Washington Post develops native advertising for print

The Washington Post is developing its BrandConnect programme by selling native advertisements for print, AdAge reports. Since March, the Post has been rolling out its sponsored content platform, which allows advertisers to tailor their message to the paper’s audience.

Newsroom Summit speaker Alan Pearce on what journalists can learn from Snowden affair

In light of the ongoing developments from the Edward Snowden affair, we asked Alan Pearce, a journalist, broadcaster and author specializing in cyber-security and counter-surveillance, about what lessons he thinks journalists should be learning from what’s happened during the past several weeks.

As Kochs rule themselves out of Tribune purchase, who could be next to step into the fold?

When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post, the acquisition was widely heralded as a return of the traditional news ownership model: the “rich sole proprietor.” Ever since, many factions in the news industry have been in a state of low-level frenzy, attempting to guess which heritage title will be up for grabs, and which wealthy individual will be the next to “do a Bezos.” Now, as certain key figures rule themselves out of buying some of America’s most prestigious papers, and others throw their hat into the ring, we’ve compiled a quick rundown of the principal interested parties.

What news consumers watch, where, and how often is crucial as investment in video increases

As an ever-increasing number of newspapers bolster their video efforts, it’s worth taking a look at how often, where, and for how log consumers view content – and on which devices.

Business Insider’s open-source Haunted catches creeping analytics errors

News organizations have embraced analytics as an invaluable way to learn about their audiences and an important factor in decisions across the editorial and business spectrum. But flaws in these numbers may be occurring more often than news outlets realize, creating domino effects on decisions company-wide.

The Riveter and Bustle: Two new publications targeting female audiences

As the number of women in newsrooms flatlines and female journalists continue to be overlooked for prestigious awards, two new publications aim to produce content by and for women. Yet while Bustle and The Riveter share similar goals, their founders differ both in terms of the budget at their disposal and in the presentation of their products.

It is time to enshrine press freedom as an immutable right in the UK

Illegal detention and government threats to a free press, just the latest headlines to emerge from the UK in a summer of revelations connected to NSA surveillance. Both revolve around the Guardian newspaper, and both require legal precedent to change in order to prevent Britain further lurching towards the unpleasant label of 21st Century totalitarian democracy.

Pay-per-gaze advertising could solve non-appearing ads dilemma

Brands have been demanding promises of ad viewability from publishers after learning that 54 percent of ads do not appear mostly due to technical glitches, according to a recent comScore study. However, publishers have been unable to adequately respond without technology to track viewability. But a recently-granted patent by Google suggests there may soon be an app for that.

Content-producing machines: friend or foe for news media outlets?

The words “automated journalism” are often greeted with expressions of trepidation or mistrust in journalism circles. And when Wired writes that “[t]he new reporter on the US media scene takes no coffee breaks, churns out articles at lightning speed, and has no pension plan” who can blame them? Nonetheless, the use of computer-generated content is becoming increasingly widespread, to the point where titles such as The Washington Post have contemplated the use of automated writing.

Why Twitter’s mix of personal and professional can be an uncomfortable blend for news outlets

‘Tweet in haste, repent at leisure’ could serve as a useful adage for Twitter-happy journalists. After posting a controversial tweet about Julian Assange over the weekend, journalist Michael Grunwald attracted widespread criticism. Condemnation flooded in from around the globe, but didn’t only focus on Grunwald himself. TIME magazine, Grunwald’s employer, was also drawn into the debate. The publication sprang into action, distancing itself from Grunwald’s tweets. In doing so the magazine demonstrated that even when transmitted in an apparently personal setting, journalists’ tweets aren’t always their own.