NewMediaWomen.org: Calling for women-led journalism projects

Google News Blog: Ads on US Google News

February 26th, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Advertising, Editors' pick

As part of continued experimentation with new ad formats, US users of Google News will now be presented with ads in their search results.

Full post at this link…

Tags: google, Google News, search results, United States, us

Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – aim for the top contacts

February 26th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Journalism, Top tips for journalists

Contacts: Don’t be scared to approach people at the top of your industry. With more senior people blogging than ever, you might find previously ‘unreachable’ contacts willing to engage in social networking and online contact. Tipster: Judith Townend.

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

Tags: blogging, networking

Media Release: Cit-j community Helium partners Hearst Newspapers

February 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Citizen journalism, Media releases

Agreement will see Hearst titles use Helium’s ‘social publishing platform’ for reader comments and commissioning local content from Helium contributors.

Full release at this link…

Tags: Hearst Newspapers, Helium

Guardian mobile; Daily Mail targets US audience on Kindle

February 25th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Mobile, Newspapers

Guardian.co.uk will be available as a new mobile site from March, a release from the publisher has confirmed.

Specific versions of m.guardian.co.uk will be available for iPhone and Blackberry handsets will be released. The decision to launch a dedicated mobile site follows growing mobile traffic to the Guardian, Adam Freeman, commercial director, said in the statement.

Distribution deals for mobile content have been signed with 3 and Vodafone. The site itself will be ad-supported.

Meanwhile the Daily Mail is planning to make its content available on the US version of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader, according to a report from NMA – part of a push to capitalise on the Mail’s growing US audience. The site previously told Journalism.co.uk that its commercial focus remains on the UK, but perhaps this marks the beginnings of an overseas push.

Tags: Adam Freeman, Amazon, commercial director, Daily Mail, dedicated mobile site, e-reader, guardian, Guardian.co.uk, iPhone, Journalism.co.uk, Kindle, Kindle Guardian.co.uk, mobile site, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, United Kingdom, United States, us, Vodafone, Vodafone Group Plc

Channel 4 News sources interviewee via Twitter for the first time

February 25th, 2009 | 7 Comments | Posted by Judith Townend in Broadcasting, Handy tools and technology, Social media and blogging

Channel 4 News sourced an interview via Twitter today for the first time. Over the last few months the channel has increased its level of communication with users and viewers via its @channel4news Twitter account and presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s own, @krishgm.

After setting up an interview with someone sending Twitter updates from the airport at which an aeroplane crashed in Amsterdam, Guru-Murthy tweeted “It’s just another way of finding people and talking. ‘Twitizen journalism’ is a rather dressy way of describing it I think.”

It’s ‘just a new medium,’ he later added.

This update comes from the news team:

“We got to a good eyewitness at the airport today via Twitter – then a phono. He described the plane ‘in three pieces at least’ and that there wasn’t any visible smoke and gave us good detail – see below on hearing the plane coming down and seeing over 50 ambulances, and possible survivors walking from the wreckage:

“An eyewitness – Jonathan Nip [@nipp] – talking to Channel 4 News initially via Twitter and then on the phone also described the moment the plane came down as a “low thump” saying he thought there had been ‘an earthquake’.

“He added that he thought he saw ‘just after the crash, people coming out of the plane’ but that it was ‘really hard to distinguish’, however adding: ‘at the same time a lot of ambulances came and a lot of emergency helicopters so that implies there are at least some survivors’ although he said ‘it looks really bad in any case’.

“Saying that he thought the speed of the response meant that the ‘rescue operation is being done really well…’ he described seeing ‘a lot of ambulances, I am talking about over 50 ambulances, even emergency helicopters, normal helicopters, a lot of police, firemen, huge fire trucks immediately after crash’.”

Background: A Turkish airline passenger flight crashed in Amsterdam today and broke into several pieces, resulting in an unconfirmed number of casualties: latest update here.

Tags: @nipp, airline passenger flight, Amsterdam, Channel 4, Jonathan Nip, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Twitter

Twitterfall makes it onto Telegraph newsroom screens

February 25th, 2009 | 15 Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Handy tools and technology

Twitterfall, an app that lets you monitor new updates to Twitter on certain #tags or search terms, has been a fixture on the big screens in the Telegraph’s integrated newsroom for the last two weeks, according to this pic from Telegraph.co.uk editor Marcus Warren (courtesy of TwitPic):

The Twitterfall of #twitterfall is the first non-mainstream media news source to appear on the screens, Warren said in a Tweet, adding that it’s the same size as the projection of Telegraph.co.uk on the screens and given more space than Sky, BBC and CNN on the wall.

Tags: BBC, CNN, editor, Marcus Warren, non-mainstream media news source, search terms, Telegraph.co.uk, the Telegraph, TwitPic, Twitter

Mad to start freelancing in the recession? Don’t panic!

February 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted by Rosie Birkett in Freelance, Journalism

Needless to say, my New Year’s freelance resolutions didn’t last long, especially not the one about not procrastinating (I mean, have you seen the talking cats on YouTube?). Maybe I should get into viral marketing… Anyway, since we last met I have come up with a belated addition to that little list – thou shalt not take on too much at once.

This current climate is one in which budgets and staff are being cut – forcing new freelancers to enter the market place, and as as an existing freelancer out on your own it’s easy to panic about commissions. Will there be enough to get by? Will it look bad if I say no? Will they pay me if I say yes? Are my rates too high or too low?

It’s understandable, in light of this, that you might jump at any work that comes your way – but one thing that I’ve learned over the past, very hectic three weeks – is to know your limits (unless you want to spend a string of weekends burning the proverbial candle). Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining about having work during a recession, in fact, I’m a big fan of it, but I really have realised that it’s important to stop panicking.

The nature of freelancing is sporadic, manic even, in some ways – there will be quiet times when modestly-paid web stories or blog posts will be a godsend – but when you’ve got a few big commissions on the go it’s important to leave time to be thorough, rework things and have contingency time in the case of family crisis (and don’t they always happen at the wrong time?).

Maintaining the definition between work-time and home-time is crucial, otherwise you’ll find yourself living in a constant state of guilt – fretting about looming deadlines when you’re eating bread and jam, and taking your copy to read on the loo. That’s no way to live my friends, no way at all.

On another note, I issued my first threat to a rogue payer. After dozens of phonecalls, subsequent rebuffs, ignored emails and left voicemails (for some work I’d done in November), it was time to get heavy. Finally, after stating my case and assuring them that I would be getting my solicitor involved if they failed to pay me in due course, I got put through to the accountant.

“There’s no need to threaten us with court action Miss Birkett,” said the accountant. Oh, but there is – especially when you’re freelancing in a recession.

Rosie Birkett is a freelance journalist and sub-editor who specialises in food, hospitality and travel. She can be contacted on rosiebirkett1 at hotmail.com. She also blogs at thelondonword.com and at fiftyfourfoodmiles.wordpress.com. You can follow the series ‘Mad to start freelancing in the recession?’ series here here.

Tags: accountant, commissions, food, Freelance, freelance journalist and sub-editor, mad to start freelancing in the recession?, modestly-paid web stories, New Year's Day, rosie birkett, solicitor, viral marketing, YouTube

Times of India: Bloggers outraged at Supreme Court verdict

February 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Judith Townend in Editors' pick, Press freedom and ethics

Outraged bloggers vented their ire in cyberworld against the [Indian] Supreme Court’s take that they may face libel, even prosecution, for airing their views online,” the Times of India reports. “Believing their freedom of expression is in danger, bloggers railed at the SC’s refusal to quash a criminal complaint against a fellow blogger,” the report continues.

Full story at this link…

Tags: bloggers, India, Supreme Court, The Times, the Times of India, times of india

JamesCridland: BBC Radio 4 reaching out

February 25th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by Judith Townend in Editors' pick, Social media and blogging

James Cridland takes a look at BBC Radio 4′s blogging efforts.

“[...] the clever and charming Mark Damazer, controller of the radio station, has caught the blogging bug,” he writes.

“Why does Radio 4 repeat a fair bit of their schedule? He [Damazer] tells us frankly:

“We simply can’t make more programmes with the money we have. We have several ideas for new programmes/formats – but I can’t afford to take out repeats and replace them with these news ideas. We’d go broke.”

Full post at this link…

Tags: BBC Radio, BBC Radio 4, blogging, controller, James Cridland, Mark Damazer, radio, Radio 4