Economist.com: Will newswires learn to live without newspapers?

News agencies are boosting staff numbers, according to this Economist report – is this a sign they can thrive will newspapers struggle?

Full story at this link…

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British and Spanish journalist kidnapping in Somalia – details still to be confirmed

Although reports with additional information are available online, exact details of the journalists kidnapped in Somalia remain unconfirmed. Articles that name the journalists have been removed from various news sites.

BBC yesterday reported:

“A British and Spanish journalist in Somalia have been kidnapped from the north-eastern Puntland region, local authorities say.

“Government officials said the pair were taken from their hotel in the port city of Bossasso.

“(…) the journalists were in Bossasso to cover the story of piracy hijackings off Puntland’s coast. He says the foreigners were abducted by gunmen along with two local reporters.

“‘The two foreigners are British and Spanish,’ Abdulkebir Musa, Puntland’s assistant minister for seaports, told news agency AFP.

“The office of Puntland’s president confirmed this information to the BBC.”

Journalism.co.uk will update when further reports are received from the relevant sources.

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AFP: AFP launches news site in South Korea

Korean-language site AFPBB.co.kr will ofer news, entertainment and sport content from the agency and local providers.

The launch is a direct way for the AFP to reach consumers in contrast to its usual ‘wholesale’ approach, a release from the agency said.

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AFP: Al Jazeera launching rights watchdog headed by Sami al-Haj

Marking Al Jazeera’s 12th birthday, a new Public Liberties and and Human Rights Desk will be launched, headed by its cameraman Sami al-Haj who spent six years at the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay.

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