Editors Weblog http://www.editorsweblog.org/ en Copyright 2010 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:57:54 +0100 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Embracing technology: how CNN and the NYT are fighting back Thumbnail image for e-readers.jpgWith all the recent developments in media consumption on mobile devices, from state of the art e-readers and the sleek iPad to the advent of countless newspaper iPhone apps, it is no wonder technology has taken center stage among news companies.

Mercedes Bunz from Media Guardian spoke to executives from The New York Times and CNN, companies who have built remarkable online presences, about how to keep up with technology companies who usually figure among the biggest sources for news on the Internet.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/embracing_technology_how_cnn_and_the_nyt.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/embracing_technology_how_cnn_and_the_nyt.php Multimedia Newspaper citizen journalism CNN digital editions Facebook Google innovation NYT tablet Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:09:14 +0100 Japan's The Nikkei prepares to erect paywall Image 24.pngNikkei Inc., the Japanese newspaper publisher of Japan's five largest newspapers, has announced it will launch a paid digital edition for its business daily, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (known as The Nikkei), on March 23.

Access to the publisher's previous newspaper website, Nikkei Net was free of charge. However, after March 23, access to part of the content of the new website will be limited to paid subscribers only, The Asahi Shimbun reports.

Nikkei President Tsuneo Kita said in a news conference that the company is approaching "this project from a different concept than the conventional perception that information on the Net is free of charge."
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/japans_the_nikkei_prepares_to_erect_payw.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/japans_the_nikkei_prepares_to_erect_payw.php Multimedia Newspaper Asia business models finance Financial Times paid online content paywall Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:41:52 +0100 France-Soir set for revamp by billionaire's son Alexander Pugachyov francesoir.jpgFrance-Soir, once one of France's most widely read dailies but now an influential blip in the French media landscape, was recently purchased by the 25-year-old son of a Russian billionaire Alexander Pugachyov.  Pugachyov has put a 50 million euro bet on the newpaper in hopes to return it to its former glory.

The paper, launched in 1944, once reigned as France's fourth most popular daily with a circulation of more than 1 million copies at its peak.  It has since fallen into obscurity, and before Pugachyov's investment it employed only 40 reporters with a much-diminished daily circulation of 23,000 copies.

Pugachyov has since expanded the newsroom to 100 reporters and is beginning a 20 million euro advertising campaign in the hopes of improving France-Soir's circulation to a robust 150,000 to 200,000 copies.  The paper will spare no expense to improve its standing, as Pugachyov plans to emphasize original photography, despite the costs that may incur.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/france-soir_set_for_revamp_by_billionair.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/france-soir_set_for_revamp_by_billionair.php Newspaper sale Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:23:42 +0100 The Independent a step closer to purchase by Lebedev TheIndependentMasthead1.jpgAfter much delay, a deal is said to be on the horizon for the sale of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday to Alexander Lebedev.  Although The Times claimed on March 5th that its sources said a sale would happen that day, a finalized contract has yet to be seen.

Today, the UK's Office of Fair Trading declared that it would not be necessary to investigate the deal for competition issues, offering another green light to a deal that has been in the works for months.

Though The Guardian claims talks between Independent News and Media (INM) and Russian billionaire Lebedev have been going on since March of last year, The Independent only admitted to these talks in December.  Since then, the deal has hit many roadblocks, partly because, as Steve Busfield of The Guardian has said, "Lebedev drives a hard bargain."

]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/the_independent_a_step_closer_to_purchas.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/the_independent_a_step_closer_to_purchas.php Newspaper Independent sale Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:09:48 +0100 CPJ announces Haiti's only creole newspaper remains lost "under the rubble" haiti.jpgThe Committee to Protect Journalists recently announced that the January earthquake in Haiti resulted in the "disappearance under the rubble" the nation's sole Creole paper, Bon Nouvel.

The loss of the monthly newspaper to the earthquake, which decimated the small island nation, is seen as a "real blow" according to the newspaper's director, Rev. Jean Pierre Nzemba. ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/cpj_announces_haitis_only_creole_newspap.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/cpj_announces_haitis_only_creole_newspap.php Newspaper closures event freedom of speech newspapers and democracy press freedom Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:18:04 +0100 Analysis of Google finds only 11% of news content original Picture 1.pngJonathan Stray from the Nieman Journalism Lab recently conducted an analysis of the amount of original news content found in news articles through Google. In conducting the analysis, Stray took a major headlining article in the news and then tracked how many articles pertaining to the subject contained original content. ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/03/analysis_of_google_finds_only_11_of_news.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/03/analysis_of_google_finds_only_11_of_news.php Newspaper Web 2.0 broadcast copyright editorial quality Google hyperlinking newspapers search Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:08:13 +0100 Times Online blocks Meltwater timesonline logo.jpg
Times Online has blocked Meltwater, the Norwegian online media monitor, from indexing its news content in response to the company refusing to compensate the newspaper for crawling its website, PaidContent reported Tuesday.

The Times, owned by Rupert Murdoch, previously blocked news monitor NewsNow from linking to its stories in January using robots.txt protocol, software that prevents web crawlers from accessing a website.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/times_onlines_blocks_meltwater.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/times_onlines_blocks_meltwater.php Newspaper Web 2.0 aggregation copyright paid online content Times Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:57:39 +0100 The Newspaper Club allows users to print their own newspapers _47450820_3680979906_8c2e16bc25_o.jpgPrint media may not die if the printing press is put in the hands of the consumer.  It's this idea that drives the Newspaper Club, a London-based startup that allows members to print small runs of their own newspapers at low cost. 

The venture began when a group of friends decided to compile their friends' best blog posts and photos and print it as a newspaper titled Things Our Friends Have Written On The Internet.  Because printing presses sit idle for most of the day, a small run of newspapers turned out to be remarkably cheap--about 364 euros for 300 copies.  The small price led the friends to form a company and start marketing the printing option to others. ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/the_newspaper_club_allows_users_to_print.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/the_newspaper_club_allows_users_to_print.php Newspaper newspapers Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:32:31 +0100 Proposed tax on aggregators to help newspapers feeling the pinch google.jpg Heading up the Commission of Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society, an independent investigation looking at the future of public life, Geoff Mulgan has branded the majority of online news as little more that  "recycled 'churnalism'", the Guardian reports. To combat this, the commission has proposed a tax on the likes of Google and websites using news that they themselves have not produced. It is estimated that the tax could generate £100m a year, which would be distributed amongst local newspapers feeling the pinch. ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/proposed_tax_on_aggregators_to_help_news.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/proposed_tax_on_aggregators_to_help_news.php Multimedia Newspaper Future of journalism Google newspapers and democracy Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:13:52 +0100 Dealing with disaster: Chile's newspapers in the aftermath of the earthquake chile earthquake.jpgThe 8.8 earthquake that ravaged central Chile on February 27 has also wreaked havoc on the newspapers that operate in the region. While some continued to print with borrowed electric generators and improvised newsrooms, some were forced to halt publishing for a number of days. Most of the local newspapers websites' in the most affected areas were down in the aftermath of the quake. But, even though the worst seems to be over for this battered nation's newspapers, damage to the country's largest paper factories could become a big problem for not only Chilean but also other south American newspapers.

As aftershocks still rattled central Chile, the Editors Weblog spoke to the General Manager of the Asociación Nacional de la Prensa of Chile, Ignacio Muñoz, about how the earthquake has affected Chilean newspapers and how they have coped with the difficulties of reporting under extraordinary circumstances.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2010/03/the_88_earthquake_that_ravaged.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/analysis/2010/03/the_88_earthquake_that_ravaged.php Analysis Newspaper Newsrooms and Journalism digital editions distribution journalism newspaper South America Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:20:53 +0100 News Corp exec: other revenue streams can coexist with paywall jonathanmillerNEWSCORP.jpgThe "Year of the Paywall" is upon us and in a time where most newspapers seem to be gearing up to build one around their websites - the New York Times and the News Corporation Wapping publications are just a couple of examples - some executives believe there is still room for other revenue models to coexist with paid content.   

The head of digital media at News Corporation, Jonathan Miller, told delegates at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit that "dual revenue streams" are likely to co-exist as media organizations try ways of making money online, according to Guardian.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/news_corp_exec_other_revenue_streams_can.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/news_corp_exec_other_revenue_streams_can.php Multimedia Newspaper advertising Guardian News Corp paid online content paywall revenue Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:50:29 +0100 Virginia paper outsources page production to Chicago Tribune Tribune Co.'s efforts to reduce costs and direct resources to focus on local coverage, the Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia will outsource page design, formatting and editing pages to the company's flagship paper, the Chicago Tribune. This announcement came to the staff at both the newspapers on Monday, the Tribune reported.

The transfer of responsibilities from the Daily Press suggests elimination of copy editors and designers, Hampton Roads reported. The newsroom staff will likely be reduced by 15 percent, Digby Solomon, president and chief executive of the Daily Press, told the Tribune.

For more on this story please see our sister publication www.sfnblog.com ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/virginia_paper_outsources_page_productio.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/virginia_paper_outsources_page_productio.php Newspaper local news outsourcing Tribune Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:43:54 +0100 Cancelled regional newspaper awards "not viable" Despite news that Sir Ray Tindle launched four new local papers last week, it appears that regional press is still not out of the financial woods just yet.

The Guardian has reported that neither the Regional Press Awards nor the Circulation, Editorial and Promotions awards will be going ahead this year.

The reasoning behind such a move is said to be due to the fact that the awards are not considered "viable" in such an economic climate, with several newspaper publishers declaring themselves unable to participate, despite the fact that the Wilmington Group (the name behind the Regional Press Awards awards) had offered to reduce entry fees and ticket prices.

The Guardian reported an entry price of £39 and ticket price of £130, which  regional papers find themselves without the funds to pay. 

Source: Guardian
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/cancelled_regional_newspaper_awards_not.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/cancelled_regional_newspaper_awards_not.php Newspaper cutbacks local news Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:40:12 +0100 San Francisco Guardian collects $21 million in damages from rival newspaper sanfrancisco3.jpgWhen newspapers aren't grappling with the question of how to monetise online content, they are most likely battling against the hostile economic climate and advertising revenue downturn. Then, there is the age-old question of how to deal with competitors: Newspapers may be united in the preservation of print, but as the following story illustrates, each newspaper is its own separate entity:  

The SF Weekly will be forced to pay rival publication San Francisco Bay $21 million in damages, after a court ruling found the former guilty of lowering the costs of its advertising space with the intent of putting its rival out of business, The San Francisco Chronicle has reported. ]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/san_francisco_guardian_collects_21_milli.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/san_francisco_guardian_collects_21_milli.php Newspaper advertising legal Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:02:00 +0100 Google offers advice: newspapers need to "engage" online readers Google News Logo.jpgAggregators such a Google are often accused of making life more than a little difficult for newspapers - yet the company has spoken out once again, offering advice for newspapers struggling against the ubiquity of online news:

In an article by Mercedes Bunz from The Guardian's Digital Content Blog, Google stated that the "key" to newspaper's survival online is "engagement". The statement, issued by Google's Hal Varian, places emphasis on the importance of offering readers interactive experiences but provided little information on specific steps publications should take to go about doing this.
]]> http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/google_says_engage_users.php http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/03/google_says_engage_users.php Newspaper aggregation business models Google innovation lmultimedia multimedia newspaper online-only paid online content paywall price changes readership subscriptions Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:33:44 +0100