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…)

46 free social media monitoring tools

Posted by William Turvill on 30 January 2012 at 08:48
Tags: Journalism Technology, New Media, Online

Social media and online marketing experts DreamGrow has published a list of the best ways to monitor social media for free. (more…)

138-year-old Enfield Gazette scraps print edition to become online only title

Posted by William Turvill on 26 January 2012 at 09:41
Tags: Newspapers, Online

A London newspaper will cease to be published in print after nearly 140 years.

Established in 1874, the Enfield Gazette is to become an online-only publication.

Previously owned by Trinity Mirror, the weekly was bought in 2007 by Tindle Newspapers along with 26 other London titles.

(more…)

Ummm … what, exactly, is a journalist?

Posted by Cleland Thom on 10 January 2012 at 07:30
Tags: Journalism, Journalism education, Law, Magazines, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

A libel case in Oregon, US, has highlighted an issue that is already troubling the media in this country – what, exactly, is a journalist?

It used to be clear enough. You got paid badly, worked for a newspaper, magazine or broadcaster and fiddled your expenses. (more…)

Price hikes to drive switch to digital at FT and New York Times, says French commentator

Posted by Jennifer Norton on 9 January 2012 at 13:30
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Online

French journalist Frederic Filloux has suggested that print edition price increases at the Financial Times and New York Times are intended to drive readers behind online paywalls.

Last week the FT raised its Monday to Friday cover price from £2.20 to £2.50.

The New York Times has also increased its weekday cover price, from $2 to $2.50. Both titles are currently rapidly adding digital subscribers - with the FT boasting 250,000, and the NYT claiming 324,000. (more…)

Guardian makes fourth News International correction - this time over Sun Charlotte Church countdown clock claim

Posted by Press Gazette on 3 January 2012 at 10:25
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Online

The Guardian has amended an article which alleged The Sun had run a “public countdown” to the day when singer Charlotte Church reached the age of sexual consent.

It is the fourth time since July that The Guardian has been prompted to publish a retraction, amendment or apology after stating as fact damaging allegations about the conduct of journalists at The Sun or the News of the World which have later turned out to be untrue. (more…)

Sun wins Ofcom appeal against news sites being regulated by video watchdog

Posted by Press Gazette on 21 December 2011 at 13:16
Tags: Journalism, Journalism Technology, Magazines, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers has won its appeal against rules which could have seen the video section of its website being monitored by the regulator Authority for Television On-Demand (ATVOD).

The ruling has resulted in ATVOD dropping similar cases against publishers including The Sunday Times, the FT, The Guardian and The Independent. (more…)

PCC says public interest changes won’t undermine source confidentiality

Posted by Cleland Thom on 20 December 2011 at 22:05
Tags: Journalism, Magazines, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers, press freedom

The Press Complaints Commission has assured journalists that new restrictions on researching stories “in the public interest” will not compromise their confidential sources.

Yesterday, the Editors’ Code Committee announced that from January 1, 2012, it will tighten up the way the code’s public interest defence is used. (more…)

Kent weekly helped force X-Factor winners change name to Little Mix

Posted by Press Gazette on 12 December 2011 at 09:31
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers

Archant’s KOS Media, publisher of Kent on Sunday, helped a children’s charity win its copyright battle against the X-Factor – which resulted in the show’s eventual winners changing their name from Rhythmix to Little Mix. (more…)

Analysis of Twitter messages exposes myths around August riots

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 7 December 2011 at 15:44
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The latest instalment of The Guardian’s foundation-funded Reading the Riots investigation looks at analysis of 2.6m riot-related Tweets.

And it reveals the extent to which assumptions made about the role of social media in the disturbances were misplaced.

According to professor Rob Procter: (more…)

The delivery driver who flagged up hacking dangers back in 1999

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 6 December 2011 at 10:41
Tags: Journalism, Mobile, New Media, Online

A delivery driver has told the Leveson Inquiry about how he highlighted issues over mobile phone security to the media - and to Vodafone - in 1999.

Steven Nott’s warning about the ease with which voicemail messages could be intercepted using default codes pre-dates the hacking scandal and the introduction of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which made civilian voicemail interception illegal. (more…)

Press Awards to have 33 categories as it moves from Savoy to the Lancaster

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 5 December 2011 at 11:37
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, Newspapers, Online

The national newspaper industry Press Awards, organised by the Society of Editors, isto have 33 categories next year - eight more than last year.

New sub categories are to be included for the features, columns and interview prizes to “reflect the different styles of newspapers”. (more…)

Assange attacks ‘backstabbing’ British journalists as Wikileaks puts Baghdad Jews in danger

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 28 November 2011 at 09:34
Tags: Journalism, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange describes British journalism as a “credit-stealing, credit-whoring, backstabbing industry” in a documentary broadast on More4 tomorrow. And that’s just The Guardian, presumably, who he has had most dealings with. (more…)

Sport Magazine launches first iPad app (video)

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 25 November 2011 at 08:09
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Journalism, Magazines, Mobile, New Media, Online

Free weekly Sport magazine has today launched a free weekly iPad app.

The app does more than just mimic the magazine - it utilises iPad-friendly design templates and includes addition interactive commercial and editorial content. It is created by the existing Sport production team. (more…)

Guardian to sell ContentNext three years after it paid £4m for it

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 22 November 2011 at 11:20
Tags: Media Business, New Media, Newspapers, Online

The Guardian is selling ContentNext Media - the blog-based digital media news service which it bought in 2008 for £4m.

ContentNext’s UK site Paidcontent quotes GNM international and business development director Stella Beaumont: “ContentNext has strong brands, great people and an excellent reputation, but GNM’s focus in the US is on building The Guardian. We have received expressions of interest in the company, but the sale process is still in the early stages. We are talking to a select number of potential buyers.” (more…)

Facebook and StumbleUpon push Mail and Guardian to top of social media rankings

Posted by Press Gazette on 8 November 2011 at 15:34
Tags: Media Metrics, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

Research by the analytics company Searchmetrics has found that StumbleUpon and Facebook appear to be the top social media tools for linking to national newspaper websites.

The research looked at how often content from 12 national newspaper sites was shared on six social networking and bookmarking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Delicious and Google) in the ten weeks up to 24 October.

Unsurprisingly, Mail Online topped the table with an average 2,908,779 links a week followed by The Guardian with 2,587,258, while The Times website, which is behind a paywall, came last with just 256 links.

(more…)

Uncut launches one-off iPad mag devoted to David Bowie

Posted by Press Gazette on 26 October 2011 at 10:39
Tags: Consumer Magazines, Magazines, Mobile, New Media, Online

Music monthly Uncut has brought out a one-off iPad edition - David Bowie: The Ultimate Music Guide.

It features 600 interactive pages including archive material from NME and Meody Maker and new review of every Bowie album. (more…)

Wikileaks suspends publishing to fight credit card companies and ensure ‘financial survival’

Posted by Press Gazette on 24 October 2011 at 12:13
Tags: Journalism, New Media, Online, press freedom

Wikileaks is suspending the publication of state secrets in order to ensure its financial survival.

According to The Daily Telegraph the whistleblowing website is halting its publishing operations to fight a “blockade” set up by credit card companies.

In a statement quoted by The Telegraph Wikileaks announced:

In order to ensure our future survival, WikiLeaks is now forced to temporarily suspend its publishing operations and aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against this blockade and its proponents.

In the statement Wikileaks, which was set up by Julian Assange, said it had published the “biggest leaks in journalistic history” but that this had “triggered aggressive retaliation from powerful groups”.

It claimed that since 7 December 2010, when it began publishing the ‘Cablegate’ cache of embassy documents, it had been hit by a “arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade” by Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union.

(more…)

Resources from axed Guardian international edition transferred to digital projects

Posted by Press Gazette on 17 October 2011 at 11:00
Tags: Journalism, Mobile, National Newspapers, New Media, Newspapers, Online

Editorial resources from The Guardian’s axed international edition are to be focused on digital projects such as the iPad edition, according to the paper’s readers’ editor Chris Elliott.

These resources include the journalists involved repackaging content from the UK paper for the slimmer international version. (more…)

Editors urged to fill out survey on future of journalism

Posted by Press Gazette on 13 October 2011 at 13:28
Tags: New Media, Online

The Society of Editors wants as many editors as possible to fill out this important survey about the future of our industry, multimedia and how news gathering has evolved.

The full results will be announced by Jim Chisholm during the SoE annual conference Magna Carta II – a modern media charter, at Runnymede, November  13-15.