#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – track industry regulation

Check out this newly launched database from the Media Standards Trust which stores details of complaints against the UK press to help journalists and readers track industry regulation. The “unofficial” press complaints site, which is currently in alpha, uses data from the PCC’s website. Tipster: Rachel McAthy.

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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Telegraph: Blocking Sky bid may jeopardise News Corp UK investment, warns James Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch’s son James, who heads News Corporation’s Europe and Asia operations, warned that it could relocate some of its most innovative projects to more “welcoming” countries if its bid for Sky is blocked by the UK, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Earlier this month, business secretary Vince Cable issued an intervention notice ordering Ofcom to investigate the impact on media plurality of News Corporation’s proposal to acquire the remaining shares of BSkyB.

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley conference in Barcelona yesterday, James Murdoch said the Government must decide whether it wants to risk “jeopardising an £8 billion investment in the UK”, the Telegraph reported today.

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paidContent: The Norwegian media group and the highly unusual revenue stream

As paidContent:UK reports, Norwegian media group Schibsted has come up with what can only be described as a very original new revenue stream. The Aftenbladet publisher now owns 97 per cent of Swedish money lender Lendo.se.

Lendo visitors fill in a web application form to borrow up to SEK 350,000 (£31,770) at interest from 3.93 per cent. It’s about as far from the core of a newspaper business as you could imagine.

Full story on paidContent:UK at this link.

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MEN Media to launch new free business weekly

Manchester Evening News Media announced today that it will launch a new free weekly business magazine called ‘Business Week’.

Earlier this year the city lost a weekly business title after Crain Communication’s Manchester Business closed three years after launch.

The new publication from MEN Media, which includes an accompanying website, will be launched on Thursday 25 November, targeting “key decision makers in Greater Manchester”, a press release says.

The creation of the magazine has introduced two new editorial roles to the company.

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Rosie Niven: New Audioboo message feature a boon for journalists

London-based journalist Rosie Niven has some interesting thoughts on her blog about how journalists can make use of the recently launched personal messaging service from Audioboo.

The site sent an email to some users yesterday detailing the new service, which Niven says could be a useful tool for journalists, such as the sharing of audio quotes between sources and journalists.

The privacy that the personal messaging service offers is likely to increase Audioboo’s use as a way of quickly recording and sharing quotes. Of course, it relies on both parties being tech savvy and Audioboo users. However, as mobile platforms are added, I can see personal messages becoming yet another tool for anyone whose job includes interviewing people.

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Swedish prosecutor seeks arrest of WikiLeaks founder in rape case

According to reports this morning, the Swedish director of prosecutions Marianne Ny has called for the arrest of WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange. Reports AFP:

I request the District Court of Stockholm to detain Mr Assange in his absence, suspected of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

The reason for my request is that we need to interrogate him. So far, we have not been able to meet with him to accomplish the interrogations.

A warrant for Assange’s arrest was issued in October but was withdrawn hours later. He has claimed that the allegations are part of a smear campaign to discredit him following WikiLeaks’ publication of the Afghanistan war logs and Iraq war logs.

Full story on AFP at this link…

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Inforrm: Mulcaire ordered to identify journalists involved in phone hacking

Private investigator Glenn Mulcaire has been ordered to provide information identifying News of the World journalists who had asked him to hack voicemail messages, the Guardian’s Nick Davies reported yesterday.

The judgment opens the door to the eventual disclosure of evidence that could have a powerful effect on News International, Scotland Yard, the Press Complaints Commission and the prime minister’s media adviser, Andy Coulson, all of whom have claimed that Mulcaire acted without any official sanction from the News of the World.

This morning, the Inforrm blog reports on the judgement issued by Mr Justice Mann.

The judgement, handed down yesterday in the case of Phillips v News Group Newspapers, orders Mulcaire to provide information “relevant to the claim being brought by Nicola Phillips, a former employee of publicist Max Clifford’s company” against the News of the World in relation to allegations of phone hacking, Inforrm reports.

Mr Mulcaire sought to resist providing answers on the basis of the “privilege against self-incrimination”.  Mr Justice Mann agreed that the privilege was applicable but held that the evidence would be covered by section 72 of the Senior Courts Act, which removes the privilege in  inter alia, “proceedings for infringement of rights pertaining to any intellectual property or for passing off”.  As a result, the judge ordered that Mr Mulcaire should provide the information.

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#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – reporting medical studies

The Reynolds Center has some useful tips on understanding and reporting on medical and scientific studies from Ivan Oransky, the executive editor of Reuters Health. Tipster: Rachel McAthy.

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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E&P: What does it take to make $100,000 a year writing for a content farm?

A couple of weeks ago the AWL published a slightly less-than-enthusiastic account of the joys of working for a ‘content farm’ by Jessanne Collins, who calculated her work was making her about £4.40 an hour.

Undoubtedly, content farms need to be ‘gamed’ a little bit to get anywhere, which perhaps Collins’ own issues, “motivational in nature”, got in the way of. One person who has done OK out of the content farm lark is Jodi Jill:

When Jodi Jill was laid off from her position as an assistant at a car dealership two years ago, she took a number of odd jobs to pay the bills, from hawking oranges off the Venice exit on the 405 freeway in Southern California to fixing sequins onto costume dresses. She also wrote the occasional article for Examiner, the crowdsourced content play backed by billionaire investor Philip Anschutz.

Fast forward two years and Ms Jill, who was briefly homeless after being laid off, says she’s made just under $100,000 in the past year by writing exclusively for Examiner … So what does it take to make $100,000 a year writing for a content farm?

Full story on E&P at this link…

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FT.com: Dow Jones planning digital overhaul of B2B activities

Dow Jones is planning a “digital overhaul” of its business to business activities, reports the Financial Times.

In its report (requires registration), the FT quotes Robert Thomson, Dow Jones’ editor in chief as saying that two editors were assigned to a ‘special project’ in September to focus on “new means of delivering industry-specific information to customers traditionally served by the group’s newswires and data products”.

“It’s obvious to even the casual observer that the part of the business that has slipped a little is B2B. It’s fair to say that that’s the concern which most occupies my thinking at the moment,” he said.

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