News ‘hubbing’ – no longer the way to go?

ARE INTEGRATED newsrooms already a thing of the past?

The major innovation necessary since the start of this century, according to many big media companies, has been hubbing everybody together so that all copy is available for all titles and outlets in a group to use at will and instantly.

It’s all being unwound at the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall St Journal and related companies, reports Editors Weblog here. (Plus ca change…)

Online video journalism crosses over to TV

Nepalese villager. Photo: Mike Scott, Taranaki Daily News.

By Virginia McMillan

TARANAKI Daily News’ video footage was spliced into a TV3 News item last week about Kiwi and other Western dentists helping Nepalese villagers with dire tooth problems.

Turns out the provincial New Zealand daily newspaper, with a range of sponsors, had sent reporter Mike Scott to Nepal on the trail of philanthropic Taranaki dentist Julian Haszard.

I was impressed by the straight-to-camera comments Scott drew from Haszard and other medicos for the video segment of his reports. The dramatic landscape was also allowed to “speak” throughout the video.  The seven-minute video story is published here, along with one of Scott’s feature articles.

BBC opens training to licence-paying public

The Guardian is reporting that the BBC will offer masterclasses to licence-fee payers.

A BBC Academy is planned as a dedicated centre of excellence for training in journalism, production, leadership and technology, The Guardian’s James Robinson reveals here.

The academy is seen as part of a strategy to develop partnerships and give wider access to the corporation’s training resources and skills to support the wider UK media.

“Other ventures expected to be announced at the launch [today] include a joint initiative with Channel 4 to increase understanding of diversity in the workplace through a series of workshops. The BBC will also team up with ITV to give people with disabilities a greater chance to find employment within the media industry.”

Read about the greatest journalist of my era – Harold Evans

By Jim Tucker

IF you want to know about one of my heroes in journalism, read this interview with Harold Evans.

Evans was the ultimate editor of my era. His triumphs as editor of the London Sunday Times included exposing thalidomide and fatal flaws in the DC10 aircraft, plus much more.

He’s 81 now. But he still loves journalism with a passion that probably keeps him alive. We all want to go the same way…

READ MORE>

Google’s nerds breathe life into news presentation

By Virginia McMillan

GOOGLE is leading the way again – this time, suggesting online news sites organise and display particular stories in one place, and in many ways, as they unfold.

With The Washington Post and The New York Times, Google has constructed a one-page, one-story, many media approach to journalism: Living Stories.  It seems, once again, the nerds have a lot to teach the journos about making our content work.

The Google Living Stories approach looks promising and challenging, demanding much more attention to sequencing – ie, point-and-click for background on the same page rather than add it to every story and dish it up on a mixed news page.

The “living story” approach demands summaries that clarify the significance of new developments.

The living story also links all the varied types of material (including opinion pieces, source materials, multi-media) on the one subject in the one place. An example is this health-reform page. The design isn’t exciting, yet, but over all this is great stuff. It seems likely to make good journalism costlier to present – reinforcing the need for staff with sub-editing as well as HTML skills. In some cases, the idea may also help news outlets develop online content for which the public will pay.

Lawyer faults Sunday papers’ name-suppression stories

NEW ZEALAND media are missing the point on name suppression and the changes suggested by the Law Commission, says media lawyer and academic, Steven Price.

His excellent blog on the subject is here.

One of world’s biggest news agencies is cutting staff

Editors Weblog: After confirming it would cut a total of 90 jobs last week, the Associated Press has named six news editors and four interim regional photo editors amidst further restructuring intitiatives in the US. READ MORE>

Fall in US Twitter traffic

Editor’s Weblog: Following an overwhelming period of growth, Twitter.com is now experiencing a decline in its US traffic to the micro-blogging site, eMarketer has reported. The latest Nielsen figures put the fall at a considerable 27.8 percent between September and October 2009, receiving 18.9 million unique hits. READ MORE>

BBC says it won’t charge for online content – which presents a problem for Murdoch

Editor’s Weblog: The BBC has announced that it will not charge for online news, despite accusations from James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, that it is “throttling” the market and preventing competitors from expanding online. READ MORE>

Australia the place for those wanting to sue for libel

Steven P:rice: London is known as the libel capital of the world. But I was chatting to Melbourne Law School professor Andrew Kenyon last week, and he said that there is a country whose defamation laws are even more plaintiff-friendly than England’s: Australia. READ MORE>