News

Why we (still) need foreign correspondents and reporters on the ground, and how to ensure their safety

“If we want to offer high-quality news products, we need high-quality content, and high-quality journalism – and there is no high-quality journalism without reporters on the ground,” said Philippe Massonnet, Global News Director of Agence France-Presse in France.

The reality of the dark side: sponsored content

The disease of sponsored content is already very much a part of the news media landscape around the world, Siddarth Varadarajan, editor of The Hindu said at the World Editors Forum in Bangkok. “The infection takes multiple forms, some more malevolent than others,” he added, promising to talk about “the reality of the dark side.”

Leading the newsroom in challenging times

Being an editor isn’t just being a senior journalist, said Jonathan Halls, adjunct professor at George Washington University: you have to be a leader. As an editor, journalism is only 20% of your job, he added.

Video: Keeping a newsroom going in the middle of an earthquake

Andrew Holden, editor-in-chief at The Age and speaker the World Editors Forum, speaks about the moment in Feb 2011 when a major earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand.

Best practices for online comment moderation

2013-06-04. How to best moderate, manage and make use of online comments is one of the key challenges that news organisations are facing today. As Larry Kilman, WAN-IFRA deputy CEO, pointed out in a presentation on the need for moderation at the 20th World Editors Forum, “The news industry’s future is about how citizens engage and participate in their society.”

Have photo staffs become a luxury for newspapers?

The Chicago Sun-Times laid off its 28 staff photographers Thursday, prompting an outcry from photojournalists. But, putting aside grave proclamations about the industry (we’ll get to those later), will the newspaper be able to function without dedicated photographers? Analysts disagree.

Der Spiegel rethinks its strategy, aiming for synergy between print and digital content

German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, one of the powerhouses of international opinion journalism, is on the quest for a new medium between its paper and digital strategies, having suffered recent blows from internal conflicts, stiffening competition and the general economic crisis within the media world.

Business disruption is the norm, says Wired UK Editor David Rowan (with video)

We need to reframe the conversation around journalism and business models for news, without just talking about ‘digital’ and ‘paywalls,’ said David Rowan, editor of Wired UK, at the World Editors Forum in Bangkok. Wired is about the future, about people who are changing the world, about startups and entrepreneurs, and Rowan said he hoped to channel some of that mindset to “explain why we need to think bigger.”

Web allows politicians to sidestep journalists, craft their own coverage

Journalists have long complained that the Obama administration’s distance from the press is a “disgrace,” as veteran White House reporter Ann Compton wrote in February. But, fueled by the ease of web publication, the worrisome trend is catching on despite protests.

Paywalls are good for journalism, believes Globe and Mail’s John Stackhouse

“Paywalls work if they are supporting good journalism,” said John Stackhouse, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, presenting in the Paywalls: To charge or not to charge session at the World Newspaper Congress in Bangkok.