Citizen journalism site Blottr launches Facebook app

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Citizen journalism news site Blottr is the latest news organisation to release a “frictionless sharing” Facebook app.

Blottr has opted for a Guardian-style app where readers access news and comment without having to leave the social networking site.

The Huffington Post UK, which released an app at the end of February, followed the Independent in promoting social interaction on the news site.

In a release Blottr said:

The app leverages the social functionality Facebook users are already familiar with to automatically discover and highlight Blottr content their friends have read. Through the app, users will also be able to report news and add content directly to the Blottr site.

We want to engage new readers who may not already interact with Blottr. Registered users can now notice Blottr’s content via their friends’ interactions or activity report on their wall.

Blottr founder Adam Baker said in a statement:

This move signifies the importance social media plays in the distribution, discovery and consumption of news content. Our aim is to make consuming and contributing to news-related content as efficient, simple and timely as possible.

The Blottr Facebook app socially connects people with each other through the type of content they consume and makes the discovery of our content much more fluid.

Guardian considering ‘becoming involved’ in journalism training

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The Guardian has confirmed it is in conversations with a number of universities “about the possibility of becoming involved with their journalism courses”.

The development was first reported by XCity magazine, City University London’s student newspaper, in its latest edition.

XCity understands that the annual course fee could be around £9,000.

In a statement today a Guardian spokesperson added:

No decisions have been made about the precise nature of the course, or even which partner in education would work best with us. It is therefore not possible to say when a course might start or to give any detail on how it might be run.

Knight-Mozilla Fellowships open for entries

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The Knight-Mozilla Fellowships are now accepting applications from those who want to spend 10 months of next year as technologists “embedded in the newsroom”.

The eight partner organisations are the BBC, the New York Times, the Guardian, Zeit Online, La Nacion, Spiegel Online, the Boston Globe and ProPublica.

This year Al Jazeera English, the Guardian, the BBC, Zeit Online and the Boston Globe welcomed a developer, designer or programmer-journalist, funded to produce open-source code and solve challenges within the news organisation.

This year’s winners include Nicola Hughes, who is based at the Guardian, and Laurian Gridinoc, at the BBC.

The Knight-Mozilla OpenNews site explains the fellowships programme.

The centerpiece of the OpenNews program, the Knight-Mozilla Fellowships embed developers and technologists in newsrooms around the world to spend a year writing code in collaboration with reporters, designers, and newsroom developers. Fellows work in the open by sharing their code and their discoveries on the web, helping to strengthen and build journalism’s toolbox.

Details on the programme and how to apply are at this link.

The deadline for submissions is 11 August.

 

 

 

 

BBC Breakfast moves to Salford: Early reaction

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Hello this is Breakfast with Bill Turnbull and Susanna Reid.

BBC Breakfast started this morning’s programme like any other, but it was of course a little different as it was the first to come from the BBC’s new base in Salford.

The launch was fairly understated. Early in the show it was only mentioned as part of the headlines sequence, just before the programme’s main news story but viewers were treated to a new, apparently smaller, studio and a refreshed backdrop featuring the Salford skyline.

Reaction to the programme’s new surroundings were mixed. Some viewers expressed concerns about how close the camera appeared to be to the presenters:

 

 

Although BBC colleagues that had already made the move north were happy to see Breakfast in Salford:

The show’s move is a significant moment for the BBC North project and follows similar moves by BBC Radio 5 Live, CBBC and a Question of Sport. However it has not been without problems.

Less than half of the team made the transition to Salford, including two of the show’s stars Sian Williams and Chris Hollins, both of whom left a few weeks ago.

The show’s long-standing weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has remained, although she’ll present from a studio in London or on location as she has done since 1998.

Technically the programme went off without a hitch, although fans of the show’s Irish dancing business reporter Steph McGovern will have been disappointed as she had to miss the relaunch because of laryngitis. While she wasn’t on air though she spent her time tweeting pictures from behind the scenes:

Her role was taken over by reporter Ben Thompson who travelled from London last night, raising questions of whether the programme’s producers have finished building the show’s full stand-in line up.

It’s also yet to be proven how the show’s move up north will affect the calibre of guests it can pull in for the lighter section of the programme after 8.30am, although with an estimated seven million viewers producers are confident they can still attract the biggest stars.

Speaking to the BBC before the show’s launch deputy editor Adam Bullimore said: “We’ve had some researchers booking guests in advance of the move and the indications are that we will get talent on the sofa.”

Media release: Students produce one-off newspaper

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A group of journalism students at Staffordshire University have produced a newspaper to promote political and news comment site Pits n Pots.

The unique publication, which will be delivered to some 50,000 houses across Stoke-on-Trent next week, features 16 pages of community and political news as well as features and profiles of community champions.

The initiative saw volunteers given just three weeks to assemble a team, research and create content and finally design the paper.

Andrew Bettridge, who edited the paper, said:

It was a brilliant effort by the whole team to get the paper produced in such a short space of time. It was a lot of hard work but we all had great fun working on it and we are all very proud of the finished result. I hope the people of Stoke-on Trent enjoy reading it.

“The skills we have picked up from the teaching staff at Staffordshire University have helped us to put together a slick and professional newspaper.

Mike Rawlins of the Pits n Pots website said:

“The site is run by local volunteers who write about politics and issues that they are interested in. They write because they are passionate about what they believe in.”

The project is backed by The Journalism Foundation which has been working with Pits n Pots to reprofile the site while boosting community engagement.

Head of the foundation Simon Kelner, former editor of the Independent, and managing director Charlie Burgess, formerly of the Independent and the Guardian, visited the Staffordshire University newsroom during the process.

Burgess said:

“It was great to work with such an enthusiastic group of students who understood what The Journalism Foundation was doing. The project would not have been possible without them – and I hope they felt it was of benefit to them too. Staffordshire University were fantastic with their support.”

Jackie Gregory, senior lecturer in journalism at Staffordshire University, said:

“Around a dozen students, who all have a busy university workload, gave up many hours of their own time to produce this paper. They worked under pressure with great dedication and humour. It was a learning curve but they can be proud of the result.”

The top 10 most-read stories on Journalism.co.uk, 31 March – 5 April

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1. How to: verify content from social media

2. Ten ideas for news outlets using Pinterest

3. Archie Bland to be youngest Independent deputy editor

4. App of the week for journalists: SkyRecorder, for recording Skype calls on iPhone/iPad

5. Students to launch liveblogging platform Ocqur

6. Bloggers lose $105m pay claim against Huffington Post

7. Rebekah Brooks reapplies for Leveson core participant status

8. Veteran broadcaster and Media Society chairman David Walter dies

9. Future Publishing launches iPad-only title as second screen to computer

10. Police refer ‘Gypsy’ headline case to CPS

Tool of the week for journalists: Muck Rack

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Tool of the week: Muck Rack

What is it? A site that aggregates Twitter and social media feeds for thousands of professional journalists.

How is it of use to journalists? Journalists often break or share vital information first through social media. Muck Rack allows you to monitor trending topics among journalists in real-time. Its aim, according to Muck Rack’s creators, is to deliver “tomorrow’s newspaper to you today”.

Launched in 2009, Muck Rack now draws content from thousands of journalists who use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other sources to break news on a daily basis.

Built around a central directory of verified professionals, Muck Rack now boasts an extensive directory of top journalists from around the world which can be searched by name, publication or even beat.

Professionals only need a valid Twitter account to apply for verification, although the process is heavily vetted to ensure certain standards are met such as relevance of tweets or posts and consistent activity.

The site also emails out a daily analysis of what journalists are saying called the Muck Rack Daily, which is pored over by its editorial team.

Muck Rack dovetails well with previous Journalism.co.uk tool of the week Press Pass, which organises journalists by beat, media outlet or region.

#followjourn – @archiebland Archie Bland/deputy editor

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Image by shawncampbell on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Who? Archie Bland

Where? Archie is the new deputy editor of the Independent. It was announced this week that the 28-year-old is set to become the youngest deputy editor in the Independent‘s history and the youngest in national newspapers today.

Twitter? @archiebland

Just as we like to supply you with fresh and innovative tips, we are recommending journalists to follow online too. Recommended journalists can be from any sector of the industry: please send suggestions (you can nominate yourself) to Sarah at journalism.co.uk; or to @journalismnews.

Media release: Extra Newspapers launches new hyperlocal titles

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Image copyright Extra Newspapers

Extra Newspapers have launched the first in a string of new hyperlocal publications today designed to bring community news back to the fore.

The Kettering Extra and The Corby Extra hit news stands this morning with a cover price of 50p and a Wellingborough edition is set to follow on 18 April.

After some 14 months development, Extra Newspapers, which has offices in the Midlands, South East and Lancashire, put out a release last week detailing today’s launch:

Each paper, which is fortnightly, is designed to appeal to the traditional newsprint reader as well as the younger, digital savvy readership. Each one will be wholly dedicated to hyperlocal news – with companies and communities invited to contribute their news, views and event details to their local Extra paper.

The newspapers will have a start-up circulation of 10,500 and a cover price of just 50 pence, bringing readers everything from football results and birth announcements to school news, council facts, events, news and local views.

Stuart Parker, managing director, added:

Corby, a town of 55,000 people had until now no newspaper to call its own. The Corby Extra will give Corby what it wants most of all and that’s a voice across the community.

We intend to truly support local business and with the gradual shift in recent years to high advertising rates, the regional press has made it almost impossible for small businesses to communicate effectively with their target audiences. Extra will also be providing value for money advertising rates, so that businesses can quite simply afford to advertise and communicate.

 

Journalisted Weekly: Fuel panic, Cruddas and Galloway

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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 the 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.

 

Fuel panic, Cruddas and Galloway

For the week ending Sunday 1 April.

  • Fuel panic dominated the headlines
  • Peter Cruddas’ resignation over the donor scandal, and George Galloway’s surprise by-election victory covered lots
  • A major report on last summer’s riots, Spain’s most austere budget since the 1970s, and the final changes to the legal aid bill covered little

The Media Standards Trust, which runs journalisted, won the ‘One to Watch’ category at the Prospect Think Tank Awards

Hacked Off is reporting live from the Leveson inquiry again this week via twitter @hackinginquiry and hackinginquiry.org

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

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

Covered Lots

  • There was panic at the pumps as Britons prepared themselves for a possible strike from fuel tanker drivers, 251 articles
  • Peter Cruddas resigned after being secretly filmed claiming that a donation of £250,000 gave ‘premier league’ access to the Prime Minister, 170 articles
  • George Galloway once again became an MP by winning the Bradford West by-election, 128 articles

Covered Little

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

Celebrity vs Serious

Eurozone leaders (top ten by number of articles)

No other Eurozone leaders were mentioned in UK press coverage.

Who wrote a lot about…George Galloway

Long form journalism

Hacked Off is reporting live from the Leveson inquiry again this week via twitter @hackinginquiry and hackinginquiry.org.

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

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