New York Times in deal with blog aggregator Fwix to provide local content

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 18 March 2010 at 09:23
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

The New York Times company has made an agreement with “real time local newswire” Fwix to use content it has aggregated from “local news, blogs and citizen journalism” across the US.

According to the press release, the “umbrella agreement enables the distribution of Fwix’s technology and hyper-local content across any of The New York Times Company’s Regional Media Group properties, as well as other business units such as Boston.com and NYTimes.com”.

Fwix is a technology-driven company which “filters and selects” stories which are locally relevant.

The FT makes much of the story today, saying it is a way of tackling the shortfall in local news funding.

I’m no so sure. Fwix certainly looks like a handy search tool and a way of automating some of the aggregation that many journalists working online spend much of their time doing nowadays.

But original, quality journalism is what drives up readership and underpins editorial value, and no amount of clever algorithms can make up for providing that.

Johnston Press starts rollout of new websites

Posted by Press Gazette on 17 March 2010 at 11:07
Tags: New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

Johnston Press has begun rolling out new versions of its websites – and not before time.

HTFP reports that The Grantham Journal and Peterborough’s Evening Telegraph are “both sporting the revamped online offerings and inviting readers to have their say on the new websites.”

Johnston Press has long been playing catch-up with some, frankly, poor digital versions of its newspapers. The revamp of its websites was long-overdue and the company had recognised it as such. (more…)

Bruni and Sarkozy: How two tweets have made twits out of many British journalists

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 15 March 2010 at 11:35
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

It seems that two tweets can make a twit out of a great many journalists.

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that just two anonymous postings on the social media site Twitter were behind the extensively reported story that Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni might be having marital problems. The slender sourcing didn’t stop the paper devoting 1,600 words to the story.

The rumours were largely ignored in the French press (possibly because if a French premiere was NOT having an affair that would be news). But it is all still getting massive play here.

Stephen Glover, writing in The Independent today, says this should provide a lesson for British journalists in the way we report foreign news:

“A Twitter rumour alleging adultery on the part of a home-grown politician would not be taken up so eagerly by British newspapers. France is treated differently because it is across the Channel, and can be partly imagined. Carla and the President also both look as though they might have affairs, but that does not mean they have. We apply more stringent standards to rumours about our own politicians.”

Daily Mail correction over Facebook paedophiles mix-up

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 11 March 2010 at 12:30
Tags: Law, New Media, Online

The Daily Mail today published a correction on page four after wrongly stating in a feature that a user of Facebook posing as a 14-year-old girl was quickly targeted by sexually motivated messages.

The Mail says: “In fact he had used a different social networking site.”

More in detail on this from technology experts Charles Arthur at The Guardian and Rory Cellan Jones at the BBC.

FT exec says video will go behind paywall in coming months

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 9 March 2010 at 10:09
Tags: National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

A Financial Times executive has said that the title’s video content is to go behind the paywall over the next few months.

Stephen Pinches, FT lead product developer, is quoted by Journalism.co.uk saying: “It’s not a given that video should be free. Some of the most valuable content we have is video content….

“We’re going to see a transition of video behind that paywall, but it’s going to be a gradual thing over the next few months.”

He said that the FT will soon be switching from Maven technology to Brightcove for its video content and that it is encouraging other members of the newsroom, beyond the core video team, to get involved in video production JCUK reports.

He revealed that the up to 300 videos a month which the FT produces generate around one million page views a month.

Since 2008 the FT has adopted a hybrid paywall model which allows less frequent users of the website to view a limited amount of content for free, but which charges heavier users.

It is a move which has apparently helped boost paying website subscribers to the current total of 126,000.

Those wishing to circumvent the paywall can simply Google the story they are looking for. Like other paywall pioneers, the FT has dared not cut off the Google-juice which drives mass visitor numbers by stopping browsers who come into the site via the search engine.

Hull Daily Mail reveals porn industry links of local news website creator

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 4 March 2010 at 16:44
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

The Hull Daily Mail today investigated the adult entertainment industry links of the creator of a local news website on its patch called HU17.

In the story headlined : Town Web Publisher’s Porn Business the Mail reveals how Paul Smith “designed thousands of hardcore pornography sites”.

The Mail sent an undercover reporter, posing as an escort girl, to see Smith and it reports that he agreed to design a website for her for between £150 and £250.

At time of writing more than 200 comments have been added to the story, most of them critical of the Hull Daily Mail and many point out that Smith’s local news website covering Beverley could be seen as a competitor for the paper.

Jon R from Beverley says: “I just cannot see the value of undermining someone who is trying their best to make a real difference in Beverley. The story comes across as though Mr Smith has some kind of Porn Empire, when it appears the reality to be here is a local man working in an industry which rightly or wrongly seems now to be part of everyday life trying to earn a living.

“I am sure the HDM makes far more money than Mr Smith from the Escort, Massage Parlour and Private Services adverts listed in most of its publications and websites.”

Meanwhile HU17 has published its own story headlined: The truth behind the shocking headlines in today’s Hull Daily Mail, which rejects many of the claims made by the Hull Daily Mail.

UPDATE: Hull Daily Mail editor John Meehan has now issued a statement in response to the row.

Lord Davies: Digital Economy Bill does not not grant Ofcom any powers to regulate newspaper websites

Posted by Press Gazette on 3 March 2010 at 12:41
Tags: National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

The report stage of the Digital Economy Bill in the Lords threw up a little nugget on Monday night that might go some way to allaying concerns in the press that Ofcom might end up regulating some audio/video content on newspaper websites.

Lord Davies of Oldham, the minister in charge, said the Bill did “not grant Ofcom any powers to regulate newspaper websites, including audiovisual content” after PCC chairman Baroness Peta Buscombe raised concerns about possible Ofcom regulation of newspaper websites.

It’s an issue the PCC has been keen to stress as its own voluntary code covers these titles and statutory regulation is unwelcome in any corner of the press.

(It’s the debate around Amendment 9 if you’re looking for it amongst the reams of material on Hansard – worth a quick read as it also covers the trickier problem of mixed public service and newspaper audio/visual material)

Telegraph.co.uk to stream live coverage of the World Indoor Athletics Championships

Posted by Press Gazette on 3 March 2010 at 09:25
Tags: Media Business, Mobile, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The fever with which eight national newspapers dived in to stream England’s World Cup football qualifier in Ukraine following the collapse of the broadcaster Setanta last year has yet to be replicated on such a scale. (Let’s not dwell here on the technical troubles that blighted much of that match).

Despite this national newspaper websites are growing increasingly accustomed to showing sports packages on their websites.

The Guardian is just one which shows highlights of Premiership rugby and other sports.

Telegraph Media Group has now proved that it is hungry to add regular live action to the sporting reflection that has been more traditional newspaper fare through live streaming sports which don’t have such a big impact when broadcast on TV. (more…)

NUJ: ‘We cannot stand by and watch BBC sacrificed to satisfy Rupert Murdoch’

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 3 March 2010 at 08:28
Tags: Broadcast, New Media, Online, Radio, Television

The National Union of Journalists has said it “cannot stand by and watch staff and outstanding public service content sacrificed to satisfy the demands of Rupert Murdoch and other commercial interests”.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: “BBC management’s strategy of desperate, hopeful self-sacrifice is fundamentally flawed. Far from convincing an incoming government or commercial rivals that the BBC should now be left well alone, their self-harming approach will only encourage commercial media operations to demand more cuts.” (more…)

BBC Trust chairman’s statement following reports of deep cuts resulting from strategic review

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 March 2010 at 08:05
Tags: Broadcast, Consumer Magazines, Magazines, Media Business, New Media, Online, Radio, Television

Following reports last week suggesting the BBC was about to close two radio stations, cut the size of its website and dispose of its magazines, BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, made the following statement:

“In its first three years, the Trust has focussed on addressing the concerns of audiences and re-shaping the BBC. In particular this has meant working to ensure the BBC delivers genuinely distinctive content, serves all audiences across the UK, and provides value for money for licence fee payers. (more…)

MEN sells digital Old Trafford supplement for £1

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 19 February 2010 at 10:50
Tags: New Media, Online, Regional Newspapers

The Manchester Evening News is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening Manchester United’s home - Old Trafford - with a 48-page souvenir supplement.

The supplement is being sold in newsagents in the city, via the paper’s online shop and is also available in digital form. Both digital and print versions cost £1.

Former ITN chief executive to lead Scottish IFNC bid

Posted by Press Gazette on 8 February 2010 at 08:28
Tags: Broadcast, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Radio, Television

Former ITN chief executive Mark Wood has been appointed chairman of a consortium bidding to run the Independently Funded News Consortia pilot in Scotland.

The move will put Wood in direct competition with his former employers in the battle to secure public money for the venture. (more…)

Manchester Evening News live blogging local council meetings

Posted by Press Gazette on 4 February 2010 at 10:38
Tags: Mobile, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

The Manchester Evening News has been using a range of multimedia tools to live blog council meetings from across the Greater Manchester area. (more…)

PA hits out at ‘disproportionate and nonsensical’ camera pooling fees

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 February 2010 at 09:10
Tags: Broadcast, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Television

The Press Association has called for the overhaul of the regulations covering nationally significant events after it refused to pay “disproportionate and nonsensical” fees to show video footage of the Chilcot inquiry to its newspaper clients. (more…)

First News launches weekly current affairs programme online

Posted by Press Gazette on 1 February 2010 at 08:55
Tags: New Media, Newspapers, Online

First News, the newspaper aimed at children, is planning to take on the BBC by launching its own weekly internet-based television current affairs show aimed at 10-15 year-olds. (more…)

The Lakeland Echo stops print edition

Posted by Press Gazette on 27 January 2010 at 10:06
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

Cumbrian weekly newspaper, The Lakeland Echo, is to stop producing a printed edition after 30 years - however it will continue covering the north Lancashire and Lake District areas online.

Named after a paper which existed in Ambleside at the turn of the last century, The Echo made national headlines when it was launched in July 1979 with a cover price of just 6p. (more…)

Daily Mirror website follows News International to block NewsNow

Posted by Press Gazette on 26 January 2010 at 10:29
Tags: Media Business, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The Daily Mirror has followed News International’s lead and blocked aggregator NewsNow from linking to its website. (more…)

Hugo Dixon: Media groups who cut too much won’t have anything worth selling online

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 25 January 2010 at 08:35
Tags: National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

After trousering £3m from the £12m sale of financial commentary site Breakingviews to the FT, Hugo Dixon has some words of advice on how to make websites pay.

Don’t cut the editorial budget so much that what you have left isn’t worth charging for.

He tells The Guardian: “The temptation if you’ve got to cut costs by 5 per cent is just to salami slice and everyone works a bit harder and quality just deteriorates a little bit more. What you end up with when you finally decide to put it behind a paywall is something that’s not good enough to persuade people to pay for.

“Media groups have got to focus much more clearly on what is their unique selling point – keep the investment there, possibly increase the investment there, and everything else, which may be necessary as part of a package, because a newspaper is a package, they don’t have to produce themselves, they can buy that in.”

Looking back to the launch of Breakingviews in 2000, he says: “The fact that the FT took its eye off its core constituency, in the early part of the decade, was a huge boon for us. We were just focusing on that. We had a single-minded focus.

“In many ways, they’ve clearly tried to copy us…Almost everything we do, they try to copy us. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Guardian launches data search site as Berners Lee unveils data.gov.uk

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 21 January 2010 at 13:39
Tags: National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The Guardian has launched a new website called Data Store - World Government Data - which provides a new way of searching publicly available government data in Australia, the UK, the US and New Zealand.

Sources the site searches in the UK include the Office of National Statistics and the Department of Health.

The site invites users to process the information they find and then resubmit computer generated illustrations for publication.

The move comes as world wide web internetinventor Tim Berners Lee today unveiled a new website which aims to make UK Government data more accessible: data.gov.uk.

DMGT buys 50% of UK property search engine

Posted by Press Gazette on 21 January 2010 at 10:30
Tags: Media Business, New Media, Online

Daily Mail & General Trust has bought 50 per cent of Globrix, one of the UK’s biggest free-to-list property search engines.

The company behind the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday will run the site through its digital division, Associated Northcliffe Digital.