Yesterday The Times editor James Harding admitted that in 2009 the newspaper hacked the emails of a popular anonymous police blogger called Nightjack to expose his identity.
The admission came after pressure began to mount on the News International title following a series of potentially damaging revelations over the past two weeks. (more…)
News International’s long unbroken reign as the UK’s most influential national newspaper publisher would appear to be over.
Media information company Mediatel has crunched the numbers and finds that, if you include free daily Metro, Associated Newspapers now has the biggest cumulative circulation total of any national newspaper publishing group.
Associated’s total weekly circulation of 21,423,551 (six days of Daily Mail, five Metros plus the Mail on Sunday) gives it a market share of 29.95 per cent versus News International on 20,570,706 copies a week (from The Sun, The Times and the Sunday Times) and a market share of 28.76 per cent. (more…)
The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has sparked controversy after calling the Daily Mail “sexist” and “racist”.
Bercow, who is a Conservative MP but as Speaker must remain impartial, said the newspaper was a “sexist, racist, bigoted, comic cartoon strip” and joked that calling the Mail a newspaper was breaking the trade descriptions act, reported The Guardian.
He made the comments at a question and answer session with political commentator Steve Richards at Kings Place in London.
The Independent’s cut-price stablemate i is set to launch on Saturdays from 7 May.
Editor in chief Simon Kelner said in his editor’s letter today that he has “lost count” of the number of readers who have asked for a Saturday edition of the title.
Describing how it will be different from the Monday to Friday edition he said: “Well, all the things you like about our weekday edition - plus the letter from the editor - will be there. But, in addition, there will be plenty more in your complete, concise companion to the weekend. (more…)
National Union of Journalists freelance organiser John Toner has written to Lancashire Constabulary to complain about the force issuing its own press passes.
The force issued passes to journalists wishing to cover the English Defence League protest in Blackburn on Saturday and initially refused access to those not carrying one, the union claimed. (more…)
BBC journalists have been asked by the Metropolitan Police if they would hand over footage of last month’s march on Government cuts to help an investigation into violence that erupted, according to a report. (more…)
Egypt withdrawn the licence to broadcast of rolling news channel Al-Jazeera and shut down its Cairo bureau.
The state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that the order took effect from yesterday.
Transmission ended around an hour after that announcement and as troubles escalated the BBC World Service condemned “deliberate assaults” on its journalists. (more…)
Members of the National Union of Journalists have reacted angrily to the proposed cuts to the BBC World Service and the corporation’s online operation.
This afternoon’s meeting of the London BBC branch of the NUJ unanimously passed a motion condemning the scale of the cuts. (more…)
The National Union of Journalists has condemned the BBC’s decision to cut 360 jobs from its online services, accusing the corporation of “showing contempt” to staff.
Lords, journalism academics and trade unionists united today to raise their fears about the proposed takeover of BSkyB by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
In a letter to the Financial Times, Lord Fowler, Lord Puttnam and Professor Roy Greenslade joined others - including NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear - in urging Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to refer the bid to the Competition Commission for further proper examination. (more…)
The Press Complaints Commission has said it will make nearly all the changes recommended by this year’s Governance Review of the organisation.
The PCC said that it will follow recommendations to create greater transparency of its dealings, work closer with editors on training in the wake of complaints and ensure apologies are published more prominently.
The PCC said however that it would not follow recommendations to strengthen the powers of the Charter Commissioner – who will soon be renamed ‘Independent Reviewer’.
The review said : “The commission does not believe a role should be created by which the decision of seventeen people could be overturned by one. It believes the purpose of the Independent Reviewer is to ensure that the process by which a complaint has been considered is proper and accountable.”
The winners of the CRAPPs - a series of prizes to celebrate the ”relationship between journalists, bloggers and PRs” - have been announced.
The Communication Relation Awards from PR Professionals - handed out by 10 Yetis PR agency and Daryl Wilcox publishing - may prove to be a mixed blessing for the recipients (and perhaps even for the nominees). (more…)
The National Union of Journalists has ended its pension dispute with the BBC after union representatives from across the corporation endorsed an earlier in-principle agreement.
The NUJ published a statement on its website declaring that its BBC reps had “voted overwhelmingly to endorse the agreement in principle secured at ACAS.”
The union said it would review its position in light of the disputed pension deficit being agreed next year with the scheme’s trustees and the full scheme rules being published.
At that point, it said, the union will ballot all its members at the BBC on the proposals.
Journalists working for Newsquest in Brighton and Southampton have today started a second 48-hour strike in protest at job cuts and the ongoing pay freeze across the regional publishing business.
According to the NUJ, 40 staff at the Southern Daily Echo (approximately 75 per cent of the editorial team) plan to be on the picket line outside the Daily Echo office in Test Lane, Redbridge today.
Tomorrow the protest shifts to Southampton city centre (near the Bargate monument) from noon where staff will sing Christmas songs and hand out leaflets explaining they are on strike.
Sally Churchward, secretary of the NUJ chapel at the Southern Daily Echo said: “We are very sorry to find ourselves with no option but to strike again.
“We have accepted years of below inflation pay rises and a pay freeze last year. We are all very proud of the Echo and do not wish to harm the paper or its reputation but feel we have to make a stand against the ongoing pay freeze, especially when a senior executive has been given a 21.5 per cent pay rise and the company has announced pre-tax profits of £88.5m.”
Journalists working for Newsquest in Southampton and Brighton have started separate blogs detailing their on-going wrangles with local management (hat tip: Greenslade).
