"Silvio Berlusconi's hold on the media was blamed yesterday for Italy being downgraded in a global survey of press and TV freedoms, to the same "partly free" class as Albania, Mongolia and Burkina Faso" writes John Hooper at The Guardian. "Explaining its decision, Freedom House, a non-profit organisation partly financed by the US government, said yesterday: "Berlusconi's substantial family business holdings control the three largest private television stations and one newspaper, as well as a significant portion of the advertising market." The results come at a significant time, according to the article the Italian senate has just approved a "controversial media bill which opponents of Mr Berlusconi's government say is tailored to the interests of his vast media empire."

Source: The Guardian

According to the New York Times, "Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the principals of the Walt Disney Company's Miramax Films division, on Friday personally acquired the rights to the Michael Moore documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," bringing the movie a step closer to American theaters. Although Miramax had bankrolled the documentary, which harshly criticizes President Bush and his decision to wage war in Iraq, Disney refused to let the unit, its art-house subsidiary, distribute it. Under the deal worked out with Disney, the Weinsteins will reimburse Disney for the $6 million production cost of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Miramax and Disney also agreed to donate any "monetary benefit" from the deal to charity, according to a joint statement.

Source: New York Times

Received from the Balkan Studies Seminars 2004, which will be held in Olympia, Greece. This year's program will include a seminar on international journalism arranged in collaboration with Duke University's DeWitt Wallace Center for International Journalism and Communication. If interested in, please download file.

Seen in the Isabelle Hontebeyrie's weblog: "The Swiss Army knife now comes with a memory stick that connects to computers through a USB port. First produced in 1891, the Swiss Army knife is now available in a USB Key Drive version with detachable memory stick connects directly to computers and is compatible with Microsoft, AppleMac and Linux software. The 64MB memory stick is password protected and there's data encryption. Download digital pictures, documents, email or MP3 music files with full-speed data transfer. The nail file extends making the ballpoint pen easier to use, the LED flashlight illuminates your writing and there are useful scissors."

Source: Isabelle Hontebeyrie's weblog

According to Claire Cozens at the Guardian "advances in technology and the culture of 24-hour rolling news are putting journalists' lives in ever more danger as competition to be first with the news intensifies, experts have warned." Chris Cobb-Smith, a former United Nations weapons inspector who advises the BBC on security, is quoted as saying "the demand for instant news was making it increasingly difficult to protect journalists. New technology has made our job much more difficult. Now anyone can operate in a war zone, many of them with no training whatsoever" The article focuses heavily on the safety of journalists in Iraq and highlights that news agencies do not have enough time or resources to plan for the safety of their staff in Iraq.

Source: mediaguadian

Good news for the Press freedom in Poland: on 29 March 2004 the Polish prosecuting authority represented by the prosecutor office in Warsaw decided to drop the case against three members of the Presspublica management for having entered into business agreements to the detriment of the company. It was the Polish state-owned company PPW, a minority shareholder in Presspublica or Rzeczpospolita, that reported the three in June 2000.

The Polish prosecuting authority and the experts have not been able to prove or provide any documentary evidence of the alleged offences. In six different reports, four independent and reputable auditors ? both international and Polish firms ? have totally dismissed the basis for the allegations of breach of law. To Jan Lindh, managing director of the company "Orkla Media as majority shareholder in Presspublica (through the subsidiary Presspublica Holding Norway AS) has had and has complete confidence in the management of Presspublica. It was expected that the prosecuting authority would drop the case, and it will be noted." At the same time, several other investigative actions carried out against journalists at Rzeczpospolita by the office of the prosecutor, and which Orkla Media regard as being serious machinations against the freedom of press in Poland. Source: Jan Lindh, managing director of Orkla Media.

According to PDNonline "New York Times executive editor Bill Keller put to rest one of the best-kept secrets in the industry today by naming longtime Fortune photo editor Michele McNally as the paper's director of photography. McNally, who has been a picture editor at Fortune since 1986, will join the daily deadline pressures of America's leading paper in June."

Source: PDNonline through mediabistro

People who regularly visit newspaper-produced Web sites are younger, better educated and more likely to be employed than general Internet users, according to a recent consumer study conducted for the Newspaper Association of America by MORI Research of Minneapolis (see former posting). These visitors are also affluent and more likely to shop for and buy products online.

The study, titled "Power Users 2004: Newspapers' Online Audience in a Broadband World," expands upon a similar study conducted in 2002. Among its key findings: * The mean age of online newspaper users is 38, compared with 45 for all Web users. * Forty-four percent of online newspaper users are between 18 and 34. * Fifty-four percent of visitors to newspaper Web sites have college degrees, compared with 45 percent of general Web users. * Eighty-eight percent of newspaper Web site users are employed, compared with 73 percent for all Web users. * Eighty-four percent recently researched a purchase online, versus 59 percent for general Web users. * Eighty-two percent recently made a purchase online, compared with 52 percent for the overall online universe. Sources: Yahoo Finance, NAA and IFRA newsletter. See also Editor & Publisher.

Pioneering online journalist Michael Kinsley is leaving Microsoft's webzine Slate to become editorial and opinions editor for the Los Angeles Times. Picked up in the New York Times: "Michael Kinsley, a former editor of The New Republic and Harper's who later conceived and edited the online magazine Slate, has been named editorial and opinion editor of The Los Angeles Times, the newspaper announced. Mr. Kinsley will give up the column that he writes for Slate, which is reprinted in The Washington Post. At The Times he will succeed Janet Clayton, who had been editor of the editorial pages since 1995... Mr. Kinsley, who will also write a regular column for The Times, is married to Patty Stonesifer, who leads the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

Source: MSNBC.com and New York Times

"Our impression is that the need for translation is actually increasing," said Dr Joy Sisley, lecturer and research fellow for the Translation in Global News project at the University of Warwick in England. "Obviously publishers need to balance what is local and what is global news, but our initial hypothesis is that translation can be a way of maximising markets." The Translation in Global News project was established in September 2003 to explore the role of translation in the production of global news. Interesting links at the end of the paper.

Source: dotJournalism.uk and Jemima Kiss.

it looks like the strategy developed internationally by the New York Times but today the initiative comes from London. The Times, the UK influential daily broadsheet, and Japan's The Yomiuri Shimbun, the world's largest-selling newspaper, today announced a significant publishing partnership. Starting on Sunday April 4th 2004, The Daily Yomiuri, an English-language newspaper published by The Yomiuri Shimbun, will carry a weekly supplement, in the English language, of Times editorial, offering Yomiuri readers a weekly view from Europe. The supplement will be branded The Times and will carry The Times masthead.