Independent.co.uk: Why the award-winning Salford Star went online-only

Ian Herbert takes a look at the plight of award-winning investigative magazine The Salford Star, which, because has gone online-only from this month because of operating costs.

The magazine has covered the ‘regeneration’ of Salford, scrutinising the deals done behind-the-scenes, and led coverage on the BBC’s relocation fo the north west.

But its investigative and critical work, for which it won best regional newspaper at last year’s Plain English Awards and a Paul Foot award nomination, have not made it immune to economic pressures and the rise of a local council ‘newspaper’.

“The problem is that if you are going to produce a proper community magazine you might have to bite the hand that feeds you. Because we are scrutinising and taking figures apart, advertisers don’t want to go near you,” says editor Stephen Kingston.

Full article at this link…

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Beet.tv: Conde Nast streams 5 million video views a month

Richard Glosser, Conde Nast’s executive vice-president for emerging media, tells Beet.tv about the publisher’s video plans, including its strategy for ‘hypersyndication’.

Full article at this link…

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Nieman Journalism Lab: How a user gave CNN Twitter success

In this article and video (below), James Cox, the creator of Twitter account @CNNbrk, gives his thoughts on working with big news organisations and what having greater access to news means to the user.

NB: Since the Nieman story was published, @CNNbrk has broken the one million follower mark.

Full article at this link…

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paidContent:UK: Round-up of Sly Bailey comments at Digital Britain summit

Trinity Mirror CEO Sly Bailey reiterated her thoughts about Google and newspapers at Friday’s Digital Britain summit in the UK.

“[U]nique users don’t pay wages,” stressed Bailey.

“We’ve been playing in to the hands of the very businesses that play so fast and loose with our content in the first place. We’ve become dependent on pats on the back from new kids on the block who tell us what the rules are.”

Full article at this link…

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Observer: An internet licence fee could aid newspapers

Peter Preston proposes an internet licence fee to aid ailing newspapers and the BBC – both of which face challenges in the multi-platform, free content world.

“Split the licence in two. Lump conventional TV and radio into one package that, until a few years ago, would have been the only package around. Then create a second fee package for cyberspace,” writes Preston.

Full article at this link…

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Reportr.net: Blogging from International Online Journalism Symposium

If you’ve got the time, you can follow the live updates from the International Online Journalism Symposium at UT Austin in Texas, via the event’s live-stream (you have to download the relevant plug-in).

Alfred Hermida is updating after sessions over at Reportr.net. Here’s his post from the first panel:’The search for a business model for journalism‘.

He blogs on ProPublica’s Paul Steiger presentation here, at this link.

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Editors Weblog: Reorganisation at the Washington Post

“A memo [via Poynter] from Washington Post editor Marcus Brauchli has revealed that the publication is reorganising, ‘in anticipation of the impending integration of our print and digital news operations’. Brauchli emphasises that the changes reflect the Post’s commitment to great reporting and journalism,” the EditorsWeblog reports.

Full story at this link…

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Guardian.co.uk: Marc Vallée on journalists on the front line at G20

A piece on the treatment of journalists at G20 from photojournalist Marc Vallee, over at the Guardian’s Comment is Free:

“Who needs section 76 when you have a baton? Back in February I wrote how terror legislation had been increasingly used by this government, and brutally enforced by the police, to criminalise not only those who protest but also those who dare to give the oxygen of publicity to such dissent.”

Full post at this link…

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BroadcastNow.co.uk: Hockaday replaces Horrocks as head of BBC multimedia newsroom

BroadcastNow reports that Peter Horrocks’ deputy Mary Hockaday has been appointed as head of the BBC multimedia newsroom.

Full story at this link…

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More4 News: Changes in citizen journalism

A More4 News feature on how citizen journalism is changing the news scene, in light of recent events, namely the G20 protests and the Damian McBride affair.

Charlie Beckett, director of POLIS, is interviewed: The importance is connecting the citizen with the journalist, he says. “(…)These stories would never have the impact if they had just stayed on the blogosphere…”

A call by the More4News team for Twitterers to meet outside the office to participate in the feature didn’t bear fruit, however.

Watch clip at this link…

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