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 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, announced
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 videos 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 being
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 networks 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
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 agency announced
its closure as newspapers are struggling to pay for its content. The closure
led to 11 redundancies at the photo agency, including eight photographers, two
reporters and one freelance. The management said that tough economic conditions
and poor national newspaper rates have contributed to its closure. Other
photo agencies are also struggling and considering shutting down businesses.
The sister agency of Kent News and Pictures, Image International, also closed
last year.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/537388.php
US: Mapping Local News on Twitter
While the future of journalism is yet to be mapped,
social media 'Twitter' has no hesitation to map out local news and trends for
users by launching its 'Local Trends'. The new feature will filter news and
messages on Twitter according to users' localities so that they can see a trend
of popular news of their local areas. In Europe,
some traditional media have carried out similar test projects
to recruit bloggers and users to produce their local news (see MCJ on 5
& 13 October 09).
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?&entry_id=56135
28 January
US: When Partisan Journalism Becomes a Success
Story
The success of Fox News based on the
abandonment of principles of balance and fairness suggests
that this is one of the ways taken by media
companies to attract the public. But how dangerous is this
"model" for the future?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/27/fox-news-most-popular
Global: Is an "Oversized
iPhone" the Future of
Journalism?
As the future of journalism has been increasingly
tied-in with the technology industry, the introduction of a new portable mobile
device called 'i Pad' has created much hype, hopes but
also some sarcasm for the future business models in the media
industry. It is reported that media organisations like the New York Times and Conde Nast are considering to strike a deal with Apple and to start
developing applications to distribute its news content online. While the
'rumour' of business deal is yet to be confirmed, the device which is equipped
with micro-payment system (i.e. iTune) will surely have a certain impact on how
readers consume news in the future. However, it is still unclear if
users will want to carry something that rather looks like an
"oversized iPhone".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/jan/28/can-apple-ipad-save-newspapers
http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-future-of-media-is-a-comically-oversized-iphone/?referrer=email
26 January
Australia to Launch its Non-profit News
The idea of non-profit news has become increasingly
attractive as traditional business models are shaken by the changing media
landscape. The Foundation for Public Interest Journalism, a non-profit organisation
based in Australia,
has received a generous sum in donation to support its non-profit news project.
Similar projects have also been launched in the US (Spot.us - see MCJ12 November
and Connecticut Mirror).
http://www.panpa.org.au/Public/Template5/ThreadView.aspx?tid=26210
Canada: Metro Canada Partners with Twitter-like
Website
Metro Canada, a
free daily newspaper announced plans to team up with the social networking website,
Foursquare, to produce local news content. The business model of the
partnership is to promote each other's website with complementary news content.
Members of Foursquare can update their activities (at local restaurants, pubs,
libraries, etc.) and post news. Metro Canada will then post
location-specific editorial content targeting local audiences.
http://www.newspaperinnovation.com/index.php/2010/01/25/foursquare-teams-up-with-metro-canada/
France: French News Sites to Erect Paywalls
Although the profitability of the online paid model
is still uncertain, more and more online news sites are erecting paywalls.
French news sites, L'Express and Le Figaro announced that they
will do so. However, definite timeframe and pricing details are not
confirmed yet.
http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/french_newssites_offer_paywall.php
UK: 40
Editorial Staff Made Redundant at Guardian
Guardian News and Media (GNM) announced that 40
editorial staff have taken voluntary redundancies as part of its cost-cutting
scheme introduced in November last year (see MCJ 12 Nov). Those who took
redundancies include the deputy editor and deputy production editor of the
Guardian. The management of the (GNM) also confirmed there are more staff
members who have requested to take voluntary redundancies. Currently, GNM is
making around £100,000 loss a day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/22/guardian-voluntary-redundancy
20 January
Francophone countries: Five Journalists
to Report Through Social Media Only
Five journalists will be 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") during which
they will report news through social media only. The five reporters from France
Inter, France Info (France), RSR (Switzerland), RTBF radio (Belgium) and
Radio Canada will be isolated in a house in south of France and allowed to
report only news they find on Facebook and Twitter or links posted on
these two social media. According to the project manager, the aim is to find
out whether the public can be informed through social media in the same way as
they can rely on traditional media for information.
http://radiosfrancophones.org/coproductions-evenementielles-detail.php?copro=82
Japan: Foreign Correspondentsare Pulling Out as 'Crisis' Strikes at the Home Front
Foreign media outlets and correspondents are pulling
out of Japan
as western media are struggling to cope with the financial crisis at the home
front. According to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, the number of
foreign correspondents has dropped from its peak at 300 in the
1990s to 144 currently. Major foreign news outlets in Japan
have either shut down or cut down their operational scale in the
past year. The news magazine Time closed down its Bureau in Japan earlier this month; Newsweek also shut
down its editorial section in Tokyo;
and editorial staff of Business Week merged with Bloomberg in October 2009. The
Number of staff at the New York Times, the Washington Post and Los Angeles
Times offices in Japan
were also reduced dramatically.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100122f1.html
20 January
Canada: Toronto
Star May Reduce Job Cuts
Following negotiations
between the Toronto Star and the Southern Ontario Newsmedia Guild,
the Star is considering cancelling its plans to outsource editing jobs
and reducing the number of job cuts which were announced in November (see MCJ 9
November). The deal, which is expected to be signed on Thursday 21 January,
will save around 35 out of 100 jobs which were going to be axed
after the parent company Torstar recorded 13% drop in revenues in the
final quarter of 2009.
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/752426--star-union-reach-deal-to-reduce-job-losses
US: Nearly Half Google News Users Bypass Newspaper
Sites
According to a survey
conducted by Outsell Inc., nearly half (44%) of Google News users bypass
newspaper sites to access information through Google News. Around 30% users
said they either use other search engines to access online news or go directly
to newspaper sites. The survey results appear to support the claim made by
creators and publishers, that news aggregators are stealing news content and
revenues from newspapers. Some major online news sites (See MCJ 11 January
2010) have started blocking news aggregators indexing their news.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5geV6xbmQ4TGruFFDfDYy4DLoPKhg
France: Government Considers Subsiding Press Distribution
Company
The French Government is
considering subsidising Presstalis, the largest press distribution company
which is going through a 'difficult time'. Le Figaro reported that the
French Prime Minister has entrusted the General Inspector of Finance to examine
ways (including financial grant) to support Presstalis in time of economic
difficulties. At the beginning of January (see MCJ 5 January 2010), the French
Government already initiated subsidy plans for news websites and free
newspapers for young people.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2010/01/16/04002-20100116ARTFIG00127-l-etat-s-empare-du-dossier-presstalis-.phpBLOCKED::http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/french_press_distribution_company_to_get.php
19 January
Switzerland: Ringier Group to Cut 29 Jobs
Ringier Group, one of the
largest media corporations in Switzerland
has announced plans to cut 29 full time staff positions at its subsidiary
newspaper group 'Blick'. The cuts are due to the recent integration of
newsrooms at Blick. Staff at the production, layout, graphic and proof reading
departments will be affected, with 28% of reduction in the production
department and 11% in the layout department. The management of Ringier Group
confirmed that they are still identifying areas for further cuts. EFJ/IFJ
members CoMedia and Impressum expressed
their outrage over the job cuts and demanded a six-month freeze on the job cuts
until the economic situation has improved.
CoMedia: http://www.comedia.ch/de/aktuell/medienmitteilung/medienmitteilung/news/ringier-newsroom-auch-viele-schreibende-sind-betroffen/55.html
Impressum: http://www.impressum.ch/impressum/de/service/Presse/blick.html
India & US: Washington
Post and Hindustan Times Sign 'Exclusive'
Content-sharing Agreement
The Washington Post and the Hindustan Times, the second largest English language
daily in India,
have signed an 'exclusive' agreement to share the Post's content. Under the
agreement, the Hindustan Times will share content including the Post's
news, opinion pieces, book reviews and columnists. According to recent figures,
the Hindustan Times has lost 0.2 million of readership since 2008 and
its advertising revenues are falling.
Source: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004059851
US: Online Journalism Courses Open New Revenue
Stream for Newspapers
Media organisations start
to extend their business to online education as many of them are struggling to
generate revenues from traditional revenue streams (e.g. adverting,
subscription). The New York Times (NYT) is offering online journalism courses
with certificates from this spring, charging $235 for credit and $199 for
noncredit per course. The NYT has been offering online journalism courses
for working journalists to improve their multimedia skills without awarding
credits. The new credit system aims to attract journalism students
who wish to study multimedia programmes which are not offered at
their universities.
http://www.nytimesknownow.com/index.php/emerging-media-journalism-certificate/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/jan/18/online-education-new-york-times
12 January
Global: AOL to Close Offices and Cut Further 1,000 Jobs
AOL, the global media and communications company
announced further job cuts worldwide. Its UK office will be severely affected
as the management said there will be a ''significant reduction'' of staff. Many
of its European offices will also be closed, including those in Spain, Sweden,
Germany and France. In
November 2009, AOL announced restructuring plans to cut 2,500 jobs and save
$300m a year. Since then, around 1,100 staff have already taken voluntary
redundancies.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/12/aol-cut-jobs-shut-offices
UK: Scottish MP Calls for Free Newspapers for 18-year-olds Following
Similar Experience in France
A Scottish MP of the Labour Party, Pauline McNeil, has
called on the Scottish Government to provide free newspapers to 18-year-olds to
promote the culture of reading newspapers. She also proposed that
newspapers make news more relevant to young people by organising visits to
newsrooms. The National Union of Journalists welcomed the initiative.
A Similar free newspaper scheme has been launched in France and some German newspapers
have introduced youth editions to attract a younger readership (see previous
MCJ in December) to revitalise the declining readership in the newspaper
industry.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/scotland_young_people_to_get_free_newspa.php
11 January
Canada: Canwest Files Bankruptcy and Seeks Buyers
Canwest, one of Canada's
largest international media companies, owning 10 dailies and 26 community
newspapers filed for bankruptcy today and is seeking potential buyers. Canwest has been operating under creditor
protection due to its large debts since early 2009. Its flagship National Post
newspaper was put under court protection in October
2009 after a rapid drop in
advertising revenues. The company currently employs around 5,300 staff. If Canwest could find potential buyers to pay its debts, most staff
jobs and newspapers would be preserved, said the management.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jacxGlrbkJekLwF6bRU0jbSie2sw
US: Study Shows Newspapers May Remain the Main
Source of New Information
The prophecy that newspapers are dead has again been proven wrong as
a new study shows that newspapers still remain the leading source of news for
the public. The study conducted by the Project for Excellencein
Journalism shows that around 95% of the news came from ‘old media' like
newspapers. By contrast, a
majority of digital news outlets are criticised by the study as repetitive and
commentary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/business/media/11baltimore.html?ref=media
UK: News International Starts Blocking News
Aggregator
Times Online, the flagship UK online newspaper of News
Corporation has finally introduced a technical block to prevent news aggregator
NewsNow.co.uk indexing its content. The blocking system followed the
announcement by News Corporation's owner, Rupert Murdoch in November 2009 of
plans to erect paywalls to block aggregators. However, News International, the UK arm of News
Corporation has not yet confirmed if they have plans to block other news
aggregators like Google and Yahoo.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/08/digital-media-newspapers
8 January
UK: Sky News Encourages its Staff to Use Twitter
for News Gathering and Reporting
As social media becomes an increasingly important tool for
journalists, Sky News, one of the major UK news broadcasting media,
announced plans to install Twitter software across its journalists' computers
as part of the drive to encourage more use of social media for news gathering
and reporting. Twitter, a
microblogging and social networking tool has become increasingly popular for
both readers and publishers. A recent research shows that the average US newspaper
has around 18,000 Twitter followers and tweets 11 times per day. Some
publishers are considering selling paid tweets to advertisers to open up a new
revenue stream.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/537082.php
http://www.sfnblog.com/circulation_and_readership/2010/01/study_finds_average_us_paper_has_18000_f.php#more
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=141294
7 January
France: French Government Proposes ‘Google Tax' on
Online Advertising
The French Minister
of Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, announced a series of proposals to protect
online content and improve remuneration of creators on the Internet. The proposals
include creating a ‘Google tax' that will be levied on online advertising
revenues generated by major Internet giants like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, etc.
Another proposal suggests imposing higher tax on internet providers to
compensate revenues lost due to illegal downloading. The
proposals to support content creation will require about 50 million euros of
financing in 2010, then 35 to 40 million a year in 2011 and 2012.
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2010/01/06/le-ministre-de-la-culture-recoit-les-conclusions-de-la-mission-zelnik_1288356_651865.html
http://www.liberation.fr/medias/0101612445-une-taxe-google-pour-soutenir-la-creation
Germany: Newspaper Publishers to Launch ‘Youth
Editions' to Recruit Young Readers
As newspapers are gradually losing
readership, German newspaper publishers are thinking of innovative ways to
recruit new readers. DuMont Schauberg, one of the largest publishing houses in Germany
announced plans to launch a news supplement aimed at a younger audience for its
daily newspaper Berliner Kurier. The launch of the youth edition is
expected to re-invigorate the print media by engaging young readers. Similar ventures were launched earlier and have
proven successful. Spiegel, the German news magazine, launched its youth
edition in 2009 recording a paid circulation of 72,000 copies for its first
issue on federal elections. Weekly newspaper Die Zeit also launched a
similar initiative with "KinderZeit", providing news and
entertainment to its target audience of eight to twelve year olds.
http://www.wuv.de/nachrichten/medien/berliner_kurier_startet_2010_kinderkurier
6 January
US: Non-profit
News Site Launched in California
A US non-profit news site, California
Watch, focusing on investigative journalism, launched the 'save the future
of journalism' initiative in December. California Watch, funded by the Centre for Investigative Reporting employs a team of 13 staff
producing investigative news that is free to readers. Unlike other
non-profit news sites, California Watch has proven successful in
adopting a 'syndication-fee model'. Local and regional newspapers had already
published many of its stories on their front pages even before its official
launch last month.
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2010/01/non-profit_news_publisher_helps_readers.php
http://www.knightfdn.org/news/press_room/knight_press_releases/detail.dot?id=355086