Month: June 2009

The Kindle may or may not be the new newspaper, but Farhad Manjoo at Slate lists some areas that have room for improvement. His biggest point of contention is the way that news on the Kindle is organized — or isn't. While traditional newspapers, and their Web sites, organize news stories by importance and relevance, the Kindle simply lists headlines under categories, without giving the reader a sense of the type of story they're about to read, its size or its importance. That means that reading the newspaper on a Kindle is much more cumbersome and time-consuming. You can read……Continue Reading Organization lacking on the Kindle

Reader's Digest has, alongside many other general interest magazines, seen a worrisome decline in both subscribers and advertising revenue. To combat this trend, the monthly publication is turning its attention to more conservative values. As Mary Berner, chief executive of Reader's Digerst, put it: "I love my family, I love my community, I love my church." The publication is hoping that a shift in focus — away from celebrities and toward the military, for example — will turn its fortunes around. You can read the article on the New York Times website here…….Continue Reading Reader’s Digest shifts to the right

The French government is expanding its initiative to revitalize the newspaper industry by giving papers to young people. Originally, the government was to provide a one-year subscription to 18 year olds, but officials have announced that they will now supply 18-24 year olds with a free paper once a week. The project will cost an estimated 5 million euros per year. Additionally, the government has set aside 20 milllion euros to help the press adapt to the digital age. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….Continue Reading France to give 18-24 year olds free newspapers

When Germany's second largest group of newspapers, WAZ, switched from the German Press Agency (DPA) news service to France's Agence France-Presse, it hoped to cut costs. It saved $2.7 million, but the decision has prompted concern from many in Germany. The Agence France-Presse is subsidized by the French government, while the DPA runs independently. The German news services has said that it is time for its government to assist against the unfair competition from subsizied news sources. You can read the Editors' Weblog Post…….Continue Reading Subsidized news service threatens Germany’s DPA

Adam Reilly at the Boston Phoenix asks what will happen to coverage of the Massachusetts statehouse if the Boston Globe were to close. If the Globe were to close, or if new owners shift priorities, it could take the four journalists currently covering the state house with it. Though there always have been frustrations with getting the media to cover important legislative issues, writes Reilly, today it is even harder to get coverage of anything but a political scandal. You can read the Boston Phoenix article here…….Continue Reading The Globe’s situation could affect statehouse reporting

The Associated Press is set to lower its fees to newspapers again in the coming year. The news agency hopes to supplement its income by renegotiating agreements with websites, including Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. The AP projects that its revenue will continue to fall next year (last year revenue dropped 5 percent). The AP's chief executive said that gaining new license contracts from Web sites is his top priority. You can read the article by the Associated Press here…….Continue Reading AP to revamp its revenue structure

Jack Shafer at Slate remains skeptical about Twitter's news value, even after this week's events in Iran. He pinpoints several weaknesses with Twitter: One is the threat of disinformation published by authoritarian governments, perhaps for international consumption or even designed to lead to the capture of local dissidents. Shafer also responds to Andrew Sullivan's point that the tweets tell "more about the mood than hard fact." Shafer notes, "My appetite for mood is easily sated while my appetite for hard fact isn't. You can read Shafer's article on Slate here…….Continue Reading Shafer questions the value of newsy Tweets

Larry Kramer at the Daily Beast has some advice for how journalists can take advantage of Twitter's sudden boost as a news source. He notes that traditional media are no longer the single source for filtering information. Legacy media need to embrace these new methods of dissemination: "Form matters as much as substance now. News consumers want news on demand and in formats that work for them." You can read the post on the Daily Beast here…….Continue Reading Twitter is not the enemy of legacy media

The European Commission has advised Sweden to reform the subsidies it provides to news media. Unless the country lessens the amount of finanical support, Sweden may face a formal state aid inquiry from the EU. The warning comes after complainants charged that current government policies stifle competition. Sweden has three months to respond to the EU proposals that it place a cap on operatings costs and reduce aid ceilings. You can read the article from the UK's Guardian here…….Continue Reading EU may rebuke Sweden for its aid to media