Tag Archives: online staff

thelondonpaper’s closure – tell the rivals or readers first?

Journalism.co.uk couldn’t help but part with 50p on the way back from London last night after seeing the Evening Standard seller’s newspaper boards at Victoria Station loudly declaring the death of newspaper rival thelondonpaper.

The front page was also dedicated to the story: “Free London paper to close”, “Murdoch axes loss-making title”, “Staff shocked at sudden decision”.

(This must be the new ‘positive’ direction for the paper Geordie Greig mentioned when he took over as editor in February)

Still the ES, as far as the print edition yesterday went, refrained from commenting further on the demise of a rival. And it must have been tempting given thelondonpaper’s full-page advert last January, which taunted the ES over its sale for ‘the price of a chocolate bar’.

As a collector’s edition – the last will be issued on September 18 – Journalism.co.uk also picked up yesterday’s thelondonpaper. No mention of the closure in print (perhaps news was released after it had gone to print – anyone who sees today’s edition is welcome to correct me) and it seems to be business as usual on the website. Journalism.co.uk towers received the release from News International around lunchtime yesterday, which begs the question: is it right to let your rivals and the rest of the industry know before your readers (and, indeed, staff – see yesterday’s NMA report about new launches for thelondonpaper website and the recent job ads for online staff)?

Launch-time round-up: TotalFilm.com revamps; Politick magazine targets 18-35s; ecoforyou launches

A press release courtesy of magazine publisher Future tells of the relaunch of TotalFilm.com – complete with a new editorial team for online.

Andy Lowe, acting digital editor, and George Walter, who has temporarily moved from GamesRadar.com to work as launch editor, will head up the online staff. Contributions to the site will also come from the print magazine team.

The new look site promises ‘hubs’ of content for individual films, in particular new releases, aggregating user comments and related external links. Video on the site has also been ramped up, with more use of clips for Q&As with actors and directors.

In the print sphere: Politick!, a £3.99 quarterly ‘aimed at young people 18-35’ (good news for anyone over 30 – that’s officially young then), is preparing for its debut.

The title, which claims no political bias in a press release, hopes to better engage young people with politics and the political process.

“This isn’t about us telling them we like the Arctic Monkeys. And this isn’t about Cameron, Brown or Clegg. We’re not going to tell anyone who to vote for or what to think. We just want to help young people to realise that they can change the world,” says editor Laura-Jane Foley.

Good luck to Politick! – that’s no mean feat…

Finally – ecoforyou, the green living, digital magazine announced by PlanetInk earlier this month, has launched. The first issue is free from the magazine’s site and boasts video, 34 full-colour pages and Flash animation. A text-only format, which is compatible with screen readers, is also available.