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New resource from CPJ on journalists killed in action

October 20th, 2009 | 1 Comment | Posted by in Press freedom and ethics

(Hat tip to Jon Slattery for this one)

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has produced a sobering page of interactive graphics illustrating the number of journalists killed in action across the world.

Journalists’ deaths are shown by country, by best and in a chart plotting the number of deaths from 1992 to 2009. According to the site, 32 journalists have been killed this year with a motive for their deaths confirmed.

Committee to Protect Journalists website

Each year the CPJ produces a census on jailed journalists.

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BBC creates 12 new regional broadcast roles as part of new local news plans

October 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by in Broadcasting, Jobs

The BBC is recruiting the first batch of regional journalists to improve its linear services to the UK’s regions, as part of proposals approved by the the BBC Trust in July.

The 12 new political reporter posts (as advertised on Media UK) will work across radio, TV and online for the BBC’s English regions.

“In this role, you’ll be translating complex material into reports which engage with our audiences. You’ll be working for both bulletins and programmes (e.g. Local Radio Breakfast and Drivetime shows) and providing material for regional TV news and weekly political programmes on BBC One. You’ll cover the next General Election campaign,” the job ad description explains.

Following the rejection of the BBC’s plans to increase local video output, the BBC Trust tasked the executive with producing proposals to enhance the BBC’s local TV and radio services.

The approved proposals included:

  • A fund for programming in the English regions
  • Improvements to local TV and radio news, including coverage of local government

“This is the first tranche of roles that we intend to create over the next few years focused on enhanced BBC coverage of local democracy on both local radio and regional television as part of improving local linear services to regions and communities,” a BBC spokeswoman told Journalism.co.uk.

“The overall package is part of a process of re-investment from our own efficiencies and we don’t expect there to be any net increase in jobs over the whole of the package which will roll out over the next 4/5 years.”

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Trinity Mirror announces exit for Birmingham Post and Mail editors

October 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by in Job losses, Jobs, Newspapers

UPDATE – Full report on changes at BPM Media now available on Journalism.co.uk.

Trinity Mirror has announced that Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson and Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves will step down from their roles by the end of the year, as part of wider changes at BPM Media.

Dave Brookes, Coventry Telegraph editor, has been named as editor-in-chief across all BPM titles (Post, Mail, Telegraph and Sunday Mercury) and as editor of the Birmingham Mail.

The changes, which are the result of a consultation at Trinity’s Birmingham division, will include:

  • The Post going weekly
  • A risk of approximately 40 editorial redundancies
  • A further 42 redundancies from the transport, distribution and newspaper sales departments

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NUJ Journalist Editor Election: Mark Watts’ ‘exposé’ circular to NUJ members

October 20th, 2009 | 8 Comments | Posted by in Journalism, Magazines, Newspapers

Mark Watts, one of the candidates campaigning for the NUJ Journalist magazine and website editorship, has issued a statement to 19,000 of the union’s members claiming to ‘expose’ another candidate Rich Simcox as a member of the NUJ Left, arguing that this section of the NUJ ‘is trying to hijack the union from its members’.

However, scepticism over whether Simcox’s allegiance was much of a secret has already been raised by Jon Slattery on his blog:

“Watts names the NUJ Left candidate as Rich Simcox. But is this such a shocking revelation? Simcox told me when I revealed he was standing in the election on September 3 that he had the support of the NUJ Left and I reported the fact here in the second paragraph of the story.

“Watts, however, alleges that Simcox has not revealed his NUJ Left backing in his election material. His email ends dramatically: ‘Lance the boil. Save the NUJ’. Simcox told me today: “I didn’t realise it was such a secret. It comes up fourth when you Google my name.”

Journalism.co.uk has contacted Rich Simcox for a response to Watts’ statement, in the meantime, please leave your thoughts below this post. What questions would you like to ask Watts or Simcox?

We’ve created a special section of our bulletin board for you to quiz the would-be editors on their plans for the union title and why they should take the helm. It’s already very active, with numerous responses from six of the eight candidates. Add your question by posting a new topic on the forum at this link or by emailing us at laura or judith [at] journalism.co.uk.

Mark Watts statement as follows:

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The Register/OUT-LAW.com: Times libel ruling is warning for online news archives

October 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by in Editors' pick, Legal

The protection offered in libel cases by a responsible journalism defence can ‘evaporate’ if the crucial facts of the case change and web archives of news stories must be changed to reflect this, a High Court ruling from earlier this month has said.

As the Register and OUT-LAW report, the ruling came in a case where the Times continued to publish a defamatory article online about a policeman from the London Met, who was being investigated.

The Times defended the online version of the 2006 article claiming qualified privilege and responsible journalism, but was told that this could no longer apply to the online version of the story after the outcome of the investigation, which found insufficient evidence to take criminal proceedings against the officer.

“The failure to remove the article from the website, or to attach to the articles published on the Times’ website a suitable qualification, cannot possibly be described as responsible journalism (…) It is not in the public interest that there should continue to be recorded on the internet the questions as to [the officer's] honesty which were raised in 2006, and it is not fair to him,” the ruling stated.

Full story at this link…

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Currybet.net: Lessons on handling an internet brand crisis from Jan Moir

Martin Belam has produced a really useful guide for news and media organisations when responding to the kind of online crisis illustrated by the reaction to Mail Online’s publication of a piece by columnist Jan Moir and her comments on the death of Stephen Gately.

[See related links below]

Belam covers making changes (don’t do so in haste; be transparent and thorough); and planning an ‘escalation procedure’ for your online community.

It’s also important to respond to criticisms and comments everywhere your audience is looking, he says.

“It is going to get easier and easier for people to exchange outrage, and the links and information required to act on that outrage to make a complaint. You need to have a plan for what happens if you find yourself at the eye of a perfect internet storm,” he writes.

Full post at this link…

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DailyFinance: US local TV stations to take on obituaries from local press

October 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by in Broadcasting, Editors' pick

A local TV station in the US has spotted a gap in the market following cutbacks at local newspapers in its area – WNEM-TV in Michigan is offering two-minute, on-air and online (on ObitMichigan.com) obituaries for $100.

The station has aired more than 700 since it started doing so in August. According to its general sales manager, Jeff Guilbert, the new revenue stream could become the station’s largest on-air client within two years.

Full story at this link…

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PDA: BBC to create social media editor role

The BBC is looking to appoint a social media editor to help the corporation better understand how to explore social media and best practice for using it.

The BBC already has members of its team scanning social media for news, Nic Newman, future media and technology controller, confirmed.

Last month the Guardian reported that a ‘radical redesign’ and relaunch of BBC websites is planned for March 2010, with a focus on social media – according to the paper’s sources.

Among the changes outlined were ‘a new homepage and underlying hosting platform’, radical changes to news navigation, commenting facilities on programmes, the launch of the Open iPlayer and new connections to third party platforms.

The BBC, however, denied such a ‘radical overhaul’ to Journalism.co.uk, although it said ‘a refresh of the BBC News site’ will take place in due course – as previously reported.

Full story at this link…

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#FollowJourn: @annajleach/ShinyShiny editor

October 20th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted by in Recommended journalists

#FollowJourn: Anna Leach

Who? Online journalist and editor.

What? Editor of tech site ShinyShiny.tv and film editor of Run-Riot.

Where? See her LinkedIn profile or visit ShinyShiny.tv.

Contact? Follow her on Twitter.

Just as we like to supply you with fresh and innovative tips every day, we’re recommending journalists to follow online too. They might be from any sector of the industry: please send suggestions (you can nominate yourself) to judith or laura at journalism.co.uk; or to @journalismnews.

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#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – WordPress plugins for journalists

Blogging: The Online Journalism Blog rounds up 85 WordPress plugins for journalists, from add-ons that help with blog management, commenting and RSS to ones that can help you make money from your site. 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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