Online Journalism News

Newscientist.com scoops top editorial award

Newscientist.com editor Damian Carrington has been awarded web editor of the year at the 2005 British Society of Magazine Editors awards.

Mr Carrington, who previously worked at BBC News Online, was praised by judges for the speed and quality of Newscientist.com - now one of the most popular science websites in the world.

Since Mr Carrington helped launch Newscientist.com in 2000, traffic has risen to more than 1.7 million unique users each month and the web team is about to recruit its eighth editorial team member.

He told journalism.co.uk that the site now runs at a profit through a combination of paid subscriptions, recruitment adverts and a buoyant display advert market. The site also generates paid subscriptions for the print magazine.

"I'm a total convert to the internet," said Mr Carrington.

"What I like is that it's really responsive - you can put a story up in moments - and we can use audio, video and interactive graphics when it's appropriate.

"It's also international and for science that's really important - a story that happens in India is just as relevant in China and Brazil."

One quarter of readers are based in the UK and half are in the US.

The opportunity for reader input is an important element of publishing online, he said. A recent story about the discovery of a tenth planet beyond Pluto prompted 3,000 emails in one week suggesting names for it. That in turn gave the site a new story which was later picked up by the Times.

The site is planning a number of new initiatives including blogs, and also recently launched a popular spin-off space site.

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Open access is on the way
Online editors now eligible for national awards

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