Категория: Economics

April 30, 2014 media notes: Internet and journalism business; newspapers and small towns; FCC and net neutrality

4/30/2014

For Wednesday, April 30, 2014, here are some media stories of note:

The challenge of digital journalism remains its unclear business model. Certain sites and organizations have found success, but a consistently sustaining course of business is elusive as a model. The Clark Medal winner for economics, Michael Gentzkow, discusses the Internet-related issues for news, principally how the fixed costs of producing news remain high and how difficult it is to produce original content without a solid business premise. The Internet hasn't changed that.
***
The print-is-dead mantra congests the media discourse and obscures the reality that, in many smaller communities, the newspaper remains vital and thriving. Al Jazeera America examines the sustainable success of the Internet-light, print-heavy communities that continue to value their connections via paper.
***
The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has posted a defence of his organization's approach to so-named net neutrality. Tom Wheeler says the commission is attempting to bring clarity and avoid endless litigation while ensuring consumers have the access to the Internet they do today. Skeptics argue the commission is heading down a path to violate net neutrality, but Wheeler says it's too early to be judgmental about the commission's approach.

April 15, 2014 media notes: Pulitzers, sales, and attention; how journalists dismiss start-ups, those led by women

4/15/2014

For Tuesday, April 15, 2014, here are some media stories of note:

Is there a relationship between winning a Pulitzer Prize and retaining (maybe even growing) newspaper readership? Nate Silver, in his newly refurbished FiveThirtyEight perch, studies the issue and concludes it is difficult to conclude anything about the relationship between quality and sales. Pulitzers are won by larger outfits, but they have seen their readership decline, so it might be a positive that winners have more readers or a negative that winners are losing readers like everyone else.
***
The Pulitzers were awarded Monday, and among the winners was The Guardian, which earned the public service award for its work in reporting on the surveillance leaks from Edward Snowden. The Guardian's Roy Greenslade notes that the conservative British press has not uttered a peep about the victory.
***
There can be something inherent about media dismissing or ignoring other media accomplishments. Digiday's Lucia Moses notes this phenomenon in her examination of the recent wave of journalism start-ups: the publisher haters come out to play. That being said, the focus has been on a handful of start-ups led by men. Ann Friedman, writing for the Columbia Journalism Review, notes 16 female-led start-ups that deserve the same attention.

April 3, 2014 media notes: U.S. journalism revenue down, Turkey unblocks Twitter, Europe enforces net neutrality

4/3/2014

For Thursday, April 3, 2014, here are some media stories of note:

The revenue for U.S. journalism --- that is, the fuel behind its production --- has declined by one-third since 2006. A study by the Pew Research Center quantifies the decline in print, broadcast and online revenue, and it points to a shift toward subscription support of journalism as advertising splinters and finds other places to support. Event hosting and other direct services are growing, but still comprise a very small share of the $63-65 billion in support.
***
The Turkish telecommunications regulator is, at last, unblocking Twitter after two weeks in which the country's users had to find clever technical workarounds to stay active on the social network. The service had been banned as elections loomed, but a court found the move was unconstitutional. YouTube, though, remains blocked and there are indications it will stay that way.
***
The European parliament has passed a series of measures to entrench net neutrality and create a unified mobile market that will eliminate roaming charges on the continent. GigaOm reports the net neutrality provision had been threatened in recent weeks but was refined closer to the vote. The package will be ratified in May at the next sitting of parliament.
***
News industry veteran Alan Mutter, in his latest Reflections of a Newsosaur post, sheds light on the closure of the Thunderdome digital exercise and decision to sell newspapers by Digital First Media. It isn't a failure of the idea, he says, just the wrong backers of the project.

February 13, 2014 media notes: journalists urged to lead Internet debate, news replaces literature, China's news needs

2/13/2014

Here are some media stories of note for Thursday, February 13, 2014:

Michael Copps, a former Federal Communications Commission commissioner, says journalism needs to lead the debate over the future of the Internet. Copps says the Internet, still in its early days, will produce several more revolutionary changes in the news, but "not by continuing down the road it is presently on." He writes an open letter to journalists in the Columbia Journalism Review. Copps argues regulatory moves to widen broadband access and guaranteeing an open Internet are vital to the future of news, and he writes that journalists need to be involved in these decisions. Otherwise, the axiom will hold that decisions without you are usually decisions against you .
***
Lee Siegel, writing for The New Yorker, poses the question: Is the news replacing literature? He cites the recent reprised dispute between Dylan Farrow and Woody Allen over sexual abuse allegations as an example. "Instantaneous news of what happened, or might have happened, has become our art, and, like the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy, we are all part of the swelling roar."
***
Hu Shuli, editor-in-chief of Caixin Media, writes of the challenge of building independent, sustainable journalism in her native China. She notes in the latest Nieman Reports the lack of business acumen and the need for "better company structures and digital know-how" to meet the challenge of developing press that can stand strong. An important priority is for Chinese media to collectively protect intellectual property rights.

media notes 09.03.13

9/3/2013

For Tuesday, September 3, 2013, here are some media stories of note:

Emma Beals, writing from Syria for VICE, reports on the underlying fear among journalists there about kidnappings and danger. She notes that the heightened violence has made reporting there harder, made reporting on the ground nearly impossible, and that journalists are disappearing in increasing numbers in the country.

The new owner of the Washington Post, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, says he hasn't got the answers to what ails the newspaper industry. But he hopes to usher a new "golden age" into the operation with a focus on three things that made Amazon successful: the customer (in this case, the reader), inventiveness and patience. Bezos, who is paying $250 million for the Post, visits it later this week for the first time as owner.

David Carr, in his latest Media Equation column for The New York Times, examines campaign journalism in the Twitter era. He notes the failure of the Mitt Romney campaign and the success of Barack Obama's to deal with Twitter- and Instagram-ready smartphones in the hands of journalists on the trail. Carr concludes the implications for journalism might include fascination with technology at the expense of true reporting.

media notes 09.02.13

9/2/2013

Some media notes for Monday, September 2, 2013:

Rodney Sieh, the publisher and editor-in-chief of FrontPage Africa, writes from jail for The New York Times on the Liberian paper's harsh financial penalty handed down from the court that he could neither pay nor afford to appeal. He looks at the questionable claims of press freedom and democracy in his country, the influence of politics on the courts, and the intimidation of journalists.

The New York Times examines the challenge of reporting in Syria and the shift in this conflict to a stronger dependence on social media to help chronicle events there. A few organizations are in Damascus and elsewhere in Syria, but many are creating partnerships or relying on aggregator sites to help them build a fair picture of the scene.

Margaret Sullivan, the public editor for The New York TImes, reflects on her first year in the role. She believes she's made some progress in listening to readers' concerns and helping the newsroom understand them. She docks herself marks for some of her observations. She wishes she'd had more impact in areas like the use of anonymous sources. And she pledges to pay more attention to newsroom economics and how the Times intends to diversify its revenue through such things as conferences and events involving its journalists.

Felix Salmon, in his latest blog post for Reuters, wonders if there is too much concern and emphasis on identifying and studying the business model in today's journalism. He thinks the proper emphasis is in creating journalism people and advertisers want, even in small measure, to propel reputation, attract creators and advertisers alike, and sustain.

media notes 08.14.13

8/14/2013

Good Wednesday, here are some media stories of note for August 14, 2013:

A study by the Harvard Business School and New York University's Stern School of Business puts a dollar figure on the disruptive economics between 2000 and 2007 of Craigslist for the newspaper business: $5 billion. That is the estimate of how much classified advertising was saved by consumers and theoretically lost by newspapers to the free ads as the print media began its American decline. MediaDailyNews reports on the study, which has likely parallel findings in more recent years.

Spiegel Online notes the arrival of the newspaper crisis in Germany in a six-part series. It chronicles how the readership and advertising problems arrived about a decade later than they did in the United States, but how they are eerily similar in nature. The main challenge, as print declines but still carries much of the business model for newsrooms, is how to transform to digital and reinvent the newspaper to ensure it more sustainably supports digital in the shift.

In light of a lot of whistleblower news recently, it is worthwhile to highlight a Canberra Times account on how Australian civil servants are being warned (and punished when they don't heed the warning) about criticizing government. It highlights a case in the courts involving a civil servant who used an anonymous Twitter account to criticize refugee policies.

media notes 08.09.13

8/9/2013

Good Friday, here are some media stories of note for August 9. 2013:

The Italian media have signed an agreement with the government to help revitalize ailing news publication. The pact, reportedly worth 40 million euros annually, will support development of digital media, prop the distribution system, protect author online rights, and shield worker pensions. The aim is to help media transform, not build state dependence, and many of the measures have very swift implementation targets.

The British Office of National Statistics reports that, for the first time, more than half of adults are using the Internet to receive news. Some 55 per cent reported doing so. The Guardian reported that those 25 to 34 were the highest online users (72%), but nearly half (49%) of those 55 to 64 reported doing so.

TechCrunch, owned by AOL, is reporting that AOL will close some 400 of the Patch.com hyperlocal sites in the next week and that hundreds of employees will lose their jobs (layoffs expected Friday did not materialize, but will be staged over the next several days). Patch CEO Steve Kalin will leave the firm and AOL will take greater charge over the remaining sites.

Howard Finberg, writing for Poynter, examines the challenges for journalism education. Finberg notes that journalism is changing faster than how it is taught, that professionals are less convinced that educators of the value of such education, and that disruptive technology and economics pose new challenges that aren't always being met in schools. His post is adapted from a study he co-wrote with Lauren Klinger, which includes an extensive survey of journalism schools.

media notes 08.06.13

8/6/2013

Good Tuesday, here are some media stories of note for August 6, 2013:

The surprise sale of the Washington Post to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stirred plenty of commentary and speculation, not necessarily in that order. Henry Blodget, the former equity executive who has been one of the most prominent tech bloggers, counts Bezos as an investor in his Business Insider operation, and he has positive things to say and relevant ideas on why Bezos used his own $250 million to enter that element of the media business. He notes the parallels: that news is another form of content, that it already is into delivery services, that news intersects with shopping as you browse other content, and that Amazon is already in the subscription and gadget-related business. David Remnick, a Post alumnus and the editor of The New Yorker, talks to publisher Katherine Weymouth and former executive editor Leonard Downie. And David Carr, the media critic of The New York Times, talks to the vendor, Donald Graham.

Steve Hewlett, writing for The Guardian, pursues the idea that the British government's review of media plurality has the BBC in its crosshairs. He says the government's culture secretary is pretty much acknowledging that the BBC's clout in news is going to be affected by a review that will aim to broaden the range of sources and rein in the larger players.

Last week The New York Times introduced an online feature to permit comments alongside stories, and not just at their conclusion. Now Quartz, the recent entrant into financial journalism, has introduced a feature to permit comments about certain paragraphs. AdWeek reports the feature, called Annotations, is designed to stimulate much more interactivity with the journalism.

The Mail and Guardian looks at the challenges in Zimbabwe to fair and accurate reporting, particularly in the current election campaign. Media are either "red or green" in their support of or opposition to the government. It questions whether the bias extends so far as to insult the public. Even with oversight, fairness is hard to achieve.

media notes 06.20.13

6/20/2013

Here are some media stories of note for Thursday, June 20, 2013:

A new Reuters Institute study of 11,000 Internet users in nine countries signals a stronger acceptance of paywalls and apps as barriers to free-flowing content and a "significant shift" in public attitudes about the need to pay for content. The Guardian notes the report suggests younger people, those 25 to 34, are actually more willing to pay for news (20 per cent have) than are older people over 55 (10 per cent have).

Other key takeaways in the report for the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University: a rapid growth in mobile and app news readership, a trend toward multi-device consumption of news, a divide among countries of social media and newer media use, the rise of new pathways (like search engines) to news, and the enduring value of traditional brands as the business models around them shift.

Robert Picard, the respected media economist, paints an optimistic picture for digital journalism business models in a post for The Guardian. Picard said evidence is emerging of greater willingness for consumers to pay for news, with the assistance of news apps on smartphones and tablets as proprietary platforms. Picard, in his role as the director of research at the Reuters Institute, says a range of models is emerging in smaller and larger businesses. While they will not yield the revenue of print and broadcast, the shift in public attitudes offers hope for the survival of journalism, he concludes.

<<Previous