editorsweblog.org

New Editors Weblog: please re-subscribe to our RSS

Dear loyal reader of the Editors Weblog,

The Editors Weblog changed on Tuesday 18 October 2005 and we hope you'll like its new functionalities. The URL address will not change, it's still www.editorsweblog.org (but the oldest URL address http://wef.blogs.com/ is no longer available).

If you subscribed to our RSS feed, YOU NEED to go to the new home page at www.editorsweblog.org and select which new RSS feed you prefer (RSS button on the left side of the page):

- all postings - only new media postings - only print journalism postings - only analysis and commentary.

On 16 October, your "old RSS feed" will stop. That is the reason why we ask you to choose your new RSS feed as soon as possible.

Visually the main innovation is a clear distinction between NEWS and ANALYSIS. But the main modifications are "behind the scene":

1 - The Editors Weblog will become a real "cooperative weblog" with more than 40 contributors already registered. For editors-in-chief, consultants, media experts and bloggers, it is now very easy to be an "Editors Weblog writer" (see the page "submit an article"). 2 - We want to send (and to receive) RSS feeds from partners (weblogs or websites) in order to mutually enrich our content with the latest postings appearing in a special box. 3 - And finally, we offer different RSS feeds because we have a large range of readers with very different centers of interest: some are focused on print newspapers, some already are in a purely online world!

We hope you will appreciate these changes and welcome your feedback.

Bertrand Pecquerie, World Editors Forum Director and John Burke, Weblog Editor.

Source: Editors Weblog

PS: The Editors Weblog was created in January 2004 by the World Editors Forum, the division for editors within the World Association of Newspapers.

Asian earthquake: Journalists' rehabilitation fund set up

Imtiaz Alam, who is member of the World Editors Forum since June 2005, sent us an appeal "to help rehabilitate journalists and their families who have lost many family members, homes and whatever they had in the recent South Asian earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan and the divided Kashmir". Imtiaz Alam is Secretary General of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), which created a Journalists rehabilitation fund. Donations to this fund can be made through cheques, drafts, pay-orders and bank transfers on the following Bank Account: Title: FMF (Journalists‚ Rehabilitation Fund) Account No. 6214-212199-001 Bank: Union Bank Address: LDA Plaza, 7 Egerton Road, Lahore, Pakistan Swift Code: UNBLPKKAXXX

Continue reading "Asian earthquake: Journalists' rehabilitation fund set up"

Wall Street Journal Europe and Asia: Partnerships with major newspapers

Today, as the Wall Street Journal's European and Asian edition relaunch in a new design and a compact format, the two editions also start partnerships with major Asian and European newspapers. A new section, called "Across Europe" and "Across Asia" respectively, will feature content from each five major newspapers in the area, reports Media Week. The sections will appear on the European and Asian home page of the Wall Street Journal and are a further attempt to integrate the print and online versions of the paper.

Continue reading "Wall Street Journal Europe and Asia: Partnerships with major newspapers"

Pakistan: Number of journalist victims in earthquake grows

From Ehsan Ahmed Sehar, Chief Editor of Nawa-i-AhmedpurSharqia

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), on Thursday October 13 released the list of those journalists, who have been found injured during Saturday's devastating earthquake in Muzzafarabad and Balakot, while expressing concern over the missing journalists and condoling with them over the death of their families members. The information received by the PFUJ from its affiliated unions till Wednesday October 12, revealed that the houses of most of the correspondents based in Muzaffarabad and Balakot have been destroyed in the quake and most of them lost their family members.

According to a press release of the PFUJ, the journalists, mostly local correspondents who have been affected in Balakot include Khurshid Zaman, of Daily Muhasib (seriously injured, seven members of family dead, house destroyed), Qazi Asad Israeli of Daily Nawa-e-Waqat (injured, house destroyed), M. Fareed of Daily Ausaf (three children dead, wife injured), Javed Iqbal, freelance (injured, wife dead, house destroyed), Malik Naushad of Daily Assas, Islamabad (missing, house destroyed), Azhar Awan of Daily Aaj, Abbottabad (four members of the family dead, house destroyed), Rashid Awan (injured, four family members dead, house destroyed), Shahjehan, correspondent for Daily Shumal (missing, house destroyed), and Naseer Anwar, correspondent for Daily Ausaf (missing house destroyed).

"In New Orleans a lot of bad information came from bloggers"

Les Hinton, chairman of News International, accused citizen journalists and bloggers of "amateurism, misrepresentation and failing to emulate the standards of traditional news organisations", reports The Guardian. Hinton, "Murdoch's chief lieutenant in London", spoke at the Society of Editors conference in Windermere, UK.

Continue reading ""In New Orleans a lot of bad information came from bloggers""

International Herald Tribune expands business section

The International Herald Tribune plans to introduce a new section called "Marketplace" that will expand its business sections, reported AP on Friday. Material for the new section will be provided by financial news company Bloomberg LP. It is the second time that the paper has cooperated with Bloomberg. The Asian edition of the International Herald Tribune already has a weekday section called "Business of Asia by Bloomberg".

Continue reading "International Herald Tribune expands business section"

Japan: Yahoo launches mobile content portal

Yahoo Japan Corp. launched a mobile content distribution service allowing mobile phone users to buy "games, ring tones, news and other entertainment and information from 59 content providers", reports Reuters. The launch is another move towards services on the mobile market. PaidContent writes that "Yahoo Japan plans to get revenues from the new service from fees for settling transactions and collecting payments for content providers." The company also said that it plans to launch a similar service for PC users next year.

Continue reading "Japan: Yahoo launches mobile content portal"

The most relevant media trends for newspapers

PR Week lists its picks for the 10 most important media trends. Nothing is new or shocking, but the list reinforces many of the predictions that have been being made for some time. Here are some highlights:

Business woes for newspapers: "Colby Atwood, VP of media research firm Borrell Associates, says the newspaper industry is in the midst of a long period of transition that will take 10 to 15 years. Such a transition will result in more consolidations and reductions in work forces, as the industry adjusts to playing a smaller role in news distribution and advertising, he adds. Because smaller work forces will undoubtedly affect a newspaper's ability to gather news, Atwood says, newspapers will have to focus on the news that is most relevant to their readers.

Continue reading "The most relevant media trends for newspapers"

New technology brings moving images directly onto paper

At this week's Plastics Electronics trade fair in Frankfurt, developers from German electronic company Siemens presented extremely thin, miniature colour displays that can be printed onto paper or foil. The displays can be produced at a very low cost leading Siemens to state "Color displays may one day be used practically everywhere." The use of such displays could, for example, mean a revolution to packaging, displaying information about products or even operating instructions for devices. And they could be used in newspapers as well, especially because Siemens scientists are currently optimizing displays to allow showing moving pictures.

Continue reading "New technology brings moving images directly onto paper"

The Grey Lady to shrink format?

The New York Times, currently with a width of 14 inches, is "considering going to a smaller width, but had not made a decision", the paper reported on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal had announced to reduce the width of its U.S. edition (see previous posting). Both moves are connected to the rising newsprint price (see former posting).

The New York Post writes that in all, the Times' "shrinkage would save more than $22 million a year in raw materials". It looks like Pelle Anderson's prediction that the Gray Lady will be transformed into a compact might come true one day. Newspaper designer Anderson said in September, "I think the future will make a liar out of Sulzberger. The New York Times will certainly be transformed into a compact format ... The derogatory term 'tabloid journalism' has largely lost its meaning in the rest of the world, and it will do so in New York as well, when the time comes for the grey old lady to slim dow" (see former posting).

Sources: New York Times, New York Post

Natali Prize for journalism accepting entries

The deadline for applications for this year's Natali Prize for journalism is October 31. Created in 1992 by the European Commission, the Natali Prize for journalism awards excellent reporting on human rights and democracy in the developing world. The prize is awarded annually to journalists from print and online press.

Continue reading "Natali Prize for journalism accepting entries"

Innovative advertising in newspapers: reader distraction or advertiser satisfaction?

Over the past few days, the New York Times Company and the Tribune Company announced that they will begin to integrate new types of advertising onto their pages. A New York Times Company press release reads that its flagship will begin to print "branded watermarks that will be superimposed over a Tuesday to Saturday page of its public company stock listings in the Business Day section of the newspaper" accompanied by the "advertiser's message on the bottom of the page." BtoB, a business marketing website reports that the Chicago-based Tribune Co. is launching a "marketing campaign this month to promote new print ad formats, including watermarked logos and cascading stairs" which will "coincide with enhanced color printing capacity at several Tribune papers."

These two different types of advertising have different implications.

Continue reading "Innovative advertising in newspapers: reader distraction or advertiser satisfaction?"

US: Newspapers do not exploit online classified potential

Newspapers' online editions do not make full use of Internet resources when it comes to online classified ads, reports a study by the University of Missouri-Columbia. The study found that newspapers rarely use features like audio and video clips, IM chats, e-mail notification or audio slide shows. Sarah Farebrother, graduate student and one of the authors of the study, said, "Although newspapers have made some strides toward increasing their use of interactivity and vividness features, they appear to have gone after the low hanging fruit - those features that are easiest to add. This is significant because companies that create more effective online classified ads will be more successful over time."

Continue reading "US: Newspapers do not exploit online classified potential "

US: Newsprint at highest historical price

On October 1, the price of one ton of newsprint rocketed $35 to $625, reports the Washington Post. Prices have risen steadily since 2002, when a ton cost $435. Prices increased about 11% in August and September "as a host of commodity prices were pushed up by rising energy costs", reports Smart Money. Newsprint is produced mainly in Canada and the southern US. Consolidation in the industry has lead large news print manufacturers to reduce manufacturing capacity. John Morton, newspaper industry analyst, said in the Washington Post, "The era of cheap newsprint for the newspaper business is over. And we can count on fairly regular price increases. At $625 per ton, [manufacturers] are just edging on profitability."

Continue reading "US: Newsprint at highest historical price"

UK: "Investigative journalism is disappearing from regional press"

As Press Gazette reports, journalist Don Hale complained about the disappearance of investigative journalism from the regional press in a speech to students at Lincoln University. He said, "Investigations have almost disappeared without trace in the regional press and, to a large extent, in the nationals ... True: journos can still mislead and infiltrate Buckingham Palace, airports or the police. But what has happened to real-life investigations? Most journos seem content with sitting ontheir backsides and using email, the mobile phone, or the internet for misinformation ... Gone are the local contacts built up over years — the personal touch, knowing the councillors, police contacts and community gossips." He claimed that journalists need to get to know their local communities.

In 2001, when he was editor of the Matlock Mercury, Don Hale became famous for his successful campaign to secure the release of Stephen Downing who was jailed for murder for 27 years and whose conviction was finally quashed in January 2002

Source: Press Gazette