Sky News website closes down discussion boards

Sky News last night closed down its website’s discussion boards claiming that debate on the platform had been reduced to “meaningless abuse”.

In a post Simon Bucks said that although the boards were “very popular” they had been hijacked by a small number of people.

At Sky News we welcome robust debate about the news, but we want it to be of a high standard. I am afraid that too often on the discussion boards threads which started intelligently would degenerate into mindless name calling.

If you want to contribute to the broad debate, you can still post comments on news stories and on blogs. In addition we intend to run more web chats like the ones last week with our correspondents Alex Crawford and Stuart Ramsay and will develop other ways of allowing intelligent debate about current events.

To those who used the discussion forums sensibly and did not abuse them, or other users, I can only apologise. A small number of people have spoiled it for the majority.

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Twenty-two new media, communications, editorial and PR jobs this week on Journalism.co.uk

Production editor
We are looking for a highly experienced and competent production editor – with a proven record in managing workflow within tight timeframes and to rigid deadlines – to work across an expanding portfolio of accounts (UK and International).
Salary: DoE
Global Listings
London, England
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Managing editor
Mediaquest, one of the leading and regional publishing companies based in Dubai, and with operations across the Middle East and North Africa is currently hiring for a Managing Editor in our Dubai office, for a monthly English-language business magazine.
Salary: AED 18K-20K Per Month
Mediaquestcorp
Dubai, Dubai
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Web editor
Sport360 is looking for a web editor to join our team covering international and regional sport events in the United Arab Emirates.
Salary: DoE
Sport360
Abu Dhabi, Middle East
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Editor – The Countyman’s Weekly
Editor required for The Countryman’s Weekly, the UK’s leading newspaper for country sport. Applicants must have a thorough knowledge of and experience in this field.
Salary: DoE
Diamond Publishing
Plymouth, England
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Reporter – Gas and power
We are currently seeking an experienced markets reporter on a permanent basis to boost our coverage of European gas and power markets.
Salary: DoE
Montel
London, England
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Editorial positions
Key full-time editorial positions available at specialist music publishers, Oyster House Media.
Salary: DoE
Oyster House Media Ltd
Exeter, England
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Producer
This is a rare opportunity for an experienced TV and/or radio producer to work in a creative and specialist communications role delivering high impact PR campaigns for a range of clients.
Salary: DoE
TNR Communications Limited
London, England
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Senior researcher – Energy and Environement
We need a talented researcher/writer to investigate the energy issues which really matter to consumers and deliver expert advice in Which? magazine and Which.co.uk.
Salary: £25k-£40k DoE
Which?
London, England
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Sub-editor
Citywire is recruiting a sub-editor to join its award-winning editorial team.
Salary: Competitive
Citywire
London, England
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Supplements editor
Citywire is recruiting for this key position to drive the editorial development of its wide-range of supplements and special publications
Salary: Competitive
Citywire
London, England
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Technical editor
Do you love road bikes and the latest kit? Fancy writing reviews of the best cycling gear on the planet? We are looking for a Technical Editor to work on Cycling Plus, Britain’s biggest selling road cycling magazine.
Salary: competitive + excellent benefits
Future Publishing Ltd
Bath, England
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Writer – Your Horse
Your Horse magazine, Britain’s best selling equestrian monthly, is looking for a writer to join our enthusiastic team.
Salary: DoE
Bauer Media
Peterborough, England
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Deputy editor – Your Horse
Your Horse magazine, Britain’s biggest equestrian monthly is looking for a deputy editor to help shape a new era for our expanding equine business.
Salary: DoE
Bauer Media
Peterborough, England
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Consumer personal finance reporter
The Citywire Money team seeks an experienced online financial journalist to cover pensions and taxation for our consumer audience.
Salary: £22k-£30k
Citywire
London, England
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Green Living Editor
The Ecologist, the world’s leading environmental affairs website, is seeking an ambitious and enthusiastic journalist/editor to manage and develop our unique ‘Green Living’ section at www.theecologist.org.
Salary: £26K DoE
The Ecologist
London, England
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Talented writers
Suite101 is a popular online magazine that offers authoritative articles, intelligent reviews and expert commentary to over 28 million readers each month.
Salary: Lifetime royalties plus bonuses and incentives
Suite101.com
London, England
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Internships
SHOP, the world’s favourite shopping magazine, now has three vacancies for internships.
Salary: Expenses
SHOP Magazine
London, England
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Reporter
UBM Medica is looking for a talented journalist to join the award-winning editorial team at C+D, its flagship news weekly for the UK’s multi-billion pound pharmacy sector.
Salary: Competitive
UBM Medica
London, England
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Lecturer/senior lecturer in journalism
We are seeking to appoint an experienced academic as either a lecturer or senior lecturer in journalism. You will contribute to the development of provision of postgraduate programmes.
Salary: £30,747-£37,839
University of Bedfordshire
Luton, England
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News journalist
If you are a deadline-orientated journalist interested in consumer and business trends, LS:N Global needs you. LS:N Global provides information, insight and inspiration for our members from around the world.
Salary: DoE
The Future Laboratory
London, England
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Journalist
Christianity is a popular and influential monthly magazine, which aims to inform, challenge, resource and encourage its 30,000+ readers. As a journalist you will play a key role in supporting the editor to produce this high quality publication.
Salary: £8,400-£11,600
Christianity Magazine
London, England
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Content writers
Adfero, a leading online news agency, is looking for talented and enthusiastic writers to join its DirectNews division in Manchester and Leeds.
Salary: £16K
Adfero
Manchester and Leeds, England
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US newspaper circulations still falling, but decline is slowing

Figures released by the US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) this week suggest that while circulation figures recorded for the 653 daily US newspapers in the audit fell by a cumulative 5 per cent from April to September this year, the rate of decline has slowed based on previous audits.

According to the Editor & Publisher, the decrease follows year-on-year drops of 8.7 per cent for the previous six-month period and 11 per cent for April to September 2009.

Among the country’s largest papers, the sharpest drops were at the Newsday, owned by Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC), where circulation fell 12 per cent, and the San Francisco Chronicle, owned by Hearst Corp. Its circulation declined 11 per cent.

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Sample of Bauer Media’s new men’s mag out today

Bauer Media has announced that the pilot issue of its new men’s magazine, Gaz7etta, will be available from today. More than 500,000 copies are being distributed within magazines including Q and Empire, newspapers such as Metro and City AM and other partnerships.

This one-off issue of Gaz7etta provides successful men with a unique combination of the key news stories of the week and all the latest lifestyle trends and products. Gaz7etta’s mission is to identify, decode and contextualise the key stories that are driving the world they live and work in.

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Telegraph: ‘Crazy Horse 18′ implicated in other Iraq attacks beyond shooting of Reuters staff

Following WikiLeaks’ release of almost 400,000 military documents relating to the war in Iraq on Friday, the Telegraph today reports that it appears that ‘Crazy Horse 18′, the signal which featured in a video released by WikiLeaks earlier this year showing the killing of more than 12 people, including two Reuters staff, has been implicated in a number of other fatal attacks based on the secret records.

Crazy Horse 18 was the call-sign which, after taking legal advice, refused to accept the surrender of two insurgents it cornered while they were firing mortars from a flatbed truck. It killed both men as they sought shelter in a nearby shack during the attack in February 2007.

In June that year, Crazy Horse 18 fired a string of missiles at two more flatbed trucks it thought were carrying missiles, despite recording that it had seen four women in a nearby house waving a white sheet. Six “enemy” died.

In another incident the same month, Crazy Horse 18 fired at a suspect van from which material is being unloaded into a car, and stayed on location “due to possible colatural [sic] damage” – a euphemism for civilian casualties, though the report does not record any.

See the full Telegraph report here…

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Free Speech blog: What the UK government’s cuts mean for British journalism?

Brian Cathcart, professor of journalism at Kingston University London, on what the UK government’s cuts and plans for university fees will mean for journalism:

Of all the professions, journalism is surely among the most vulnerable when it comes to the kind of touch cost-benefit analysis that school leavers and parents will have to do in a world of higher fees. Undeniably, the news industry is in existential crisis: yes, it offers thrilling new possibilities, but it is distinctly short on security.

In this environment, whatever Vince Cable and Nick Clegg may say, poorer students – by which I mean students who are not middle class – are more likely to back away than risk the big debts that will accompany a journalism degree.

The next generation of journalists, therefore, will probably have just the same social profile as the generation currently supplying us with news, even though the country around us will have changed.

Full article on Index on Censorship at this link…

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NYTimes.com: Politico to build subscription news service

US political news site Politico will launch a subscription news service early next year, reports the New York Times.

The new service will focus on healthcare, energy and technology and run alongside the existing website and free daily publication.

The idea behind the service, which will cost subscribers $1,495 to $2,500 a year for the first topic and $1,000 for each subsequent topic, is to provide coverage at the microlevel of what Congress, federal agencies and trade associations are doing.

Full story on NYTimes.com at this link…

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Comment is Free: Panel debate on web moderation for news sites

As part of its Talking Shop series, editors, moderators and Comment is Free users are debating how moderation should be handled and what could improve the quality of comments and debate on news websites. More than 500 comments on the debate so far flag some interesting suggestions from readers on how moderation should be handled – a useful read for anyone working on a moderation and interaction policy for their site.

Full debate on Guardian.co.uk at this link…

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The Daily Beast: How Facebook’s news feed works

Missed this story from last week – the Daily Beast’s attempt to crack Facebook’s algorithm for who and what it puts in users’ news feeds. Interesting reading for any news organisation or brand attempting to use Facebook as a promotional tool.

The Daily Beast set out to crack the code of Facebook’s personalised news feed. Why do some friends seem to pop up constantly, while others are seldom seen? How much do the clicks of other friends in your network affect what you’re shown? Does Facebook reward some activities with undue exposure? And can you “stalk” your way into a friend’s news feed by obsessively viewing their page and photos?

Full story on the Daily Beast at this link…

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#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – third-party posts on a WordPress blog

Blogging: If you have a lot of external contributors writing for a blog hosted by WordPress, try the Content Submit plugin. An easier way to get others to post without them having to be registered. 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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