NUJ Releases: New Statesman to discuss recognition / Irish NUJ urges Indy News&Media staff to resist wage cuts

Two more releases from the NUJ: the New Statesman is to meet to discuss NUJ recognition; and the the Irish Executive Council of the NUJ is urging members at Independent News and Media Plc not to sign up to a company-wide campaign to reduce wages.

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NUJ Release: Union urges MPs to help journalists refuse unethical work

“UK MPs are being urged by the union to give journalists a chance to report more responsibly by refusing unethical instructions from editors without losing their jobs,” the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced on its site.

“The NUJ has been trying to persuade the Press Complaints Commission to adopt a ‘conscience clause’ in journalists’ contracts, to allow them to decline to undertake work they consider in breach of the union’s Code of Conduct,” a statement on the NUJ site says. Full release…

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‘No, you can’t be friends with the weather presenter’ – the BBC’s policy on Facebook

It’s a post from November 2008, but Journalism.co.uk just spotted this, via the BBC Internet Blog picks. The Shed blog reports that the BBC has an official policy on staff social networking.

When The Shed added Nazaneen Ghaffar as a friend on Facebook it received this e-mail from Andy Smith at the BBC:

“Unfortunately the BBC do not allow Nazaneen to accept friend requests. As an alternative a facebook fan group has been created.”

Full story…

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Slate.com: Building the ‘world’s first mass inaugral address’

“Every four years, the president takes the stage after being sworn into office to address the American people. What do you think President-Elect Obama should say this time around?,” Slate.com asks.

On its site, you can ‘write, edit and remix’ other users’ words, ‘along with those of the past years’ presidents – to create an inaugural that reflects your collective viewpoint.’ Rating closes on January 20, and then the top-rated version will be published on inauguration day at Slate.com. Full story….

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PaidContent: Star-Tribune files for bankruptcy

“As expected, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as the newspaper failed to get a key union agreement on cost-containment,” PaidContent reported yesterday. Full story…

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Editor&Publisher: Tribune Co. outsourcing not finalised, says reporter on blog

“It’s true that Tribune Co. is talking about outsourcing its national and international news coverage to The Washington Post Co.,” comments Editor&Publisher, but warns that ‘big sticking points remain and the two are not close to a deal,’ as Chicago Tribune media reporter Phil Rosenthal reported in his blog Thursday afternoon. Full story…

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Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – think ahead with PlanningAlerts.com

News alerts: The aptly named PlanningAlerts.com lets you specify an area within a UK postcode and will email you whenever a planning application is submitted within that location. Great for local news and property journalists. Tipster: Laura Oliver.

To submit a tip to Journalism.co.uk, use this link – we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

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BBC R4: The Investigation

In tonight’s (Thursday 15 January 2009 20:00) radio broadcast of The Investigation, BBC Radio 4 Simon Cox submits the UN’s Human Rights Council to closer scrutiny. He examines accusations that it is weak and subject to manipulation and asks if it is achieving its aim of protecting people. Full details and subscribe to the podcast…

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Jakarta Post redesign: slimmed-down print redesign to aid integratation with online

A look at the Jakarta Post redesign. On VisualEditors.com Charles Apple puts old and new images of the paper next to each other.

Over on the paper’s own site, an opinion piece says:

“If the old saying is true that everything is in a state of flux, then it is natural that we too must adapt to the constantly changing environment. Some changes are more consequential than others, and this is probably one of those moments for the Post.

“These changes are also designed to integrate better with our ever-growing online edition, thejakartapost.com, which we are developing into a news portal to reach a global audience. We are fully aware that the world is moving fast on all things digital, and The Jakarta Post intends to be there as the primary source of information on Indonesia for the global audience.”

The new format is slimmer, with more pages, more sections, and a new font among the changes, according to the paper. The hope is that the design and shift in content focus and newsroom work patterns will complement the online edition.

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Live stream from Gaza hosted on Ustream

This live stream ‘Live Gaza Action’, hosted on Ustream, is fast attracting attention and comments (hat tip: Al Jazeera’s head of new media, Mohamed Nanabha, @mohamed via Twitter).

According to the stream’s description, the stream is coming from Ramattan and NanaLive, ‘a Gaza news camera contractor and a Israeli news organization respectively.’

“It seems there are large blocks of Live stream of the war zone, but you’ll also see commercials and news commentary like any normal news organization,” the description says.

The stream is embedded here, but follow this link to follow the fast-paced comments alongside the live stream.

Free TV Show from Ustream

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