News and informations about Journalism

Look at the bottom, not the top, of your traffic analytics to boost your website's readership
By Robert Niles: How can you increase your website's traffic by looking at your current website readership data? The answer to that question might seem obvious, but I warn you that too many news publishers approach this question from the wrong direction - and could be hurting their businesses as a result. The obvious answer to the website traffic question appears to be... to look at what's getting the most page views on your site, and to write more articles like those. Don't do that. Why? Chasing traffic by trying to duplicate your most successful content ultimately narrows the focus of your website, as you try to focus on specific topics, features and tone that's drawn visitors in the past, to the exclusion of other stories and styles. It leaves you (or your staff) feeling cynical, coming to believe that your coverage is being driving by chasing traffic instead of chasing the news. Trying to duplicate past success is reactive instead of proactive - and over the long run that too often leads to a dispirited staff producing formulaic, sterile, mechanical work that runs the risk of turning off readers and advertisers. So how can traffic data help you to create a more popular website? Instead of looking at what's attracting eyeballs, flip your analysis around. Focus not on what's working, but what isn't.
Source : www.ojr.org | 03-Feb-2012 21:20

"Haykakan Zhamanak" journalist arrested

Early in the morning, on his way to work, Gevorgyan was surrounded by plainclothes police officers who drove him in an unknown direction, the editorial office of Haykakan Zhamanak informed A1+. Later, Gevorgyan's lawyer Vahe Grigoryan found out that his client was taken to Nubarashen penitentiary institution.

Fassbender saved from shame by GQ journalist

A GQ editor has rushed to defend Michael Fassbender following reports he was kicked out of a showbiz party for drunken behaviour.

Squad 7 - Impressions of Murder

Editor's note: In 1978, Detroit News editors commissioned a story by Elmore Leonard for the Sunday Magazine about Detroit Homicide's felony murder team, Squad 7. News reporter Norman Sinclair introduced Leonard to his Detroit Homicide police sources, and the author ended up spending many weeks following the squad on calls and at police ... (more)

The Times of London investigated over e-mail hacking

A general view of Three Thomas More Square, home to News International, in London, England.

You'd better sit down – stock markets are doing rather well

One of the country's most respected financial journalists and commentators Hamish McRae is an associate editor of The Independent.

1982 Hama massacre looms over Syria revolt

In this In this July 22, 2011 citizen journalism file image made on a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network Syrian anti-regime protesters gather during a rally in al-Assy square in the western city of Hama, Syria.

Insight: Inside Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper clean-up operation

Workers clear a drain at the entrance to News International's newspaper headquarters in Wapping, East London in this November 23, 2011, file photo LONDON - The centre of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper clean-up operation is an unimposing set of offices in a corner of the company's campus in Wapping, east London.

Russia says it will not stop arms sales to Syria

Russia will not stop selling arms to Syria, a top defense official said Thursday, as Moscow stands by its longtime ally despite mounting international condemnation over the Syrian regime's bloody crackdown on a 10-month-old uprising.

Remembering "Soul Train" Conductor Don Cornelius, and the "Hippest Trip in America"

News that Soul Train creator Don Cornelius had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in L.A. on Wednesday morning sparked dozens of artists to remember both him, and the Saturday morning ritual he inspired -- that is, tuning in to Soul Train .

Amanpour'sCNNi Series to Launch in Spring

Christiane Amanpour's new series for CNN International, Amanpour , will launch in the spring, it was announced Wednesday by Tony Maddox, executive VP and managing director for CNNi.

Journalism class gets work published outside of school paper

Zachary High School's journalism class, which produces the school newspaper, Hoofprints, is taught by David Murray.

Palestinian security forces question 2 journalists

Two Palestinian journalists said Wednesday they were detained and questioned by Palestinian security forces, one after mocking the Palestinian leadership and the other after reporting about alleged corruption at a Palestinian diplomatic mission.

Spring Expectations

David Remnick says he has been lucky - 'preposterously lucky' - twice in his professional life: Once when he was posted to Moscow in 1988 as a correspondent for The Washington Post and once when he was made editor of The New Yorker magazine.

US Muslims seek clemency for condemned US-Iranian

' An American Muslim group appealed Tuesday to Iran's supreme leader to show clemency for an ex-U.S. military translator with dual citizenship condemned to death on accusations of being a CIA spy.

Syrians face crackdown with creativity, humor

In this picture taken on Jan. 9, 2012 and released by the citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, anti-Syrian regime protesters, hold a caricature placard shows late Syrian President Hafez Assad the father of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a demonstration, at kfarnebel town in Edleb province, Syria.

Judge set to order journalists to reveal sources

A judge is proposing to order three Fairfax journalists to hand over documents to a Chinese-Australian businesswoman that reveal their sources for a series of stories on her relationship with a federal Labor MP.

It's not the medium - it's the market
By Robert Niles: Newspapers and book publishers could learn some valuable lessons from one another. Unfortunately, it appears that the book industry's going to make the same costly mistakes as the newspaper industry did, instead. I thought again that as I read the New York Times' story about Barnes & Noble from last weekend, The Bookstore's Last Stand. The Times wrote of the publishing industry's hope that Barnes & Noble will be able to stand up to the challenge from Amazon.com, preserving a major retailer where their companies' products are king. Like many struggling businesses, book publishers are cutting costs and trimming work forces. Yes, electronic books are booming, sometimes profitably, but not many publishers want e-books to dominate print books. Amazon’s chief executive, Jeffrey P. Bezos, wants to cut out the middleman — that is, traditional publishers — by publishing e-books directly. Which is why Barnes & Noble, once viewed as the brutal capitalist of the book trade, now seems so crucial to that industry’s future. Sure, you can buy bestsellers at Walmart and potboilers at the supermarket. But in many locales, Barnes & Noble is the only retailer offering a wide selection of books. If something were to happen to Barnes & Noble, if it were merely to scale back its ambitions, Amazon could become even more powerful and — well, the very thought makes publishers queasy. If Barnes & Noble's future is tied to that of the print book publishing houses, then Barnes & Noble is as doomed as Borders, Crown Books and the other brick-and-mortar booksellers that have proceeded it into oblivion. The Nook alone will not save Barnes & Noble's business because the change that is roiling the publishing business today - whether it be for books or for newspapers - is not simply a transition from printed media to digital. It's a transition from a marketplace where information was controlled by a few gatekeepers to one where anyone may offer their content to a mass audience. This isn't about eBooks versus printed books. It's about a book industry where supply is controlled by a few publishing houses or one where supply is opened to all who wish to publish something. In short, it's not the medium; it's the market. If your business model is based upon controlling access to the information marketplace, you're doomed. If your business model is based instead upon enabling and expanding access to the market, you have a chance of succeeding. And that is what has the book industry scared.
Source : www.ojr.org | 01-Feb-2012 07:49

Sam Vaughan, editor and author, dead at age 83

Sam Vaughan, a longtime editor and publisher at Random House and Doubleday who worked with Dwight D. Eisenhower, Duke Ellington and many others has died.

British Spy Story Tailor-Made for an Election Year

In 2006, an expose about British 'spy stones' in a film by pro-Kremlin television journalist Arkady Mamontov set off a media storm.

Brazil prez: Blogger's travel for Cuba to decide

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday that her country acted properly in granting an entry visa to Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, but that it's an internal matter for Cuba as to whether Sanchez is allowed to leave the island.

Jailed Rwandan journalists to hear verdict soon

Rwandan journalists, Agnes Uwimana Nkusi and Saidati Mukakibibi , arrive on January 30, 2012 at Rwanda's Supreme Court for the first day of their appeal in Kigali.

The Daily Shuffle: Ashton Kutcher Blocks Journalists From His Twitter

's Senior Executive Editor have already been victim to the un-following breach, along with several other entertainment journalists in the industry.

Justice MP calls for public prosecutor action

Justice Minister Miltiadis Papaioannou called for the Public Prosecution Office to take action in the wake of comments made by a 58-year-old Thessaloniki businessman and alleged leader of a usury and extortion racket, Skai reported on Tuesday.

Namibian journo sues SWAPO

A Namibian journalist is suing the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation for defamation after the party labelled him a former anti-independence fighter, a court heard on Monday, January 30 ,2012. John Grobler, 48, alleges that in 2009 SWAPO mouthpiece newspaper Namibia Today in an editorial referred to him as an "ex-Koevoet". The Koevoet, ... (more)

Free Press Condemns Occupy Arrests

Free Press, which has been keeping track of journalists detained in connection with the "Occupy" protests, claims that number is pushing 50 with the arrest of six journalists in Oakland, Calif., over the weekend, including broadcast and print journalists, freelancers and those working for organizations, including Mother Jones and KGO Radio.

Cosmo's Helen Gurley Brown is donating $30M to Columbia, Stanford for media institute

Cosmopolitan magazine's longtime editor Helen Gurley Brown is donating $30 million to Stanford and Columbia universities to create a bicoastal media "innovation laboratory." The gift honours Brown's late husband, producer David Brown.

We handicap the best picture Oscar race

In the hours and days following the announcement of the nominations, all we heard was a lot of whining from so-called "Oscar experts" about who got snubbed.

Fear in Somali journalist community after killing

Abdi, a 29-year-old director of a radio station, was a father of three. "Deciding to stay here is so discouraging," Hashi, 23, said Saturday while sitting in a small room at the Shabelle radio station, where Abdi was a reporter.

Fear in Somali journalist community after killing

Journalist Mohamed Bashir Hashi's voice broke with emotion as he read a death threat sent to his mobile phone: "If God wills it, you will be the next apostate to be killed." After gunmen killed Somali journalist Hassan Osman Abdi on Saturday, colleagues and friends said they were too scared to attend his funeral that day, since militants in Somalia ... (more)

Bail for journalists, police in U.K. bribery probe

Four current and former employees of the U.K.'s Sun newspaper and a police officer arrested as part of an investigation into illegal payments to police were granted bail on Sunday, according to media reports.

The United Kingdom has no industry any more : Sneering Sarkozy attacks Britain on French TV

The French President, who is hoping to be re-elected this Spring, used the inflammatory words as he defended a VAT rise during a prime time national TV broadcast.

NT writer loses cancer fight

NORTHERN Territory author, poet, journalist and musical satirist Andrew McMillan died at the weekend after a long illness.

Sudan bans edition of independent newspaper

KHARTOUM: Sudan's security forces prevented an independent newspaper from publishing on Sunday, the first day it had planned to resume work after a four-month ban, its editor said.

Google Provides Links to Journalists' G+ Profile

Google New - which aggregates, clusters and ranks news articles from many sources - recently started including links to the Google+ profiles of journalists.

Syrian military launches offensive to regain control of Damascus suburbs; 3 civilians killed

This citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria purports to show anti-Syrian regime protesters carrying an Arabic banner, front, reading: "hey Homs, we are coming," during a demonstration, at Taftanaz town in Idlib province, Syria, on Friday Jan.

Longtime Pineville mayor and Town Talk newspaper editor among two inducted into Hall of Fame

Michael LaBorde and Joyce LaBorde Cessac talk about the impact their father, the late Adras LaBorde, had on the community during the time he was a newspaperman with The Town Talk.

Arab League halts observer mission in Syria

This citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and released early Friday Jan.

Somalia journalist shot dead in capital

A producer at a Somali radio station says gunmen shot dead the station's director in the chaotic capital, Mogadishu.

NBC Asks Romney to Remove News Material from Ad

NBC asked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday to pull a campaign advertisement made up almost entirely of a 1997 "Nightly News" report on Newt Gingrich's ethics committee reprimand.

Sun staff questioned over payments

Four journalists and a police officer are being questioned over alleged illegal payments after Scotland Yard swooped on the offices of Britain's biggest newspaper.

Book Review: Hella Journalism by Evan Wright

Veteran journalist and author Evan Wright begins Hella Nation by giving a formal repudiation of the categorization of "gonzo" the journalistic genre pioneered and in a sense trademarked by the famous and sadly late Hunter S. Thompson that is a term often used to describe his work. Wright argues to the contrary and asserts that he does his utmost to focus on his stories' subject sake rather than making himself a central and focal part of his writings.

4 arrested in British tabloid bribery probe

British police searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers Saturday after arresting a police officer and three other men as part of an investigation into police bribery by journalists.

Around the Region: Editor Arrested for Pandering, Instructor Charged...

Newspaper Editor Arrested for Pandering - Cartersville Patch Managing editor of theA Cherokee Tribune A since May, local resident Brandon Wilson, 33, was arrested Thursday in Canton.

N. Georgia newspaper editor arrested in prostitution incident

The managing editor of a north Georgia newspaper was fired after being arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute at a Canton hotel, his newspaper, the Cherokee Tribune , reported Friday on its website.

Turkish journalists are very frightened - but we must fight this intimidation | Ece Temelkuran

A journalist's murder and jailing of two others is an attempt to silence the media - but it makes me more determined to speak Including my emotionless "thank you", the phone conversation lasted less than a minute.