Monitoring Change in Journalism - January-February 2010 Archive

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