How to interview Mark Thompson, what his speech looks like, and more

This weekend, BBC director general Mark Thompson gave the James Mactaggart Memorial lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, where he discussed the future of the BBC and British television as a whole.

He told the audience that broadcasting is a battle today which will require organisations to work together and “break the habit of a lifetime”, while he urged critics not to focus on small matters, such as the governance of the BBC, but the bigger issues.

We have, don’t we, a kind of genius in our industry for talking ourselves into a crisis – and then of always being somehow disappointed when the crisis turns out to be imaginary or when the cyclical turns out to be just that – cyclical. Instead, we should concentrate on what matters most and on the issues and actions that could actually make a difference. We should think big, not small.

The speech was awarded extensive coverage by the Guardian, from video reactions from audience members to reflective blogs in the aftermath. There is even a short but entertaining post from Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy on “how to interview Mark Thompson”, following his post-speech interview with the director.

If anyone so much as suspects you are giving him an easy ride you will be despised for it, so you are probably about to overcompensate and be a bit rude for a Saturday-morning chinwag that is, after all, on a subject that can be described as “only telly”. Fortunately, I had no shortage of help in planning the interview. “He can talk for a long time when he’s on stage, so you’ll have to interrupt him,” said one adviser. So I did. Another friend had suggested an interesting tack on executive pay: “Ask him if he is motivated by money? Does it threaten his legacy as DG?” It elicited the only “tumbleweed moment” of the session, as I left his firm rejection of the idea hanging for a moment.

Most other news outlets focused on staff and pay cuts announced by Thompson, who said the broadcaster was “committed” to reducing the number of senior managers by at least a fifth by the end of 2011.

Criticisms fell on the Times, which was accused by the New Statesman of being biased for having “glanced over” Thompson’s negative comments in relation to Sky, which Thompson claimed is not investing enough in original British content.

The News Corp-owned paper reported on Thompson’s speech but somehow glanced over his remarks on Sky and its parent company. Contrast that with the approach of the BBC, which last year reported extensively on James Murdoch’s polemical assault on its “chilling” ambitions.

For a more general, illustrative view of the messages behind Thompson’s lecture, Journalism.co.uk has put together a Wordle below of his speech.

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The Guardian launches science blogs network

The Guardian is launching a new science blogs network to get readers discussing and debating all aspects of the science world, from palaeontology to extraterrestrial life.

This is another step in the Guardian’s strategy to set up partnerships with bloggers, following in the footsteps of its recently launched law network.

The science network will comprise of four regular bloggers sharing their expertise on the latest in evolution and ecology, politics and campaigns, skepticism and particle physics. A fifth blog will act as a window into other discussions going on in the science world and will also host the Guardian’s first science blog festival.

The festival will showcase a new blogger every day and aims to put newbies at ease by offering lots of new places to start reading. The web world is buzzing with thousands of science enthusiasts sharing their knowledge and thoughts, but it can be very overwhelming for those not familiar with it, explains the introductory post from Alok Jha, a science and environment correspondent at the Guardian.

Readers can also share any posts that especially excite (or infuriate) them by using the Guardian’s WordPress plugin that allows bloggers to republish articles on their own sites.

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Deadlines and frontlines: extracts from new book on journalism and the Afghanistan war

This week, Journalism.co.uk is publishing extracts from a new book about the media coverage of the Afghanistan war.

‘Afghanistan, War and the Media: Deadlines and Frontlines’ brings together the testimonies of frontline correspondents and detailed academic analysis, with a particular focus on the pros and cons of so-called ‘embedded’ journalism.

Earlier today, we published an introduction to the book by journalism lecturer and co-editor John Mair, followed by a look at the dangers of ‘news management’ by Frontline Club founder and war correspondent Vaughan Smith.

Smith’s essay will be followed in the next three days by contributions from Channel 4 News presenter and war correspondent Alex Thomson, Sky News’ Asia correspondent Alex Crawford, and others.

All extracts published so far can be viewed at this link.

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Inforrm Blog: Are celebrity injunctions really a threat to press freedom?

The International Forum for Responsible Media blog adds to the ‘public interest versus privacy’ debate this week, following the issuing of what is understood to be three so-called ‘gagging orders’ this month to prevent the press from publishing information reportedly relating to footballers.

According to reports by the national press, including the Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Press Association, concern has grown over the threat to press freedom posed by such injunctions. In the most recent case, the information in question is reportedly from a stolen mobile phone. How can the measure of being ‘in’ the public interest be applied here, the Inforrm blog asks.

In these circumstances, it is difficult to see what the press are complaining about. Is it seriously being argued that they should be free to publish information derived from stolen mobile phones? If not, then why does the injunction “raise concerns” at all? Does it illustrate a “threat to press freedom” or, rather, the unthinking press reaction to any kind of injunction – which is condemned without any kind of thought or analysis.

The press might like to consider the following question. Does the fact that there have been three privacy injunctions in August illustrate a growing threat to freedom of the press or does it show that, despite the best efforts of the PCC, certain newspapers continue to be in the market for private information the publication of which has no public interest justification?

Earlier this month, according to a report by the Daily Telegraph, Justice Minister Lord McNally said there is a “general consensus” in favour of a law that “clarifies, consolidates and removes some of the more dangerous aspects” of privacy law. But others argued that current legislation was sufficient and that a defence of public interest will often fail to stand up against injunctions preventing the publication of celebrities’ private information.

See the full post here…

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10,000 Words: It helps to remember the ‘person’ in ‘personal branding’

Building up a personal brand is not all about having a presence on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn – it is also about being a ‘person’ Mark Luckie reminds readers of his 10,000 Words blog in a post detailing the lessons he has learnt.

As someone who has built up his own successful brand alongside his blog for journalists and technologists, and who recently celebrated being appointed the new National Innovations Editor for the Washington Post, Luckie advises journalists to remember the value of the ‘personal’ in personal branding.

In summary his tips are:

• Be nice.
• Show don’t tell. Make your work available online and share experience.
• Say yes to new opportunities.
• Do a favour for someone. It could be returned later down the line.
• Ditch the ‘rules’ and follow your passion.

See his full post here…

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Pakistan floods: BBC works with local radio to provide and source information

The BBC News Editors blog has an interesting post from Nazes Afroz, regional executive editor for Asia & Pacific at the World Service, explaining how the BBC has been covering the ongoing Pakistan floods, keeping victims informed through local radio partners and sourcing stories from people calling the radio stations.

He said that as the floods continue to devastate the country the BBC had to adapt its coverage to suit a more long-term model.

When the disaster struck a month ago, it became apparent that the story would be very big, affecting millions of people. As the story became bigger within the first few days, we made the decision to start a “Lifeline” programme with essential life-saving information for the flood victims. The broadcasts contain information like fresh flood alerts, weather reports, how to cope with diseases, how and where to get aid etc (…)

[The radio stations] also decided to use a toll-free phone with voice recording facility and asked the flood victims to call and record their stories.

After being taken on by the BBC Worldwide’s local partner stations, the service was able to be offered in Pashtu as well as Urdu, opening it up to an audience of between 60 and 80 million people. Their stories have provided first-hand accounts of events for the BBC’s overall coverage.

See his full post here…

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MediaShift: Teaching social media should go beyond the basics of Twitter

Great post of ideas from Alfred Hermida, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, on how journalism schools should approach the teaching of social media, from newsgathering and verifying social media channels to managing an online presence as a professional.

Teaching social media is more than showing students the mechanics of Twitter. Rather, they should learn how to build a network of relevant followers and how to interact with them to be a better journalist.

In the classroom, we need to stress that social media technologies do not just offer journalists new ways of doing old things. They offer the potential to explore new ways of telling stories, of collaborating and connecting with audiences, of rethinking how we do journalism.

Full post on MediaShift at this link…

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Linefeed: Can digital distribution replace the local newsagent?

A look at the changing prominence of the local newsagent in the magazine distribution chain: how important is browsing to selling magazines? And how can digital distribution channels replicate this?

I want to say the iPhone has replaced the local newsagency as my first port-of-call for that similar rush of information, but that’s not entirely true. I think I have just become tired of their lack of ambition. They don’t change. A whole industry in flux swirls around them and they just stay the same. Only with less and less titles on their shelves. Your unambitious local newsagent is only partly to blame though. The crux of the problem lies in distribution.

Full article on Linefeed at this link…

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CJR: Why we’re suing New York State

The Columbia Journalism Review has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York for refusing to release information under the state’s Freedom of Information law.

[T]he records we’re seeking would likely help illuminate the press’ role in a bizarre chain of events in state history that led to the appointment of an Independent Counsel and to the governor dropping his election campaign. Sure, there will be lots of chaff in those e-mails. But perhaps they’d offer some information explaining the resignations, show reporters testing the most bizarre theories circulating at the time, or catalogue an evolving damage-control line from the state’s highest official.

Any of that would all be potentially interesting, and that’s why we will exercise our rights under the law and file suit.

But given the response from the governor’s office, we now also think this suit must be waged to protect the full force of two laws that the state’s press corps rely on: the Freedom of Information Law and the state’s shield law

Full story on the CJR website at this link…

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#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – online style guides

Style: Looking up a phrase or word or need to compare house styles? Start with this list of online style books from Mary Beth Protomastro. 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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