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OLDER GUILD & INDUSTRY NEWSFaltering NYT Shares Still Overvalued, Morningstar Says Shares of The New York Times Co., which led the newspaper sectors with a 6.7% increase Monday on a 58 cents gain, to $9.32, have also followed the sector by sliding significantly in value since hitting a 52-week high of $14.87 back on Jan. 11. But the price hasn’t fallen enough, as far as Morningstar is concerned. “New York Times' shares are overvalued, in our view,” wrote analyst Joscelyn MacKay. Early On, Bank Refused ‘Solvency Opinion’ on Zell’s Tribune Co. Deal Back in March 2007, the Los Angeles-based bank Houlihan Lokey refused to provide a “solvency opinion” endorsing real estate mogul Sam Zell’s plan to take Tribune private because it believed the deal would leave the Chicago media giant mired in debt, The Wall Street Journal reported. The revelation is significant because a court-appointed examiner in Tribune’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case last week criticized Valuation Research Corp., the firm that ultimately gave the deal a thumbs-up. Dr. Sidney Harman to Purchase Newsweek from The Washington Post Company The Washington Post Company announced yesterday that it has signed a contract to sell Newsweek to Dr. Sidney Harman. “In seeking a buyer for Newsweek, we wanted someone who feels as strongly as we do about the importance of quality journalism. We found that person in Sidney Harman,” said Donald E. Graham, chairman and chief executive officer of The Washington Post Company.
Media coverage of city governments: newspapers lead the way As the media landscape shifts, so too have newsroom resources. One looming question is where people can find coverage of local news subjects, particularly government and public affairs. A new comprehensive and highly anticipated university study of local news from communities across the country offers a piece of the answer: Newspapers were much more likely to cover government than any other news medium. New Site Aims to Connect Reporters and Publicists There are few professional relationships that seesaw between love and hate more than those of public relations people and journalists. While they provide valuable help to each other at times, they rarely need the same things at the same time. NewsBasis, a start-up opening today, wants to change that with an online marketplace to match businesses and organizations that want to broadcast their messages with journalists working on topical articles.
“For God’s sake, somebody call it!” Today I look at the world of magazine and newspaper publishing and I see no photojournalism being produced. Should we care? Well yes we should. The photojournalists were the first to go, but once the destruction of the printed media business model is complete and still no-one has come up with a new one, then the writers will have to go as well. So we’ll end up with a couple of sub-editors re-phrasing press-releases and dropping in supplied photos. Hell, that’s happening already! Report claims unpaid internships are breaking the law Newspapers, magazines and broadcasters could be opening themselves up to lawsuits by taking on unpaid interns, according to a report published in the United Kingdom today. The report warns that in the private sector, all those who work have the right to be paid at least the minimum wage -- but that many employers "don’t understand the law when it comes to hiring interns." As a result, ""We now have entire industries that rely on the willingness of young people to work for free." GR EXTRA! Cohen: Labor's struggle 'not hopeless, just hard' Saying labor’s current struggle “is not hopeless, just hard,” CWA President Larry Cohen this week laid out a long list of challenges in the months and years ahead. From declining numbers due to the Great Recession to lack of labor unity, from Senate GOP filibusters bringing government to a halt to the apparent death -- for that very reason -- of the Employee Free Choice Act, Cohen warned his union convention’s delegates they and other unionists have a hard row to hoe. Telecom Setbacks Debated at CWA Convention A pair of contentious resolutions marked the Communications Workers convention in the capital this week. One highlighted widespread discontent among local leaders and activists over fragmented bargaining and concessions in telecommunications bargaining last year, and the other shifted conventions from every year to every two, reflecting the union’s financial troubles. Tribune Co. proposes severance package for top execs if they are dismissed Tribune Co. has proposed paying its top 43 executives a severance package of cash and benefits if they are asked by a new board to leave the company after the Chicago-based media conglomerate emerges from bankruptcy. This follows the filing last week of a 2010 management incentive plan that could potentially add another $42.9 million in payments from the company, which has been in bankruptcy since December 2008. Labor joins drive to protect Social Security Several labor organizations joined 57 other groups yesterday to unveil a mass movement to protect Social Security from an Obama administration-named deficit-cutting commission. Speakers at a Washington press conference of the coalition emphasized that the nation’s main retirement system has a cumulative $2.6 trillion surplus -- which the rest of the government has borrowed to offset part of its deficit -- and that the surplus should be protected from raiding. Tribune Creditors to Get Peek at Critical Examiner's Report A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday allowed some parties in the Tribune Co. bankruptcy case to look at the full version of a court-appointed examiner's report, but a decision on whether the public will have full access will be discussed Tuesday. The report concludes that talks leading up to the buyout of Tribune had bordered on fraud. The publicly released version of the report is missing hundreds of pages because some bank lenders said it included confidential information. Debunking 5 Myths of Entrepreneurial Journalism In prepping to launch new media businesses, entrepreneurial journalists are disproving five common myths: that journalists lack entrepreneurial skills and spark; that start-up revenue is all about subscribers and ads; that young upstarts dominate the field; that it's "us against them, David vs. Goliath;" and that to succeed, journalism start-ups have to go big or go home. Audio Tycoon’s Newsweek Bid Said to Be Favored As the Washington Post Company prepares to sell Newsweek, it seems to be most receptive to an offer from California billionaire Sidney Harman because it proposes to keep the vast majority of Newsweek’s 325 employees in their jobs. But at least two other parties remain in the mix: Fred Drasner, who was a part owner of the Washington Redskins and a publisher of The Daily News of New York, and Marc Lasry, a hedge fund owner and major Democratic Party donor. Labor Union, Thomson Reuters Go Head-to-Head Over Subsidy Meetings of the Industrial Development Agency -- the New York City agency in charge of approving discretionary tax subsidies to local businesses -- are generally sleepy affairs. But yesterday's hearing was entirely different, due to a Thomson Reuters request for $24 million in sales tax breaks on office and building materials -- not because of the subsidy proposal, which is unremarkable in the annals of city tax breaks -- but because of Guild opposition.
Tax breaks for Thomson Reuters assailed A contract dispute between Thomson Reuters and the Newspaper Guild of New York could threaten the media giant's attempt to shift $20.7 million in unused city and state sales tax subsidies from the construction of 3 Times Square to seven other Manhattan properties. Some elected officials want to delay Thomson Reuters' request to apply the tax breaks to the other properties until the company proves it has created jobs and clears up outstanding charges of unfair labor practices. McClatchy Q2 Earnings Drop as Revenue Decline Slows The McClatchy Co. reported a lower second-quarter profit Thursday on a revenue decline that slowed to the lowest rate in the past three reporting periods. Advertising revenue declined 8.2% year-over-year in the quarter, compared to declines of 11.2% in the first quarter of 2010 and 20.5% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Overall revenue dropped 6%, compared to an 8% drop in the first quarter of the year. The Foreign Press Association in Israel has issued a statement condemning what it sees as a change in Israel Defence Forces policy toward journalists covering West Bank protests against Israel's separation barrier, illegal settlements and land expropriation. The statement followed an attack on three journalists as they covered a protest march near an Israeli settlement built illegally on land belonging to the Palestinian village Beir Ummar. USA outlaws 'libel tourism' in the UK courts United States lawmakers have passed legislation countering the threat to freedom of speech posed by ‘libel tourists’ who use the United Kingdom’s tough libel laws to take action over articles primarily published in the U.S. The SPEECH Act -- Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act -- has been approved by the House of Representatives and will now be signed into law by President Obama in the next 30 days. Thomson Reuters profit down 17% Thomson Reuters Corp. reported lower quarterly profit and revenue that were slightly below Wall Street expectations, but said sales trends pointed to a return to revenue growth this quarter. Underlying operating profit fell 17% to $655-million in the second quarter, and adjusted earnings per share fell to 47 cents from 58 cents a year earlier, the news and data provider said today. Rupert Murdoch to White House: No free news It looks like Rupert Murdoch has finally figured out a way to make the White House pay — literally. The Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal has jacked up the rate it charges the administration’s news clipping service by a jaw-dropping $600,000 per year — and is steering the White House towards a direct deal with News Corp., according to an administration official. It's unclear how News Corp. arrived at the $600,000 figure. What We Can Learn: An Excerpt from Were You Born on the Wrong Continent? Americans may believe the United States is set up for the middle class, and Europe is set up for the bourgeois. Or let’s put it this way: America is a great place to buy kitty litter at Wal-Mart and relatively cheap gas. But it is not designed for me, a professional without a lot of money. That’s who Europe is for: people like me. Or, more accurately, for people like my clients, or those who used to be my clients before the unions in America collapsed. Bloodletting in U.S. newspaper industry slows to a trickle After several years of bloodletting, the hemorrhaging appears to have been stanched in the U.S. newspaper industry. Major publishing companies are showing some of the first signs of improvement in advertising revenue since the economic downturn in 2007. The numbers are still decreasing, but the declines are levelling off, as auto makers, financial institutions and luxury retailers have begun to spend more on print campaigns. Revenue, profits increase at Torstar Executives are pleased with results, but cautious on outlook Torstar Corp. recorded higher revenues and profits in its latest quarter, thanks to the economic recovery and cost-cutting measures, the company said Wednesday. Revenue was $376.5 million for the second quarter ended June 30, up $2.8 million compared with the second quarter of 2009. Net income was $22.7 million, or 29 cents a share, up from a loss of $4.4 million, or 6 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. Stockton 'Record' Says Paywall a Success So Far The Record in Stockton, Calif., is one paper already finding success in the great paywall experiment. Publisher Roger Coover, who is also president of the Record's parent company, the San Joaquin Media Group, said his newspaper’s expected loss of online visitors has been lower than projected. The Record figured it would lose half its viewership online and unique users, but has lost just between 30% and 35% of its page views and only a quarter of its unique users. Study: Newspapers Sink Below Internet and TV as Information Sources Newspapers continue to be seen as less important at their primary job -- being sources of information -- according to the latest edition of the nine-year-old Digital Future Project from the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. The study found that just 56% Internet users ranked newspapers as important or very important sources of information for them, down from 60% in 2008 and below the internet (78%) and television (68%).
Why WikiLeaks turned to the press That WikiLeaks went to the press with the Afghanistan war logs shows old-fashioned news organizations still have a role to play. WikiLeaks, with its singleminded focus on casting about for whistleblowers and protecting their identities, can obtain material that eludes established news organisations. And professional journalists can vet, make sense of and impart credibility to that material in ways that not all new-media ventures (at least not WikiLeaks) can. Leaked files indicate U.S. pays Afghan media to run friendly stories Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has been paying local media outlets to run friendly stories. Several reports show that local Afghan radio stations were under contract to air content produced by the United States. Others show U.S. military personnel apparently referring to Afghan reporters as "our journalists" and directing them in how to do their jobs.
The justice Department in the Obama administration has been even more aggressive in pursuing leaks than it was under George W. Bush, who accused journalists of aiding and abetting America’s enemies. But as Newsweek reporter Jonathan Alter wrote, "leaks offended Obama’s sense of discipline and reminded him of everything he disliked about the capital. He was fearsome on the subject, which seemed to bring out his controlling nature to an even greater degree than usual.” Examiner finds fraud evidence in Tribune sale An examiner probing Sam Zell’s buyout of the Tribune Co. in late 2007 has found evidence of “dishonesty” in the deal’s latter stages, a conclusion that could throw the company’s 20-month-old bankruptcy case into turmoil. The examiner concluded that it is “somewhat likely that a court would conclude” fraud took place and added that Tribune managers “did not act forthrightly in procuring the solvency opinion" issued by an outsider advisory firm. Sen. Franken to the Netroots: Only You Can Stop a Corporate Takeover of Free Speech Over the weekend, Sen. Al Franken (D.-Minn.) made the corporate takeover of our media, and the government's acquiescence to these corporations, frighteningly clear. Franken told more than 2,000 bloggers and organizers attending the Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas that our media system is at risk, adding: "Tonight I want to tell you that I believe Net Neutrality is the First Amendment issue of our time." New ABC Publisher’s Statement Will Count ‘Branded Editions’ and Nonpaid ‘Verified’ Circulations The Audit Bureau of Circulations' board has approved sweeping changes in the way newspapers report circulation that can result in double- or triple-counting. Among the changes: Newspapers that publish in many forms -- print, mobile, e-readers, etc. -- may be able to count one subscriber multiple times. ABC’s board also approved new reporting and qualifying standards for so-called hybrid and bundled subscriptions.
Impact of 'death tax' on rich is not the only issue Since it is impossible for the wealthy to spend their monstrous incomes, the wealth of the wealthy continues to grow; the inequality expands; and people cannot find work because the masses do not have sufficient income to keep the economy booming. Make no mistake. The deceased do not pay taxes! It is those who inherit that pay the taxes on their inheritance. Are Hyperlocals Replacing Traditional Newspapers? All politics may be local, but apparently not enough journalism is. As newspapers keep cutting back on staff and printing skimpier editions, journalists, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens have responded by creating websites to cover the local news they feel is going underreported. Many are producing "good" content, some good enough to give traditional journalism a run for its money -- sometimes literally. Survey: Half of Journalists Think Their Offline Publications Will Eventually Fold According to the Oriella Digital Journalism Report, journalists’ attitudes towards the current state of the media is rather bleak. In addition to over half of them predicting the downfall of their offline publications, one quarter believes that media in general, whether on- or off-line, will shrink significantly. When in Doubt, Keep Them Out: Media Access is Key to Accountability in the Gulf It is clear that obstacles to reporting on the Gulf oil spill remain, despite repeated statements to the contrary by BP and Unified Command. Confusion on the part of authorities and a lack of consistency by the Unified Command’s Joint Information Center has often made it difficult for journalists to do their jobs. Even more disturbing is the pervasive culture of secrecy and hostility toward the press: the default position seems to be, “when in doubt, keep them out.” Media Gave Blacks "Little Attention" in '09 "As a group, African Americans attracted relatively little attention in the U.S. mainstream news media during the first year of Barack Obama's presidency—and what coverage there was tended to focus more on specific episodes than on examining how broader issues and trends affected the lives of blacks generally, according to a year-long study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and its Social and Demographic Trends Project," the Pew center reported on Monday. A Q&A with Gannett’s Kate Marymont Kate Marymont, Vice President/News at Gannett’s community publishing division, says the company doesn't know how many jobs will be eliminated by its centralization of layout and copy-editing over the next two years. But, she adds, "Our goal is to preserve the individuality of newspapers. Gannett has long stressed the importance of a newspaper reflecting the personality of the community it serves." Le Monde is France’s “journal de reference,” where you go not for news but for an opinion on the news: profound reflections in weighty prose. But, like the printed press everywhere, it’s losing readers fast, from 406,000 nine years ago to 288,000 last year. Earlier this year offers were invited to bail it out, and a battle for the privilege of pouring yet more millions into the ailing newspaper, which is 26% state-owned, has ensued. With the simultaneous release of the same news story by three different media organizations in different countries, we’ve got almost a lab-quality case study here of how different national news organizations frame the news differently. Why did The Guardian headline civilian casualties while the Times chose to talk about the U.S. relationship with Pakistan? And what do these differences say about how the rest of the world sees the U.S. military adventure in Afghanistan? 'Data journalism' scores a massive hit with Wikileaks revelations Critics of the Wikileaks revelations about the conduct of the war in Afghanistan have attacked the leak from two contradictory positions. There's the Pentagon/White House line that the material threatens national security and puts soldiers' lives at risk. And then there's the view that the material isn't up to much (example: The Spectator blog posting, Few smoking guns in these leaks). They can't both be right. But they can both be wrong. We've seen no more Ann Arbors as the dotcom replacement for the newspaper remains a work in progress At its first anniversary as a (mostly) on-line newspaper, AnnArbor.com boasts of a steady growth in Web traffic -- 209,000 unique visitors per week, up from 115,000 in August shortly after the launch -- growth in online ad sales and "as much or more reach in the marketplace than the News had." But the successor to the Ann Arbor News won't say if it is financially viable, with owner Advance Publications saying the information is proprietary. Fees for online news yet to succeed Top technology and media executives wrapped up a three-day conference in Aspen, Colorado, during which they grappled with -- and left unresolved -- the question of whether readers will pay for news online. Firmly in the paid camp was News Corp.'s head of digital operations Jon Miller who said charging online readers is a notion that has been "accepted at a variety of levels," but plenty of others disagreed. A new journalism on the horizon How good have we been, honestly, at telling the truth to the powerful? When a crisis blows up, or a problem of deep complexity has to be confronted, few reporters have the specialist knowledge or time to really confront government, or a company. Further, the daily competition for newness -- always on to the next story, the next headline -- means the media's attention span has been limited. But the next media age may be differently configured. Netroots-Labor Solidarity: A Work in Progress Many unions have been slow to adopt social media technology and haven't shown the openness to bloggers that many bloggers demand. Political differences remain between the two camps, highlighted most clearly when prominent blogger Matt Stoller was physically removed from a meeting at the AFL CIO for making a scene over the refusal of the Communication Workers of America to support net neutrality. But things are slowly changing. 'Majority of UK web users won't pay for online content' A new research report finds that 81% of United Kingdom web users would rather go elsewhere for content online if a frequently used free site started charging for content. Instead, almost 75% of UK web users prefer online advertising in exchange for free or lower content costs, while 48% are willing to allow their personal profile data to be tracked, although concerns over online privacy and security remain. Tribune cuts bonuses under proposed incentive plan Creditor and union pressure has prompted bankrupt Tribune Co. to cut back bonuses it would pay under a proposed management incentive plan. In a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, Tribune raised performance targets and trimmed potential bonus payments for almost 700 operating managers. The company also raised performance targets for top executives, but potential bonus payments remain the same. Netroots Nation: Freelance Workers of the World, Unite “Electronic sweatshops” -- in which workers are expected to put in 16-hour days -- are just one part of what independent professional workers endure today, and the union movement needs to create new models to reach out to this rapidly growing workforce. “Freelancers of the World, Unite!” an afternoon panel at the Netroots Nation conference, explored how media and other major corporations exploit “self-contracted” workers and how unions should reach out to them. Here’s a Twist: At Canwest, Newspaper Revenue Grew While Digital Shrank In its final fiscal quarter and under bankruptcy protection, Canwest Limited Partnership, publisher of the largest chain of English-language dailies in Canada, grew overall revenue on the strength of newspaper print advertising, which offset a decline in digital media, its new owner reported Thursday. Remarkably, the Canwest newspapers -- including titles such as the National Post and Vancouver Sun -- reported revenue that were up 1%, while digital media revenue decreased 16%. What It's Really Like To Be A Copy Editor The word is douche bag. Douche space bag. People will insist that it’s one closed-up word—douchebag—but they are wrong. I know this because, during my three-plus years as a copy editor, I had this argument many, many times. I never had a personal investment in that space between the words, but as part of my job, it was my duty to point out that it should exist. It was a job that suited my tendency to worry about details, but one that also forced me to engage in unexpectedly absurd conversations. Postmedia raring to go, Godfrey says Canada’s largest publisher of paid English-language daily newspapers says it plans to move swiftly to implement strategies to make the former Canwest Limited Partnership assets more competitive. Postmedia Network Inc., the company that now owns the National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Vancouver Sun and eight other daily newspapers, said it plans to take a close look at its union contracts in western Canada, among other things. Forecast: Joblessness to stay high for up to 11 years Depending on which path the economy takes -- the high growth of the mid-1990s, moderate growth or little growth -- joblessness could stay high for up to 11 years, a new study for the Center for Economic Policy and Research says. “Right now, we may be looking at a double-dip recession if we don’t continue to stimulate the economy,” said Sen. Al Franken, adding that this would mirror what happened in the Great Depression. Cell phone safety advocates call on FCC, FDA to update rules, radiation standards As concerns rise over the potential health risks posed by cellphone radiation, advocates of cell phone safety are urging federal regulators to do more to protect users of wireless gadgets. In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, the American Association for Cell Phone Safety wrote that federal health and communications regulators are relying on outdated standards to evaluate phone safety. It's time to clear the blog fog The Lapps have at least 50 words for snow. Yet we have only one word for bloggers. Clearly, we are doing something wrong. "Blogger" encompasses myriad online writers. There is the guy in his pajamas pounding out personal thoughts from his basement; a person who has created his or her own website to report on events; a one-person diary; sites where a group of people weigh in; and a person writing for an established news organization. Right-Wing Assault Reiterates Need for Gatekeepers The firing of Agriculture Department staffer Shirley Sherrod — over racial remarks that were taken out of context — raises judgment questions not only about the Obama administration and the NAACP, whose president is a former journalist, but about the news media. The need for unsloppy journalism couldn't be clearer in an era when right-wingers with an agenda have set their targets on the news media and come back with victories obtained by questionable means. Welcome to the freelance economy, where workers are atomized, badly compensated and strangely optimistic. The larger social impact of freelancing has been well documented, but what is missing is an understanding of those businesses that encourage or are enriched by the new “gig” economy. We tend not to think of these businesses collectively as an industry, but we should. From consultants to self-help book authors to the rise of “co-workplaces,” which provide freelancers with social interaction, an industry has developed that serves as both freelance cheerleader and parasite. In Suprise, FCC Defends Loosened Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rules -- But Copps Vows Tighter Ban In a surprise move, the Democrat-controlled Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday defended changes to media cross-ownership rules adopted in the George W. Bush administration that loosened somewhat the ban on same-market common ownership of a newspaper and broadcast station. But a fellow Democrat on the commission, Michael Copps, immediately attacked the official FCC position -- and vowed to return to a more strict ban on cross-ownership. Times Co. Posts Operating Profit Gain The New York Times Company reported on Thursday that its second-quarter profit declined 18% compared with results in the period a year earlier, when it recorded a tax benefit. But on an operating basis, profit more than doubled, as operating costs fell 4.3%. Circulation revenue grew, and a double-digit increase in digital advertising helped offset a decline in print advertising. Writers Explain What It's Like Toiling on the Content Farm What's it like to be a "content creator," one of those who toil for the "content farms" that now mark journalism's frontier? "I was completely aware that I was writing crap," said one. "I was like, 'I hope to God people don't read my advice on how to make gin at home because they'll probably poison themselves.'" Indeed, the work is so dicey the successful writers I interviewed made great efforts to conceal their identities while working for the content farm.
A phalanx of wildly popular and reactionary radio talk show hosts now use "socialism" as a catch-all term to condemn any policy that strengthens the social welfare function of the state. Oddly enough, however, right-wing fears about socialism are not completely unfounded. Polls show that 29% of the American public views socialism in a positive light and 37% considers it superior to capitalism -- and the numbers rise to 43% among those between 18 and 30 years old. HuffPo Inches Closer to Goal of Becoming Internet Newspaper Last summer, when the Huffington Post was prepping the launches of its sports, tech and books sections, Arianna Huffington told me -- and anyone who would listen -- that her goal for HuffPo all along had been to create an Internet newspaper. “We always knew that with our core values of news and opinion and community, we wanted to cover more than just politics,” Huffington said. On Wednesday, Huffington inched even closer, launching a travel section. Journal Communications reports $8.1M profit in 2Q Journal Communications Inc. will give almost all its employees a 2% bonus this month and reinstate its 401(k) matching next year as a reward for favorable earnings last quarter, the media company said Wednesday. The one-time cash bonus, which will cost $1.6 million, applies to employees who had taken a previous cut in their base pay. Guild members last year approved a 6.6% pay cut in exchange for 10 more paid days off, as well as a short-term guarantee of no layoffs. Democracy Depends on Diverse Media, Senators Say A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski today, reminding him that the Senate continues to be concerned about the dangers of media consolidation. Sens. Byron Dorgan, Maria Cantwell and Olympia Snowe urged Chairman Genachowski to avoid the missteps of previous FCC chairmen, and to ensure that the public’s access to diverse, competing, local and accountable media outlets remains protected. On Our Third Birthday, Some Thoughts On Digital Media And The Future Of The Newspaper Business We continue to be amazed at the vague-but-positive noises about the "transition to digital" that emanate from the mouths of newspaper bosses. After five disastrous years, newspaper bosses are finally acknowledging that the industry is going through a rough time, but they still aren't being fully forthright with their employees about the employees' long-term employment prospects. Whatever the reason, newspaper folks deserve to know just how challenging their futures are. Journal Communications in Q2: Publishing Losses, Broadcasting Gains Journal Communications Inc., publisher of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, on Wednesday joined the ranks of those reporting mostly positive year-over-year results for Q2, with the expected mixed news from the publishing segment. The company reported $104.4 million in revenue from continuing operations, a very slight increase of 0.1% compared to $104.3 million in Q2 2009, but its publishing segment revenue was down 4.1%, to $47.4 million. Legal bills mount for Conrad Black after insurance runs dry Conrad Black will be a free man as early as Wednesday after a Chicago judge sets the conditions of his bail at a morning hearing, but his release will be overshadowed by costly and extensive legal battles that remain to be fought. But unlike the legal skirmishes that followed his ouster from his newspaper conglomerate, Hollinger International Inc., in 2003, he is now paying the legal bills himself.
Why Is the Public Down on Unions? Americans have expressed generally positive attitudes toward unions for as long as pollsters have been asking, and for decades public approval of labor unions has hovered around 60%. But starting in 2009 public opinion toward labor unions dropped precipitously. Why? Much of the answer is that the public is angry about the weak economy and is blaming every major economic institution in sight, including business, government -- and organized labor. Move Over, Climate Change Deniers Make room for a new right-wing assault on scientific research. Until a few decades ago, epidemiologists saw a simple and straightforward relationship between wealth and health: the wealthier a society, the healthier its people. Then a 1979 paper introduced a new factor into this simple equation: people who live in more equal societies, the paper reported, appear to enjoy better health than people who live in more unequal societies. Now those who benefit from that inequality are launching a bitter counterattack. Forecasts Improve, But Not For Newspapers The rising tide doesn't necessarily lift all boats, especially if they've sprung a leak. That seems to be the message behind the recent advertising forecast updates from ZenithOptimedia and Magna Global, which predicts newspapers will suffer further losses over the next few years. Magazines will eventually rebound, according to ZenithOptimedia, but the trend line for newspapers unmistakably suggests a long-term -- indeed, terminal -- decline. Senate backs libel help for US writers abroad The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill to protect American authors, journalists and publishers from foreign libel judgments that undermine the United States' guarantee of free speech. The voice vote sent the bill to the House for final action. U.S. federal courts would be prevented from recognizing or enforcing a foreign judgment for defamation that is inconsistent with the free speech guarantee in the U.S. Constitution.
The Root of Economic Fragility and Political Anger We’re back to the same ominous trend as before the Great Recession: a larger and larger share of total income going to the very top while the vast middle class continues to lose ground. And as long as this trend continues, we can’t get out of the shadow of the Great Recession. When most of the gains from economic growth go to a small sliver of Americans at the top, the rest don’t have enough purchasing power to buy what the economy is capable of producing. Later this month, the New York City Industrial Development Agency will consider a lucrative subsidy package for Thomson Reuters, a multimedia news and information provider. Meanwhile, despite recent reports of an improving unemployment rate, 385,000 New Yorkers are still jobless while the city is slashing critical services for its poorest residents. Why is a profitable firm up for tax breaks when there’s no guarantee the subsidy will create jobs for those who need them most? Gunmen murder Greek investigative journalist Socratis Giolas The murder of a prominent investigative reporter on the doorstep of his home in Athens sent shockwaves through Greece tonight as it emerged that a terrorist group was behind the assassination. Socratis Giolas died almost instantly as masked gunmen shot him 16 times in front of his wife, who is expecting their second child. She said her husband had been lured to the front door by an anonymous telephone call. After spraying him with bullets the assailants sped off in a stolen car. Your Guide to Next Generation 'Content Farms' As traditional news outlets continue to lay off journalists, a new generation of companies is betting big on online content. Their approaches differ significantly, but are all built on the common premise that for online content to be profitable, it has to be produced at a truly massive scale. The proliferation of these so-called "content farms" has raised the ire of journalists and pundits alike. Here's a look at four of them. A federal appeals court granted Conrad Black bail on Monday while it re-considers his convictions in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last month. The ruling means Lord Black could be released within days from the Florida prison where he has been for more than two years once a lower court judge sets the bail conditions. While the appeal court did not release reasons for its decision, legal analysts said it is an indication his convictions could be reversed. How the Journal Sentinel went public, leaving the company – and its workers – with disastrously devalued stock. Between 1937 and 2002, shares in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-- owned by the newspaper's employees -- produced an average annual total return of 15%. “Anyone who worked for the company for 35 years, and bought the stock, had a lavish retirement,” says one such beneficiary, who retired in 1995 with more than $70 for every $1 he had invested. Then the company went public -- and by 2008 The Motley Fool was calling it one of “the 5 worst stocks in the world.” Help-wanted Classified Revenue Actually Turns Positive as Lee Enterprises Swings to Q3 Profit Lee Enterprises Inc. reported a profit for its third fiscal quarter ended June 27 on ad revenue that remained stubbornly on the decline even as it improved from the year-ago quarter. And for the first time since 2007, Lee reported a year-over-year increase in help-wanted classified ad revenue. All other classified categories were down compared to the year-ago period, although only real estate had a double-digit percentage decline. Are Bloggers Journalists? Judge Says, Don’t Confuse “New Media” with “News Media" The breadth of shield laws, which were established to protect journalists from being required to turn over their sources or other information gathered as the result of the newsgathering process, has become an increasingly controversial topic with courts often handing down competing opinions. Because the laws vary from state to state and no federal shield law exists, a deceivingly simple question remains unanswered: Is a blogger a journalist? Journalist Sokratis Giolias gunned down in Greece A Greek investigative journalist has been shot dead outside his home in Athens in an attack linked by police to leftist militants. According to colleagues, he had been about to publish the results of an investigation into corruption. Police, who initially discounted the idea that leftist militants might have killed Sokratis Giolias, 37, said ballistics tests tied the killers' guns to previous attacks by the Sect of Revolutionaries. New paywall costs the Times 66% of its internet readership The London Times newspaper’s website has lost two-thirds of its audience following the implementation of a paywall, according to data published yesterday – a dramatic decline, but not as steep as many had forecast. The drop may have been softened by an introductory charge of one pound for the first 30 days, but owner Rupert Murdoch aims eventually to charge one pound per day for access to the site or two pounds per week. As of 2009, in the US market, print represented 12% of time spent but still 26% of advertising spending, and those numbers are falling pretty fast. The internet shows a symmetrical pattern: 28% of time spent but only 13% in ads spending (both growing fast). For news medias, seizing up this opportunity means transferring know-how and content to the internet in the most effective way. This means developing services and applications offering top level speed and design.
In a World of Online News, Burnout Starts Younger This is the state of the media business these days: frantic and fatigued. Young journalists who once dreamed of trotting the globe in pursuit of a story are instead shackled to their computers, where they try to eke out a fresh thought or be first to report even the smallest nugget of news -- anything that will impress Google algorithms and draw readers their way. And few are as frenetic as Politico, whose editors prefer the euphemism "high metabolism." The Mail's online miracle: or how to get paid without a paywall There is no rule that says online papers must play print's little brother. On the contrary, the most successful ones are more like inspired riffs on a print theme. Nor is there a rule that says big print sellers carry the same clout when they transfer to screen. The debate is always black and white: put up a paywall or lose money. But the Daily Mail's website is getting so big it needn't do either. The Retirement Nightmare: Half of Americans Have Less Than $2,000 Banked for Their Golden Years With declining earnings and a culture of borrow-and-consume, America's workers face a future of uncertainty and little money to pay for their retirement. One group that's ahead of the curve? Freelancers, says Sara Horowitz, executive director of the nonprofit Freelancers Union, who explains, "I think freelancers will actually be better off in many ways than traditional workers, because a future without a safety net has been their reality for the last 25 years." Gene Weingarten column mentions Lady Gaga. My biggest beef with the New Newsroom is what has happened to headlines. The only really creative opportunity copy editors had was writing headlines, and they took it seriously. This gave the American press some brilliant and memorable moments, including this one, when the Senate failed to convict President Clinton: CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR; and this one, when a meteor missed Earth: KISS YOUR ASTEROID GOODBYE. Are Newspapers Sticking to a Premium Strategy Amid Digital Disruption? Six months into 2010, this is shaping up to be a better year for newspapers. One might be cheered simply by the pace and scope of experimentation in 2010 -- but it's unclear that the industry is sending readers and advertisers a clear signal of what newspapers are changing into. Or, for that matter, that the execs know themselves where they are headed. In that frame of mind, I was struck by a recent article in McKinsey Quarterly titled "When companies underestimate low-cost rivals." Unions start big political push The AFL-CIO and approximately 170 other progressive groups have joined in a grand coalition, “One Nation Working Together,” to push a progressive agenda this fall -- even when the Obama administration doesn’t. They've started by sending members out to worksites with flyers about labor’s positions on key economic issues, such an unemployment benefits and the stimulus law, along with lawmakers’ voting records. Pension questions put newspaper union contracts on hold The new owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer have decided to hold off finalizing any pending union contracts until they can determine what they might owe in pension liabilities. Of concern are expected claims by employee pension funds for a portion of fund shortfalls that will be triggered by the new owners' withdrawal from those funds, an action already approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. It has been estimated that the shortfalls could be in excess of $174 million. An open letter on the value of Design We read with concern this week’s announcement of Gannett’s plans for regional hubs to build pages for many of their newspapers. As leaders of the Society for News Design, we would like to challenge some assumptions at the core of this (and similar) plans, as well as offer some ideas to consider at this critical time. Creativity should be a driver -- not a casualty -- of the publication evolution. Academics measure new media (again) by old-media yardstick If you’re studying whether citizens could “replace” old media, you need to look at the full citizen effort. The cliché of bad comparisons is that you’re comparing apples to oranges. This is more like comparing an apple to a grape. A grape will never replace an apple. But a bunch of grapes might provide similar or more nutrition, even if one makes a better pie and the other better wine. ‘Hot News’ And News Organizations: Rights and Responsibilities Another legal decision in the closely watched so-called “hot news” case pitting stock research firms against an online aggregator could come as early as this month. Lawrence R. Robins, an attorney with Finnegan specializing in intellectual property, breaks down the background and what the decision could do for newspapers -- and force them do -- in protecting the value of their newsgathering. Gannett's 2Q profit jumps as ad slump eases Gannett Co., the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, says its second-quarter profit more than doubled as the industry's advertising slump eased. Gannett says it earned $195.5 million, or 81 cents per share, for the three months ended June 27. That's up from $70.5 million, or 30 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, it says it earned 61 cents per share. That beats analysts' forecast of 53 cents per share.
Newsonomics of the dead cat bounce I could call this post “The Newsonomics of newspaper quarterly earnings reports,” but much better is the story of the moment: How much will newspaper companies tout -- and how will the reduced-but-remaining corps of those who cover the industry report -- how positive their dead cat bounce is. “Dead cat bounce” is a phrase you hear, confidentially, from some newspaper executives. It’s an old Wall Street term, observing that even long-declining stocks will bounce a bit sometimes. Flotilla journalists to sue Israel A group of journalists has announced that it plans to sue Israel over its deadly raid on a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip in May. Lawyers have already begun preparing lawsuits in several European countries, according to several of the journalists, who met in Istanbul on Wednesday. The group accused Israel of violating international law. One of the nine people killed on board the Mavi Marmara, the main ship, was Cevdet Kulclar, a Turkish journalist. Life after journalism: It does exist As traditional media models struggle and audiences look to alternative news sources, more reporters are entering the business world. Many have qualities that make them good entrepreneurs, say experts. “They’re researchers,” says Ed Rogoff, director of the Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business. “And there is a lot of evidence that people who ask questions and wait for answers are good salespeople.” Canwest reports solid return to profit in Q3 Canwest Global Communications Corp. reported a solid return to profit in its third quarter results on Thursday, thanks to rising revenues in both its publishing and television operating segments. For the period ended May 31, Canwest earned $16-million in net earnings (9 cents a share) compared with a loss of $111-million (62 cents) in the same period last year. The judge in the Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy said there's no way to avoid arguments about the media conglomerate's 2007 leveraged buyout at a hearing on whether to confirm its reorganization plan. But Judge Kevin Carey indicated that he will not hold a full-blown trial on buyout-related claims at the confirmation hearing, which is set to begin Aug. 30. He added that issues surrounding the buyout could become clearer after an independent examiner submits his report, due by July 26. From Jail, Conrad Black Fights $71 Million Tax Bill Imprisoned former media baron Conrad M. Black is fighting a $71 million bill from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which says from 1998 to 2003 he filed no tax returns and paid absolutely nothing on $120 million in taxable income. Black, now serving a six-and-a-half-year-sentence in a Florida federal prison, is challenging the IRS' demands and asserting the income in question wasn't taxable in the U.S. Gannett to consolidate newspaper design in Louisville, four other locations Between 75 and 100 positions in management, newspaper layout and page design will come to The Courier-Journal as early as next year as the media company's parent, Gannett Co. Inc., consolidates design production for 78 newspapers at five new hubs nationwide. In all, daily design for 21 newspapers, including The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Indianapolis Star, will be consolidated in Louisville. BBC Unveils Original U.S. News Site At a time when many newsrooms are contracting or consolidating, the BBC is growing its editorial operations with an original news site aimed at the American audience. Launching Thursday, BBC.com will feature U.S.-focused articles on politics and general news to be produced by a staff of around 10 journalists based in the company's Washington bureau. The news team also will be able to tap into BBC's global media presence: 72 bureaus with more than 250 reporters. Gazette to go Web only on Sundays Day Two of Postmedia Network ownership in Canada and the cutting has started, with the Montreal Gazette's announcement that it will cease publishing a print version of the paper on Sundays as of Aug. 8. As Allnutt explains, "In its 22-year existence, the Sunday Gazette has struggled to find significant advertising support to cover the costs of printing and distribution." Online Activists Gather From Around Globe to Jumpstart Labor Movement Sometimes it's hard to understand the importance of an event or an organization when you're involved in it. As a volunteer correspondent for LabourStart.org and a participant in its “Act Now” campaigns, I obviously think LabourStart an important project. But I really didn't really comprehend its potential until I attended the first public LabourStart conference at McMaster University's School of Labour Studies in Hamilton, Ontario. Union Publications Persevere Through Media Crisis—and Deserve to be Celebrated Serving as a judge for the ILCA's annual contest for labor publications recently, I got an inspiring reminder of the various battles that unions are fighting -- and in many cases winning -- nationwide. In a time when the mainstream media are shrinking cataclysmically and labor stories in the mainstream press are becoming rarer and rarer, many union publications are still picking up the slack by telling their own stories and rallying their members and supporters. No News is bad news for Nelson residents It is the burden of the newspaperman to be both obituarist and undertaker when the body on the slab is your own, which is why the Nelson Daily News has put out a call to readers for memories of a journal launched just 15 months after the death of Queen Victoria. The Daily News is one of 10 British Columbia newspapers recently sold to David Black, who then announced he would close four of his new properties, including the Daily News. Its last day will be Friday. Executive Editor Tom Callinan sent a note to employees at The Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday, confirming recent speculation that Gannett is on the verge of launching a nationwide network of newspaper page production hubs. A subsequent blog exchange confirms that the five hubs each will be designing as many as 21 or more newspapers, with speculation that the consolidation will result in the loss of hundreds of jobs chainwide. Good News On the Way from Gannett This Week? Gannett's management, which will report earnings Friday, last month indicated the company's publishing ad revenue would decline by 1% to 7% from the same April-June period last year. If that forecast holds true, it would mark the 14th consecutive quarter of lower publishing ad revenue -- but the company also predicted second-quarter ad revenue at its 23 television stations would increase by more than 20% and online advertising is expected to rise in the 3% to 7% range. Postmedia Network opens new era for newspaper chain Canada's largest big-city newspaper chain is under new ownership and management, and headed in a new direction. Postmedia Network Inc., the organization led by Paul Godfrey and backed by U.S. private-equity player Golden Tree Asset Management among other investors, took full control of the venerable chain Tuesday, announcing the completion of a $1.1-billion transaction with Canwest Global Communications Corp.
Journalism Needs Government Help The idea of public funding for the press stirs deep unease in American culture. To many it seems inconsistent with our strong commitment, embodied in the First Amendment, to having a free press capable of speaking truth to power and to all of us. Yet we trust our great newspapers to collect millions of dollars in advertising from BP while reporting without fear or favor on the company's environmental record. How mobile devices can absolve journalism of its original sin: giving away online content Media outlets are still having a tough time seeing beyond their own dwindling print runs, and it was only three years ago that electronic paper helped incite what has been called the “e-reading revolution.” It’s not much of a revolution yet, but it's increasingly apparent that mobile devices have the potential to offer print journalism a second chance -- another shot at monetizing digital content and ensuring future profitability that was missed during the advent of Web 1.0. We already know, from psychological research, a great deal about power. We know, for instance, that environments where some hold far more power than others can “cause even normal people without any apparent prior psychological problems to become brutal and abusive towards those with low power.” What does that portend for workplaces in which the pay gap between CEOs and their workers grows into an unprecedented chasm? Yep. . . . Colombian journalist denied visa for Harvard fellowship A prominent and controversial Colombian journalist has been denied a visa to enter the U.S. to participate in a prestigious fellowship at Harvard University. The U.S. Embassy ruled journalist Hollman Morris, known for his reports on human rights abuses by right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia, ineligible to enter the United States under the "Terrorist Activities" section of the USA Patriot Act. Journalists-of-Color Groups Consider Joint Conventions The journalist-of-color associations, buffeted by declining convention attendance and membership as the media attempt to cope with recession and technological change, are considering holding joint conventions to cut down on costs. "I have had some talks with the alliance partners and we are scheduling a conference call following the convention cycle to begin formal discussions," Barbara Ciara, president of Unity: Journalists of Color, told Journal-isms. Citizen journalism not making up for loss of local newspapers In the US, traditional newspapers have undergone a period of contraction, with many papers shutting down entirely. This has been especially hard on local news. At the same time, the growth of the internet has fueled hopes that citizen journalism might pick up some of the slack. A survey of citizen journalism sites, however, suggests that we're a long way from replacing what has been lost. N.B. newspaper ordered to name commenter Court decisions to identify those who post a growing trend: law professor A New Brunswick judge has ordered a Moncton newspaper to reveal the identity of an anonymous commenter after the person's online post was considered defamatory by its target. The court order is a part of a growing trend of judges siding with complainants and forcing media companies to turn over the names of people commenting anonymously on its websites, according to a law professor. Rupert Murdoch may be evil, but that doesn't mean his paywall is I wasn't surprised to read that the London Times website's paywall is a horrible thing. Most of the criticism centres around how it won't work: few web users will pay for something they're accustomed to getting for free, particularly when they can still get something very similar for free elsewhere. This prediction of failure is accompanied by rejoicing because it's a Rupert Murdoch idea, so it must, of course, be evil -- but I don't think that everything evil men do is evil. 'Beyond the Killing Fields': Why Journalism Is in a 'State of Chaos' In the past, we have never explained ourselves well to the public. We resent it when citizens raise questions about our stories. As a profession we have been soft and have not challenged our publishers when they sought more fluff. If we want to rehabilitate professional journalism, restore foreign bureaus, raise newsroom standards, then we're in a fight -- on the internet and at newspapers. Business unionism vs workplace democracy There is a general assumption that workplace democracy is achievable through unionization. But this isn’t so. Unionization, in North America at least, doesn’t even create representative democracy in the workplace, much less real participatory democracy. Instead, the focus of “organized labour” has been on wages, hours and safety, and the hierarchical workplace structure has become a given -- indeed, something of an imperative, in the belief it will help businesses thrive and prosper. New NLRB ratifies actions of two-member board "Although we believe that all the administrative, personnel and procurement matters the Board acted on during this time were valid and appropriate . . . we now ratify all actions taken and/or approved by the two‑Member Board between January 1, 2008 and April 5, 2010. This ratification is intended to remove any question that may arise regarding this period during which the Board was reduced to two Members." Labor Losing To D.C. Elites Over Job Creation, Unemployment? Even as the White House and Democratic leaders nominally support extending unemployment benefits, the conventional wisdom they share about the menace of deficits undercuts their ability to rally political support for the needed spending to create jobs or aid the unemployed. This consensus of most Washington elites can have deadly consequences: near-permanent unemployment or underemployment for millions. Inland study reveals decline in newspaper salaries Newspaper industry wages decreased an average of 1.42% from 2009 to 2010, according to the recently released Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey, conducted by the Inland Press Association. Publishers’ base pay declined 2.1% from 2009 to 2010. Editors’ salaries declined 4.6%, while entry-level and experienced reporters saw a decline in the 1% to 2% range. National advertising managers, meanwhile, saw salary increases in the range of 12%. Philadelphia Newspaper Guild negotiators agree to contract terms with wage concessions Union leaders representing reporters, editors and advertising salespeople at the Daily News and Inquirer agreed yesterday to accept 2% wage cuts and 10 unpaid furlough days after new owners take over in a pending bankruptcy reorganization. If approved by the union membership of about 515 full- and part-time workers, the Newspaper Guild would be among the first of the papers' 14 bargaining units to agree to contract terms with the new owners. Papers to website: stop quoting our stories. Website to papers: you'll be the loser Three US newspaper chains have demanded that a popular political website stop quoting from their papers, claiming that the site is guilty of a "flagrant and persistent theft of our clients' intellectual property." The "cease and desist" letter cites several specific alleged violations of the federal copyright act, referring to them as "wholesale and unjustified" use of news content and further claims that the use violates "common law doctrine of hot news misappropriation." Citizen Journalism v. Legacy News: The Battle for News Supremacy A team of researchers says that even the top 60 citizen websites and bloggers are not filling the information shortfall that has resulted from cutbacks in traditional media. “While many of the blogs and citizen journalism sites have done very interesting and positive things, they are not even close to providing the level of coverage that even financially stressed news organizations do today,” said Margaret Duffy, associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Newspaper stocks lag despite dramatic rebound The good news for the battered publishing sector is that publicly held newspaper shares rose by an average of 332% in the 12 months ended on June 30 – handily surpassing the 12% gain in the same period of the Standard & Poor’s average of 500 stocks. But the bad news for investors who loyally clung to their shares for the last five years is that their holdings at the close of trading on June 30 were worth an average of 81% less than they were on the same date in 2005. Former newspaper magnate Conrad Black is seeking bail now that the U.S. Supreme Court has kicked his 2007 fraud conviction back to a lower court. Black's lawyers filed the motion Tuesday in Chicago. That follows a Supreme Court ruling last month weakening the "honest services" law central to his fraud conviction. Black received a 6 1/2 year-sentence for mail fraud and obstruction of justice. We Need More Opinion In News, Not Less The fact is it’s impossible for a human being to write something that isn’t subjective. We aren’t robots, we’re human. At the moment you even chose the topic of your content you’ve made a subjective choice to spend time on that instead of something else. And everything flows from there. All this bullshit about objectivity in journalism is just a trick journalists use to try to gain credibility, and the public eats it up. When Journalists Are Attacked, We’re All Wounded During last month’s G20 Summit in Toronto, Canada, which brought together finance ministers and central bank heads from 20 countries, more than 600 people were rounded up and arrested during peaceful public demonstrations. Among those arrested, and in some cases physically abused, by police were journalists—many of whom were clearly donning the press badges of their affiliated media outlets. 'We're helping to rebuild a profession': Hyperlocal network founder aims for 3,000 sites Last week the New York Times withdrew from its hyperlocal news experiment in New Jersey. The title handed over the audience for its New Jersey branch of the Local to established, independent blog network Baristanet.com, carefully reminding onlookers that this had been an experiment, a test of what the Times could do at district level. Meanwhile, new kid on the block MainStreetConnect, launched in March, has set-up nine sites and is growing rapidly. Objectivity as a Form of Persuasion: A Few Notes for Marcus Brauchli What editors and news executives should worry about is whether the news accounts delivered to users are well grounded in reporting. That’s the value added. That’s the sign of seriousness. That’s the journalism part. Original reporting and the discipline of verification -- meaning, the account holds up under scrutiny -- should be strict priorities. Whether the composer of the account has a view, comes to a conclusion or speaks with attitude is far less important. ProPublica Photographer: I Was Followed by BP Security and Then Detained by Police The BP security guard asked for my personal information and I declined because he is a corporate security guard and I had already given it to the police. Then the BP security guard asked Officer Krietemeyer for my information, which he gave him. I protested and asked on what legal grounds could the police officer share my information with BP? I was never on BP property. They told me it was standard procedure and I told them I didn't agree with it and didn't understand what legal authority they had to share that information. Q&A with veteran labor organizer Stewart J. Acuff There are two kinds of power: The first is lots of organized money. That is the kind of power the Financial Elite have used to bring the rest of us to our knees. The other is lots of people: organized, mobilized, united, and taking action. The economic history of the 20th century is crystal clear. When unions were strong, working people had the lion's share of income and the economy worked well. When unions were weakened, we have seen the Financial Elite take over and run the economy into the ground. On the Road to a Jobless Recovery Democrats and unions fail to make job creation a national priority. Despite union lobbying for federal aid for the jobless,unions for the most part do not organize their own unemployed former members as a protest force. Both community organizations and the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate, Working America (with nearly 3 million members) could also do more to target the unemployed in their organizing. More pressure from the unemployed could counterbalance the right-wing attack on big government and deficit spending. Digital journalism: More work, more pressure but more opportunity Longer hours, more pressure, decreasing quality and less enjoyable work. Old media is a dark, dark place for journalism -- at least that's the mood of many of the 770 journalists in 15 countries who were interviewed for the annual Oriella digital journalism study. But there also are some reasons to be cheerful: 79% of journalists think the quality of their work has remained high and 84% still enjoy their jobs. Time Magazine putting up a paywall to protect print? Check out the current issue of Time Magazine at Time.com. Click around. Notice anything? On almost every story that comes from the magazine, there’s this phrase: “The following is an abridged version of an article that appears in the July 12, 2010 print and iPad editions of TIME.” Curiously, this is a paywall without a door: There appears to be no way to buy access to the magazine from within a web browser. Star Tribune CEO 'optimistic' about staff profit-sharing With the death of print repeatedly foretold, it is something of a man-bites-dog story that the Star Tribune could well be profitable enough this year to give workers a chunk of those profits. But in a memo to employees Monday, Strib CEO Michael Klingensmith said he was "optimistic" workers would receive profit-sharing -- an idea the Newspaper Guild pushed during last year's negotiations over staffing cuts. Content 'Farms': Killing Journalism -- While Making a Killing If you ask most working journalists what they think about Associated Content, Demand Media or AOL’s Seed, you may hear a scoffing sound. "If you want to know how our profession ends, look at Demand Media,” wrote a former WSJ.com reporter. They’re also contributing to declining rates for freelancers, critics say, making it harder to make a living. “This is the journalist as Chinese factory worker,” one noted. “Except for a lot of rural Chinese, the factory is a step up.” At Yahoo, Using Searches to Steer News Coverage Welcome to the era of the algorithm as editor. For as long as hot lead has been used to make metal type, the model for generating news has been top-down: editors determined what information was important and then shared it with the masses. But with the advent of technology that allows media companies to identify what kind of content readers want, that model is becoming inverted, with the latest and perhaps broadest effort yet in democratizing the news now under way at Yahoo. The 'Craigslist Effect' Spreads to Content as Free Work Fills Supply There's a major adjustment going on in the economics of content that underscores an emerging but difficult truth for professional writers. Despite the attention around search specialists such as Demand Media, Associated Content and Examiner, a growing group of sites is betting on something better than cheap content: free content, which can just as easily draw a higher-profile readership as expensive content, as well as high-end advertisers. Tentative deal set to transform Canadian Press news service The Canadian Press, the national news service that began as a way to distribute reports from the front back to Canada during the First World War, has struck a tentative deal that will transform the 93-year-old organization. Faced with mounting financial challenges, the organization is proposing to convert itself to a for-profit company, from an industry co-operative. Under the arrangement, The Canadian Press would be owned by its three largest members. There is no hot news. All news is hot news. The most dangerous defensive tactic parried by legacy news organizations today is their attempt to claim ownership of “hot news” and prevent others from repeating what they gather at their expense for as long as they determine that news is still hot. It is a threat to free speech and the First Amendment and our doctrines of copyright and fair use. It is a threat to news. Independence Day and Independent Journalism This Independence Day we need independent journalism more than ever, as the events leading up to and immediately following the recent resignation of General Stanley McChrystal demonstrate anew. Why was it left to an independent journalist, Michael Hastings, to tell us important facts about our military’s people, practices and policies in Afghanistan -- facts that the mainstream media’s deeply dependent and addicted to access Pentagon and Afghanistan “beat” reporters never would divulge?
Study: Recession Has Hit More than Half of Us Since the recession began 30 months ago, more than half of all adults in the workforce -- 55% -- say that they have either been unemployed, taken a pay cut, had their work hours reduced or have become involuntary part-time workers, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey shows the impact of the recession goes far beyond the 9.5% of the workforce that is unemployed and the 16.5% underemployed. Workers of the World – Cool It! The meeting you probably heard about: At the end of June, leaders from the world’s richest and largest countries met in Toronto, Canada. The meeting you probably didn’t hear about: In Vancouver, Canada, on the other side of the North American continent, representatives of 176 million workers in 156 countries and territories met for the Second World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation. Fewer workers go on strike as organized labor shrinks According to annual tracking by the U.S. Labor Department, 2009 saw just five major strikes or work stoppages involving 1,000 or more employees -- the fewest since the agency began tracking such data in 1947. That continued what has been a long, steady decline. According to Labor Department figures, there were on average 20 major work stoppages a year from 2000 through 2009, down from an average of 35 a year during the 1990s and 83 in the 1980s. Bankruptcy Examiner Gets More Time to Probe Tribune Co. 2007 Going-Private Deal The judge in the Tribune Co. bankruptcy case has given an independent examiner more time to probe the media company's 2007 leveraged buyout. The examiner has said reviewing the buyout, which was led by real estate mogul Sam Zell, has taken more time than expected. The judge on Thursday gave the examiner two more weeks, until July 26, to submit his report, and moved the deadline for creditors to vote on Tribune's reorganization plan to Aug. 6. Fireworks at Journal Register Co: ‘Ben Franklin Project’ Successful at All 18 Dailies All 18 Journal Register Co. dailies published a print newspaper and website content on Sunday July 4 using only free tools available on the internet. The Independence Day editions were the next step in Journal Register’s “Ben Franklin Project,” which began in April when a small daily and a weekly produced newspapers using free social media tools to crowdsource stories or get story ideas and writing and composing stories and ads. Pay Walls Debut at Three Gannett Papers Testing 'Journalism as a Service' Gannett stepped into the world of paid content late last week with what it termed "a small-scale test" at the Tallahassee Democrat, The Greenville (S.C.) News and The (St. George, Utah) Spectrum. The fee for online-only is $9.95 a month; web access bundled with a print subscription varies by market. In Tallahassee, seven-day home delivery (with web access) costs $20. An online day pass costs $2. Study: Newspapers stopped describing waterboarding as 'torture' during Bush years Is waterboarding torture? If you picked up a major U.S. newspaper before 2004, the answer would likely be yes, according to a new Harvard University study. But in the post-9/11 world, when the practice of immobilizing and virtually drowning detainees became a politically charged issue, that straightforward definition grew murky. The study also noted a disparity in how newspapers defined waterboarding when the United States employed the practice versus its use by other nations. Tycoons given go-ahead for financial takeover of Le Monde A trio of tycoons -- including a so-called "porn billionaire" -- has been given the go-ahead to takeover Le Monde, France's paper of record, to save it from bankruptcy. The trio has promised that the newspaper's journalists will retain their editorial freedom, and has announced plans to injection €100m to repay debts and invest in a future dominated by the growth of news and comment over the internet by integrating the paper with its website. |
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