Results matching “an exemplary news si”

Following the announcement of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners, Roy J. Harris Jr. continues the discussion about online journalism's part in the event. The opinion piece he wrote for the Christian Science Monitor expressed his thoughts on how journalism can "raise its standards" if they include online work. "That would once more elevate journalism - and elevate the Pulitzers, too. And it just might make old Joseph Pulitzer smile," he wrote.

On December 25 2008, Carbondale-based newspaper the Valley Journal announced that the Christmas edition would be its last. The small Colorado town paper was unable to keep financially afloat and the decision was made to cease printing.

Deprived of the town's final stand-alone newspaper, locals began to miss out on vital community information such as birth and marriage announcements as well as updates on local infrastructure developments. However, it was the belated news of a friend's death that spurred Rebecca Young, Valley Journal's original founder, to take action: "I didn't hear of his death for a couple of weeks," she said. "I was so sad I wasn't at his service."

In its 2008 report, Amnesty International declared that the Egyptian government's emergency powers and police force are "used systematically to violate human rights". There are just three or four newspapers said to be independent in the country, but these are cautious, and "worryingly silent" on corruption and human rights issues, explains an article in Le Monde. It is for this reason that nearly 200,000 Egyptians have embraced the freedom given by new media and begun their own blogs. Whilst only 10,000 of these are deemed "political", this is a relatively high figure given the possible ramifications.

One of the most well-known Egyptian bloggers is Waël Abbas, who revealed the brutal torture of Imad El-Kebir (as a result El-Kebir's torturers were sentenced to three years in prison, although the victim also received a three month sentence for "resistance to the forces of order"). Speaking to Le Monde, Abbas explains that the Egyptian political blogosphere is "a movement born of frustration, with neither leader nor structure". Despite Abbas explaining that the movement is unorganised, it seems to have been effective, and an exemplary use of the Internet as a means of communication - some of the bloggers command up to 30,000 readers, equalling and sometimes surpassing the circulation of government run newspapers.

The new year will see the UK parliamentary body, the House of Commons, launch an inquiry into press standards, privacy and libel laws.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is accepting submissions, opinions and views on key topics affecting the press.

How the media in the UK handled the tragic case of missing Madeleine McCann is expected to be a priority. There have been allegations of overly aggressive reporting and newspapers have been sued by the family and friends of the McCanns.

Other key topics for discussion include:

* UK libel laws and press reporting.
* Do conditional fee agreements impact press freedom and should self-regulation be toughened.
* Contempt of Court laws with respect to press reporting.
* Impact of European Convention on Human Rights.
* Should financial penalties for libel or invasion of privacy be exemplary rather than compensatory.
* Is the balance between press freedom and personal privacy right.

Source: HoldTheFrontPage

Can groundbreaking investigative reporting survive the recent budget cuts imposed on many news organizations?  Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post doesn't think so.  In his recent column Kurtz urges the industry to reconsider the impact of budgetary constraints.  Likewise, recent belt-tightening at Reuters has caused journalists to wonder how long remaining staff are expected to work harder for less money.

If you talk to any media watcher nowadays, they don’t hesitate to tell you that the globalized world of 24-hour news stations and humongous international news organizations means that smaller newspapers need to focus more on their immediate communities. They also won’t flinch in mentioning that most local newspapers are doing a poor job. A few models of the “new newspaper” exist to which they refer enthusiastically. But a recently launched local website has joined the fray and could become the new reference point. The difference is, it’s not a newspaper.

Brass Tacks Design critiques the New York Times' website redesign saying that it's "better but its not enough." Why? Because it still strays too far from the golden rules of print newspaper design. Brass Tacks shows screen captures of several exemplary sites which maximize content and advertiser impact. The underlying theme: simplicity.

The Washington Post's newly appointed ombudsman, Deborah Howell, tipped off a serious debate about the differences in journalistic styles between the paper's print and online newsrooms. The spat illustrates that several predictions by media pundits about the future of the newspapers are being realized.