Tag Archives: us

Ad Age: Internet media employment at peak since 2001 despite falls elsewhere

Advertising Age research suggests that media companies in the US have cut one in seven jobs since the start of the recession. But employment at internet media firms has risen to its highest level since 2001, according to the figures, which the title has been collecting since 1981.

Internet media companies and broadcast TV have seen solid year-to-date job gains. There’s even hope in newspapers, where recent monthly job cuts are at the lowest level since the start of the recession.

The chart below of Advertising Age’s stats shows the percentage change in the number of jobs in each media sector since December 2007:

As part of its ranking, Advertising Age looks at the leading 100 media companies in the US to see how they have fared over the past year in comparison to the rest of the industry.

Full results can be seen in this report (registration required), but some key points:

  • Revenue for the US’ top media firms rose by 6.1 per cent in the first half of 2010;
  • Video and broadband providers accounted for 39 per cent of 2009’s net revenue for the top 100 media companies;
  • According to Ad Age, media employment has risen consecutively for two months – for the first time since 2006.

E&P: Knight Foundation to help fund paywalls for non-profit news sites

Paywall technology venture Journalism Online will see its Press+ system introduced to non-profit news sites in the US as part of a deal with the Knight Foundation.

The first 10 sites that receive grants from the Foundation will not have to share revenue from the system with Journalism Online for the first year. Hyperlocal professional news site the New Haven Independent is the first to sign up.

Full story on E&P at this link…

NearSay offers ‘neighbourhood news’ to New York

NearSay, a new local and hyperlocal news site, has been launched in Manhattan according to a report by Lost Remote.

The site reportedly uses both aggregated information chosen by editors as well as stories currently filed by around 80 contributors.

According to NearSay’s website, its mission is “high quality neighbourhood news”:

We:

  • Let you personalise the news.  You tell us what neighborhoods and topics you care about;
  • Manage a veteran newsroom that covers the stories from your favorite publications, so there is less clutter in your inbox;
  • Curate every story on the site for quality and feature just the best of NearSay;
  • Show you the influential local voices who tell the inside scoop of what’s happening.

Lost Remote says it believes the site will branch out beyond Manhatten soon.

CJR: Why we’re suing New York State

The Columbia Journalism Review has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York for refusing to release information under the state’s Freedom of Information law.

[T]he records we’re seeking would likely help illuminate the press’ role in a bizarre chain of events in state history that led to the appointment of an Independent Counsel and to the governor dropping his election campaign. Sure, there will be lots of chaff in those e-mails. But perhaps they’d offer some information explaining the resignations, show reporters testing the most bizarre theories circulating at the time, or catalogue an evolving damage-control line from the state’s highest official.

Any of that would all be potentially interesting, and that’s why we will exercise our rights under the law and file suit.

But given the response from the governor’s office, we now also think this suit must be waged to protect the full force of two laws that the state’s press corps rely on: the Freedom of Information Law and the state’s shield law

Full story on the CJR website at this link…

Former journalism student in landmark reporter’s privilege victory

Interesting media law case from the US – a former student journalist at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism will not have to reveal documents or give a testimony about the investigative reporting involved in a case of false imprisonment.

Carolyn Nielsen’s reporting helped free a man who had been wrongfully convicted and was part way through a 45-year sentence:

The ruling in favor of Carolyn Nielsen – who now teaches journalism at Western Washington University in Bellingham – is significant because it recognises no distinction between the ability of a student journalist versus a professional journalist to claim the protection of the reporter’s privilege.

Full post on the Student Press Law Center site at this link…

BJP: Photographer drops copyright claim over iconic Obama image

The Associated Press and freelance photographer Mannie Garcia have settled a dispute over copyright of an iconic image of President Barack Obama, with both parties dropping their claims, reports the British Journal of Photography.

But the case involving artist Shepard Fairey, who claims he used the image to create his HOPE poster of the US leader, is yet to be settled or judged.

Full story on the British Journal of Photography at this link…

Image: Albany_Tim on Flickr

News Corp gives to Republicans, but who’s giving what to Democrats exactly?

Responding to News Corporation’s donation of $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in the US announced earlier this week, the Business Media Institute (BMI) reports on figures released by the OpenSecrets website that show significant political donations to the Democrats from other media organisations.

Delving into the numbers, the BMI looks at who’s donating what and where, including stats on News Corp.’s previous donations to the Democrats – asking if those criticising the corporation for this latest sum are missing out some vital, balancing figures.

Full story on Business and Media Institute website at this link…

Confidence in US television news hits 20-year low

American’s confidence in television news is at its lowest since 1990, according to the latest figures from Gallup.

The organisation interviewed 1,020 adults for its annual Confidence in Institutions survey. Only 22 per cent of respondents said they had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in television news; 25 per cent said the same for newspaper news.

While the figures have remained pretty stable from 2007 onwards, confidence in television news 10 years ago was at 36 per cent and newspapers 37 per cent.

Newspapers and television news were in the bottom half of the rankings for the 16 institutions in the Gallup poll: newspapers came in 10th and television news 12th, above only “big business”, “organised labour”, “congress” and “Health Maintenance Organisations”.

With nearly all news organizations struggling to keep up with the up-to-the-minute news cycle and to remain profitable in the process, Americans’ low trust in newspapers and television news presents a critical barrier to success. The Pew report asserts that 80 per cent of new media links are to legacy newspapers and broadcast networks, making clear that traditional news sources remain the backbone of the media. But so long as roughly three in four Americans remain distrustful, it will be difficult to attract the large and loyal audiences necessary to boost revenues.

American’s Confidence in Newspapers and Television News by Age

(% “great deal”/”quite a lot”)


Full post at this link…

Headlines and Deadlines: Why TBD is an inspiration for hyperlocal news

UK digital journalist Alison Gow takes a look at the news site for Washington TBD.com, launched earlier this week, and says the site provides much inspiration for hyperlocal news ventures elsewhere.

Says Gow:

I like it as a journalist because:

  • It’s seriously packed with news, features and information
  • It’s packed with news (truly  – the homepage splash changed every time I reloaded the page)
  • It updates constantly
  • It has loads of sources of information – both from TBD staffers, mainstream media, social networks, bloggers and users
  • It’s an active site – doesn’t rely on feeds/UGC
  • It “gets” hyperlocal
  • It does live fact-checking

Full post on Headlines and Deadlines at this link…