#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – iPad app development

This ‘how to’ on Poynter gives some useful insight into the considerations of a number of news organisations in the development and planning of their iPad apps. The article features the responses of CNN, the News & Record and Better Homes and Gardens, to six questions about their first apps for the platform. Tipster: Rachel McAthy.

If you have a tip you would like to submit to us at Journalism.co.uk email us using this link – we will pay a fiver for the best ones published.

Similar posts:

• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – setting up a media business
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – writing better headlines
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – using Twitter to find work experience opportunities
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – conversational video
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – Industry insight videos offer job hunt tips

#jpod: The top news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 17 June 2011

Listen below for this week’s news round-up from Journalism.co.uk’s senior reporter Rachel McAthy and sign up to our iTunes podcast feed for future audio.

This week’s podcast looks at: Guardian Media Group’s announcement that it is now a digital-first organisation, amid confirmation that it lost £33 million in the last financial year and is seeking to make £25 million worth of savings over the next five years; calls from the Foreign Office for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes uncovered by Channel 4; and an announcement from the BBC that it has begun the sale of the iconic Television Centre.

We’re currently looking at ways to develop this podcast, let us know by email of your ideas on topics you would like to see covered more in depth in the future.

Podcast: Download

Similar posts:

• #jpod in depth: A look at threats to press freedom around the world
• Guardian: ‘This was not a redundancy announcement’
• #jpod: The top news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 25 March 2011
• #jpod: The top news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 10 June 2011
• #jpod: The week’s biggest news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 10 September 2010

The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 11-17 June

The top 10 most-read news stories and blog posts this week on Journalism.co.uk were:

1. BBC developing new iPhone app for field reporters

2. BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten vows to protect World Service from cuts

3. Bahrain to sue Independent over ‘defamatory’ articles

4. Economist reveals download numbers for iPhone and iPad apps

5. Local ad network Addiply secures investment to take business ‘to next stage’

6. Guardian announces new ‘digital-first’ strategy amid losses

7. BBC puts Television Centre up for sale

8. FT web-based iPad and iPhone app a ‘wake-up call’ to publishers

9. Sunday Times apologises to John Prescott over false quote

10. Journalism students travel to Poland for newspaper’s social media experiment

Similar posts:

• #jpod: The top news stories from Journalism.co.uk, 17 June 2011
• The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 18-24 June
• paidContent: Which news sites post the most stories and do they get more hits?
• paidContent: Apple drops Financial Times apps from store
• #mobilemedia11: FT web-based iPad and iPhone app a ‘wake-up call’ to publishers

FT sees 150,000 uses of new web-app in first 10 days

The Financial Times’ new web-based app has been viewed 150,000 times since its launch 10 days ago, which includes 100,000 hits in the first week of launch, the FT said in a media release today.

The FT is the first major news publisher to launch this type of HTML5 hybrid app, which can be viewed across a number of different smartphone and tablet devices.

Steve Pinches, FT group product head, said the app has received very positive feedback.

“Comments include recognition of the technical capabilities of the app and being at the cutting edge of technology. Users have also expressed appreciation for the improved speed of the app and look and feel enhancements when using on the iPhone.”

He explained where the app is heading.

“We will take a two-fold approach to improvements to the app. Firstly we will focus on adding new content to the existing app, including special reports, newspaper graphics and the ability to save articles for later. Secondly we will develop the app for other devices including Honeycomb, Samsung and BlackBerry Playbook.

“Our next priority is releasing the app for Android devices, both large and small screen. Following that we will work on an FT web app for BlackBerry Playbook.”

Initial analysis shows the ‘Companies’ section of the web-app is the most popular, followed by the Life and Arts section, which makes up around 10 per cent of consumption overall. Other popular features include Markets Data, World, Markets and Lex.

“Interestingly, we are seeing much more leisure-type usage, with user peaks early morning, evening and around lunch time. This suggests that as well as a core tool for use during the business day, like FT.com on a desktop, the app is an accessory being used on the way to and from work and planning for the day ahead.”

Similar posts:

• Telegraph: Review of reviews of new BlackBerry PlayBook
• FT.com gets go ahead for iPad app
• WSJ.com: Google plans digital newsstand for Android users
• Paywall rises on FT’s ‘flexible’ iPad and iPhone web app
• Editors Weblog: LA Times: blogs for politics, news for celebrities

Media release: BBC announces launch of web-connected TV product

Today the BBC announced the launch of a new product for connected TVs which, according to a release will see BBC News video news clips brought to television via the internet.

The BBC News product for connected TV combines existing video and text content from BBC News Online and will initially be made available on Samsung’s range of Smart TVs. It will subsequently be made available on a range of connected devices over time.

This is part of a “value for money” strategy to re-purpose BBC Online products for a wide range of devices. Editorial teams in the BBC’s newsrooms will work to curate clips to complement the 24 news channel and to run alongside text-based news from BBC News Online. And the control of what content the user views will be in their hands, with navigation via the remote.

BBC Worldwide is also said to be launching an international version which will be supported by advertising. In a blog post BBC Online editor Steve Herrmann said in time the product will also be rolled out to other devices in the UK.

Similar posts:

• Online video: FT’s Stephen Pinches on opportunities for publishers with connected TV
• Innovations in Journalism – Fromdistance
• ESPN in video content deal with AOL.com
• AP pushing 250 stories a week through its newly launched YouTube channel
• BBC Editors: BBC using ‘interactive reporter’ to increase UGC

#Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – basic integrated engagement strategy

Amy Gahran has put together a “basic toolkit for an integrated online strategy” on her blog.

Whether you’re an individual or an organization, engaging people online is easier if you have a good toolkit. Here’s a very basic guide to how you can integrate some free/cheap popular services to join the public conversation and make sure your voice gets heard…

This in-depth list and has some good and simple advice on audience engagement.

See the full post at this link.

Tipster: Joel Gunter.

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

Similar posts:

• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – framing your images
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – curating tweets with CoveritLive
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – edit videos in YouTube
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk: online security for journalists
• #Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk – Five steps to building a more engaged audience

Greenslade: Why the BBC Trust was wrong to find against Panorama

Yesterday we reported on the BBC Trust ruling that Panorama had broken editorial guidelines of fairness and accuracy in its programme Primark: On The Rack.

The BBC was ordered to make an on-air apology over the documentary, which was broadcast in June 2008, after the Trust said the programme contained footage that was likely not genuine.

Roy Greenslade said the Trust’s decision was “baffling”.

It goes against natural justice to find against the journalist and producers on what it calls “the balance of probabilities.”

Dan McDougall is an intrepid, award-winning investigative reporter with a superb record in exposing human rights violations.

Frank Simmonds is an experienced producer who has been responsible for many important revelatory Panorama programmes.

Yet this so-called judgment – which requires the corporation to apologise for the documentary – puts a black mark against their names on the most tenuous of grounds.

Having studied the report, I believe the Trust has got this wholly wrong.

Full post on Greenslade’s blog at this link.

Similar posts:

• Former Panorama reporter calls for ‘searching inquiry’ into Primark documentary
• Tom Giles made editor of Panorama
• Guardian: BBC proposal to ‘pool’ journalists across Today, Newsnight and Panorama
• Inforrm: European Court of Human Rights privacy case may provide clarity for media
• George Ayittey: ‘Freedom of expression was not invented by the West’

Reported legal action against CNN for lack of captions on online news video

According to reports, including this one published on CNN Money, a disabilities rights group has filed legal action against CNN parent company Time Warner, for publishing news videos online without captions.

As CNN reports, a defeat “could have significant implications for every online video provider in California”.

The Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) as well as four individual plaintiffs allege that CNN violates California’s Civil Rights Act and the state’s Disabled Persons Act by serving videos without closed captions online. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status on behalf of all deaf and hard of hearing persons in California, and want to get the court to issue an injunction against Time Warner as well as force the company to pay statutory damages.

A CNN spokesman was quoted as saying that the company had not been served and declined to comment further.

Here is a link to what the CNN report claims to be the lawsuit.

Similar posts:

• Will Time Warner sell Time magazine?
• Twitter, journalists and court coverage: where to draw the line?
• Telegraph: IPC Media considers selling off more titles
• Guardian.co.uk: Trafigura’s BBC libel case could be resolved today
• YouTube blog: Assessing risks and protecting subjects in human rights filmmaking

Index: Polish journalist faces four years in prison for ‘insulting the president’ of Belarus

Andrey Pochobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper GazetaWyborcza, faces a four-year prison sentence for defamation and “insulting the president” of Belarus, according to report from Index on Censorship.

Pochobut’s trial began yesterday but journalists and family members are excluded from proceedings.

Index voices serious concerns over whether Pochobut will receive a fair trial.

If found guilty, Pochobut would be the fourth journalist sent to prison on a charge of “insulting the president” if he is found guilty.

Full report on Index on Censorship at this link.

Similar posts:

• Simon Singh update: senior judge baffled by ‘artificiality’ of case
• Telegraph goes Polish for sports fans
• Index on Censorship names John Kampfner as chief exec
• Index on Censorship: ‘Girls Aloud obscenity case dropped’
• Reuters: Timeline of the Politkovskaya murder trial – three accused walk free

Guardian: ‘This was not a redundancy announcement’

Predictably, speculation about potential job cuts at Guardian News and Media (GMG) has been rife since yesterday’s announcement that the company was seeking to make £25 million in savings over the next five years.

The Telegraph reported this morning that a cull could go as high as 175 staff, and both the Independent and Evening Standard reported certain job cuts.

A spokesperson for GMG flatly refuted the number in the Telegraph article and told Journalism.co.uk today that yesterday’s statement “was not a redundancy announcement”. He refused to rule out job cuts, however.

“Yesterday’s briefing was not a redundancy announcement. We shared with staff our current position and a strategy to transform the organisation, and said we would work with staff and unions to achieve it. Of course no media company can rule out redundancies in the current climate, but we will talk to staff about issues like that first.”

Yesterday’s statement from GMG confirmed that the company suffered operating losses of £33 million in the last financial year and announced its newspaper titles the Guardian and the Observer would be switching to a “digital-first” strategy.

Similar posts:

• paidContent:UK: Shiny maintains 30 active blogs despite staff lay-off
• Possibility of more redundancies at the Guardian; GNM losing £100,000 a day
• MediaGuardian: 20 more job cuts at Times as 40 take voluntary redundancy
• Update: ITV staff will not ballot on strike action
• ‘There’s no fat to cut away here’: BBC Sussex staff join nationwide strikes