Guardian: Royal Channel to cover wedding from all angles

Guardian: Shadow culture secretary calls for end to politics in media takeovers

April 21st, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Business, Editors' pick

Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has reportedly said he will consider the introduction of “new provisions in respect of media plurality” in a new Communications Bill, following calls for quasi-judicial roles to be removed from ministers in media ownership decisions.

The Guardian reports today that shadow culture minister Ivan Lewis wrote to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt earlier this year with a series of questions relating to News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB.

At the end of his letter Lewis asked the culture secretary if he would consider provisions in the new Communications Bill for the removal of politicians from having any quasi-judicial role “in relation to specific plurality and cross media ownership decisions”.

In a response, which appears to have been posted on Scribd by the Guardian, Hunt reportedly says he will be considering new provisions.

I will be publishing a green paper by the end of the year and seeking views this year in order to scope what it should include.

Following the green paper consultation we will look to make necessary changes as soon as practicable; not everything will necessarily require primary legislation and we are open to looking at what can be done more quickly where appropriate.

The correspondence comes as News Corp’s bid for full ownership of BSkyB is considered, following the acceptance by Hunt of proposals put forward by News Corp in response to concerns raised over media plurality.

This included the spinning-off of Sky News under a separate publicly limited company called Newco.

The Guardian says a decision on the deal is expected “possible as early as next week”.

Tags: BskyB bid, Ivan Lewis, Jeremy Hunt, media ownership, News Corporation

Tributes to a fallen journalist Tim Hetherington

April 21st, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Editors' pick, Journalism, Photography

Last night news broke that a Western journalist was believed to have been killed in Libya.

It wasn’t too long before more details emerged from within the country and the UK Foreign Office was able to confirm the death of Tim Hetherington, a British born photojournalist – the first British journalist known to have been killed since conflict broke out in Libya earlier this year.

When news of his death came out three other photographers were also reported as being injured, and it was later confirmed by Getty Images that one of the trio, its staff reporter Chris Hondros, had died from his injuries late on Wednesday.

Hetherington, who was born in Liverpool but lived in the US, contributing to titles such as Vanity Fair.

He was said by his family to be in Libya as part of a multimedia project to highlight humanitarian issues during time of war and conflict.

Since his death, tributes have been flooding in across British and international press.

We have collected together just some of the examples of his work being celebrated, and the messages being given in his memory.

Vanity Fair's homepage featuring the slideshow

Vanity Fair, which also published a statement which it claimed to be from Hetherington’s family last night, has produced a slideshow portfolio of the photojournalist’s work produced for the magazine. This includes images from Afghanistan, the setting for his Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo.

Panos Pictures, which also published work by Hetherington, also offered its condolences as news broke yesterday, saying he was “an irreplaceable friend and contributor to our agency since the earliest days”.

He combined a fierce intelligence with a deeply creative approach to photography and filmmaking that marked him apart from his peers.

He knew what path he wanted to follow, his work was direct and purposeful and stood as an example to many of his proteges.

We are still trying to come to terms with how someone so full of life could be stopped so cruelly in his tracks.

Speaking on Newsnight last night friend and fellow journalist James Brabazon called Tim, who had previously also worked with the BBC, as “a leading light of his generation”.

It really is not an exaggeration to say that his eye and his ability for what he did was unique, and his reportage really defined a generation of covering conflict.

The main thing about Tim to understand is that he was fundamentally a humanitarian.

A lot of the work that he did wasn’t just for the news or for magazines but was for human rights organisations as well.

He was a really passionate and an incredibly talented storyteller.

The Guardian has also produced a slideshow of Hetherington’s work, showcasing his coverage of conflict across the world and on a Facebook page for Hetherington tributes continue to be left.

Below is a video preview of his documentary Restrepo:

Tags: Chris Condros, Libya, Photography, photojournalist, Tim Hetherington

#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – interviewing victims

April 21st, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Top tips for journalists

In the latest part of the BBC College of Journalism’s Art of the Interview series this video shows a talk at the BBC on interviewing victims featuring those who have experienced being on the receiving end of media attention, who also offer advice along the way to journalists working in these situations in the future. Tipster: Rachel McAthy.

To submit a tip to Journalism.co.uk, use this link – we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

Tags: interviewing, journalism tips, tip, victims.BBC

#Followjourn @josephstash /journalist

April 21st, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Sarah Booker in Recommended journalists

Who? Joseph Stashko

Where? Joseph is co-editor at Blog Preston. He writes a blog about journalism and technology.

Twitter? @josephstash

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 sarah.booker at journalism.co.uk; or to @journalismnews.

Tags: #followjourn, joseph stashko

Media Trust and the Sun launch new Column Idol contest

April 20th, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Editors' pick, Training

The Media Trust and The Sun have joined together to launch this year’s Column Idol competition,.

The contest, now in its second year, is open to 18 to 25 year olds. Six shortlisted entrants will have the opportunity to be mentored by journalists from the Sun newspaper and the overall winner will then be given the chance to have their column printed in the tabloid.

Applications are now open and can be submitted until 20 June.

Tags: columnist, competition, media trust, The Sun, Training, young journalists

NUJ: Police reassure union ‘no more local press passes’

April 20th, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Editors' pick, Freelance, Press freedom and ethics

The assistant chief constable for the Lancashire police has assured the National Union of Journalists the force will not repeat the giving out of its own press passes in the way it did earlier this month, following a complaint from the union.

According to the NUJ the police force issued the local press passes for a demonstration by the English Defence League in Bradford.

Following the decision NUJ freelance organiser John Toner wrote in complaint to the force, and has now received a response from assistant chief constable Andy Cooke to say he “would like to reassure you, and your members, that we will not be issuing a press pass again for this sort of event”.

But he added the force will be asking for recognised accreditation into controlled zones or areas. John Toner responds to the news below:

This is a welcome response, and I have replied with copies of our leaflets explaining the merits of the UK Press Card.

I have also asked the UK Press Card Authority to seek a meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) who officially recognise the Press Card.

We need to ensure that all police forces recognise the Press Card and provide access to bearers of the cards.

Tags: accreditation, Freelance, natioanl union of journalists, press passes

Personalised news service Trove launched by Washington Post

April 20th, 2011 | 3 Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Editors' pick, Social media and blogging

Washington Post today launched its personalised news service Trove in public beta. According to a press release the site uses Facebook Connect to pull in user interests “as outlined by his or her Facebook profile to help jump start personalization”.

In the coming months, readers can expect to see more social media features and site capabilities with Facebook Connect.

An editorial team will also work to select Editors’ Picks and create subject-based channels that feature recommended sources. Users can also create their own channels based on personal interests that may not already exist on Trove.

Trove, which has been in private beta since February, is currently available on the desktop, Android and Blackberry, and the Post says it will be coming to iPhone and iPad “soon”.

The site enlisted the help of Next Media animators to help explain how Trove works:

Tags: personalised news, social media, Trove, Washington Post

Journalisted Weekly: Royal Wedding, marathon and the NHS

April 20th, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Sarah Booker in Journalism

Journalisted is an independent, not-for-profit website built to make it easier for you, the public, to find out more about journalists and what they write about.

It is run by t he Media Standards Trust, a registered charity set up to foster high standards in news on behalf of the public, and funded by donations from charitable foundations.

Each week Journalisted produces a summary of the most covered news stories, most active journalists and those topics falling off the news agenda, using its database of UK journalists and news sources.

for the week ending Sunday 17 April

Royal Wedding fever and the London Marathon covered front and back pages
Nurses’ no confidence in Lansley sparks more NHS debate
Britain’s poor stillbirths record and mass grave in Mexico covered little

Covered lots

Preparations for the Royal Wedding, 421 articles, of which 127 articles mention Kate Middleton
The London Marathon, with Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai and Mary Keitany finishing first, 186 articles
Andrew Lansley loses Royal College of Nursing confidence vote, generating more debate around NHS reforms, 135 articles
Disputed Ivorian president Gbagbo, prised from a bunker by opposition forces with the help of French military and the UN, 124 articles

Covered little

A study in the Lancet revealed the UK has one of the poorest records of stillbirths for a developed country, with an average 11 cases per day over the past decade, 16 articles
26 articles on Nigeria’s election, won by Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party, and 12 articles on Finland’s election, with a eurosceptic anti-immigration party gaining 1/5 of votes
A 26-year-old blogger is imprisoned for criticising Egypt’s ruling military council, becoming the first post-revolution prisoner of conscience, 6 articles
Burkina Faso’s president sacks his government and army chief, after soldiers allegedly inspired by Ivory Coast’s upheaval mutinied, 5 articles
Pakistan’s government and intelligence authorities have called for an end to US drone strikes, CIA ‘shadow’ networks, and for the withdrawal of private US contractors, 5 articles
116 bodies found in a mass grave in Mexico, with authorities suspecting Zetas drug cartels as the killers, 2 articles

Political ups and downs (top ten by number of articles)

David Cameron: 572 articles (+5% on previous week)
Nick Clegg: 272 articles (-20% on previous week)
George Osborne: 163 articles (-25% on previous week)
Vince Cable: 154 articles (+67% on previous week)
Gordon Brown: 153 articles (+37% on previous week)
William Hague: 136 articles (+12% on previous week)
Andrew Lansley: 126 articles (-24% on previous week)
Ed Miliband: 107 articles (-20% on previous week)
Tony Blair: 80 articles (-14% on previous week)
Ed Balls: 39 articles (-30% on previous week)

Celebrity vs serious

Simon Cowell, taking a back seat on hosting Britain’s Got Talent, 121 articles vs. Japan raising Fukushima’s nuclear crisis status to the same level as Chernobyl’s, 90 articles
Russell Brand, who is launching his new film, 51 articles vs. Hosni Mubarak, suffering a heart attack and then detention for alleged corruption and crimes against humanity, 35 articles
Singer Justin Bieber, who had a spat with Israel over his tour itinerary, 33 articles vs. a metro bomb attack in Belarus near president Lukashenko’s residence, killing 12 and injuring a hundred, 23 articles
TV presenter Holly Willoughby gives birth, 26 articles vs. two Croatian generals convicted by the Hague for the ethnic cleansing of nearly 100,000 Serbs in the 1990s, 17 articles

Arab spring

Libya and Colonel Gaddafi, 311 articles (+3% on previous week)
Gaza and Hamas, 38 articles (-41% on previous week)
Syria and President Bashar Al-Assad, 27 articles (+42% on previous week)
Yemen and President Saleh, 20 articles (-65% on previous week)
Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu, 19 articles (-37% on previous week)
Egypt’s military council, 12 articles (+9% on previous week)
Bahrain and King Al Khalifa, 6 articles (+100% on previous week)
Jordan and King Abdullah, 5 articles (+25% on previous week)
West Bank and President Abbas 4 articles (0% on previous week)
Qatar and Emir Al Thani, 3 articles (+200% on previous week)
Iran and President Ahmadinejad, 3 articles (0% on previous week)
Turkey and Prime Minster Erdoğan, 3 articles (-77% on previous week)
Morocco and King Mohammed VI, 2 articles (-75% on previous week)
Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah, 2 articles (-78% on previous week)
Kuwait and Emir Al Sabah articles (+200% on previous week)

Who wrote a lot about…’FA Cup semi-finals’

Simon Stone – 15 articles (Independent), James Ducker – 15 articles (The Times), Richard Tanner – 13 articles (Daily Express), Chris Wheeler – 12 articles (Daily Mail), Neil Custis – 12 articles (The Sun), Mark Ogden – 11 articles (Telegraph), Ian Herbert – 9 articles (The Independent), Andy Hunter – 6 articles (The Guardian)

Long form journalism

4,177 words: ‘Women on the front line’ – Annalena McAfee, The Guardian, 16th April 2011
3,371 words: ‘The Space Shuttle’s final countdown’ – Alex Hannaford, Telegraph, 11th April 2011
3,226 words: ‘The demo man: David Aaronovitch takes to the streets’ – David Aaronovitch, Sunday Times, 17th April 2011

More from the media Standards Trust

Visit the Media Standards Trust’s new site Churnalism.com – a public service for distinguishing journalism from churnalism

Churnalism.com ‘explore’ page is available for browsing press release sources alongside news outlets

The Media Standards Trust’s unofficial database of PCC complaints is available for browsing at www.complaints.pccwatch.co.uk

For the latest instalment of Tobias Grubbe, journalisted’s 18th century jobbing journalist, go to journalisted.com/tobias-grubbe

Tags: journalisted, London Marathon, nhs, royal wedding

Media release: PCC appoints three new public members

April 20th, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Rachel McAthy in Editors' pick, Journalism, Press freedom and ethics

The Press Complaints Commission has appointed Lord Grade of Yarmouth, His Honour Judge Jeremy Roberts QC and Michael Smyth CBE as public members of the organisation.

In an announcement today the PCC said it received almost 3,000 applications for the positions following its advertising campaign. The appointments were approved by the commission last week.

The new members, which includes a former executive chairman of ITV and BBC chairman in the form of Lord Grade, will each serve for a three year period.

Commenting on their appointments Baroness Buscombe, chairman of the PCC, said, “The commission has been very pleased at the level of interest shown in its role and its work and the very high quality of the applications received.

“These are important and significant appointments for the PCC. We are delighted to be able to appoint these three substantial figures from such a strong field and I am confident that all three will do much to contribute to the work of the PCC and will help ensure that the reputation and credibility of the PCC remains strong.”

Tags: complaints, membership, Press Complaints Commission