Tag Archives: editor

DNA09: ‘The Established Media React’

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A look at how mainstream media (MSM) is seizing upon, or resisting technological changes.

A panel chaired by Wired Magazine’s Ben Hammersley. He is joined by:

  • Guido Baumhauer, director of marketing, sales and distribution at Deutshe Welle.

Hammersley points out this been happening for a long time. So why are we still having the same conversations about the mainstream media reacting? There wasn’t really an answer to that one but there were some other big questions raised:

Are ‘publishers’ and broadcasters ending up in the same space?
It’s not really a relevant distinction, the BBC’s Loughrey tells Journalism.co.uk after the discussion.

“I do not see myself as part of the established media,” Hans Laroes is keen to point out at the beginning.

The broadcast enterprise is still quite a separate one from the web at Sky, says Bucks – although web users already have some influence on television content, and maybe, the future could see online increasingly dictating television content.

What on earth is ‘database journalism’?
Neil McIntosh said that while ‘it has to be said it’s being used for extremely boring journalism,’ it’s about pulling together raw material in exciting ways, such as in crime mapping. There is lots of potential for the Wall Street Journal, he added. https://klgirls.net

How do we manage editorial, strategy and sales relationships?
Following on from his keynote speech, Vandermeersch stresses that editorial, sales and strategy will have to work closer together.

However, how far that goes is up for debate he says: for example, do you drop stories which are less good commercially?

Meanwhile, at Deutsche Welle, marketing team, editorial and media sales representatives are meeting in small ‘competence teams’  in order to address monetising and editorial issues in different countries (they have 4,500 media partners worldwide), explains Baumhauer.

Brownstoner: New York Times launches local pro-am blogs

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News reaches us from blogger Brownstoner about the New York Times’ plans to launch a series of neighbourhood blogs – starting with two test sites for the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill areas.

Each site will be headed by a New York Times staffer as editor, but contributions from the public, in particular from CUNY’s journalism programme, will be solicited.

The Times has already teamed up with Everyblock to provide localised data for its political content – will any of Everyblock’s information be deployed on the new local blogs?

Journalism.co.uk is looking into the launch to find out more.

Full post at this link…

Live ‘Twinterview’ with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy (kicks off 3pm)

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It’s coming up to 3pm, @krishgm will soon be ready and waiting – it’s time to put some questions to him via Twitter through our live coverage account @journalism_live. Feel free to throw in your own too, just Tweet @krishgm with the tag ‘#ch4’.

A bit of background: Krishnan Guru-Murthy is one of Channel 4 News’s presenters, based in the UK. You can find his full biography here on the Channel 4 site. Here’s an interview with commissioning editor Vicky Taylor on the channel’s web strategies. He has been Twittering since early February this year (first Tweet here). Channel 4 News has had a presence on Twitter for longer.

We live-tracked it here but we’re now reproducing the questions and answers from the Twinterview with @krishgm here. Mainly questions from us with a few from the crowd (order of Tweets altered or split slightly to make it clear). Enjoy!

journalism_live: @krishgm hello there! all set? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live #ch4 yep – here and ready

journalism_live: @krishgm great! here comes your first Q then… #ch4 journalism_live: @krishgm Were you reluctant to start Twittering? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live i wasn’t reluctant at all – just a bit bemused. but people on twitter really help you – it is a very warm experience #ch4

journalism_live:@krishgm Was it your idea? #ch4
krishgm:@journalism_live yes i just wanted to see what the fuss was about so gave it a go, and within a week or so i really got it. #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm How has your use of it changed now you’ve been going at it since early feb? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live I also use it for random personal stuff about me and my life – i find myself opening up a bit! #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live but i can see myself and the programme using it more and more to contact people about stories #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live i think the most exciting thing is the way networks overlap – so people you are not following end up talking to you

journalism_live: @krishgm who does the Twittering for @channel4news – is that you as well? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live no not me – i do actually have a job too. identity is a state secret. like the banker on ‘deal or no deal’ #ch4

journalism_live:4 @krishgm ooo… mystery. Are you thinking as ‘presenter of channel 4 news’ when you submit a Tweet via @krishgm? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live sometimes i tweet purely with work in mind…but there’s a fair amount of personal stuff too. I wonder if it jars…? #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm #ch4 is Twitter beating Channel 4 to breaking news stories and is this something @krishgm is more aware of now? (@lauraoliver)
krishgm: @journalism_live i think it offers something totally different and not competing. we don’t do 24 hr news. we want to be best not first #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live i must clarify ‘best not first’ comment. we do also like to be first where we can (i.e. scoops) but we not 24 hr news #ch4

Britt_W: @krishgm #ch4 Does Twitter in any way ‘slow down’ people at work do you think? Or is it inspiring and makes them more productive instead?
krishgm: @Britt_W yes! it does slow us down when we twittering rubbish! #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm and are there drawbacks of journalists sourcing via Twitter? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live you have to verify all information – so the same rules apply. i think there are potential man-traps – such as liars. #ch4
journalism_live: @krishgm Yes, you recently Tweeted it’s ‘just a new medium’ for finding people – Or could you ever call people’s Tweets ‘journalism’?#ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live You can tell an accurate story in 140 characters so yes in theory it can be journalism. But mostly, no! #ch4

programx: @krishgm You and @channel4news have asked for user ideas/opinion on prog content. How does mgt see this? Infringing on their domain? #ch4
krishgm: @ProgramX well we have three meetings a day between C4 News and News at Noon where mgt are there and we discuss it all #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm #ch4 is quite conversational via its use of @channel4news – was that a deliberate strategy?
krishgm: @journalism_live @channel4news is a sort of window on the newsroom and all the bonkers stuff said in here so yes #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live we think its a mistake to tweet lots of ‘breaking news’ updates that are really just driving traffic to websites. #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm 140chs must be a constraint for conversation: any plans to develop a fuller blog for yourself? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live not right now. I think i’m better suited to twitter! a blog is hard work – and i write a daily email when on #ch4

TGRWorzel:@krishgm I think it is a good way for audience to suggest questions, if we know who you are going to interview
krishgm: @TGRWorzel i really love all the suggested questions for interviews. please send more #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm someone asked earlier if Ch4’s ‘freer’ tone was because didn’t have constraints of BBC licence fee? (@buffsrawlinson) #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live wouldn’t overstate it but yes i think that is a factor. plus we smaller, less bureaucratic, fewer bosses, etc #ch4
journalism_live: @krishgm yes were surprised how small! http://is.gd/l6F5
krishgm: @journalism_live that article obviously didn’t mention the 100 odd people making C4 News on the telly #ch4
journalism_live: @krishgm of course! to clarify that’s just the website #ch4

journalism_live: You just mentioned that you now incorporate viewer suggestions into interviews?#ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live I don’t promise to incorporate (I don’t quote) – but they inform me when I’m deciding what to ask and what is ‘big’ #ch4
journalism_live: @krishgm but again with being aware that people might have an agenda? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live yes of course – you wouldn’t just use a tweet as uncorroborated source. there’s all sort of bonkers types out here! #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm do you think inc. more informal tone and method will influence TV prog. content? #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live i think tv tone naturally changes with the times and often becomes more informal and more direct. it is one influence #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live i think there’s still so much confusion about what twitter is, and what its for in general population #ch4
krishgm: @journalism_live you keep hearing ‘we’re on twitter’ on tv/radio without it always being an interesting use of twitter that adds value #ch4

Britt_W: @krishgm #ch4 Another question: Are you divided in your views regarding using Twitter or are you all for it? Does it cause a problem?
krishgm @Britt_W nobody is against it, but lots just don’t understand yet why anyone would botherbeing on twitter. they will #ch4
Britt_W: @krishgm #ch4 Sorry, didn’t express myself properly. Meant: Is C4 STAFF (not just you) divided in their views ie some for – some against?

programx: @krishgm You’ve tweeted while on air, something @declancurry also does. Is there scope 4 making C4News even more interactive this way? #ch4
krishgm @ProgramX ssshhhhh! the boss wouldnt approve! I’m supposed to be concentrating solely on the show! but its fun. #ch4
krishgm @ProgramX as before – really like getting feedback/suggestions live on air #ch4

journalism_live: @krishgm and has there been any mention of Ofcom? Of course it’s a very grey area what they do and don’t police #ch4
krishgm @journalism_live never heard anything about ofcom – but our reputation is at stake on all media so we have to be careful. #ch4
krishgm @journalism_live and twitter is not overseen by an editor – so there are potential problems. blogs are checked before publication #ch4
krishgm @journalism_live god, i’ve just thrown up a massive issue there about overseeing output…#ch4
journalism_live @krishgm Vicky Taylor said journs are ‘prof journalists – they’re aware of what they can and can’t write’ so it’s not a ‘major prob’ #ch4
krishgm @journalism_live well that’s good and a great and supportive position from the Channel – until somebody screws up! #ch4

journalism_live @krishgm will pursue that one with more than 140 chs… Q from @gemmanewby – will twitter threaten journo/researcher/photographer jobs?#ch4
krishgm @journalism_live i can’t see why it threatens anything at all. it enhances. #ch4

krishgm @journalism_live last q….am going to have to go do some work soon! #ch4
journalism_live @krishgm yes, us too. a silly Q from @thespyglass Does Krishnan ever consciously compete with Jon on the tie front?! #ch4
krishgm @journalism_live well i love ties too and have about 300 on a wall at home, so maybe a bit. we have v diff styles. me flowers/insects #ch4
journalism_live @krishgm great – a v impt Q and insight to end on. Cheers Krishnan. Apologies to his fllwrs for hogging the chat. #ch4

krishgm @journalism_live a pleasure – lets do it again sometime. #ch4
journalism_live: @krishgm see you around. Bye for now! #ch4

Friday 3pm GMT: Twinterview with Channel 4 News’ Krishnan Guru-Murthy

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Set an alert now! @journalism_live (our channel for live conversations and events) will be ‘twinterviewing’ Channel 4 News’ Krishnan Guru-Murthy at 3pm GMT tomorrow (Friday 27 February).

We’ll be asking him (@krishgm) about his use of Twitter for both fun and work, his thoughts about changing forms of broadcast journalism and Channel 4 News’ ideas and aims. And of course, followers can throw in their own questions using the tag #ch4.

Channel 4 News has been increasingly communicating with users via its @ch4news channel and yesterday sourced an interviewee via Twitter for the first time. Swot up on Channel 4’s web strategy here, from an earlier interview with Vicky Taylor, commissioning editor of new media, news and current affairs.

So: come back to the Editors’ Blog tomorrow at 3pm GMT to follow the interview via a constantly updating blog post, tagged #ch4.

Twitterfall makes it onto Telegraph newsroom screens

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Twitterfall, an app that lets you monitor new updates to Twitter on certain #tags or search terms, has been a fixture on the big screens in the Telegraph’s integrated newsroom for the last two weeks, according to this pic from Telegraph.co.uk editor Marcus Warren (courtesy of TwitPic):
Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

The Twitterfall of #twitterfall is the first non-mainstream media news source to appear on the screens, Warren said in a Tweet, adding that it’s the same size as the projection of Telegraph.co.uk on the screens and given more space than Sky, BBC and CNN on the wall.

HTFP: Northcliffe editor defends production hub plans

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HoldTheFrontPage.co.uk reports that the Hull Daily Mail editor and North-East regional editor John Meehan has said ‘cutting production costs may be the only way the titles can continue to maintain their local content-gathering operations’.

“I genuinely don’t think there is any contradiction. Northcliffe passionately believes in being at the heart of all things local and I don’t think this changes that,” he told HoldTheFrontPage.

Full story at this link…

Editor&Publisher: Obama book to fund new journalism scholarship programme

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From the Editor&Publisher: “The Poynter Institute has announced a new tuition scholarship program that is funded through proceeds from a new book of front pages about Barack Obama’s election and inauguration.

“The program will make available a limited number of tuition subsidies worth up to $500 for participants of select 2009 on-site seminars, a release stated.”

Full story at this link…

Guardian.co.uk: Handling reader responses in a ‘digital age’

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In her weekly column, the Guardian readers’ editor, Siobhain Butterworth, takes a look at newspapers’ handling of reader complaints and responses in the age of digital publishing.

She picks out a New York Times case: following the settlement of a libel action brought against it by a Washington lobbyist, the paper published a joint statement, an article from the lobbyist’s lawyers, a note to readers and a report about the settlement.

“What’s interesting and unusual about the Iseman case is that the negotiated resolution of her complaint included space on the paper’s website for her lawyers’ views about the lawsuit,” Butterworth comments.

Full story at this link…

Guardian.co.uk: The subbing ‘Terminator’ speaks out in print

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“Greenslade, a former editor of the Daily Mirror, has become journalism’s very own Terminator,” writes his colleague Simon Hattenstone in today’s MediaGuardian.

Then (a subbed?) piece from Roy Greenslade, on the subs’ ‘fatwa’ he now faces.

Full story at this link…

Berkeley Daily Planet launches ‘Fund for Local Reporting’

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In a frank article about the paper’s future, the owners of US independent newspaper the Berkeley Daily Planet admit they don’t have a solution for plugging the revenue gap in their ailing ad-supported business model.

Enter the Fund for Local Reporting, which is asking for donations large and small to keep the Planet running.

“As we explained in a recent editorial, paying salaries and benefits just for the reporters and editors who cover local news adds up to at least $250,000 a year. That doesn’t include production, rent, printing, distribution, sales etc,” reads the online payment form.

The O’Malleys, the paper’s owners, are also exploring developing the fund into a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organisation. Indeed, they’ve been toying with lots of ideas – part of a ‘reality check’, the editor says – including voluntary subscriptions and migrating to the web [All ideas mooted in today’s #cfund debate]. They might not know what the solution is, and this might be a last roll of the dice, but they’re certainly going for it with all they’ve got.