19 March

Belgium/EU: Number of Foreign Correspondents Shrank in Five Years
An ‘extraordinary general meeting' held by the Brussels-based Association de la Presse Internationale - International Press Association (API-IPA) revealed that the number of foreign correspondents in Brussels has shrunk from 1,150 journalists in 2005 to less than 900 in 2010. In the meeting, the API initiated the debate on the dire situation of foreign correspondents addressing concerns over the impact of the crisis on the media industry and also over the communication policies of the European institutions.
http://www.api-ipa.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=146&Itemid=35
http://bruxelles.blogs.liberation.fr/coulisses/2010/03/les-m%C3%A9dias-d%C3%A9sertent-bruxelles.html
http://euobserver.com/9/29717

18 March

Japan: Business Daily Nikkei to Launch Paid Digital Edition
Following many American and European newspapers, Nikkei Inc. one of the largest Japanese newspaper publishers with over 3,000,000 daily copies, is to launch a paid digital edition for its business daily Nikkei. The newspaper industry in Japan has been particularly hit by the lack of fixed revenues in a changing media landscape and the management of the paper considered the paying model as ‘indispensable'.
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201002250447.html

17 March

UK:  Self-publishing Service Allows Users to Print Personalised Newspaper on Demand
The Newspaper Club, a self-publishing service based in London and founded by a group of bloggers, allows users to print small runs of their personalised newspapers  for  £1.10 a copy. The venture has so far been success as major media organisations and publishers such as the BBC, Wired UK, Last.fm and Penguin were among its first clients to use the service. However, the success of the on-demand newspapers  remains far from certain as most newspapers  are struggling to find a coherent business model. 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8559813.stm 

US: The State of the News Media Report Says 'Traditional Media Content Prevails'

The State of the News Media, an annual report on American journalism, published recently shows that traditional media content still prevails when compared to online media content from other sources. The report warns that recent cutbacks in old media could heavily impact on what the public is learning through the new media. The report also points out that both  " new "  and  " old "  media face the same dilemma searching for revenues and new business models. There is also a growing trend of niche operations in most news organisations as news consumers are becoming more segmented and seeking news topics from different sources.
Access to the full report: http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/overview_intro.php

16 March

France: Audience of Written Press Declined in 2009
According to a survey by the AudiPresse company, the audience of daily printed press has declined by 6.9% in 2009 compared to 2008. The authors of the survey point out that 2008 was a particularly good year for media audience because of the Olympic Games and elections in France and in the US. However some dailies clearly lost a major part of audience in 2009, such as La Tribune  (business - 16,4 %), La Croix (christian, - 15,3 %) and L'Humanité (communist, - 15,1 %).The most popular daily in France remains the sports newspaper,  L'Equipe,  with 7.8 millions readers a week, followed by Le Monde and Le Figaro.
http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2010/03/16/la-lecture-des-quotidiens-a-recule-en-2009-apres-une-annee-2008-riche-en-actualites_1320036_3234.html#ens_id=1244166

UK: 'Creative Cannibalisation' is Replacing Original Journalism, Inquiry Says
An independent inquiry looking into the Future of Civil Society in UK and Ireland shows that original journalism is gradually replaced by  what it calls  'creative cannibalisation' ,  as the newspaper industry is facing increasing economic pressures in a changing landscape. The inquiry explains that job insecurity and commercial priorities pose increasing limitations on journalists' ability to function ethically. It points out that people depend more than ever on secondary sources of information. Thus, the inquiry suggests that levies on news aggregators like Google could 'generate significant revenue to support the production of new public service and local content'. The inquiry also proposed other measures such as government subsidy and tax relief to safeguard journalism.
Access to the inquiry: http://democracy.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/files/Makinggoodsociety.pdf#media

15 March

Global:
- Bloggers on Wordpress.org Can Charge Online Content
Bloggers of Wordpress.org can now charge readers for their online content through a new micropayment system launched last week. Bloggers can use the plug-in feature on Wordpress to customise the way they charge for an article at as low as $1.50. Readers can view part of the article before they choose to buy it. They can also buy bundles of credits which can be used on different sites. However, the newspapers industry is still skeptical about adopting the micropayment system to charge for  their online content.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/537885.php 

- Only 11% Google News is Original, Study Says
A study conducted by the Nieman Journalism Lab found that only 11% of news on Google is real reporting and the rest is just repeating the original stories. The study shows that only 13 out of 121 stories reporting on Chinese hacking on Google contained some original reporting and just 7 of these stories were produced independently based on primary sources.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/02/the-googlechina-hacking-case-how-many-news-outlets-do-the-original-reporting-on-a-big-story/

12 March

Global: Live Television Gets Second Life thanks to Social Networks
The winter Olympic Games had the best TV rate in the US since 1994. This and other sports or culture events show a new trend: with the development of social networks, the Internet can become the friend of television, with people watching a public event and chatting at the same time. The Nielsen media institute found that "simultaneous TV-and-Web viewing signaled the growing importance of interactivity to the television experience".
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/media/24cooler.html

US: Reuters Adds Social Media Guidelines to its Handbook
Reuters announced plans to add social media guidelines to its Journalism Handbooks. Dean Wright, the global editor for ethics, innovation and news standards at Reuters said that the social media guidelines aim to offer some basic principles and recommendations to journalists who are navigating in a seemingly ‘chaotic landscape' on the internet. Other media organisations like BBC and the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) in the US have already issued social media guidelines to its journalists (see MCJ 4 February).
http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/03/10/social-media-some-principles-and-guidelines/

11 March 

US:
-  Saving the Future of Journalism: Citizenship News Voucher or Readership Engagement?
In the second series of the Future of Journalism workshop organised by the US Federal Trade Commission, a group of the industry's players including Google, newspaper publishers, journalists, lawyers and academics gathered to discuss innovative ways to respond to the changing media landscape and how to save the future of journalism in the digital age. The workshop explored different business models including government subsidies and paid-online content models. It also discussed the issues of copyright law in protecting journalistic work online. While the media giant Google is blaming newspapers for failing to engage readership in the digital age (see bellow), many scholars proposed to the US Government to take a more active role by giving media organisations direct subsidies or tax credits/exemptions.  Robert McChesney proposed a 'citizen news voucher' system which will give financial support to local and non-profit news organisations while avoiding government intervention or influence. Under the proposed scheme, every US citizen will be given $200 worth voucher to donate to any non-profit news medium.
http://www.ftc.gov/opp/workshops/news/index.shtml 

- Google Wants Newspapers to Engage Readers
Often accused of exploiting the media content, Google told newspapers to engage readers in order to survive and to present their news differently. According to Google,  'The average amount of time (of reader) spent looking at online news is about 70 seconds a day, while the average amount of time (of reader) spent reading the print newspaper is about 25 minutes a day.' Google stressed that they are keen on working with newspapers but denied any responsibility for the problems facing newspapers and journalists if Google News offers free access to articles.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/mar/10/digital-media-google

9 March

UK: - ASA to Regulate Twitter and Facebook Ads
The Advertising Standard Agency (ASA) is to regulate digital advertising practices on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. The Advertising Association, representing the UK advertising and media industry, agreed a proposal to put digital advertising on Facebook and Twitter under the regulation of the ASA in the same way as TV, press, poster and radio ads to protect editorial content. It is expected that the new regime will come into force in autumn this year if the proposal goes through the Committee for Advertising Practice.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/08/ad-rules-twitter-facebook

- Northcliffe to Axe 31 Editorial Jobs for Creation of 'centralised' Newsroom
Around 31 editorial jobs will go at Northcliffe's West Country titles as the company is merging its subbing operations in Plymouth and Bristol to create a centralised hub. The restructuring plan is a result of the continuous decline of its papers' circulation since 2009. It is reported that the circulation of the Plymouth-based Western Morning News and Bristol-based Western Daily Press have dropped 6.5% and 10.7% respectively in the past six months in 2009.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=45152&c=1

5 March

Spain: El Mundo to Charge for Premium Content
AFP reports that 'the most visited Spanish-language news site', El Mundo will launch a paid service for its online content. Internet and smartphone users can have access to its premium online content (including archives, video content, commentary, etc.) at a price of €14.99 per month or 60cents per day. However, the standard online version will still remain free to the public.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2010/03/el_mundo_is_to_launch.php

US: Publishers Join Web Portal in Crackdown on Copyright Infringement
Following some news agencies (AP) and publishers (Hachette), a broad "coalition of publishers" is to join the 'Attributor' web service to crackdown on copyright infringement over the internet. Attributor helps identifying copyright violators by searching the web to find copyrighted content on unauthorised sites. Once the unauthorised content is found, the web portal will ask hosting services to take down the content. Failure to do so and the major search engines will be approached to remove the relevant pages from their search results. According to the management, several major book publishers have used their services and recorded a 99% success rate in getting unlicensed eBooks off unauthorised sites.
http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2010/03/first-web-copyright-crackdown-coming.html
http://www.attributor.com/

4 March

Haiti , Chile & Italy: Breaking News and Press Freedom Campaigns Through Social Networks
Since the tragical earthquake happened in Haiti in January, the world has seen how social networks like Twitters, Facebook and blogs have affected the flow of information. Soon after the earthquake struck in Chile, information regarding the disaster (including geo-mapping on affected areas, death tolls, pictures, etc.) blasted out on the internet , sometimes also spreading rumours. Social Networking sites have mobilised people to contribute to an internet portal 'Person Finder' (created by Google) to collect information on people who are affected by the earthquake. Several Chilean journalists also created a web site uploading latest earthquake news.   
Recently, a group  called  'the dignity of journalists and the respect of citizens' was created on Facebook to defend journalism in Italy . The Group, supported also by the journalists' union (Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana) has attracted over 140,000 members protesting  against political interference in the running of public television RAI and for the defence of independent journalism in Italy.
http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/?q=en/node/6572
http://www.fnsi.it/Esterne/Pag_vedinews.asp?AKey=11109
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&ref=nf&gid=380461210040

UK : New Media Are Reinforcing Old Habits, Says BBC Political Editor
When most people are celebrating and embracing "new" media, Nick Robinson, the BBC political editor believes that new forms of media are 'reinforcing the  old habits' when it comes to political coverage. Robinson said that new media can be 'self-important, narcissistic tosh' as it did not help the public widen the political debate but reinforce their existing political opinions. Robinson warned that people should check the information on social media rigorously as it can sometimes be misleading.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/537759.php

2 March 2010

US: 'Magazines are allowing their Web sites to erode journalistic standards', Says CJR Report
- Speed over Journalistic Standards
A report conducted by the Columbia Journalism Review shows that US magazine web sites have much lower journalistic standards than print magazines. A majority (59%) of the surveyed magazines and their web sites have less copy-editing and fact-checking. When errors were pointed out on the web sites, 54% said that errors were corrected without notifying readers of such mistakes being made in the first place. This, as suggested in the report, is the consequence of speed over standards in online magazines as the pressure to be the first to break the news is much higher than in print press.
- Cultural  'Chasm'
The report also reflects the cultural  'chasm' in online magazines as some respondents said that online magazine tends to offer what the audience  asks for rather than offering what is of public interest.
- Print Magazines as Supplements
Instead of developing stories for print and then republishing them online, the report shows that an overwhelming majority (96%) of print magazines use content from the magazine online. Print magazines, as suggested in the report, become the supplements to online content. Online magazines are no longer considered as competitors to print magazines but as an 'inferior product' compared to what is run in the print magazines.
- Integration of Social Networking Sites
A majority (64%) of the online magazines feature social media such as Facebook, Twitters and blogs and 60% of them found Facebook and Twitter as 'effective' or 'very effective' for driving traffic on the sites.
- Mixed Business Models
Online magazines adopt various business models: 52% of print magazines provide all of their print content free online; 31% provide some print-edition content online; and the rest adopted both free and paid-content models
- Web Editors over Print Editors
The use of 'web editors' and 'content-strategy consultants' is also increasingly prominent among online magazines. The report suggests that an online magazines would  be more profitable if a web editors/content-strategy consultant is in charge of the content instead of the print editor.
Full report: http://cjrarchive.org/img/posts/CJR_Mag_Web_Report.pdf

1st March

US:
- Internet and Smartphones Change News Consumption, Research Says
A recent survey conducted in the US  with over 2200 people shows that news consumption on the Internet has overtaken over print media. Although national and local TV stations remain the most popular sources for news, the Internet has now become the third most popular source for news consumption, ahead of  national newspapers and radio in the US. The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) use multiple platforms to get news and that 69% of people consider it a social or civic obligation to follow news. However, when was asked about the quality of news, only two-thirds (63%) of respondents think that news organisations have been doing a good job covering subjects that matter, and 72% of them believe that most news sources today are biased in their coverage.
Access to the report: http://www.journalism.org/analysis_report/understanding_participatory_news_consumer

- Media Awards for the Year's Best " Journalist " on Twitter
eMediaWorld, a US-based new wire agency is to name the year's best journalist on Twitter with the launch of the second Annual Shorty Awards. According to eMediaWorld, "The definition of journalism and the reporting function are changing every day. Compelling stories can be told on Twitter in 140 characters at a time". There are 26 categories awarding people (including both professional journalists and organisations) twitting topics ranging from "weird" things to politics and local governance. 
http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=860671

AP to Launch 'Gateway' Offering News Services for Multimedia Platforms 
The Associated Press (AP) announces the launch of a new 'strategic business unit' called AP Gateway to develop news services for  multimedia platforms such as smartphones, e-readers, tablet computers (i.e. iPad). According to AP management, Gateway will serve as 'the launching pad for new products and services from AP and other interested news publishers', and will allow the news industry to deliver the news directly to the consumer 'in a variety of exciting new ways'. The management also said that the AP Gateway will develop news content to be delivered through the newly launched tablet computer iPad.
http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_022610a.html

26 February

UK:BBC to Close Two Radio Stations and Cut Web Page Staff
It has been reported that the BBC is to close two radio stations and cut 25% of its staff working on the corporation's web pages. The Times reported that the BBC's decision to scale down its operation came out of the "strategic review" which is due to be announced to the public next month. The review contains proposals to cut its online services, spending on imported TV programmes and on broadcast rights for sport events as well as other spending cuts. The National Union of Journalists launched a petition against these cuts:
http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/bbccuts#petition
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece

25 February

UK & South Korea: What Do ‘New' Journalists Need - Smartphone or Boot Camp?
When the BBC technology editor and professional journalist Rory Cellan-Jones was asked to give readers ‘a crash course in citizen reporting', he recommended a list of multimedia tools (including smartphone and social networking tools such as facebook, twitters, etc.) that can equip a citizen reporter to play the role of journalist. However, professional journalists in South Korea tell a very different story of being a ‘new' journalist. Every year, around 100 to 200 newly hired journalists in South Korean media outlets are sent to a ‘boot camp' for up to six months of round-the-clock training. These trainees are assigned to different police stations, courts and hospitals where they will eat, sleep and write their stories on a portable computer. They have no smartphones but only little sleep and lots of drinking. Each trainee is also supervised by a minder who rules his/her every moment.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/02/new_tools_for_new_journalists.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/19/world/la-fg-korea-cubs20-2010feb20

Global: Who's Blogging What?
Intac.com, a website about web hosting recently gathered figures showing the growing ‘blogosphere' around the world. According to its figures, there is a total of 133 million blogs [note by EFJ/IFJ: these figures seem quite under-estimated] , of which 75 % belong to college graduates . One of the top reasons people blog is their desire to see their content published or featured in traditional media. News are among the top five topics (including personal musings, technology, politics and computer) which are most blogged. The figures also suggest that 35% of the bloggers are professional journalists.  However the precise sources of these figures remain unclear.
http://www.intac.net/breakdown-of-the-blogosphere/

US: Mobile News Applications are Successful
A recent survey conducted in the US shows that the majority (56%) of smartphone users (with access to internet) regularly visit news and current affairs websites. Among the top ten websites accessed by smartphone users include the US news websites CNN and the New York Times.   Maybe this is another reason for other "traditional" media in the US and elsewhere to boost their offers in pay-applications for smartphones.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=134&aid=178406

23 February

US:
- ABC Begins its  Massive Cuts of Up to 400 Staff
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) News announced its process to cut up to 400 staff. In a memo to the staff at ACB News, the company said 'massive cuts' involving around 300 to 400 union and non-union staff will take place in the following month. The management also said that there will be a 'fundamental transformation' as the company is facing difficult financial situation in the increasingly competitive market. Major transformation will include expanding the use of digital journalists and 'eliminating redundancies wherever possible'.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jTEtK1oZtWrPKoDFDIdwE7oYNwfw

- 'Speed Dating' Services for Freelancers & Editors
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MSPJ) is to organise a 'speed dating' event for freelancers to meet editors. The event, according to the MSPJ, will offer freelancers the possibility to get 'five minutes of guaranteed face time' with editors from many top Minnesota-based media. For a $30 fee speed-dating candidates will be able pitch their stories to potential employers.
http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/02/23/16155/wanna_get_lucky_minnesota_group_arranges_speed_dating_for_freelancers_editors
http://www.mnspj.org/2010/02/22/freelancelove/

22 February

US: NYT Asks Students to Produce Local News
The New York Times (NYT) announced a collaborative project with the journalism school of the New York University (NYU) to create a new local community news and information website. Journalism students from the NYU will help develop the Local East Village site on NYTimes.com. Stories submitted by students will then be edited by the NYT editors. The project will be launched in autumn this year. In Europe, some media outlets are also working with students. However, these initiatives raise the question of salary-dumping and competition with professional journalists.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105317&p=irol-pressArticle&ID=1393695&highlight=

21 February

UK: iPhone Application Creates new Row Between BBC and Publishers
BBC plans to develop news applications on the iPhone in April to provide mobile users with free access to online news were criticised by the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA). The NPA wrote to the BBC Trust saying that the plans would 'damage the nascent market' and 'threaten to strangle an important new market for news and information'. Currently, the Independent and the Daily Telegraph are offering free mobile apps to UK mobile users.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8522441.stm

US: 80% Americans Say Public Broadcasting Services Worth Investing
A recent poll in the US suggests that about 80% of respondents in the survey think Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is worth investing in. Respondents said PBS is an 'excellent use of tax dollars', which comes second to military defense. The poll also shows that PBS as the most trusted source of news and information about public affairs among broadcast and cable sources. The results contrast with a previous poll in the US which suggested the partisan broadcaster, Fox News, was the 'most trusted' news channel in the US.
http://www.pbs.org/roperpoll2010/
Access to the poll results: http://www.pbs.org/roperpoll2010/PBS_Roper_brochure_2.18.10.pdf

19 February

Canada: NowPublic's Contributors Could Get Up to 30% of Revenue

NowPublic, a  user-generated website has announced plans to recruit 1000 " citizen journalists " paying them from advertising revenue earned from content. According to the management of NowPublic, the site is to roll out a sustainable business model that will attract 'higher quality' writers, photographers and video-graphers by offering them payment, training and even career prospects. Users could earn up to 30% of ad revenue once GoogleAdsense's revenue-share scheme is implemented on the site. They will also receive a statistical report at the end of each month showing total and per article page views and the corresponding earnings.

http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/537625.php#disqus_thread

http://www.nowpublic.com/

Global: Living Stories Can Help Publishers Deliver Online Content and Attract Readers, Says Google

Google announced plans to roll out its Living Stories project to journalists, publishers and web developers that delivers online news content in 'an innovative way'. Living Stories is a web-based project developed by Google to bind news bits together in a user-friendly format. It delivers the latest news story with chronological timeline, graphics, quotes, and resources. If a user signs in, it also highlights new articles when they return. The project was first experimented by the New York Times and the Washington Post where it proved successful.

http://livingstories.googlelabs.com/

18 February

India: Study Says Print Remains the Most Credible Information Source

While the rest of the world is embracing the digital media, a study which surveyed over 333 million Indian youth (aged 12 to 35) shows that newspaper remains the most credible source for information in India. Although the study shows that television is the most popular media for entertainment, around two-third (63.4%) of youth prefer  newspapers to other forms of media when it comes to news and current affairs. This massive 'offline' market in India continues to grow as the country's literacy improves.
http://blogs.wsj.com/india-chief-mentor/2010/02/10/the-potential-of-indias-offline-market-rajeev-mantri/

France: TF1  Severely Struck by Contraction of Traditional Media Market
Giant French commercial broadcaster TF1 announced that its net benefits for 2009 shrunk by 30% compared with 2008, despite special saving measures. This situation is mainly due to a 13% drop in advertising income which reached € 1,429 billion last year.
http://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2010/02/18/tf1-patit-de-la-crise-et-des-chaines-de-la-tnt_1307617_3236.html

17 February

US: Media Awards Honour User-generated Content

Confirming the growing importance of user-generated content in the fabric of news, the George Polk Awards, one of the prominent media awards, honoured the anonymous video of the death of Neda Aghan-Soltan during the 2009 Iranian election protests. This is the first time in the history of the Polk Awards that user-generated content is recognised by mainstream media awards. John Darnton of the New York Times and curator of the Polk Awards said, 'This award celebrates the fact that, in today's world, a brave bystander with a cellphone camera can use video-sharing and social networking sites to deliver news'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/feb/16/george-polk-awards

16 February

Global:  If Used Well, New Media Can Help Fight for Press Freedom and Increase Sources of News Gathering
A recent report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) suggests that new media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter and blogs) can help fight for press freedom  if used in a safe manner . According to the report, new media helped raise awareness about imprisoned journalists Maziar Bahari and Roxana Saberi in Iran last year.  A survey released by George Washington University last week showed  that a majority (56%) of US journalists regard social media as an important tool for their news gathering and reporting.  However, concerns are being raised that the new Google Buzz represents a real threat to privacy by automatically showing the "follower lists" made up of people you most frequently email and chat with. If not used well, social networks could be particularly damaging for journalist and press freedom activists working under repressive regimes. 
CPJ report: http://cpj.org/blog/2010/02/press-freedom-new-media-in-tokyo.php
Survey results: http://us.cision.com/news_room/press_releases/2010/2010-1-20_gwu_survey.asp
About Google Buzz: http://www.businessinsider.com/warning-google-buzz-has-a-huge-privacy-flaw-2010-2

France: Le Figaro Outlines Paywall Details
Le Figaro, the French national newspaper has revealed details of its paywall after it announced its plan to erect a paywall on its website on 26 January (see previous MCJ). The model is similar to a metered system offering readers a free package, Mon Figaro Connect and then offering  them a choice to subscribe for a monthly or yearly package at a fee of €8 (a month) or €79 (a year) , Mon Figaro Select. A special business edition,  Mon Figaro Business, is offered at a monthly fee of €15 or €149 annually. Readers subscribed for the free package can also join a social network created to connect other subscribed readers.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/web/2010/02/16/01022-20100216ARTFIG00019-le-figarofr-invente-le-site-d-infos-de-demain-.php

15 February

Taiwan: User-Generated Project to Complete Reports of Public Broadcaster
People's Post (PeoPo), a multimedia citizen journalism project launched by the Taiwanese Public Television is reported to have helped restoring public trust in the Taiwanese media. MePeoPo has contributed to many critical reporting of the Government since its launch two years ago and boasts about 4,000 citizen contributors who have sent over 30,000 reports. The project also organised over 300 face-to-face workshops and 50 online training programmes to its members to improve the quality of user-generated content.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/15/citizen-journalism-taiwan

Australia: Study Says Online Newspapers Enhance Print
A recent study conducted by Celsius Research suggests that online newspapers enhanced the reputation of print newspapers. The study results break the conventional 'myth' that online newspaper websites pose a threat to print newspapers as readers migrate online. According to the study, both online newspapers and print newspapers offer 'complimentary' usage to readers as they have distinct roles in informing readers. ''Newspapers provide a considered mind-expanding read while newspaper websites `scratch the news itch' '', the study says.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/newspapers-enhanced-by-web-report-says-20100215-nzoj.html

12 February

Eastern Europe/CIS: OSI Survey Points out Dramatic "Footprint" of Crisis on Media in Eastern Europe
A recent survey on "Footprint of Financial Crisis in the Media" carried out by the Media Programme of the Open Society Institute explored the impact of the financial crisis on media and news delivery to citizens in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In addition to -or rather as a consequence of - the economic contraction of the media sector, findings of the survey show that the crisis has caused an "overall drop in the quality of news delivery to citizens" and that media content has become "shallower, more entertainment-centred, increasingly isolationist, more prone to political and business influences and lacking in investigative bite".
The whole survey is here: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/media/articles_publications/publications/financial-crisis-media-20091201

11 February

France:  Metro Partners with Citizen Photography Agency
Metro International, the Sweden-based  media company publishing 59  free dailies  in 18 countries across the world, annonced plans to partner its news site in France, MetroReporter, with the Paris-based  citizen  photo agency Citizenside. Members will be paid between €10 and €70 if their photos or videos are published in print or used on Metro's primary news site. Recently, Citizenside joined a similar venture with French radio station RTL allowing RTL to sell its members' photos and vidoes on their behalf.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/web_20/2010/02/citizenside_and_metro_international_team.php

Francophone countries: "Closed doors on the Net" Experiment Draws conclusions on Social Media
After beeing cut off from the real world for five days as part of an experimenting project called 'Behind closed doors on the net' ( "huis clos sur le net", see MCJ 20 January 2010), the five reporters who took part and used only social networks as sources of information presented their conclusions. They all noticed that Twitter is quick, much quicker than any media before. But they also noted that social media contained few international news, no current affairs on crime and justice but a lot of national politics and of course a lot of "people" news. They found that, even on Twitter, most information is generated by a small number of contributors.
See full experiment here : http://huisclossurlenet.radiofrance.fr/

UK: BBC Told Journalists to Embrace Social Media or Leave
Peter Horrocks, director of BBC Global News told journalists to embrace social media  as a source of information and warned them that "you're not doing your job if you can't do those things" .  This came almost as a U-Turn of the previous BBC strategy to be rather cautious about social media. Recently, the UK private broadcaster Sky News (See MCJ 8 January) also issued  a  memo to its staff encouraging them to use Twitter and installed Twitter software in all computers in the newsroom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/feb/10/bbc-news-social-media

10 February

US: Reporters Get HD Video Cameras as Newspapers Move to Digital
Forget about "newspapers" and welcome to the "media company": all reporters at Journal-Register Co. (JRC), the newspaper publisher of 19 dailies and 150 other newspapers in the US, will get HD video cameras and move to digital  reporting . The management said the company's strategy is to improve local coverage rather than making job cuts. JRC is also considering  the introduction of ‘community journalism media labs' with community bloggers and institutions to enhance local news reporting.
http://newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/all_roads_no_longer_lead_to_print

9 February

US: ‘Bankrupt' News Group to Put Up Paywalls
MediaNews Group, one of the largest newspaper companies in the US, owning 56 US dailies announced plans to introduce a metered paywall system after the company filed bankruptcy on 16 January. Two newspapers, the Daily Record and the Enterprise-Record will start charging for their  ‘premium content' in May but some content will remain free. If the paid model is successful, the MediaNews Group plans to extend the model to the rest of its dailies in the US.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/02/medianews_group_to_adopt_metered_paywall.php

8 February 

US: Reuters Charged with Imposing Illegal Pay Cut
The Newspaper Guild, an IFJ affiliate representing US media workers, accused the global media group Thomson Reuters Corp. of imposing illegal pay cut to its 420 employees  and of imposing restrictions  such as preventing them from twitting . Reuters stopped negotiations with union members and implemented a 10% cut, including cuts in health care and retirement plan of its 420 employees. Bill O'Meara, President of New York Guild said the dispute is about saving quality journalism as the illegal pay cut imposed by Reuters will encourage other less healthy news organisations to follow suit.
http://www.newsguild.org/index.php?ID=8522
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/newspaper-guild-files-labor-complaint-against-reuters-over-compensation-cuts/
 
Germany: Newspaper Websites to Charge Online Content
The Berliner Morgenpost and the Hamburger Abendblatt, owned by the German publishing conglomerate Axel Springer, announced plans to charge for its online content. Readers now have to pay a monthly subscription fee of €4.95 to gain access to news content on morgenpost.de. A mixture of free and premium content are available on abendblatt.de at a monthly subscription fee of €7.95. In November 2009, Axel Springer successfully launched its paid-for eMagazine (see MCJ 28 November 2009).
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-axel-springer-adds-paywalls-to-two-major-newspaper-sites/

5 February

Sweden:  Over  100 Staff Made Redundant at Dagens Nyheter

Dagens Nyheter (DN), one of the most popular daily newspapers in Sweden, announced plans to cut more than 100 jobs after it recorded a loss of  €  9.51  million. Staff in the editorial department are most likely to be affected. The management of DN explained that the company faces a difficult financial situation with increasing competition from other media such as online media and free newspapers. The management also warned that a series of further cost-cutting programmes will be introduced after the job cuts.
http://www.thelocal.se/24788/20100204/ 
http://www.sjf.se/portal/page?_pageid=53,6172478&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&element_id=12689486 

UK: The Guardian Launches Social Trend Index - ‘Zeitgeist'
The Guardian today announced that it is launching a social trend index ‘Zeitgeist'. Like ‘Local Trend' of the social networking website Twitter (See MCJ 29 January), The Guardian's Zeitgeist provides ‘a visual map' of the most popular news and articles on its website to readers, enabling them to see what's hot at a glance. However, Zeitgeist is still in an experimental stage. It is not clear where this 'social trend index' will lead to or whether it is just a marketing stunt.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/insideguardian/2010/feb/03/zeitgeist

4 February

US: Ethical Guidelines for Social Media
As an increasing number of journalists and media organisations is using social media for news reporting and gathering, maintaining ethical standards online becomes necessary. The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), an association representing electronic journalists in the US radio, television and all digital media, has released its ''social media and blogging guidelines'' for journalists to follow. The ethical guidelines for social media will serve as a supplement to the existing Code of Ethics for the journalists' association'. These guidelines are mostly based on the core principles of truth and fairness which represent the best practice of journalism in traditional media, but they also include advice on how to (re)use content from blogs and social media.
http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media_items/social-media-and-blogging-guidelines1915.php?g=37?id=1915

3 February

Media Conglomerate, News Corp, Records $254m in Adverse Media Climate
After winning the nation's minds as the most trusted news channel in the US (see MCJ 29 January), News Corporation, owner of Fox News, announced its latest triumph on making a massive profit of $254 million in the fourth quarter of 2009 despite the adverse media climate the industry is facing. The $254 million profit came mostly from its cable film and TV programmes, whereas written media such as The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Sunday Times and The Sun are still trying to implement a business model based on paid content.  Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp also revealed in an interview that he is in 'advanced' discussions with portable device developers about a subscription model allowing consumers to access media content online.  
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/03/murdoch-news-corp-increases-profit

The Netherlands: RNW Partners with New Internet Platform VJ Movement
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), the Dutch public broadcasting service announced its new joint venture with the Internet platform Video Journalism Movement. (VJ Movement). VJ Movement was an open source Internet platform providing short video documentaries on "non-mainstream" issues. Videos are produced by its members who claimed to be"experienced video journalists" from all over the world. The website is sponsored by various media foundations and donations from governments and other non-governmental organisations, as well as an annual membership fee of   €35. All material published on the website is subject to its editorial/ethical scrutiny and members of the public can complain to its editorial team for any ethical violations.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/video-journalists-shed-light-forgotten-stories

2 February

Conference Calls on EU to Act on Crisis for Media and Journalism
A conference organised by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) at the European Parliament has demanded fresh action from European political leaders to confront the media crisis that is overwhelming journalism across the region. The conference on the future of journalism was hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels and heard that thousands of journalists and media staff across Europe were being thrown out of work, titles were closing down and media were in turmoil in the face of market changes which undermined Europe's dual system of private and public media. Speakers called for urgent action to address the crisis and to ensure that media pluralism and high quality journalism remains in place within the European Union.
http://europe.ifj.org/en/articles/efj-conference-calls-on-eu-to-act-on-crisis-for-media-and-journalism

Analysis: 
What Media Crisis are we Talking About? Journalists Destroy some Myths

In the past weeks, several journalists and academics published in-depth analysis of the "media crisis" and reacted to a series of current prejudices. In "Don't let Murdoch Rewrites our Media History", Josh Stearns argued that a prosperous and independent media industry is not inconsistent with public support to media, quite to the contrary. According to him, "subsidies may well have been the second greatest expense of the federal budget of the early [US] Republic, following the military". He pointed out that precisely "the commercial media that Murdoch [...] so fiercely defends have pushed diverse viewpoints off the air".

Veteran journalists John Nichols and Robert McChesney also dismissed some myths of the current "crisis" in their recent article on "How to Save Journalism" published in the The Nation. "The most dangerous misconception has to do with journalism itself. Journalism is a classic "public good"--something society needs and people want but market forces are now incapable of generating in sufficient quality or quantity--, write Nichols and McChesney. "This takes us to the second great misconception: that the crisis in journalism was created by the rise of the Internet and the current recession. In fact, the crisis began in earnest in the 1970s and was well under way by the 1990s".

As David Simon stated last year during a Hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, "we know now - because bankruptcy has opened the books - that the Baltimore Sun was eliminating its afternoon edition and trimming nearly 100 editors and reporters in an era when the paper was achieving 37 percent profits. In the years before the internet deluge, men and women who might have made The Sun a more essential vehicle for news and commentary - something so strong that it might have charged for its product online - were being ushered out the door so that Wall Street could command short-term profits in the extreme."
When will be this debate be brought to the public in Europe?
Sources

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100125/nichols_mcchesney

http://www.savethenews.org/blog/10/01/22/don%E2%80%99t-let-murdoch-rewrite-our-media-historyhttp://www.reclaimthemedia.org/journalistic_practice/wire_creator_david_simon_testi0719

29 January

France: Gamma and Other Photo Agencies Officially Bankrupt
The Eyedea company which owns eight photo agencies and pictures databases, including the prestigious Gamma agency, decided on 26 January to officially file for bankruptcy. Last year the group closed its subsidiary Eyedea Press (see MCJ 29 August 09) with 33 redundancies. This time, the company would lay off its 56 staff and it would be the end of one of the most important photo agency of the past decades.
http://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2010/01/27/eyedea-proprietaire-de-l-agence-gamma-s-apprete-a-deposer-le-bilan_1297361_3236.html#ens_id=1297435

UK:  Kent Photo Agencies Face Closure as Newspapers Stop Paying
Kent News and Pictures, a British-based photo agen