Report: BBC used jailed News of the World private detective

Posted by Press Gazette on 23 April 2012 at 12:23
Tags: BBC, Broadcast, Journalism, Television

The BBC Panorama programme has admitted employing the services of a jailed private detective who hacked emails for the News of the World.

The BBC has confirmed to The Independent that Philip Campbell Smith, a former British Army intelligence officer who is currently in prison after being convicted of illegally accessing information from the police and customs and revenue was used on one occasion by the Panorama team.

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Guardian corrects claim that Scotsman editor John McLellan was escorted from office

Posted by Press Gazette on 19 April 2012 at 14:01
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, People

The Guardian has corrected its story on the departure of Scotsman editor-in-chief John McLellan after claiming he was escorted from the paper’s Edinburgh headquarters.

McLellan left the company last week when his position was axed as part of a editorial restructure at Johnston.

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News project to help journalism start-ups

Posted by Press Gazette on 18 April 2012 at 12:33
Tags: Journalism, Student Journalism

A new Google-funded project to help journalism start-ups is now seeking entrants.

News entrepreneurs are being offered an intensive weekend of masterclasses to kick-start their journalism initiatives. UCLan MADE (Media and Digital Enterprise) is an initiative of the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication.

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Bristol journalists to protest tonight over job losses at the Post

Posted by Press Gazette on 17 April 2012 at 09:31
Tags: Journalism, Journalism Jobs, National Union of Journalists, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers

The Bristol branch of the NUJ will hold a protest against redundancies at the Bristol Post later today.

It comes after last week’s announcement by owners Northcliffe that the up to 20 jobs could go at the paper when the Post scraps its Saturday edition and becomes a five-day operation next month.

It was also announced that Northcliffe’s Venue magazine was becoming a digital-only product.

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London Press Club Awards 2012: The shortlist

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 April 2012 at 13:55
Tags: Journalism

The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Times have been shortlisted for daily newspaper of the year at this year’s London Press Club Awards 2012.

Other nominees include the Daily Mirror’s David Collins – who was named reporter of the year at the British Press Awards last month – for scoop of the year and The Guardian for its investigation into phone-hacking.

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PPA Awards 2012: The shortlist

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 April 2012 at 13:54
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Journalism, Magazines, awards

The shortlist for the PPA Awards 2012 was released today.

Organisers said they received more than 700 entries from 77 companies across 22 categories, with 60 judges helping to put together the shortlist.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 20 June at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1.

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The week ahead: MPs back, Breivik trial, Met police racism, 100 days to go until London 2012

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 April 2012 at 06:16
Tags: Journalism

A guide to the big diary news stories of the week ahead provided by Foresight News.

Westminster welcomes back its wandering flock on Monday after a three-week hiatus in which we witnessed the most sensational victory in by-election history, a pastygate and a grannygate, and the first prime ministerial visit to Burma since the country’s independence. First up for MPs are Education questions and a Finance Bill debate, which continues on Wednesday and Thursday, when Labour have tabled an amendment on the granny tax. (more…)

Raise a glass to Mirror man Garth Gibbs over lunch at the Cheshire Cheese on 1 May

Posted by Press Gazette on 12 April 2012 at 08:50
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, People

Friends and colleagues of former Daily Mirror diarist Garth Gibbs will hold a Fleet Street gathering in his memory next month.

In a recent Press Gazette obituary for Gibbs it was said he “made a great many friends – largely because of his devil-may-care optimism, disdain for petty bureaucracy and his refusal to take anything too seriously”.

But friend Bryan Rimmer said Gibbs “went to the Great Newsroom with hardly a grape being crushed in salute”.

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Journalists’ guide to the week ahead (from Easter Monday onwards)

Posted by Press Gazette on 10 April 2012 at 06:49
Tags: Journalism

Here’s Press Gazette’s guide to the big news events of the week ahead provided by forward planning service Foresight News.

Yesterday marked twenty years since the Tories won a fourth successive election victory, the first under John Major and the last before Labour’s 1997 landslide. Telegraph columnist Peter Oborne recently defended the Major years, saying it was high time for a revaluation of the 1992 win, which came on the back of the ‘splendidly Tory’ manifesto. Oborne also notes that some bloke called David Cameron headed up the ’92 Conservative HQ political department. (more…)

Trinity Mirror chief Sly Bailey faces bonus cut

Posted by Press Gazette on 2 April 2012 at 14:18
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Regional Newspapers

Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey is to see her bonus slashed following unrest among shareholders.

According to the company’s annual report Bailey’s pay and pensions package came to £1.3m last year, but a report in today’s Evening Standard today said Trinity would be “dramatically changing her controversial pay deal in future” and had “bowed to shareholder pressure”.

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Progressive rock magazine announces expansion

Posted by Press Gazette on 30 March 2012 at 13:13
Tags: Journalism

Prog magazine is to scale up from nine to ten issues this year, as part of a relaunch and redesign.

Previously known as Classic Rock Presents… Prog, it is now going to be called simply Prog. It claims an average sale of 20,000 copies an issue.

A spokesperson for Future Publishing’s Classic Rock, said Prog was “now a strong enough brand name to stand on it’s own two feet, so it will move away from Classic Rock presents … to stand as its own entity.”

The Wokingham Times goes tabloid

Posted by Press Gazette on 30 March 2012 at 08:56
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers

Trinity Mirror weekly the Wokingham Times has switched from broadsheet to tabloid.

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Ofcom set to investigate News Corp subsidiary

Posted by Press Gazette on 28 March 2012 at 10:10
Tags: Broadcast

Media watchdog Ofcom is set to investigate claims that a News Corp subsidiary “helped to hasten the demise” of one of its British pay-TV rivals.

The Independent reports today that the regulator would consider “all relevant evidence” after being asked to look into allegations by the BBC’s Panorama that “NDS, a London-based News Corp company specialising in satellite television technology, leaked codes that could have been used to create counterfeit smart cards for the now defunct ITV Digital”.

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Advertisers could play role in press regulation

Posted by Press Gazette on 28 March 2012 at 06:31
Tags: Advertising, Journalism, press freedom

A body representing British advertisers has welcomed suggestions they could play a greaterer role in press regulation.

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The week ahead: Teachers strike, Rangers administration and alcohol price hike

Posted by Press Gazette on 26 March 2012 at 09:25
Tags: Journalism

A journalists’ guide to the week ahead provided by Foresight News.

Monday’s 2% above-inflation increase in alcohol duty is unlikely to have many drinkers toasting the Chancellor. Combined with the Government’s definitely-not-rushed-out-to-distract-from-the-budget Alcohol Strategy, including controversial proposals to set a minimum price for units of alcohol, today’s rise means those looking for some liquid comfort in austere times may soon find themselves priced out of the market.

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Report: Guardian and Apex to sell off Emap B2B titles

Posted by Press Gazette on 19 March 2012 at 07:43
Tags: B2B Magazines, Journalism, Magazines

Publisher Emap has reportedly lined up a corporate adviser Hawkpoint to sell of its trade magazines division.

The Independent reports the company, owned by private equity group Apax and Guardian Media Group, “met a number of advisers recently over a role to review the business, but Hawkpoint is chief executive Duncan Painter’s preferred choice”.

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Why are journalists so slow to embrace Facebook?

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 March 2012 at 10:18
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Newspapers

Guest blog by Rhys Griffiths, Regional Publisher (South East), Northcliffe Digital.

Facebook’s introduction of Subscribe in September last year and its resulting transformation into an asymmetrical social network has presented a new opportunity for connection – but is it an opportunity that is passing many journalists by? (more…)

Newsagents claim Yorkshire Post price rise to £1.10 is a ‘kick in the teeth’

Posted by Press Gazette on 16 March 2012 at 10:17
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, Regional Newspapers

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents claims the Yorkshire Post’s cover price rise has been a ‘kick in the teeth’ for local retailers.

The Post has gone up 10p to £1.10 but has been accompanied by a 1 per cent cut in the margin received by newsagents, meaning that instead of earning 24p from a £1 cover price (24 per cent) newsagents will now receive 25.3p from £1.10p (23 per cent).

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New Scotland editor at The Sunday Times

Posted by Press Gazette on 14 March 2012 at 08:26
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

The Sunday Times’ Scottish political editor Jason Allardyce has been appointed Scotland editor.

Allmediascotland reports it’s the first time the paper has had a Scotland editor since a redundancy round two years ago that saw almost three-quarters of its staff leave the paper.

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FT: Ofcom to investigate if BSkyB is ‘fit and proper’ owner

Posted by Press Gazette on 9 March 2012 at 09:38
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism

Media regulator Ofcom has set up a dedicated team to investigate whether BSkyB is a “fit and proper” owner of a broadcasting licence, according to today’s Financial Times.

The paper reports that following preliminary investigations last year the regulator has now set up a “dedicated team in January to scrutinise material emerging from the Leveson Inquiry” and the Met’s investigations into phone-hacking and corruption. (more…)