Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog » the australian

What’s Murdoch’s ‘cool new toy’ for accessing media content?

Judith Townend — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:46:49 +0000

Australian media is busy speculating over Rupert Murdoch’s new idea for content access.

Margaret Simons of the Content Makers, reports how Caroline Overington, senior writer and columnist with The Australian (part of Murdoch’s News Limited) let slip that Rupert Murdoch’s pay wall plans might include a ‘cool new toy’ for accessing media content.

Simons reports from the Media140 conference:

“Overington said that News Limited had many wonderful plans of which they were very proud, and they could not be unveiled yet, but she believed they would lead people to pay for content.

“Then in the closing stages of the session, she referred to iTunes, and how people had turned to paying for music that they could get elsewhere for free because of the entry of a ‘cool new toy’ in the iPhone.

“She added: ‘That’s kind of what we are thinking about.’

“So what is it, I wonder? Some kind of deal with Apple, soon to release its new electronic reader? A competing product? Very intriguing.”

An update, pointing to coverage of the Apple Tablet negotiations, with more speculation on the ‘iRupert’ at this link.

And Overington at Media140 courtesy of SlowTV.

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Journalism Daily: Getting paid as a freelancer, Lionel Barber on paid content, Durrant’s departure

Judith Townend — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:19:49 +0000

Journalism.co.uk is trialling a new service via the Editors’ Blog: a daily round-up of all the content published on the Journalism.co.uk site.

We hope you’ll find it useful as a quick digest of what’s gone on during the day (similar to our e-newsletter) and to check that you haven’t missed a posting.

We’ll be testing it out for a couple of weeks, so you can subscribe to the feed for the Journalism Daily here.

Let us know what you think – all feedback much appreciated.

News and features

How to: be a successful freelancer (part three) – Negotiating the rate you want

Behind the scenes: An internship at Sky News (part one)

Paul Durrant steps down at Eastern Daily Press

Freelancer of the Fortnight: Mark Smulian, UK

Ed’s picks

Tip of the Day

Constructing the perfect press release

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#FollowJourn: @timesjoanna/web development editor

On the Editors’ Blog

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Police attack The Australian newspaper over terror raids scoop

Judith Townend — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:12:03 +0000

Australian police have attacked the way The Australian newspaper reported its planned terror raids, claiming that the newspaper’s exclusive was available before the operation had actually taken place early this morning (Tuesday).

Four people are in custody today with more arrests a possibility, the Victorian police commissioner, Simon Overland, said today.

The Australian defended its decision to publish in an article available here. The Australian does not accept that the paper was available for sale before raids were conducted, it reports.

MUmBRELLA: ‘Police attack Australian over publication of raids story’

Crikey.com.au: ‘Ethics aside, a big day for The Oz’

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Oh the irony… were the Australian’s subs trying to tell us something?

Judith Townend — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:19:47 +0000

Australian newspapers aren’t finding it as tough as many of their US and UK counterparts, John Hartigan, the chairman and chief executive of News Ltd, claimed in a speech on Wednesday. Roy Greenslade picked up on the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper’s report that the nation’s print publications are ‘holding up well’.

But we feel he missed the best bit. As Crikey.com.au flagged up in its daily newsletter, there was something a little odd about a print headline in the paper on July 2 (helpfully highlighted here by Mumbrella.com.au – hat-tip @BlackAdder). This, courtesy of Crikey:

Also see Crikey’s comments on the speech / report here (registration required):

And links and commentary from Mumbrella here.

Oh, and you can ‘Marc the deth of newpapers with this stilish Crikey tee shiort. Avilable now fom the Crickley shop.’

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Theaustralian.com.au: Former editor of The Age criticises Fairfax approach to the internet

Laura Oliver — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:55:31 +0000

An extract from Michael Gawenda's A.N Smith lecture, in which the former editor of The Age says that "the editors of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have no control over their papers' websites. All the talk of newsroom integration is rendered meaningless as a result."