The free press; the backbone of every strong democracy and a concept that all journalists hold dear to their hearts. What makes the press free? Surely we all know the answer to that - a plurality of voices, the chance for everyone to have their say and above all, a dedication to uncovering the truth.

Well, here's the sticking point: not everyone seems to be able to agree on what the truth actually is. Opinion tends to get in the way. This is why the press aims to be neutral.

Many journalistic institutions stake their name on neutrality. For example the BBC, which is supported by public revenue obtained from the Television license fee, is fiercely neutral and it's coverage is regularly examined to make sure it stays that way. CNN, the American news network, has also founded its reputation on neutrality as the foundation of their journalistic ethic. This is great, right?

Jay Rosen recently penned a piece that pointed out how the 'CNN leaves it there' policy of absolute neutrality is not always a workable option. He dares to suggest that the equation 'neutrality=good' might not be as water-tight as most would imagine.

Is absolute neutrality always good for the press?

A new, redesigned, re-engineered Twitter site has been launched, aiming to provide an "easier, faster and richer experience," according to the site's blog. The company has realized that although the 140-character constraint means that information is shared quickly and concisely, but that "life doesn't always fit into 140 characters or less."

The new design includes a cleaner timeline and offers more detail when you click on an individual Tweet, related to the author or subject: maybe other Tweets from them, or a map showing where it was sent from if geotagged. If you click on a username you can see a mini profile within the page, offering a bio and recent Tweets. There is also "infinite scroll," meaning that there is no more need to click "more" to view older Tweets. Twitter has partnered with YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, TwitPic, TwitVid, USTREAM, Etsy and others to make it easier to view embedded photos and videos directly on the site. It has been possible for some time to link to photos on Twitter via TwitPic.com, for example, but these changes will allow social networkers to share photos as simply as they already do on platforms such as Facebook.

Changes will be rolled out to all users over the next few weeks.

A word to the wise citizen journalist: Don't tell people you work for CNN unless you're salaried--they might sue you. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Scotland's iPhone users can rejoice--The Scotsman, an Edinburgh-based daily, has launched Scotland's first newspaper iPhone app. [Hold The Front Page]

Will Gordon Brown's stance against paywalls help him gain votes? [Newser]

The WSJ's three-year Pulitzer drought has Boston Phoenix writer Steven Kadzis wondering why. [The Phoenix]

Google's new Twitter timeline search can help reporters looking for messages tweeted on an important day in history. [V3.co.uk]

As newspapers throughout the Western world contemplate closure, an online-only future or at the very least a new business model, in India the print news sector seems to be doing rather better.

Today there were three more optimistic stories about developments in the Indian press. Firstly, Hindustan, the Hindi daily from HT Media Ltd, launched its Allahabad edition on January 29. It is the paper's sixth edition in Uttar Pradesh, and Hindustan's head of business Amit Chopra said that the paper is targeting a circulation of 50,000 copies.
Indian newspaper Sakaal has announced a major expansion with the construction of a new printing plant and publishing house in Pune, western India. Sakaal is the leading Marathi (the fourth-most spoken language in India) newspaper from the Sakaal Group.

Lastly, a report by Exchange4Media.com focussed on the positive aspects of the economic slowdown for the press, claiming that it has "perhaps given the best opportunity to take corrective measures to cut the flab and improve efficiencies."

Source: Press Week, Exchange4Media.com