the mobile arena, Ankersmitt says, "Think of how you can extend your brand with this new platform and find a good partner who can serve you for all the technical needs. It is vital to have a good and knowledgeable technical partner, we have one person focusing on the mobile platform, but our partner had 40 people focusing on it. They are always ahead of us technically speaking. Really think what you want to bring to this platform and what kind of news you want to present."

Metro UK, the daily free newspaper, unveiled a new look on Monday which includes a new masthead. This Guardian newspaper reported last week that the newspaper would undergo a redesign.

The new masthead is in a darker blue (please see the redesigned version left) and features "teasers" underneath. The front page also includes more colour, this can be seen in the new "news column" down the left-hand side. The date has also been moved from under the title to the right-hand side.

Source: Newspaper Innovation

The Anchorage Times, an Alaskan based newspaper, has finally closed down.

During its struggle to survive, the local newspaper went from a full-blown newspaper, to a half-page in the Anchorage Daily News and then just a web site. The Web site finally closed on October 31, due to lack of advertising revenue and sponsors.

Many felt uncomfortable with the newspapers association with Bill Allen, the former owner of the oil service company VECO who bought the newspaper in 1989. According to newsminer.com, Allen "sits at the center of the scandals tearing up Alaska politics."

Source: newsminer.com

The Associated Press suspended the use of US military photos on November 14th after the US Government body distributed doctored photographs of General Ann E. Dunwoody, the first female four star General in US history. This is the second hand out photograph that has been altered by the US army in a matter of months. The fact that a government institution would manipulate a photograph begs the question: can we trust what we see?

The Editors Weblog spoke to Santiago Lyon, the Director of Photography at AP about the events surrounding this suspension and the issue of photo manipulation.

First case - flag appears

Lyon reports that when Dunwoody was promoted, the AP searched for an image of the new General on a US military website that gathers photos of armed services personnel. Unable to locate a photograph, the AP contacted the website and requested a photograph and subsequently received a picture of the General by email. This photo showed Dunwoody with a US flag behind her (the photo on the right). The photo was immediately passed to the editing desk (all AP photographs go through at least one editing desk) where it was vetted and examined; it was then released onto the wire.  The San Antonio Express-News, a Texas-based local newspaper, contacted the AP alerting them to the fact that they had found a very similar image of Dunwoody on Google images, but with no US flag behind her (both photos shown above). Lyon and his team immediately investigated and discovered that a member of US military staff had added the US flag background and changed the number of stars on her uniform from three to four. The photograph was then immediately removed from the AP's wire.

Second case - superimposing a head
 
This was the second such incident involving the US army in a matter of months. The AP collects headshots of all the US personnel that have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and as part of this effort the AP received a photo that on closer inspection was not what it appeared. The army had the cut out the face of the dead soldier in question from one photo and superimposed it onto an existing mug shot with a uniform and an American flag in the background.

Lyon says, "Because this had been the second incident in as many months, we decided to suspend the use of US military photographs while we examined our own internal policies as well as have a conversation with the US military about what they were doing to these pictures and how this was unacceptable."

Army were, "at a loss to explain it"

Surprisingly when Lyon contacted the military to complain about this incident, it did not appear to accept the gravity of the situation. Lyon reports, "Initially they were a little bit defensive, claiming that this photo did not really alter the substance of the image. Our policy is of course zero tolerance, we do not accept that images be manipulated or that content be added or subtracted more specifically, unless there is a pressing need to for security reasons for example, and in that event we flag this." In further conversations, the army were, "at a loss to explain it." Lyon goes on to say, "I was shocked, but we wanted to deal with it as forcefully as possible and put it behind us."

The Pentagon later told the AP that they would redistribute their guidelines again to staff, which are also firm on the issue of manipulation. Lyon says, "They pretty much admitted that there had been a mistake and that they weren't proud about it, and that they wanted to work with us to try and ensure that this does not happen again."

As a result, the AP has now strengthened its internal policies with regard "hand-out" images (images that it receives from non-AP staff and external bodies). "We have instituted a more rigorous policy of examining those images now, at least two editors have to examine the images closely and if there is any doubt at all, the image is then held pending further examination." Previously, the standard procedure was to examine all images but not in the kind of minute detail that they do now with hand out images. Lyon reports that the AP receives vast numbers of these hand out images from various bodies, including the police, industry and so forth. AP staff know its strict zero tolerance policy for photo manipulation, but is it something that these external organisations adhere to?

In recent weeks not only do we have the AP case, but also the issue of a French Government minister and a disappearing and reappearing diamond ring. A Le Figaro front-page photo of Justice Minister Rachida Dati was doctored to erase a substantial diamond ring she was wearing. The practise of photo manipulation is nothing new: in 1942 Mussolini had a horse handler removed from a photograph of him sitting on a horse in order to make him look more heroic.

As long as there has been photography, there have been photo manipulations. However, with advanced technology and increased use of photo shop, it is now easier to achieve and harder to detect. Lyon says, "It is the click of a mouse and you can add or subtract things from a photo quite easily. What that means for an organisation like ours, whose whole reputation is based on the voracity of the information and telling the truth, is that we have to be ever vigilant." These incidences raise the question of how often these doctored images make it onto our front pages - unintentionally in the case of AP and intentionally in the case of Le Figaro  - as we generally only hear of this when the culprits are caught out. Can we now trust what we see? "You see images that are printed by others and are you always sure of the truthfulness of what you are looking at? It's hard to say. Sometimes you look at an image and you wonder," say's Lyon on the issue.

Lyon says that the Dunwoody image has highlighted the problem to AP. "What this has done is that it has shown us the need to be as vigilant and as careful as possible with hand out images from third parties whose provenance we cannot be 100% sure of. It has heightened our vigilance."

Today's newspaper reader is well aware that anything can be done with an image, even if it is just from their experiences watching the magic of CGI at their local multiplex. However, this is an arena where they expect the full trickery of the camera to be on display, the public does not expect it when they open the newspaper.

Due to the Internet and various other factors, "there has been a huge increase in the number of images that are being sent by international news agencies. 20-years ago we were probably sending 100 images a day in a 24-hour period. Now we are closer to sending 3,000 images in a 24-hour period. When you do the maths, the news agencies are handling close to a million images a year. That's a huge amount of imagery." This increase in distribution and use of photographs highlights the need for there to be strict rules on the doctoring of photographs. The role of a photojournalist is to capture a story for the reader, to bring a story to life, and to tell the truth. Just because we have the technology to do something, it  doesn't mean we should.

Source: AP, Straits Times, National Press Photographers Association, Ethics of Digital Manipulation, Daily Tech

Free-daily newspaper, Link, is set to close by the end of the year.

Link is part of the same newspaper group that contains the Virginia Pilot, the publisher is pursuing a cost-cutting regime. The Virginia Pilot will loose 10% of its workforce, close its business section and have less pages overall.

Link launched in October 2006 achieving positive reviews. Editor of the Link, Denis Finley, said in an article in The PilotOnline,  "we, as a company, cannot afford to withstand those losses in the next couple of years in this climate."

Link had a circulation of around 30,000.

Source: Newspaper Innovation

At the newsXchange 2008 conference in Valencia, a new business model for business reporting has been urged. At the conference, British journalist and founder of the Work Foundation (the former Industrial Society), Will Hutton said, "We take the truth as handed down by the business elite, especially in the US... There is an obligation to be tougher in the questions we ask."

Duncan Stanworth of BBC Monitoring reports that Hutton also said, "All of us, including journalists, suspended our judgment and we are paying the price."

Media outlets had been mouthpieces for "neoconservative, neoliberal" pro-deregulation economists over the last 15 years, said Jeremy Rifkin of the Foundation on Economic Trends.

Al-Jazeera TV political analyst Marwan Bishara said the crisis heralded a time for "soul searching" among journalists. "How far are we in bed with power?" he asked.

Onno Ruding from the Centre for European Policy Studies said, "Journalists should devote time to longer-term matters and seek the views of two or three sides. Select those voices and give them a wider audience." Ruding went on to say that there was a risk of going from the "extreme optimism" of the boom years to "eternal depression".



Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 November 2008

The number of British people accessing the Internet via mobile rose by 25% in the third quarter of 2008, Nielsen Online report.

The study, Mobile Media View, highlighted that mobile internet use is increasing eight times faster than PC-based internet growth, growing from 5.8 million to 7.3 million between the second and third quarters of 2008.

The most popular site is BBC News, which is visited by 24% of British mobile internet users, then BBC Weather, Sky Sports and Gmail. On computers, Google Search (23%) and eBay (43%) are the most popular.