Reuters: Former BNP man fined for leaking members list

Business Insider: Chart of the Day – US viewers ‘still watch remarkably more video on TV than phones or online’

September 3rd, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted by Judith Townend in Broadcasting, Editors' pick

Business Insider’s Chart of the Day is a cheering one if you work in American TV.

“When looking at average time spent watching each, TV viewing actually grew more – per hour, per person, per month – over the last year than web video. Last quarter, the average US web video viewer watched 3 hours, 11 minutes per month, up about 1 hour each, year-over-year. But the average US TV viewer watched over 40X more video: 141 hours per month, up about 2 hours year-over-year.”

‘Chart Of The Day’ at this link.

Tags: Business Insider, neilsen, television, United States, web video

Journalism Daily: Custodial sentences for data breaches proposed, ONA awards finalists announced

September 2nd, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by Laura Oliver in Journalism Daily

A daily round-up of all the content published on the Journalism.co.uk site. You can also sign up to our e-newsletter and subscribe to the feed for the Journalism Daily here.

News and features:

Editor’s picks:

Tip of the day:

Find tweeting journalists

#FollowJourn:

@stephen_emerson/deputy online editor

On the Editors’ Blog:

Tags: Andrew Osborn, BBC World Service, Commissioner, correspondent Editor, deputy online editor, e-newsletter, examiner.com, Journalism Daily, Journalism. co.uk, Moscow, NowPublic, paidContent.org, pittsburgh post-gazette, Scott Trust, the Journalism Daily

Media ignorance of social work industry suggested by ComCare survey

September 2nd, 2009 | 2 Comments | Posted by Donna Goddard in Journalism, Magazines

The results of a recent survey into journalist’s knowledge of social work in the UK worringly suggest some severe gaps in understanding of the industry.

The study by Community Care, the magazine covering all areas of the social care profession, suggested that fewer than half of those surveyed knew a degree is required in order to be a social worker.

The questionnaire is part of the title’s wider ‘Stand Up For Social Work’ campaign.

The 10-question survey, which was completed by 30 journalists in a variety of both national and local media positions, including 3 specialist social care writers, also found that 68 per cent of respondents said ‘care worker’ was a social work post; and 37 per cent had no idea whether or not social workers are any better today than 15 years ago.

According to Community Care’s report on the survey last month, the findings did not come as a surprise to British Association for Social Workers chief executive, Hilton Dawson:

“We know that even the supposedly better quality print and broadcast media is ignorant of social work from the way they use outdated words such as social services and child protection or at-risk registers so I’m sorry to say that your findings don’t come as any surprise at all.”

But BASW is taking positive action in light of these findings and will be appointing a public relations manager for the first time, who will be tasked with building relationships with journalists and help improve understanding of social work within the media.

Community Care is also planning to release a factsheet for journalists reporting on the industry.

Tags: British Association for Social Workers, care worker, chief executive, Community Care, Hilton Dawson, journalist, local media positions, manager for the first time, Media ignorance, public relations, public relations manager, social services, social work, social worker, United Kingdom

WWF ‘aggressively’ pursuing action to have 9/11 ad removed from websites

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Judith Townend in Advertising, Social media and blogging

Links to what seemed to be an advert for wildlife organisation WWF, with a message and image related to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, were zipping around yesterday, causing much comment and concern on Twitter and on blogs. Was it appropriate to use 9/11 imagery in this way?

Journalism.co.uk emailed WWF UK to find out more: they didn’t know about it. Now, WWF US has released this statement:

“WWF strongly condemns this offensive and tasteless ad and did not authorize its production or publication. It is our understanding that it was a concept offered by an outside advertising agency seeking our business in Brazil.

“The concept was summarily rejected by WWF and should never have seen the light of day. It is an unauthorized use of our logo and we are aggressively pursuing action to have it removed from websites where it is being currently featured.

“We strongly condemn the messages and the images portrayed in this ad. On behalf of WWF around the world, we can promise you this ad does not in any way reflect the thoughts and feelings of the people of our organization.”

Fox News maintains that outrage is still growing, while Gawker is eating yesterday’s proclamation that it ‘seems unlikely’ to be a hoax.

MediaBistro comments that the ad agency behind this, DDB Brasil, isn’t likely to get hired by its prospective client now, or ever.

All the same, a lot more people now know DDB’s name…

Tags: 9/11 ad, Brazil, ddb brasil, ddb brazil, Journalism. co.uk, Twitter, World Trade Center, wwf

SimsBlog: ‘Top 10 lies newspaper execs are telling themselves’

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick, Newspapers

Judy Sims, once vice president, digital media for the Toronto Star Media Group, offers up a list of lies newspaper executives might tell themselves to deflect from the reality of the crises faced by their industry:

1. “We can manage this disruption from within an integrated organisation”

2. “Print advertising reps can sell online advertising too”

3. “Aggregators are killing my business”

4. “We can recreate scarcity by putting up pay walls”

5. “Our readers paid for news in the past, they will again”

6. “There will never be enough online revenue to support our newsroom’

7. “No one will ever cover crime/health/city hall the way we do”

8. “Our readers can’t be trusted/they are idiots/they are assholes”

9. “Democracy will collapse without us”

10. “I can compete with the best digital leaders/thinkers/creators in the world without becoming an active member of the online community”

Sims gives her own take on the thinking behind the ‘lies’ and why she thinks they’re false – agree or disagree?

Full list at this link…

Tags: advertising reps, digital media, Judy Sims, online advertising, online community, online revenue, Toronto Star Media Group, vice president

paidContent.org: Cit-J site NowPublic sold to Examiner.com

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Citizen journalism, Editors' pick

NowPublic, the international citizen journalism site launched by Canadian entrepreneur Leonard Brody in 2005, is to be sold to Examiner.com – the US network of local, city-based news sites.

Examiner.com is controlled by Clarity Media Group, according to paidContent.org, which also owns the San Fransisco Examiner and Washington DC Examiner.

The deal is reportedly worth $25 million.

Full post at this link…

Tags: citizen journalism site, Clarity Media Group, D.C., entrepreneur, examiner.com, Leonard Brody, NowPublic, paidContent.org, United States, us, USD

BBC World Service: Podcast: Citizen journalism – democracy or chaos?

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Citizen journalism, Editors' pick

In this BBC World Service audio documentary, broadcaster Michael Buerk discusses citizen journalism and its impact on the developing world.

Buerk discusses the implications for Egypt and the effect of citizen journalism on reporting on Myanmar.

Download the podcast at this link…

Other episodes in the series are available from the World Service’s documentary website.

Tags: BBC World Service, Egypt, Michael Buerk, myanmar

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: US title P-G launches members-only site

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick, Newspapers, Online Journalism

Following recent reports of possible Guardian plans to launch a paid-for members’ club, an interesting development in the US: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has launched PG+, an exclusive area for paying subscribers.

Access to the club will cost $36 for a year or $3.99 a month.

The members-only website will offer interactive features and exclusive content beyond the title’s newspaper and web editions.

It will run alongside the existing website and give ‘behind-the-scenes insights into the news of the day’.

The new site will be hosted by a team of bloggers and allow users to build their own profile pages. Membership will also grant access to specially organised P-G events.

Full story at this link…

Tags: guardian, pay walls, paywall, paywalls, PG+, pittsburgh post-gazette, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, United States, us, USD, web editions

MediaGuardian: O’Brien calls for sale or closure of Independent and IoS

September 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by Laura Oliver in Editors' pick, Newspapers

Denis O’Brien, the rebel shareholder in Independent News & Media, is demanding a meeting of shareholders ‘to order the immediate sale or closure’ of the group’s UK newspapers – the Independent and Independent on Sunday, reports MediaGuardian.

O’Brien has tabled eight resolutions for the meeting including the above and calls for group chairman Brian Hillery to resign.

Last week it was reported that the group as a whole had fallen into the red.

Full story at this link…

Tags: Brian Hillery, Denis O'Brien, group chairman, Independent, Independent News and Media, the Independent, United Kingdom