Tom Watson turns tables on Fleet Street tormentors with blog alleging bullying at The Sun

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 10 February 2012 at 14:45
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers

Tom Watson MP has turned reporter today to report claims about bullying at The Sun which he said had been made by a “Wapping-based journalist” speaking on condition of anonymity.

He says a “number of credible sources” have verified one story of a complaint being made by a journalist. He adds that News International have declined to comment to him. (more…)

Time to make the case for Defamation Bill being in the Queen’s Speech

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 10 February 2012 at 10:15
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, Newspapers

Time is running out to make the case for libel reform - with the deadline looming for legislation to be included in the Queen’s Speech.

The Libel Reform Campaign is urging those who have yet to do so to write to their MPs urging them to back the case for libel reform. (more…)

Evening Standard launches iPad and Android app called ‘Going Out’

Posted by Press Gazette on 9 February 2012 at 14:27
Tags: Journalism, Mobile, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers

The Evening Standard is the latest title to launch a new app for iPhones and Android devices.

ES:GO is a free app which provides recommendations for restaurants, bars, clubs, theatre, arts and entertainment.

Full details in the press release below: (more…)

Report: Guardian’s Alan Rusbridger volunteers 10 per cent pay cut

Posted by Press Gazette on 9 February 2012 at 10:22
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger has taken a voluntary 10 per cent pay cut for the 2012-13 financial year which will see his pay drop from £438,900 to £395,010

According to a report on the Guardian website Rusbridger has also asked Guardian Media Group to halve the annual contribution it makes to his pension.

The report states: (more…)

Guardian Media Group sells paidContent to GigaOM

Posted by Press Gazette on 9 February 2012 at 09:59
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

Guardian News & Media (GNM) has confirmed the sale of ContentNext Media, publisher of paidContent, to US business and technology media company GigaOM.

GigaOM has also acquired ContentNext Media’s other assets including mocoNews, contentSutra and paidContent:UK. (more…)

Report: Times Nightjack case lawyer Brett believes ‘conscience is clear’

Posted by Press Gazette on 8 February 2012 at 18:26
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers

Former Times legal manager Alastair Brett has reportedly said he hopes Lord Leveson will call him in to account for his actions during the Nightjack case.

Brett was subject to much implied criticism in testimony from Times editor James Harding yesterday. The inquiry heard that The Times had failed to tell Mr Justice Eady that it had illegally hacked the email of police blogger Nightjack, Richard Horton, thereby allowing it to overturn an interim privacy gagging order in 2009. (more…)

Sun launches smartphone app costing £4.99 a month

Posted by Press Gazette on 8 February 2012 at 15:13
Tags: Mobile, National Newspapers, New Media, Online

The Sun has launched a new app for iPhones and Android devices which it is selling for £4.99 a month.

The app, which has an introductory price of 69p for 30 days, includes live football scores, a Sun Scan button to access extra content by scanning QR codes in the paper and access to extra video content. (more…)

Timeline: Three weeks during which The Times’ Nightjack scandal was laid bare

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 8 February 2012 at 13:51
Tags: Journalism, Law, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The possibility that there was an email-hacking scandal brewing at The Times first emerged in a few lines of written evidence published by the Leveson Inquiry on 10 January, and exploded yesterday as Times editor and News International issued a comprehensive mea culpa about the affair.

Here is a recap of how the story emerged: (more…)

FT appeal raises £3.3m for development charity Sightsavers

Posted by Press Gazette on 6 February 2012 at 18:44
Tags: National Newspapers, Newspapers

The Financial Times raised a record £3.3m for the international development charity Sightsavers with its Seasonal Appeal.

The money, which will help tackle avoidable blindness in developing nations, comprised: £2.5m worth of donations with match finding; a photography auction and auction of dinners with FT writers (£165,408) and Standard Chartered staff donating their last hour’s pay of 2011 (£406,599). (more…)

IPCC: No evidence Surrey Police officer leaked information to journalists about Milly Dowler case

Posted by Andrew Pugh on 6 February 2012 at 13:24
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has found no evidence to support allegations that a Surrey police officer passed information to journalists during the investigation into the disappearance of Milly Dowler in 2002.

The IPCC said the matter was referred to them in August 2011 after they received information from three newspaper journalists that they were going to publish the allegations. (more…)

Former BBC exec says one code of conduct needed for all journalists: print, broadcast and online

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 6 February 2012 at 12:56
Tags: Broadcast, Journalism, Magazines, National Newspapers

Former BBC executive Blair Jenkins has suggested all journalists -working across print, broadcast and online - should sign up to the same code of conduct.

The Editors’ Code currently primarily applies to print publications and their websites, though it can apply to website-only publications on a voluntary basis. (more…)

Reuters: News Corp clean-up squad has 100 staff reviewing emails, expense claims and phone records

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 3 February 2012 at 11:48
Tags: Law, National Newspapers, Newspapers

Reuters has a fascinating report looking at News Corp’s Management and Standards Committee - the body which handed over information to police which resulted in four very senior serving and former Sun journalists being arrested on Saturday morning. (more…)

Mail and Sun attack internet ‘ghouls’ over Gary Speed rumours - and praise mainstream media’s ’sympathetic’ coverage

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 February 2012 at 14:17
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The Sun and Mail Online both published articles today attacking the internet “ghouls” that spread “twisted rumours” about Gary Speed after his death last year- in contrast to the “sympathetic” coverage of the mainstream media.

It comes after Gary Speed’s  brother-in-law Anthony Haylock backed an attack on the “totally unfounded rumours that swept across the internet” after Speed’s death, when he retweeted the following message from ex-Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan yesterday: (more…)

Rupert Murdoch says FT story about Sun on Sunday was ‘100% wrong’

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 February 2012 at 09:20
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch has mocked a story that appeared in yesterday’s Financial Times reporting that plans for a Sunday edition of The Sun had been put on hold. (more…)

How Twitter’s new ‘censorship’ policy could be a journalists’ goldmine

Posted by Cleland Thom on 1 February 2012 at 09:10
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Journalism, Journalism Technology, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers

Twitter’s decision  to introduce a new “censorship policy” could prove to be a blessing in disguise to enterprising journalists.

The US-based social network has decided “to reactively withhold” content from users on a country-by-country basis.

It says the change will enable it to “enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression”.

(more…)

FT: Sun arrests put launch of Sunday edition of The Sun on hold

Posted by Press Gazette on 31 January 2012 at 10:14
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

Plans for a Sunday edition of The Sun have been put on hold following the arrest of four senior journalists over the weekend, according to the Financial Times (behind paywall).
A report this morning said the plans are known as “Project X” – but claimed sources had “downplayed” reports that a launch date of 29 April “had been set in stone”.

(more…)

Is it time to end the online comments free-for-all on news websites?

Posted by Cleland Thom on 30 January 2012 at 08:50
Tags: Journalism, Journalism Technology, Law, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

A relaxation in the rules on handling user-generated content on media websites is proving to be a mixed blessing.

It is just over two years since the High Court ruled that newspaper and magazine websites qualified as internet service providers (ISPs) and were NOT responsible for readers’ posts on talk boards. (more…)

Matthew Anderson stands down as News Corp’s group corporate affairs chief

Posted by Press Gazette on 27 January 2012 at 15:18
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

Matthew Anderson, News Corp’s group director of strategy and corporate affairs for Europe and Asia, announced this afternoon that he is standing down from his position.

(more…)

Telegraph appoints Charles Starmer-Smith as head of travel

Posted by William Turvill on 24 January 2012 at 10:20
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, People

Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has appointed Charles Starmer-Smith as head of travel.

Named Travel Journalist of the Year at the 2009 Travel Press Awards, he replaces Graham Boynton, who departed the Telegraph in December last year.

Boynton, who came ninth in the Press Gazette readers’ top 10 travel journalists in 2010, had been travel editor at TMG since 1998.

(more…)

Guardian fields reader backlash against print edition changes

Posted by Press Gazette on 23 January 2012 at 10:50
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers

The Guardian has revealed that it has received more than 1,400 complaints from readers since it unveiled a redesign earlier this month.

Readers’ editor Chris Elliott said that of the 1,400 or so readers that had been in touch “the majority of the responses are complaints, or demands for further explanation for specific changes”. (more…)