Editors Weblog: Search Results

Scene "newszine" will replace free weekly papers

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 3, 2010 at 5:03 PM

Regional publisher Archant is to stop circulation of both its free weekly papers, The Harlow Herald and The East Herts Herald, Press Gazette reports. The announcement comes with a twist, as Archant announced its plans to publish a weekly news magazine called Scene. The new publication will come with its own website and mobile application. The Guardian adds that Scene will also provide something needed in the journalism industry: more job opportunities.

Both of the free news weeklies had been suffering for some time. The Harlow Herald reported a circulation of 36,227 papers in the first six months of 2010, down 2.1% year-on-year. The East Herts Herald year-on-year statistics dropped more dramatically at 30.3%, circulating only 29,109. Archant's total revenue had also declined by 0.9% in the same period.

"This project was born out of necessity," explains Stuart McCreery, managing director of Archant Herts & Cambs. "The economic and multimedia climate in which we operate was challenging us and we needed to find a new way to satisfy our customers and readers in a more engaging and attractive manner. The Scene series will serve a wide audience in an innovative way."

Fwix: somewhere between Patch and Google Places

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 3, 2010 at 3:28 PM

Following Patch's development of its hyperlocal business model, Fwix is coming forward with its new automated hyperlocal service. Marketwire reports Fwix released its Places Pages, which will make for the ultimate hyperlocal places directory. People can upload information in real time pertaining to news, events, reviews, and more using geo-tagging technology. "We want to build a timeline of what's happening for every geo-point on the planet," said Darian Shirazi, CEO of Fwix. "This is really the first four-dimensional view of the world and, combined with our search technology, we believe we've built the ultimate hyperlocal product."

Originally, the concept of Fwix, created in 2008, was straightforward; aggregate news, blogs, and local data such as the weather. Since then the San Francisco- based company has grown, ranging from launching its services in the UK to partnering with the New York Times. Shirazi has always believed in the worth of aggregated news, stating back in April to The Wall Street Journal "The true value to news in the future will be filtration of content and using technology to ensure that published news speaks well to user preferences and reader expectations. There aren't enough editors in the world and there isn't enough money to pay hundreds of editors to filter the growing online content universe." With Places Pages, Fwix is further able to aggregate information that appeals to its reader's expectations.

The Deseret Example: is less the new more for newspapers?

Posted by Dawn Osakue on September 3, 2010 at 1:34 PM

As slashing back on staff number becomes the latest mode of restructuring, it would seem publishers are being tempted by 'less is better.' According to Ken Doctor's Newsonomics on Niemann Journalism Lab, less is only better if newspapers are innovative.

The Deseret Morning News for example, recently reduced its staff by 43%. By combining its newspaper with its TV and radio houses though, Deseret Management Co hopes not to experience the negative aspects of a reduced workforce. CEO Clark Gilbert was even optimistic enough to state that Deseret News now has "access to more journalists, hyperlocal contributors, national sports figures than ever before."

Washington Post to create iPad app

Posted by Dawn Osakue on September 2, 2010 at 5:39 PM

Already present on mobile platforms (with a WAP site, text alerts and iPhone apps), The Washington Post has decided to go all the way by creating an application for Apple's iPad, Michael Calderone reports on The Upshot.

"Mobile continues to be a key distribution platform for our content, utility for our readers, and, a core enabler of our growing digital business," Calderone quotes GM Ken Babby as having written in an email to The Post staff. He also informed them that "usage of the Post's iPhone app continues to accelerate."

AFP goes mobile?

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 2, 2010 at 5:03 PM

L'Agence France-Presse (AFP) has announced it plans to offer readers direct access to AFP content on digital devices rather than just a "Business to Business" model. AFP is the third largest news agency in the world, tailing the Associated Press and Reuters, and is undoubtedly an influential force in the print industry, providing articles to about 5,000 newspapers in six different languages. Yet Emmanuel Hoog, CEO of AFP, admits that the company is behind the digital trends. Hoog commented to Le Monde "It's absurd that the third largest news provider does not have an application for the iPad, the smartphone, or the internet...How have the AP and Reuters launched mobile apps in French and not AFP?"

Along with much of the print world, AFP has felt the ramifications of a changing industry. Several newspapers have decided to stop using content from AFP, which has affected the news company's primary source of revenue. While Hoog believes the majority of newspapers will continue their contracts with AFP, Hoog asserts his company is in the position to offer content directly over the Internet and mobile devices.

Good or bad, the paywall is here to stay

Posted by Dawn Osakue on September 2, 2010 at 3:18 PM

An article written by Ian Burrell in The Independent explains why the paywall concept should be accepted as a permanent fixture, whether it seems to be working or not. Trying to answer the question, "Has Rupert Murdoch's paywall gamble paid off," Burrell remarks that many wish the project well and hope it would be the "vanguard of a cultural shift that will save newspapers."

No one is sure if the Times' and Sunday Times' paywall is 'working' or not, as the websites in question are yet to make public any statistics. However, Burrell's article refers to WPP's Martin Sorrell's observation that "paywalls are essential, because we think giving away content for free, particularly if consumers value that content, makes no sense...consumers have to pay for content they value." Burrell also quotes George Brock, professor of journalism at London's City University and a former Times journalist, who sees an emerging trend towards paywalls.

AP outlines standards for credit and attribution

Posted by Dawn Osakue on September 2, 2010 at 11:40 AM

Associated Press senior managing editor Michael Oreskes has announced "a new set of guidelines for credit and attribution to the AP staff." The new guidelines are a reminder to AP reporters on the importance of "attributing to other organizations information that we haven't independently reported," and "giving credit to another organization that broke a story first, even when we match it - or advance it - through our own reporting," he said in a press release.

According to Oreskes, the web has made the need for reliability absolutely essential. It is therefore "more important than ever that we be consistent and transparent in our handling of information that originated elsewhere than our own reporting," he wrote.

Strength in numbers: a strategy for mobile news

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 1, 2010 at 3:58 PM

As gadgets are becoming the preferred method of consuming news, the media industry is stumbling to find its footing in the trend. Most newspapers allow some sort of mobile access to newspaper content, whether it is through internet access or apps. Yet news apps sometimes appear to lack creativity and strong modes of social engagement, and critics question newspapers' ability to survive in the app world. In Poynter's interview with Bill Bortzfield, content manager for The Florida Times-Union's website Jacksonville.com, he emphasizes the need for newspapers to maintain a clear strategy for mobile news. Part of his strategy includes quantity in addition to quality by granting content access for all types of mobile phones.

"Our ultimate goal is to deliver news, entertainment and services to every First Coast area resident in whatever method they prefer, whether that's print, PC, mobile, e-edition or text alerts, etc," asserts Bortzfield. Essentially all cell phone owners have access to a Jacksonville.com, as the platforms are available on the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows mobile phone and soon on the Palm webOS. M.jacksonville.com is available for users who prefer the web to apps.

The Internet blurs the line between TV and newspapers

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 1, 2010 at 12:21 PM

The defined line between newspapers, radio, and TV shows has become blurred in the online sphere, as all types of news sources have their respective websites, putting all media domains in direct competition. Glenn Beck, for example, a conservative media icon for Fox News, just launched his "News and Opinion" website The Blaze. As more people get their news from television than newspapers, it will be interesting to follow how TV icons fair in competition with newspapers' websites.

Glenn Beck is widely known for his racy commentary on his television show. He is expanding his media empire online after already dominating radio, TV, and book publishing reports the Financial Times. The Blaze was released online Monday after Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington. "Too many important stories are overlooked. And too many times we see mainstream media outlets distorting facts to fit rigid agendas," Glenn comments on his website.

Al Jazeera English gets a fresh design

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on September 1, 2010 at 8:03 AM

Al Jazeera English has redesigned its website for the first time since 2006. The Next Web remarked that it was time for a makeover of the English site, as the corporation's Arabic counterpart was redesigned 3 times in the last 4 years. The only major structural change that were made to Al Jazeera's English website was an addition of a blog site in 2009.

The sleeker design includes bigger text, better branding and colors, and more white space. The layout is simpler and emphasizes the headlines and the of media tools used. The new toolbar focuses on Al Jazeera's blogs, videos, and "InDepth" analysis of current stories. Sharing content is easier now that Al Jazeera has incorporated a "share article" link along with adding Facebook and Twitter links on its homepage.

Beyond the basics: Training future journalists in social media

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 31, 2010 at 5:04 PM

Multimedia trends in journalism are changing the foundation of how reporting is conducted, and consequently journalism schools across the globe have seen a shift in their curriculum. In April, UK's National Council for Training Journalist launched a new journalism diploma with an emphasis on multimedia training. The University of Colorado also announced last week the possibility of restructuring its journalism department to include computer science courses. The changes in journalism education are underway, but what is happening with regards to training in social media? Professionals are still trying to adjust to the technology in the industry, thus those in academia must teach multimedia while they are in the process of learning how to master the new technologies.

MediaShift recently launched Beyond J-School onto its blog, which will cover issues of multimedia education and training in journalism. Its debut article, "How to Teach Social Media in Journalism Schools," it provides some important themes for students to master to become professionals. "Clearly there is more to social media in the classroom than technology. Central to teaching social media is providing an understanding of how these digital tools affect the way students actually do journalism."

Despite paywall plans, the NYT shares content on Facebook

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 31, 2010 at 2:39 PM

Back in June Arthur Sulzberger, chairman of the New York Times, stated that social sharing via networking sites would not be affected by the implementation of a paywall. As the NYT is getting closer to putting up a metered pay wall (one that offers readers a certain number of articles free per month), it is simultaneously strengthening its social media currency. NYTimes.com is adding a "Login with Facebook" feature which requires users to sync the two websites, reports Paid Content.

The new feature will give NYT more control over how content is shared over Facebook. Users must "opt-in" to social sharing before any personal information is released to the NYT's website or to Facebook users within the user's network. Friends of the user will be able to view activities such as comments and recommendations on news content. Users who decline to opt-in will only receive the major stories of the day in their newsfeed. The NYT hopes the new feature will curb some of the privacy and clutter issues while increasing the opportunities for social engagement.

Google and AP: How to make friends and licensing deals

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 31, 2010 at 12:26 PM

Yesterday the Associated Press reported that Google and the AP had announced that the two companies had updated their licensing deal for online content. Specifics of the arrangement were not released to the public, although there are two main factors in the deal: Google will purchase AP's content for an undisclosed amount, and the two companies will also collaborate to increase AP's revenue over the internet. The terms of the contact may not be dramatically different from previous licensing contracts, yet the recent announcement marks a shift in more diplomatic relations between AP and Google.

Originally Google and AP signed a multiyear licensing contract in 2006, but the conditions of the agreement left AP decrying that Google was publishing entire articles without sufficiently compensating the news cooperation. Google retaliated, claiming they were in full adherence to international copyright laws. The negotiations for a suitable contact came to a standstill around the time that the original licensing deal was to expire. From December to February of 2010, Google news did not host any material from AP. The two companies started collaboration again in February, and the recent announcement of a new contract implies that the rocky relationship between Google and AP has smoothed over.

Hyperlocal news may reduce paywall profitability

Posted by Dawn Osakue on August 31, 2010 at 8:37 AM

As the popularity of hyperlocal news soars, Alan Mutter has pointed out how this trend can affect paywalls. "The local news sites being developed by Yahoo, AOL, Huffington Post and a growing number of other online players will dash the hopes of most newspaper publishers of charging for access to their online content," he declared on his blog, Reflections of a Newsosaur.

Paywalls are becoming more common as publishers seek a business model for online news, but Internet users remain reluctant to pay for content which they previously got for free. "You can't blame publishers for wanting to recover the costs of creating content by charging for the online news that most of them have been giving away for free," Mutter wrote.

Has the definition of journalism changed? Gillmor wonders

Posted by Dawn Osakue on August 30, 2010 at 5:07 PM

"As digital media become ubiquitous and more and more of us communicate and collaborate online, every person is capable of doing something that has journalistic value," Dan Gillmor has pointed out on Salon.com. "In the anyone-can-publish world," he writes, "who is a journalist?" Rather than answer, he believes the question is not about journalists and should be "what is journalism?"

He cites BBC News and New York Times as practicing clearcut journalism, while social videos on YouTube are clearly not journalism. However, problems arise when one digs "deeper into into new media, and the answer starts to get complicated." Does "commentary informed by knowledge" automatically become journalism? How about a Facebook wall which provides news to someone else? Or community members writing about local conditions on websites, can this be considered journalism?

How Time Magazine is making a profit off of print

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 30, 2010 at 4:30 PM

It is currently rare to come across a news publication boasting of profit-making. Newsweek is scrambling for survival and was just sold for a dollar to Sidney Harman. USA TODAY has announced to restructure its business model to move online after suffering the repercussions of reduced circulation. Yet despite the trends for printed news sources, Time magazine is successfully able to produce a hardcopy of its magazine for a profit. While other rival papers are struggling to break even, Time will probably earn a profit of more than $50 million for 2010. In a toxic environment for print papers, what factors distinguishes Time from other news magazines? Rick Stengel, Time's managing editor, comments to The Washington Post that his strategy was to stay ahead of the curve in a failing industry. "We saw what was coming. We wanted to fix the roof when the sun was shining."

Until recently, Newsweek and Time magazine have maintained similar statuses in the industry. Both news magazines decided to downsize, with Time reporting cutting circulation from 4 million to 3.25 million. Yet Time differed from Newsweek on the direction of its content, writing straightforward analysis of stories that took a left of center spin. Newsweek took a dramatically left approach to its content and produced more opinionated essays and columns. A year later, Time's strategy seems to be proving much more successful than that of Newsweek.

SwiftRiver to verify crowdsourced information?

Posted by Dawn Osakue on August 30, 2010 at 2:39 PM

The potential of crowdsourced information was made very clear during the first few hours following Haiti's earthquake. A brainchild of Ushahidi, SwiftRiver's role is to make the job of verifying crowdsourced information easier.

Speaking with Craig Silverman of Columbia Journalism Review, Jaroslav Valuch the project manager for Ushahidi Haiti, spoke about how challenging it was to verify crowdsourced data. Silverman writes that the "Ushahidi Haiti team had to sift through the river of reports, tweets and information and figure out which items deserved to be added to the map, and which should be discarded... by mapping the unverified reports, they were able to see if different sources were reporting similar things in similar areas. It was verification by aggregation." Even when a short code was created for the public to submit reports by cell phones, the verification process remained slow as it then consisted of calling back phone numbers that had sent in information.

Mobile apps: are newspapers ready to be innovative?

Posted by Dawn Osakue on August 30, 2010 at 12:46 PM

According to findings from reseach carried out in May by Digital Media Test Kitchen, "few mobile news apps have pushed the creativity envelope." The report stated that "compared to the innovation that's rampant in the non-news mobile app world, the news apps we reviewed seem behind the curve."

Six newspaper apps were reviewed, USA Today, the New York Times, Associated Press, The Guardian, Politico, and The Huffington Post. "Most of the news applications that have been created by single news brands do not do enough to encourage interactivity, customization, or creativity...there is an overall lack of interactivity compared to the news brands' regular Web sites." Regarding creativity, these apps generally stuck to the same pattern of pairing headlines with thumbnails photos. However, these thumbnail photos can usually not be enlarged when clicked on, "a disappointment when the image was too small to discern adequately."As for interactivity, while most of the apps permitted sharing on social networks, only the HuffPost app allowed users to comment.

Yahoo takes on Hyperlocal in San Francisco

Posted by Dawn Osakue on August 27, 2010 at 1:36 PM

Close on the heels of its Associated Content acquisition, "Yahoo has begun recruiting writers to begin building a local news site for the San Francisco area."

A recent email to registered Associated Content writers announced Yahoo's search for "writers living in or near the San Francisco area (like you!) to write compelling, local content -- ranging from highlights of your favorite neighborhood destinations to metro-wide, first-person reporting assignments covering the stories and topics not typically found in mainstream news media." This email confirmed speculations which had started earlier in the year when Yahoo advertised openings for local editors in San Francisco.

University of Colorado may shut down journalism school to create a more tech-oriented degree program

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 26, 2010 at 5:13 PM

Digital trends in the media are affecting every aspect of the journalism field, including education. The University of Colorado at Boulder is pondering closing its journalism department in favor of a new degree program that would combine journalism and computer science skills. According to Editor & Publisher, the new academic unit could compound on existing strengths in journalism, yet adding computer science course will "prepare students for an ever-changing communications and media marketplace."

To create this new journalism degree, the university's regents board requires the school follows the "Program Discontinuance" procedures. This is unfortunate for the students who currently attend CU, as they express apprehension over the merit of the old version of the journalism degree. Dean Hurtt, a student interviewed by CUindependent states "I mean, journalism is kind of a dying form. But it just sucks that I'm in that outdated form I guess. If I could I'd like to start working on that new degree right now, but I don't think that's going to be a choice."

The Gulf oil spill: a case study for multimedia and crowdsourcing

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 26, 2010 at 3:05 PM

As the drama surrounding the Gulf oil spill incident starts to die down, the news industry is taking the time to reflect on the quality of reporting during the crisis. Both multimedia and crowdsourcing technologies are becoming more popular as a method of gathering news, and the Gulf oil crisis offers a kind of case study as to how reporting with technology was conducted and what can be improved upon in the future. Pew Research recently released its analysis on the coverage, claiming the news industry did an excellent overall job covering the Gulf story. Conversely, Al Tompkins from PoynterOnline claims that lessons on reporting can still be learned from this experience, specifically how to handle a crisis reporting and how to improve crowdsourcing techniques.

According to a Pew Research study, reporters covering the gulf oil spill had several obstacles to overcome. The crisis was of a different nature than most natural disasters, as the leak lasted a long period of time. Pew commended journalists for keeping with the story over several months and for adequately explaining technological terms and giving explanations of the ecological impact. Yet Pew did comment that multimedia tools tended to be used incorrectly, which complicated the story for the audience.

Patch needs quality control?

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 25, 2010 at 5:27 PM

When Patch announced it was expanding its series of hyperlocal websites, the benefits seemed obvious. The business model could continue to engage local communities while taking in revenue on a national scale. Patch is currently the largest employer of journalists in the US, so has been well received in the industry. Yet some might have been excessively enthusiastic about the perks of Patch while overlooking some of the drawbacks. The Columbia Journalism Review provided a critical analysis on Patch's new design.

While Patch is praised for its design appeal, CJR criticizes the organizational structure of the updated site. "Under the old design, the News and Announcement items were in separate columns. Practical, if a bit clunky-looking," writes Lauren Kirchner. "As of Wednesday,(sic) all Patch sites are rumored to have their News and Announcements combined into one section. Announcements will have bylines, just like the other articles written by Patch editors and paid writers." This lack of organization makes it difficult to discern the difference between citizen journalists and professionals.

France-Soir takes action to be a credible news source

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 25, 2010 at 2:40 PM

After struggling for the better part of 2010, France's newspaper France-Soir is aggressively taking action to be perceived as a credible source of news. In an interview with Alexandre Pugachev, the owner of the publication, he commented to Le Figaro on his vision to give France-Soir a new voice by increasing its journalistic standards.

The new makeover required that Pugachev relieve Christian de Villeneuve of his position of editor-in-chief at France-Soir. Villeneuve previously worked at the Parisian and the Journal du Dimanche, and apparently his vision for France-Soir was clouded by his previous employments, according to the interview in Le Figaro. For Pugachev, France-Soir was merely an imitation of other newspapers and did not have its own personality, which caused the tabloid-like paper to lose its credibility. Villeneuve was dismissed only after 5 months of employment.

TBD uses map-based crowdsourcing to chart public transport problems

Posted by Emma Heald on August 25, 2010 at 12:46 PM

New Washington D.C. news and culture website and TBD has begun a map-based project to chart problems on the city's metro service. Readers are invited to contribute reports to a map, identifying the location of the problem.

Launched by the creators of Politico, TBD opened on 9 August following a construction period of nearly a year. A dozen reporters cover different aspects of DC life, and their work is supplemented by a network of 129 community bloggers who cover neighbourhoods across the area. Six people are focused on engaging with the community via social networks. TBD offers very local news, providing a zip code-based search function that provides readers with a feed of their most local news from newspapers, magazines and blogs.

Guardian to launch new team concentrated on multimedia and crowdsourcing

Posted by Stefanie Chernow on August 25, 2010 at 11:24 AM

The Guardian is launching a team focused on multimedia aspects of breaking news stories. The project will deal specifically with sources of technology and crowdsourcing that will ameliorate the newspaper's ability to tell stories online.

Reporter Paul Lewis was promoted within the Guardian to lead the new multimedia team. He was distinguished for using sources of multimedia to cover in-depth details pertaining to the death of Ian Tomlinson at the 2009 G20 protest in London. As a result of his investigative work, Lewis won reporter of the year at the 2010 British Press Awards along with the Bevins Prize Rat Up a Drain Pipe Award for outstanding investigative journalism.

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