News

New UNESCO project targets youth representation in mainstream media

UNESCO’s new youth-engagement initiative has kicked off with a call for more youth representation in mainstream media. Sydney Pead reports.

European newspaper circulation down another 4% amid calls for more innovation

“Long-term structural declines in print circulation continue in mature markets as audiences shift their focus from print to digital” WAN-IFRA Secretary General Larry Kilman told the Zeitung Digital Conference in Berlin this week, foreshadowing the release of WAN-IFRA’s annual World Press Trends report.

Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen released

Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen has been released from prison, six years after his arrest in March 2008. Wangchen was featured in WAN-IFRA’s ‘30 Days for Freedom’ campaign.

Journalism safety: A year in review

Barely one year ago we were in Bangkok for WAN-IFRA’s 65th Newspaper Congress, which included some lively discussions on the threats to press freedom and the need for journalist security around the world, writes Javier Garza Ramos.

Journalists targeted as unrest in eastern Ukraine intensifies

As Ukrainians headed to the polls on 25 May in snap elections that were commended by international observers for largely upholding democratic commitments, turmoil in eastern Ukraine saw an increase in violence against journalists. A day before the elections, Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian interpreter Andrey Mironov were killed while covering the fighting in Slavyansk, while on 25 May, separatists took two journalists hostage – Viacheslav Bondarenko and Maksym Osovsky – as they covered the elections in Luhansk region. The pair was released several days later.

Ethiopia tightens its grip on media ahead of 2015 elections

“The current regime follows this pattern: immediately before elections, they start to muzzle every critical voice,” protests Endalk Chala, a co-founder and member of the Ethiopian blogging collective called “Zone 9” – a proverbial reference to Ethiopia’s situation beyond the eight zones that divide the notorious Kaliti prison, where many journalists and political prisoners are kept behind bars.

Speed reading software to revolutionise the way we read news

New software and apps that allow users to reach reading speeds of 1,000 words per minute on tiny devices will soon become “the main source of reading,” according to experts. Paul McClean examines the rise of this potentially revolutionary technology.

“Prospects are grim” for press freedom in Thailand

The military junta is tightening its grip on the nation’s press following last week’s military coup in Thailand. After martial law was declared and soldiers stormed several TV stations, orders effectively stifling any free expression have been followed by the arrest or summoning of hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.

Another journalist killed as violence grips the Philippines

The killing of a radio broadcaster in the Philippines has dealt another blow to wavering press freedom in the country. Samuel Oliverio was attacked on 23 May while driving his motorcycle with his wife in Digos city in the south of the country.

Staying ahead of the pack: Martin Belam on digital innovation at Trinity Mirror

What does data journalism look like at a tabloid newspaper? Martin Belam, editor of at Trinity Mirror’s new offerings Ampp3d and Mirror Row Zed, is experimenting with the model. The Trinity Mirror group is Britain’s biggest newspaper company, publishing two national tabloid titles and 240 regional newspapers.