News

Knight Foundation restructures to encourage use of digital journalism tools

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is restructuring and expanding its journalism and media innovation staff in a bid to encourage the use and innovation of digital journalism tools in newsrooms. The slow rate at which newsrooms are using free digital tools will be discussed at the International Newsroom Summit in Amsterdam on 13-14 October.

Response to Watson’s UN speech reveals ongoing problem of gender in the media

Emma Watson’s powerful speech before the United Nations this week launched a new campaign against gender inequality that has received worldwide news coverage and continues to trend on social media.

AP Social Media-UGC Editor Fergus Bell on ethical, legal conundrums in the digital age

As The Associated Press international service’s social media and user-generated content (UGC) editor, Fergus Bell is at the coalface of sourcing and verifying UGC to publish across media platforms and will be sharing his experience with the journalistic conundrums this presents, at WAN-IFRA’s 13th International Newsroom Summit in October.

The Washington Post’s Greg Barber on tool building to harness value of user comments

Greg Barber is the director of Digital News Projects at The Washington Post and has made a career of startups within news organisations. He is now working in collaboration with The New York Times and Mozilla to create an open sourced comment and user contribution platform.

Video key in satisfying Middle East news demands, AP study finds

The growing importance of video, as well as the importance of trustworthy and quality news sources have been revealed by a study from The Associated Press examining the trends and habits of Middle East news consumers.

WAN-IFRA India 2014 takeaways: Extend the brand, boost engagement and protect credibility

WAN-IFRA India 2014, the 22nd annual conference of WAN-IFRA in the Indian sub-continent, offered a look at success stories from the news publishing industry and also considered possible paths for the future.

World Young Reader Prize winners set high bar for news publishers’ youth engagement

Innovative news publishers from around the world with a commitment to youth engagement have been awarded a WAN-IFRA World Young Reader Prize for fostering a new generation of literate, civic-minded readers in their communities.

Small Norwegian paper banking on all-access subscription model and local ties

Hallingdølen in Norway has made its case that it is not just the big-name newspapers which make bold, daring decisions: in 2011, the local paper launched the first paywall in Norway, says its chief editor, Bjarne Tormodsgard.

Divisions, devolution, and democracy: How Britain’s national newspapers covered the Scottish referendum

The headlines varied from paper from paper, and even from edition to edition, as the votes trickled in in the early hours. Print deadlines meant many editors were forced to go to press before even the first results had been announced. Paul McClean examines the leading British national newspapers’ coverage of the Scottish independence vote.

Journalists may face prison under proposed new Australian anti-terror legislation

Australian journalists reporting on terrorism could risk imprisonment under a suite of new national security laws and policies proposed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government, and now backed by a key parliamentary committee. The legislation, which appears increasingly likely to be enacted, represents a chilling attack on media freedom in a progressive democracy, as Julie Posetti and Jessica Sparks report.