Trinity Mirror CEO Sly Bailey reiterated her thoughts about Google and newspapers at Friday’s Digital Britain summit in the UK.
“[U]nique users don’t pay wages,” stressed Bailey.
“We’ve been playing in to the hands of the very businesses that play so fast and loose with our content in the first place. We’ve become dependent on pats on the back from new kids on the block who tell us what the rules are.”
Since I started using Twitter I’ve always been amazed (and grateful) at how quickly calls for technological help and assistance with ideas and projects are answered. It’s one of the main reasons I’m a fan of Twitter.
There are plenty of media/journalist Twitter databases out there, but below are the beginnings of a list of digital editors on Twitter.
What do I mean by digital editor? In this instance, a journalist working primarily online, on web projects or co-ordinating multimedia output. The web editor of a newspaper site or magazine site, for example. It’s in no particular order, except for being divided by ‘traditional’ industry sectors at the moment, but if this isn’t useful, just let us know – would be great to get more international representatives too.
But the criteria for inclusion on the list are intentionally loose – this is aimed at networking, problem-solving and idea sharing between journalists working in the same space and similar roles. (Feel free to nominate any additions or drop us a tweet @journalismnews)
UPDATE April 16 – please read blog post two on how to message the group via Twitter
Newspapers
Alison Gow (@alisongow) – executive editor, digital, Liverpool Daily Post & Liverpool Echo
Kevin Matthews (@kmatt) – head of web and data, Liverpool Daily Post
Neil MacDonald (@xxnapoleonsolo) – deputy head of web and data, Liverpool Daily Post
Jo Wadsworth (@jowadsworth) – web editor, Brighton Argus
Tom Pegg (@tomatthechad) – digital content manager, Mansfield Chad
James Goffin (@jamesgoffin) – regional web producer, Archant
Sarah Booker (@sarah_booker) – web editor, Worthing Herald
Gustav Svensson (@gustavsvensson) – web editor, entertainment and arts, Sydsvenskan.se
Stephen Emerson (@stephen_emerson) – deputy online editor, Scotsman.com
Sam Shepherd (@SamShepherd) – online journalist, Bournemouth Daily Echo
Joanna Geary (@timesjoanna) – web development editor, business, Times Online
Sarah Hartley (@foodiesarah) – head of online editorial, MEN Media
Iain Hepburn (@iainmhepburn) – online editor, DailyRecord.co.uk
Lucia Adams (@luciatimes) – web development editor, Times Online
Carmen Boles (@carmenb) – online news editor, Gazette.com
Marcus Warren (@MarcusWa) – editor, Telegraph.co.uk
Dan Owen (@danowen) – executive editor online, Trinity Mirror
Steve Nicholls (@steve_nicholls) – multimedia editor, Birmingham Post
Anna Jeys (@ajeys) – multimedia editor, Birmingham Mail
Steve Wollaston (@stevewollaston) – multimedia editor, BPM Media and Sunday Mercury
Julie Martin (@jules_27) – Teesside Evening Gazette
Helen Dalby (@helendalby) – regional multimedia manager, NCJ Media
Nick Turner (@nickincumbria) – head of digital content, CN Group
Christian Dunn (@christiandunn) – digital news editor, NWN Media
Hugh Dixon (@hugh_d) – web editor and production editor, thisisbath/Bath Chronicle
Paul Cockerton (@paulcockerton) – web editor, Lancashire Telegraph
Dan Owens (@hornetdan1979) – deputy news editor, Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Dan Kerins (@dankerins) – web journalist, Southern Daily Echo
Broadcast
Marsha Graham (@marshagoldcoast) – multimedia manager for 102.9FM Hot Tomato, Australia
Rob Winder (@robwinder) – news editor, Al Jazeera website, Washington DC
Tom Thorogood (@TomThorogood) – digital news editor, MTV
Magazines
Martin Stabe (@martinstabe) – online editor, Retail Week
Victoria Thompson (@VicThompson) – assistant online editor, Nursing Times
Neil Durham (@NeilDurham) – deputy editor, GP and Independent Nurse
John Robinson (@PulseToday) – digital content manager, Pulse Today
Peter Houston (@p_houston) – editorial director for Advanstar Communications, Europe
Alex Smith (@alexsmith68) – web editor, Building.co.uk
Keira Daley (@daleyrant) – web editor, Australian print magazine
Lara McNamee (@lovelylara33) – assistant intelligence editor, ICIS
Gabriel Fleming (@gabefleming) – online editor, Nursing Times
Janie Stamford (@janiestamford) – contract catering editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper
Robin Latchem (@lgcplus) – online editor, Local Government Chronicle
Keely Stocker (@keelystocker) – digital content manager, Drapers Online
Scott Matthewman (@scottm) – assistant manager, The Stage
Specialist website
Michael Hubbard (@michaelomh) – founder and music editor, MusicOmh
Krystal Sim (@krystalsim) – web editor for sustainability magazine BSD – bsdlive.co.uk
Arun Marsh (@ArunMarsh) – content producer/editor, Local Gov
Rick Waghorn (@MrRickWaghorn) – publisher, MyFootbalWriter
Emma Waddingham (@emmawad) online editor, Legal-Medical.co.uk
Michael McCarthy (@HealthGuide) online editor, LocalHealthGuide
Steve Gooding (@rmtimestech)- Romney Marsh Times
Manoj Solanki (@ManojSolanki) – SeekBroadband.com
Graham Holliday (@noodlepie) – digital editor, Frontline Club
Craig McGinty (@craigmcginty) – publisher, ThisFrenchLife
Mark Crail (@markcrail) – managing editor, XpertHR
Freelance
Adam Oxford (@adamoxford)
Rachel Colling (@rachcolling)
Ashanti Omkar (@ashantiomkar)
Once seen as the enemy of the paid-for newspaper, freesheets are not ‘in the frontline trenches of this war’, says Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey.
Their ad-based model makes them particularly vulnerable, says this article, which looks at the plight of free newspapers in Europe.
Interesting to see that Malcolm Coles’ recent blog post, which highlighted newspapers’ terms and conditions forbidding linking from their websites, has resulted in some action – outlined in the comments below the post.
Ian Douglas, head of digital production at Telegraph.co.uk says:
“Thanks for pointing this out. As you saw, we deleted it as soon as we heard about it. I’m afraid it say more about the relevance of Ts and Cs than the various papers’ attitude to linking.”
David Black, group director of digital publishing at Trinity Mirror, writes:
“Malcolm, Thanks for spotting this – it’s being fixed for Mirror.co.uk.”
Malcolm Coles has now followed up with another post – what other sites have these kinds of T&Cs banning links to their site? Full post at this link.
A week with particularly brutal cuts across UK regional media, but news of a new digital appointment comes from Trinity Mirror this morning:
Richard Ayers has been appointed regional web publishing director for Trinity Mirror Regionals.
“In this key position Richard will work closely with the regional teams across the division to implement digital best practice and develop content and online services to drive usage, audience and online revenues across the regional network,” a release from the group said.
“Richard has a first class background in online publishing and I am delighted to welcome him to the team,” said Chris Bunyan, digital director of Trinity Mirror Regionals.
“The audience for our regional sites has increased by over 30 per cent year-on-year to around 5.5 milllon users a month. Richard’s experience and expertise will strengthen our digital team and will ensure we continue to deliver and drive compelling online user experiences for this growing audience across our regional websites,” Bunyan said, in the release.
Ayers career includes ten years at BBC News online, in ‘a number of senior digital roles;’ he was ‘portal director’ for Tiscali.co.uk, and more recently he was the managing director of a digital production agency, Magic Lantern.
The Trinity Mirror release also announced that Shaun Collins has been appointed as digital recruitment director, a role which sees him focus on ‘driving digital recruitment products and their performance’.
The NUJ has issued a release calling on Trinity Mirror ‘to put a stop to its cost-cutting programmes and come up with a strategy that shows respect for local communities and invests in a long-term plan to ensure the success of its papers and websites.’
“The company’s figures show that, despite the downturn, Trinity Mirror still made operating profits of over £145 million – of which £68 million came from local media. The company’s profit margin is almost 17 per cent,” the release said.
In a speech given to Cardiff’s Business Club last night, BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons added more weight to suggest more regional news partnerships between the BBC and competitors are in the pipeline:
Here’s his comments as a Wordle:
But, a note of caution from Lyons on partnerships:
“What we’re not interested in are proposals that simply transfer value from the BBC to other players in the market (…) Let’s make sure that we don’t inadvertently turn the BBC into the Lloyds Bank of the media world.”
“It is easy for people in traditional media to look at the internet and say, ‘Oh God, the internet is taking away our readers and advertisers’. But – and I want to be really clear about this – it is not Google that is taking advertisers away. It is consumers changing their behaviour,” says former Trinity Mirror man.
Round up of online launches from news sites:
According to Terry Murden of the Scotland on Sunday, Trinity Mirror is lobbying for media ownership rules to be relaxed to allow newspaper groups to merge their regional titles.