Dan Gillmor at Salon: ‘The newspaper industry essentially deserves to die’

I love newspapers. I worked in them for almost 25 years. But I’m not itching to bail out a business that is failing in large part because it was so transcendentally greedy in its monopoly era that it passed on every opportunity to survive against real financial competition. With a few exceptions, the newspaper industry essentially deserves to die at this point.

Dan Gillmor, author of ‘We the Media’ and director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship in the US, argues in this article for Salon that its not journalism that needs to be subsidised – as suggested by the initial findings of the US’ Federal Trade Commission’s research into the state of the industry – but the infrastructure that makes online publishing and distribution possible.

If you want to worry about a threat to the journalism of tomorrow, consider the power being collected by the so-called “broadband” providers right now.

If we’re going to spend taxpayers’ money in ways that could help journalism, let’s make that benefit a byproduct of something much more valuable. Let’s build out our data networks the right way, by installing fibre everywhere we can possibly put it. Then, let private and public enterprises light it up.

Full post at this link…

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ITV Blogs: Why ITV stepped back from Cumbria shootings coverage

A thoughtful post from ITV’s crime correspondent Keir Simmons on why the broadcaster took the decision last week to reduce its coverage of the aftermath of the shootings in Cumbria two weeks ago:

Yesterday morning our editor Deborah Turness decided that the point had been reached when we should step back from covering the story in Cumbria on the national news. She asked that we now only report on the funerals with a short update – a picture of the person who lost their life and a couple of images of the funeral.

A good explanation of balancing a need for news with sensitivity – and a great example of how a journalist can use a blog to explain these company-wide decisions to viewers.

Full post at this link…

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Media Release: News Corp invests in newspaper paywall business Journalism Online

News Corporation has announced an investment in Journalism Online, the company founded last year by former US newspaper executives Steve Brill, Gordon Crovitz and Leo Hindery to help newspapers charge for their websites.

“We’re especially pleased with this investment because News Corp. is the industry leader in making the case that there is value in journalism online for which readers will be willing to pay,” says Crovitz in the release.

Journalism Online says its Press+ system will offer newspapers and publishers a range of paywall options from metered access, such as that used by the Financial Times’ website, and give users a common login across the sites it serves.

In September, Nieman Journalism Lab reported that Journalism Online would take 20 per cent of subscription revenue after credit card fees. The move by News Corp underlines its commitment to charging for content online, as shown by new paywalls for the Times and Sunday Times websites.

In the same release, News Corp also announced that it is buying Skiff, the e-reading platform developed by Hearst Corporation.

Full release at this link…

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#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – document sharing with TypeWith.me

Group work: TypeWith.me is an online word processing tool that allows you to create a document with multiple contributors, who will be able to see your updates as you make them. 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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Twitter chat asks: How long can newspapers survive?

It’s the age-old new media question – exactly how long can the newspaper survive?

It’s also the topic of a debate planned tonight as part of a series of weekly Twitter debates run by @CommsChat.

The online session will kick off at 8:00pm, but pre-chat Tweets already suggest that “not long” will be the main response, with some proposing a ‘RIP date’ as early as 2020.

The @CommsChat team say they hope the online debates will encourage and speed up media integration.

The advent of social media has also seen all the comms disciplines gently bleed into one another – this community, by sharing our collective experience and opinions, can be at the forefront of this evolution.

To join in with the debate use hashtag #CommsChat.

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#tomwantsajob – Tom gets a job

Last month Journalism.co.uk shared the story of Australian journalism student Tom Cowie, who had created a social media campaign to boost and document his search for that elusive first job in the industry.

He told Journalism.co.uk:

In the past few years, journalism students have been told that now they need a published portfolio to get noticed, which is often built through unpaid work. I think we have gone past that now. The industry is becoming increasingly reliant on social media and students need to be able to boast a personal brand, whether that be through Twitter, Facebook or blogging. Journalists need to be able to market and promote their own work. While this philosophy may seem like it has foundations in PR, I don’t think today’s journalism students have a choice if they want to get employed. The onus is on us to build audiences and make sure the right people are reading.

Well, 38 days after starting his site, hashtag and search, he’s landed a job as a junior reporter with Australian news and commentary site Crikey. Congratulations Tom.

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Thirty-one new media, editorial and communications vacancies this week on Journalism.co.uk

These are the latest editorial, PR  and media job vacancies and opportunities from this week on Journalism.co.uk’s jobs board:

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Should there be a media club for Scotland?

Scottish media news website Allmediascotland wants to know whether journalists working in Scotland want a media club. Such a club could offer “regular speaker events, parties and dinners” as well as space for hotdesking and interviewing.

The site is conducting a survey to gauge interest in the club, which could lead to a festival of journalism, annual media awards and exhibitions of Scottish press photography, it says.

The survey can be completed at this link.

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Former Times and Sunday Times journalist in documentary debut at Edinburgh Film Festival

Former Afghanistan correspondent at the Times and Sunday Times Tim Albone will make his film debut this week with ‘Out of the Ashes’, his documentary detailing the rise of the Afghanistan cricket team.

Directed by Albone and Lucy Martens, with Sam Mendes as executive producer, the blurb reads:

In just a few years, the Afghan cricket team has risen from obscurity in the sport’s lowest ranks to phenomenal success in the highly competitive international arena. This is the remarkable and inspirational story of coach Taj Malik Aleem and his team, who became the sport’s unlikeliest heroes during a triumphant campaign culminating in the crucial World Cup qualifier in South Africa. In a country more often associated with war and rigged elections, their incredible journey is an absolute joy to behold.

Albone was based in Kabul between 2005 and the end of 2007. He has also reported from Iraq, India, Pakistan, Yemen, Ethiopia and Cuba and has worked for Sky News, NPR, the Globe and Mail and the Scotsman.

The film will be shown on 17 June and 19 June as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

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Regional news apps: what have you seen?

We’re a little late to this story about the Rotherham Advertiser’s new iPhone app for births, marriages and deaths, but thought it would be a good opportunity to call out for other examples of imaginative product development at regional level.

Online editors and journalists please share with us what you’ve got. How are you developing your mobile offering? Are the old sections and traditions translating well to mobile and online innovation? And regional site users, please tell us what you’ve seen. Or what ideas have you got for local publishers? Leave a comment below, or tweet @journalismnews.

The detail on the Advertiser’s app:

Get the latest Births, Marriages and Deaths from the Rotherham Advertiser direct from your iPhone! You can search all of the announcements from the last 2 months and keep them in your favourites. Once you’ve found someone you know you can leave a comment or upload photos straight from your phone camera. You can also share the announcement with your friends through e-mail, facebook and twitter.

• iTunes store link here

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