Online Journalism News

News round-up: Murdoch's ripples and other essential reading

Cripes. So many exciting things happening at the moment it's hard to keep track.

• The BBC is always a good place to start. On the down side, there are some ominous rumblings - sounds like a summer of strikes to me. On the plus side, the corporation is introducing 20 more podcasts including Today, From Our Own Correspondent and Go Digital. (More on BBC podcasting in our last story.) And very happy to hear that security correspondent Frank Gardner is back at work after being shot at point blank range in Saudi Arabia ten months ago.

Not to be missed

• Media Guardian's Roy Greenslade on Rupert Murdoch's 'humble speech' last week. The Independent chose to run it nearly verbatim; interesting to note that the same 'newspapaer' typo appeared both in print and on the website. The joy of integrated content management systems!

• Even more for local newspapers to worry about: US news network GetLocalNews has begun to pay contributors. Writers will receive half the advertising revenues from their story's page views. So that's the beginning of 'professional' citizen journalism. Local news produced by local people, available quickly and easily for an online community. Shouldn't that be what local newspapers are doing online? In the words of a repentant Rupert Murdoch: "We need to realise that the next generation of people accessing news and information, whether from newspapers or any other source, have a different set of expectations about the kind of news they will get, including when and how they will get it, where they will get it from, and who they will get it from."

• Online news guru Dan Gillmor described Murdoch's speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors last week as essential reading for anyone in the industry: "I'm no fan of Rupert Murdoch, a press (robber) baron whose greed and overtly one-sided journalism have been a malevolent force in the media sphere. But he said a bunch of things that needed saying - and for that, he's done a real public service."

• More essential reading: The BBC's Richard Sambrook in conversation with participatory journalism blog Hypergene. "Public interest, independence and accountability - these are all strengthened by encouraging participation and being open to the views and the input of a wide range of users," he says.

• Plus Wall Street Journal managing editor Bill Grueskin in a Q&A with Jay Rosen. Stage one: "Any newspaper website that limits itself to repurposing content from the paper is in serious trouble". Stage two: "You have to come up with a new language of journalism, with traditional roots in our standards, but that treats online like the revolutionary medium that it is. And then you have to hammer it home with your staff." Interestingly, NetImperative reported today that WSJ's online revenues outstripped those of the print division for the first time.

Money

• Fascinating piece by Mark Glaser on the Online Journalism Review about payment schemes for bloggers and online news writers, including how some publishers have connected writers' pay with web traffic. I guess the logical conclusion to that would be that we abandon writing news and just write about sex. (One way to make that Aston Martin DB9 dream a reality?)

• Filipino news site the Inquirer is offering cash prizes to citizen journalists. The site wants video reports on local issues and will offer up to £1,000 to competition winners.

• Reuters.co.uk has recruited digital advertising specialist Jessamy Corbett as it announces that its online advertising revenues doubled last year. More on booming internet advertising at SFGate.com.

• This should put an end to those Dreamweaver VS Go Live wars - Adobe has bought Macromedia for £1.79 billion.

• The American Society of Journalists and Authors has filed a motion for court approval which could award an $18 million settlement to compensate freelance writers for reproduction of their work in online databases. Check freelancerights.com for updates.

• Just in case you missed it: the Association of Online Publishers released new research earlier this month into the role of B2B websites. The report highlights the increasing influence of business-to-business sites; 64 per cent of 'business decision makers' surveyed said B2B sites were a trustworthy source of information and 71 per cent had clicked on an advert on a B2B site.

And also...

• The World Editors Forum needs support for its 'Brussels Declaration' - a petition calling for European governments to work for the release of five journalists kidnapped in Iraq. The forum plans to deliver the petition, along with messages of support from journalists and editors, to the European Parliament on World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. More on editorsweblog.org.

• I really object to this trend of inventing news stories - especially to illustrate a political point. Glad this guy from the Sun got caught out.

• Guardian Unlimited's election weblog rambles off into dangerously compelling Flickr territory - the Blair Watch Project. Amusing.

• Would've loved to make it over to Bill Hicks territory the other weekend for the Online Journalism Symposium in Austin, Texas - but I had the offer of going to Scarborough instead. Coverage is on the symposium's site.

• Google gets personal - the Google blog. Plus a new Q&A tool.

• Podcast search engine launched - more on CyberJournalist.net.

• San Francisco Chronicle's profile of MarketWatch founder Larry Kramer. He's taken on a new role as president of digital media at CBS and plans to add bells and whistles to the network of sites including more exclusive web content, video and premium services for wireless devices.

• Channel 4 ran a web design competition for teenagers recently, won by reading site Fabulous Fiction. It's run by two 13-year-olds - one of whom hated reading until he started working on the site. The competition is part of Channel 4's IDEASFACTORY scheme and if you haven't explored it yet, do take a look. It's a fantastic project; there's superb information and advice on working in the creative industries and some really useful, practical features, not least in the writing section. We have a steady stream of requests for careers advice so now I know where to direct them...

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