Guardian ombudsman Ian Mayes will leave the paper after nine years on the job. In addition to being the first ombudsman at a British national paper, Mayes is president of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen. Mayes will now devote his time to writing the recent history of the Guardian. The paper will soon appoint a successor, but the question remains how essential an ombudsman is to the modern newspaper.
Source: Guardian
Two Boston businessmen have been working with investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. to prepare a bid for The Boston Globe. Retired General Electric chief exec Jack Welch and advertising exec Jack Connors would make no comment on the potential bid for their beleaguered hometown paper, which is owned by The New York Times Company. Despite the paper’s increasingly poor performance, the NYT Co. has repeatedly denied that the Globe is for sale.
The Telegraph called the impending National Union of Journalists strike “regrettable” in a recent statement. A spokeswoman for the company stressed that the strike was unfortunate "given the massive amount of investment that is taking place at Victoria in the future of the Telegraph.” The spokeswoman also made clear that the 54 editorial redundancies protested were effectuated on “generous terms.”
Tony O'Reilly's Independent News and Media has made a takeover approach for Australia's APN News and Media, the country's fourth largest newspaper publishing company. Irish billionaire O'Reilly already owns a 40% stake in the company down under. Independent has reportedly joined forces with private equity firms to offer A$6.02 per share. APN is valued at A$2.76 billion.
The Los Angeles Times is a prime example of a major American metro newspaper whose national and international news is trumped by news agencies and larger papers like the New York Times while its regional coverage remains inferior to local publications. Currently faced with huge losses in circulation coupled with pressure from shareholders, LAT is struggling to redefine itself in order to maintain its relevancy. A two-pronged approach is necessary: exploit local resources and diversity while overhauling the substandard website.
Google and Yahoo attended Tuesday's American Magazine Conference with the intention of cultivating relationships with magazine publishers. Daniel Rosensweig, chief operating officer of Yahoo, and Google VP of advertising and sales Tim Armstrong both spoke to the importance of forming alliances between search engines and magazine content. Rosensweig stressed that "no medium has eliminated another."
The Sun, the UK's most popular paper, has recently launched a community website called 'MySun.' The site allows users to personalize and contribute to the daily news. The Sun has also announced an upcoming series of 'How-To' videos, which will air on the paper's recently updated website.
Political enthusiasts can log on to washingtonpost.com to speculate on the upcoming midterm elections. The Post has developed an online game in which users can wager on the 435 House of Representatives seats and the 30 Senate seats. The stakes are $25, $50, and $100 American Express gift certificates. It seems as though newspaper sites are thinking outside of the box for new ways to attract hits.
Source: Editor and Publisher
The Telegraph staff is posed to strike. 76% of union members voted for industrial action on a National Union of Journalists ballot. Union members will take action based on the sentiment that managers have ignored concerns over the paper's 54 editorial layoffs, the new integrated newsroom at Victoria, and the staff's increased workload. The paper has no comment until an official ballot is produced.
Source: Guardian
The Online Journalism Review has compiled a list of helpful websites for online journalists. The selection incorporates free and low-cost sites intended to boost an online journalist's multimedia capacities. The list is a wiki, so journalists are encouraged to add their own favorite applicable sites.
Source: Online Journalism Review
As the first anniversary of his appointment approaches, the Financial Times’ editor Lionel Barber is confident in the essentiality of his paper. Eight months into his tenure Barber introduced a new integrated newsroom that resulted in 50 layoffs. The editor maintains that the actions were necessary to bring FT into the digital era.
El Mundo has opened its online archives dating back to 1994 without restrictions. Yet another way in which El Mundo has trumped El Pais on the web. El Mundo has always allowed free online access, whereas El Pais unsuccessfully began with a paying subscriber model. El Pais opened its site in May 2005; will it now open its archives?
Source: Poynter
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.
The French newspaper Les Echos plans to launch an e-paper edition of its newspaper in 2007. The new version will be read on electronic readers such as the Sony Reader. The quality of the e-paper will be better than text on a computer screen, resembling physical paper. The ink is composed of charged microcapsules placed in translucent liquid.
Source: Graphiline (in French)
MediaNews, the Denver-based newspaper group that recently bought several California Bay Area papers, has announced major job cuts at the San Jose Mercury News. 101 workers will be laid off by December. In addition, the longtime editor of the Contra Costa Times has been dismissed.
